Airbnb experiences, we're new to this

[Rianne]

We found a property in FLL on Airbnb website for Feb. 2020. I sent our pic, put a copy of my DL and signed up with them. I can't figure out if they want the full payment today or do I put a down payment and how to negotiate that. I'd prefer to pay a % now and a % when we move in. Is that how it works?

 

[CoolRich59]

Read their listing in detail. It should say how payment is to be made.

I would also suggest reading all the posted terms. They can be revealing. Sometimes, the rate posted is for just one person - and goes up if more than one person will be there. Similarly, check the cancellation terms. Some places have very strict cancellation policies.

 

[Rianne]

Read their listing in detail. It should say how payment is to be made.

I would also suggest reading all the posted terms. They can be revealing. Sometimes, the rate posted is for just one person - and goes up if more than one person will be there. Similarly, check the cancellation terms. Some places have very strict cancellation policies.

I'm texting with owner/manager? to work out down payment or partial payment. I'm not charging $3500, then find out there's no refund or even partial refund. I understand they're holding their property off the market for 6 months. It's like buying a plane ticket...good luck for any refund there.

 

[CoolRich59]

One good thing about AirBNB is that the cancellation terms are clearly spelled out on the listing (or they should be). But you should not have to pay 100% up front (unless your stay is very near term.)

For example, I booked a condo in FL for next March (not via AirBNB) and was only required to put 25% down, with the balance due 30 days before arrival.

On the other hand, last Spring we made a last minute trip to FL and booked a place just 2 weeks before traveling. In that case, I paid for the entire rental at the time of booking.

 

[harllee]

In my experience you can contact the AirBnB owner/ manger (there is a place to do this on the website ) and negotiate terms especially for a longer term rental. I have negotiated price, deposit, cleaning fees, etc. Once you reach an agreement with the owner they then put it through the AirBnB website and you sign up through the website and pay the deposit. You still have to pay the AirBnB fees. Occasionally I find that the owner has their own website (Google the owner's name and the name of the name of the house) and that way you can avoid the AirBnb fees. I have stayed in maybe 20 AirBnB ( and VRBO places) over the years. Most have been great, but a few have been awful (even with good prior reviews) so there are no guarantees.

 

[Just_Steve]

We found a property in FLL on Airbnb website for Feb. 2020. I sent our pic, put a copy of my DL and signed up with them. I can't figure out if they want the full payment today or do I put a down payment and how to negotiate that. I'd prefer to pay a % now and a % when we move in. Is that how it works?

I have never used Airbnb so I have to ask why do you ned to send a picture? And why would you ever give someone a copy of your DL?

 

[ugeauxgirl]

We just got back from a vacation and we used 2 air BNBs. Didn't have to send a driver's license for either. Both required a 50% deposit with the remainder the week before.

 

[COcheesehead]

I have never used Airbnb so I have to ask why do you ned to send a picture? And why would you ever give someone a copy of your DL?

The drivers license requirement for the first rental stopped us in our tracks. TMI

 

[Ronstar]

We’re about to do our 3rd Airbnb. 2 couples. Paid half down in January for a week in September in Canmore. Paying second half in a couple of weeks. Easy so far.

2nd Airbnb was a week in Sedona. 4 couples. Owner withdrew his property from Airbnb while we were setting up the deal. He wanted to rent it out on his own. Owner tried to raise the price from the Airbnb price, but we got it for the Airbnb price in the long run. Worked out ok. Initial deposit with remainder near trip time.

First was a house in Nashville. 3 couples. I remember the owner running a background check of some sort since we never used Airbnb before. Initial deposit with remainder near trip time.

Airbnb is a great way to go, but I find the pictures online to sometimes look better than the place actually is.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

To echo the above, read every single word on the listing. Should conoletelt spell out deposit, cancellation, and sometimes lodging tax is seperate and due in cash at moment of check-in. Yes ive seen it. Also, you will find properties cross posted on both vrbo and airbnb. Always pay thru the airbnb or v r b o website. Assume all the reviews are at least a star too generous. And if the place doeant match the ad, push back early and often. I had a 2 bedroom advertised unit tirn into a 1 bedroom with a single decorative pillow on the bed for 2 adults. No bueno.

 

[davebarnes]

I have never used Airbnb so I have to ask why do you need to send a picture? And why would you ever give someone a copy of your DL?

Because you have to in Western Europe. A copy of your passport actually.

Because AirBnB is vetting both sides. I take comfort in that vetting.

 

[NW-Bound]

We found a property in FLL on Airbnb website for Feb. 2020. I sent our pic, put a copy of my DL and signed up with them. I can't figure out if they want the full payment today or do I put a down payment and how to negotiate that. I'd prefer to pay a % now and a % when we move in. Is that how it works?

Are you bypassing Airbnb and rent directly from the property owner? I always pay for the rent through Airbnb, never directly to the owner. The terms for cancellation are spelled out for each property, and vary according to the owner's stipulation.

I used to have to pay in full to Airbnb, who then released the payment to the owner after the stay. Recently, Airbnb would charge 1/2 at reservation, then the remaining 1/2 a week or two before the stay.

And in Europe, the local laws often require the landlords to have the identity of the traveler, and they would take a photo of my passport with their smartphone when I check in. Hotels in Europe also make a photocopy of the guest's passport as a routine at check in.

 

[DrRoy]

We have done a couple Airbnb and the payment terms can vary widely.

 

[Rianne]

We're locking in at a place that has an excellent location. Apartment a bit dated, but most are in Lauderdale by the Sea location. He's a new owner and has been quick with responses to my texts. We have 7 hours to confirm and pay 25% up front. We agreed on that. Owner is texting me. I want to be sure I'm paying through Airbnb. The link is in the text and on the website.


I'm good with vetting both sides. We were pre approved immediately. I don't even mind if I have to disinfect the place before moving in, the location is just about perfect.

 

[justlikebike]

We have been using AirBNB/VRBO for about 20 years. What we have found is:
1) Only go with listings that have lots of comments. Be aware that the owner will review you as well as you reviewing the owner after the rental.
2) Payment and cancellation policy are on each listing and set by the owner, so they can be pretty random.
3) Treat the rental like you would if a friend was lending you their place. These are not hotels, they are peoples homes and investments. Generally they will be quite helpful but you can't treat them like a concierge. If you leave the place a mess, the review they give you may keep you from being able to rent a different place in the future.
4) Once you are in the place, read the rules sheet that they normally have in the place. There may be things like, please turn the dishwasher on before you leave, or put the towels in the wash before you leave, etc.

We enjoy using vacation rentals as the prices are better normally and you get a full kitchen. Hotels get old real fast.

 

[mountainsoft]

We have been using AirBNB/VRBO for about 20 years. What we have found is:
1) Only go with listings that have lots of comments. Be aware that the owner will review you as well as you reviewing the owner after the rental.
2) Payment and cancellation policy are on each listing and set by the owner, so they can be pretty random.
3) Treat the rental like you would if a friend was lending you their place. These are not hotels, they are peoples homes and investments. Generally they will be quite helpful but you can't treat them like a concierge. If you leave the place a mess, the review they give you may keep you from being able to rent a different place in the future.
4) Once you are in the place, read the rules sheet that they normally have in the place. There may be things like, please turn the dishwasher on before you leave, or put the towels in the wash before you leave, etc.

We enjoy using vacation rentals as the prices are better normally and you get a full kitchen. Hotels get old real fast.

+1 We've been renting AirBnB listings for a few years and have only had one hiccup. The owners cleaning crew got the date mixed up, so we arrived to an uncleaned rental. We found another place to stay for the night, the owner fixed the problem from the other side of the world, and reimbursed us for the night we rented elsewhere.

I like AirBnb because we can find some really unique rentals. We've stayed in a fire lookout tower, tree houses, yurts, and a variety of wonderful small cottages. This weekend we'll be staying in a remodeled fish cannery on a pier overlooking a river. These places are so much more memorable than a boring hotel.

 

[Chuckanut]

Take a good look at the photos of the room. Is there plenty of storage? I found a wonderful AirBnB place in Savannah, or so I thought. Alas, there was no storage in the room, no drawers to put things in, no place to hang stuff up, etc. We literally lived out of our suitcase for 4 days. Not so good.

 

[Red Badger]

+1 We've been renting AirBnB listings for a few years and have only had one hiccup. The owners cleaning crew got the date mixed up, so we arrived to an uncleaned rental. We found another place to stay for the night, the owner fixed the problem from the other side of the world, and reimbursed us for the night we rented elsewhere.

I like AirBnb because we can find some really unique rentals. We've stayed in a fire lookout tower, tree houses, yurts, and a variety of wonderful small cottages. This weekend we'll be staying in a remodeled fish cannery on a pier overlooking a river. These places are so much more memorable than a boring hotel.

+1 (+ what likebike said).

Our upcoming Airbnb near the Grand Canyon is 50% at booking (past Feb), and the balance a week or two prior to check in(Sep). Very typical. Because its in a high demand location, the cancellation clause is a death sentence.

A couple of other points. Sometimes, check in can be interesting. In Europe, we had to meet a greeter on a couple of occasions. On one, our train was late and the wi-fi on the train sucked. We got the issue resolved, but it was last minute, hectic stuff. Also, mind the cleaning fees. They can sometimes make short stays rather pricey. But we have had great stays overall. We loved our riverfront stays in Europe for about the same price as the monotonous hotels. Many good stays here in the US.

 

[RonBoyd]

The drivers license requirement for the first rental stopped us in our tracks. TMI

This is pretty much the standard and not just with "hotels" --in fact, it is the law in most states. Try to get on an airplane without Identification.

See for example:
https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/76012/laws-requiring-identification-at-hotel-check-in

 

[kgtest]

I booked West Palm Beach using AirBNB our first time ever but to our dismay, the host who was a super host closed down shop. Apparently, being airbnb host sounded cute but didn't cover the expenses...or who knows she could be selling.

Otherwise had good luck with homeaway, and VRBO in the past. At some point the CCs offer a reward cat of 5% back so we pulled the trigger on a 5 nighter at that time.

Blow the dough! I think we got our housing for like $100a night walking distance to beach.

 

[harllee]

As someone who has rented many AirBnbs and VRBOs ( I always check both sites) I have had at least 95% positive experiences, but very once in a while a place turns out to be awful even though it has had many great reviews. For example a few weeks ago we rented a cabin in Hew Hampshire that looked ideal and had many very good reviews. When we got there we noticed alot of loud heavy truck traffic right in front of the place that continued all night. Evidently there was a new road being built close by and the quiet country lane in front of the cabin had turned into a construction road. The owner never told us. We just cut our losses and moved on after one night.

 

[sengsational]

I like to stay in a hotel if it's just a night or two and if I don't care about "getting the feel" of the place. While you can stay in interesting concierge hotels and connect with the location, it's been my experience that AirBNB and similar stays give you a good start at connection with the place and making some good memories. Things don't always go as expected, but with the right attitude, those things can be turned into an asset.


I like chatting up the host and finding out which restaurants they eat at and which markets they shop at (not which ones tourists usually go to).

 

[Just_Steve]

This is pretty much the standard and not just with "hotels" --in fact, it is the law in most states. Try to get on an airplane without Identification.

See for example:
https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/76012/laws-requiring-identification-at-hotel-check-in

I have done plenty of VRBO in many states and once in Canada nobody ever asked for my DL, ever. Your hotel example is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[dirtbiker]

I love airbnb. In most cases, I've found that I can find better deals at better locations for bigger accommodations with airbnb compared to local hotels.

When we visited Dublin earlier this year, we stayed in a two bedroom apartment for about 80% of the price of the bargain hotels outside of the center of the city. The location was perfect, the apartment was roomy (for downtown), and we had kitchen, washer, dryer, separate rooms for our kids to stay in. I've been exclusively using airbnb while on vacation. I haven't had a bad experience yet. Not saying it can't or won't happen, but the same can be said of hotels.

 

[RonBoyd]

I have done plenty of VRBO in many states and once in Canada nobody ever asked for my DL, ever. Your hotel example is an apples to oranges comparison.

Perhaps. However, I have had this law used at some campgrounds -- albeit, only few. So I am "just saying."

(Anyway, to argue it with the innkeeper seems to be a waste of time that can only end poorly for both parties.>