AirBnB Hosts?

[Tree-dweller]

I recently reserved a house in Ireland for a week via AirBnb for later this year. First time using the service, so time will tell how well this works. But I'm curious how this is going to work for the host. From the photos on the website, it appears to be the host's actual home, i.e, where she lives when she's not renting it out. As we're renting the entire house, I was wondering where she hightails-it to when the Yanks show up. I know, I could ask her, but it's none of my business - but I'm still curious. Has anyone rented out their entire house / apartment via AirBnb (or similar), and if so, where'd you go while your place was rented?

[CoolChange]

I investigated an AirBnB house rental for a trip that I was planning to take to Mexico a couple of months ago. I was a nice but small home that appeared to be lived in; but, the reality was the couple renting actually lived in a larger, nicer house in the same town. I am not sure if they bought this house for a rental property, moved up the real estate ladder, consolidated after getting married, etc. (As you mention, none of my business.)

House prices in the area I was looking are still quite depressed; so, they may be making more from vacation renters than they would by selling this house.

[KB]

I have rented a few different Airbnb rooms or houses.

One of the hosts had 2 different rental houses and moved into the smaller house if he could rent the entire house I was in. He also had a sleeping loft where he could stay in the main house. As rental income was his only income, so he was flexible enough to try and rent everything he could.

Another person rented out his grandparents house that he had inherited while he lived down the street in his own house. That house had individual room for rent or the entire house. He was close enough to be available quickly.

Another place I rented was a small cabin on the property where the owner lived.

I would absolutely use Airbnb again. Since your host lives locally you are able to get local information about sites to see and places to go. That improved my trip and added additional sites to see.

[Sarah in SC]

We stayed at an AirBnB in Peru, and it was the hosts' own house. They lived there and so did we. It worked extremely well, our room was very nice, the shared bath was spotless, and our hosts became good friends to us to this day. I definitely recommend AirBnB to those traveling.

I think our home is less optimal for hosting through AirBnB, because we live out in the country, but we did get lots of responses to our Trusted Housesitters application for a home-stay later this year, so maybe my thinking is off a bit.

[Tree-dweller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC We stayed at an AirBnB in Peru, and it was the hosts' own house. They lived there and so did we. It worked extremely well, our room was very nice, the shared bath was spotless, and our hosts became good friends to us to this day. I definitely recommend AirBnB to those traveling.

Sarah, was it clear and advertised as such that you were renting a room in the owner's house, and not renting the entire house? (I'm an AirBnb rookie.)

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tree-dweller I recently reserved a house in Ireland for a week via AirBnb for later this year. First time using the service, so time will tell how well this works. But I'm curious how this is going to work for the host. From the photos on the website, it appears to be the host's actual home, i.e, where she lives when she's not renting it out. As we're renting the entire house, I was wondering where she hightails-it to when the Yanks show up. I know, I could ask her, but it's none of my business - but I'm still curious. Has anyone rented out their entire house / apartment via AirBnb (or similar), and if so, where'd you go while your place was rented?

As I was born and raised in Ireland, I would be interested to know more. Since 2007, house prices have dropped by 50% in Ireland and there are thousands of underwater mortgages; unemployment is 14%+ and Generation Y has left in droves. There is probably a strong economic reason for the owner to rent out her home. My guess is that she's staying with relatives.

[Sarah in SC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tree-dweller Sarah, was it clear and advertised as such that you were renting a room in the owner's house, and not renting the entire house? (I'm an AirBnb rookie.)

Yes, absolutely! We knew it was a room with shared bath. I would guess that for yours, the owners actually live elsewhere. And I'm going to say that if asked politely, there is nothing wrong with inquiring about how their homestay works (where they go while you live in their house, etc.). I know our hosts were very happy to share information about their lives and how their AirBnB booking "worked".

Maybe it is my "aggressive American friendliness" (dubbed thusly by a Spanish-speaking friend when she watched me interact using handshakes, smiles, and abysmal Spanish with the dozens of policemen we met during our road trip through Peru), but I think that questions like this aren't necessarily rude. And of course you'd be curious as to whether you'll be sleeping in the hosts' bed or what-have-you!

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tree-dweller Sarah, was it clear and advertised as such that you were renting a room in the owner's house, and not renting the entire house? (I'm an AirBnb rookie.)

In the air bnb listing it will say if it is for the whole premises . You can even search for only listings that are whole premises if you want to.

[Dreamer]

After we did our first Road Scholar trip to FL last month, I decided to try out AirBnb also based on this thread. We stayed 2 nights in St Augustine, where we would have the second floor of the house, bedroom, bathroom, living room and balcony. I booked it based on its location. When I called her the night before, she said it had been a hectic week for them and they were going to their condo to get away and she would leave the key and if we had any problems to call her. We basically had the whole house. We mostly stayed on the second floor, but we did put some drinks and doggie bags in the kitchen. We never moved our car from the driveway, until we were ready to leave. Everything was within walking distance. We stayed 2 nights in Key West and it was okay. We met the person who lived there on the second day and he was very nice and about my son's age, mid 30's. He told us that we did not have to worry about leaving by noon the next day, because he did not have any one coming. My favorite place we stayed was at a deceased artist's home in Key Largo. I would enjoy just going back and hanging out for a week or two there. Everywhere you looked was beautiful art, both inside and outside. Tropical vegetation and it was on a canal, where manatees would swim. We saw a mother and her baby. There were 2 kayaks there for you to use. The caretaker of the house took us out on a sunset cruise in the pontoon boat. He was a laid back guy and so easy to have conversations with him. He was quite the drinker and was very honest (told us to could not drive due to DUIs), but he never seemed the least bit intoxicated. Our last night in FL was spent in a Hampton Inn and it seemed so boring in comparison. I love that I find out about so many things from Early Retirement. Thanks everyone.

[Sarah in SC]

Wow that is a great report! Glad it went so well for y'all! And the trip sounded amazing!

[james7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tree-dweller I recently reserved a house in Ireland for a week via AirBnb for later this year. First time using the service, so time will tell how well this works. But I'm curious how this is going to work for the host. From the photos on the website, it appears to be the host's actual home, i.e, where she lives when she's not renting it out. As we're renting the entire house, I was wondering where she hightails-it to when the Yanks show up. I know, I could ask her, but it's none of my business - but I'm still curious. Has anyone rented out their entire house / apartment via AirBnb (or similar), and if so, where'd you go while your place was rented?

I have not rented mine out, but I know people who have and the list of places they went was endless. Some went to visit friends, relatives, or children, some went on vacation, some took business trips, some stayed with their SO who lived nearby, and others just spent a night or two in a big city taking in the culture. A couple of years ago I stayed in a guest bedroom in a city apartment with the family who lived there year all year, but in the summer they went to their summer house in the country a lot.

[Tree-dweller]

Thanks all for your insight and experiences. Our stay is coming up fast, and I'll make a point of posting how things went. I think this is going to be a rewarding alternative to a hotel.