Rent an apartment around the world airbnb. Airbnb: pros, cons and juicy details. Free local guide

22.03.2020 Maria Glazunova

Cons of Airbnb

Of course, we can’t say that everything is perfect in Airbnb; there are also disadvantages that appear due to human factor. Since most owners are not involved in the apartment business, their approach in some matters may not be professional.

  1. Conditions. The concept of comfort and cleanliness is different for everyone, and your requirements may not always coincide with the capabilities of the apartment owners - some little things that are invisible to the owner can become an annoying misunderstanding for you.
  2. Speed. Unlike hotel booking sites, where you can select the desired room and immediately go to check-in, you should prepare for a trip using Airbnb in advance - online information about housing availability for the desired dates is not always 100% up-to-date. In any case, you will need to wait for confirmation from the owner.
  3. Less privacy. Firstly, in order to book accommodation, you need to fill out your profile, provide your contact details and, preferably, write a little about yourself (or record a video introduction). You also need to provide your documents for identification (they will only be available to the Airbnb system, the host will not see them). Secondly, if you plan to rent not an entire apartment, but a separate room, then perhaps other guests or the owners will live in the apartment with you.
  4. You may be denied a reservation if the owner doesn’t like you or your profile in some way - after all, he rents out his home and has the right to choose who to put in his apartment.

In order to avoid misunderstandings, carefully study the owner’s profile, the description of the accommodation on airbnb, and study the reviews of previous guests especially carefully. In addition, you need to keep in mind that most of these disadvantages are mitigated by Airbnb's Guest Compensation Policy (see below).

What Airbnb is for us

For us, Airbnb is great option for accommodation, which is located between hotels and. It combines freedom and independence on the one hand and the opportunity to get more comfort and homeliness, as well as to join the culture of the country, on the other.

Instructions for use

In order to register, you need to go to the Airbnb website. If you register using this link, you will receive a $32 bonus that you can use when booking accommodation

After a simple registration on airbnb, you will be taken to the main page of the site. Enter the name of the city where you plan to travel, as well as the dates of your stay

As a result of the search, you will see the found options, as well as a city map with marked points

The system has quite a few filters by which you can select the appropriate options

Having selected suitable housing, you can study the details, look at photographs, read about a specific apartment on airbnb reviews previous guests. On the right side of the page the cost of accommodation is indicated for one day and for the selected number of days, as well as the cost of Airbnb services

After this, you can send a booking request

Once the host confirms the specified dates, you can pay for your reservation using bank card or via PayPal.

What you should pay attention to when choosing housing

Verified profile– in order to confirm his identity, the host can provide the Airbnb system with his documents, after which an icon will appear in his profile indicating that he has completed online and/or offline confirmation.

Verified photos– if in the upper right corner of the photo, in addition to the usual logo, there is an inscription verified photo, which means they were taken by a professional Airbnb photographer and are accurate.

Response rate– if the profile indicates a frequency of 10%, then you don’t have to waste time on such housing, most likely no one will answer you, but a frequency of 90-100%, on the contrary, indicates that you will definitely receive an answer.

Response time– this is an important indicator if there is not much time left before the expected booking date. In this case, choose those who respond as quickly as possible.

Calendar update– if the calendar is updated regularly, it will be easier to find accommodation for the required dates, otherwise you will have to correspond with the owner every time.

Cancellation conditions– if you have a chance that the trip may not take place, choose more flexible conditions (see below).

One of the most important parameters in airbnb is reviews of the accommodation and the owner.

airbnb reviews– this is probably one of the most important criteria. The description of an apartment in airbnb can say anything, but if the vast majority of guests praise this place, then most likely it is really good. Read carefully and treat reviews critically - not everyone can directly write about some disadvantages. Sometimes the statement is veiled, for example something like “living in such a small apartment was an interesting experiment.”

Cancel Reservation

Airbnb has a variety of cancellation policies, allowing you to customize your accommodation depending on how confident you are about your upcoming trip. Please note that the Airbnb fee is non-refundable, except in serious circumstances (if the cancellation was initiated by you, of course):

  • flexible,
  • moderate,
  • strict,
  • super strict
  • long-term

You can read more about cancellation types and conditions here.

Why Airbnb is safe

Airbnb has " Guest compensation rules”, which allow you to get a refund of paid Money, in case there is some misunderstanding, for example:

  • the owner canceled the reservation or did not provide access to the accommodation;
  • in reality, the housing differs significantly from the description on the website;
  • you find that your home is dirty or unsafe

And although this does not happen often, if suddenly something in the booked accommodation does not suit you, contact Airbnb within 24 hours of your arrival. You can read more here.

Booking confirmation for visa

We ourselves have never provided a service receipt to the consulate, but according to the support service, as well as judging by numerous reports from airbnb users, the reviews on this topic are quite positive - such reservations are accepted without problems at consulates and visa centers.

Rent out your apartment via airbnb

As you might guess, in addition to renting housing while traveling, using the Airbnb service you can also rent out your apartment/room/house /inflatable mattress. If you have a spare room or are going to the country for a few months, or just want to earn a little extra money during the summer by living in the office, this is a great opportunity, simple and convenient.

For hosts, Airbnb provides no less guarantees than for guests, so it is also quite safe. Moreover, it is free, since the Airbnb service adds its own additional fee (about 10%) to the cost, i.e. you will receive exactly as much as you indicate in the ad. By the way, a professional photographer will also take photos of your apartment for Airbnb for free.

In order to rent out an apartment in airbnb, you need to go to the “Your listings” section in the “Control Panel”.

Conclusion

As with everything new, at first glance, Airbnb may seem something unusual and complicated. But in reality, Sevris is very convenient, thoughtful and safe, so I recommend at least trying to use it in order to have another tool in stock for traveling. I hope that Airbnb can be a good alternative for you to hotels, hostels and guesthouses :)

To make using this service even more enjoyable, I remind you that you can get a bonus for your first booking in the Airbnb system. To do this, simply register using this link. Wish great travels and have a nice holiday!

You can read about our experience of renting an apartment through Airbnb in Phuket.

Still have questions about using the service? Ask them in the comments.

If you liked the idea of ​​finding housing through the airbnb service, share this article with your friends (repost in in social networks).

Igor

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    Marianne

    Marianne

    An alternative to hotels - renting apartments, apartments and houses - is becoming increasingly popular in the world.
    When you come to a foreign city, you want to feel the comfort of home. Most hotel rooms, and you will agree with me, cannot replace the comfort of home with a kitchenette, hanging shelves filled with pots, drawers with spoons and forks, a sink and a stove.

    For example, it’s more pleasant for me to sit in the kitchen than in the living room - everything is at hand: a refrigerator with a supply of drinks and food, a table where you can have intimate conversations or watch TV... They probably understood me.

    Pros of living in an apartment

    Especially the prices for apartments are for those who come to rest for a long period of time - I won’t hide that it’s cheaper, since the products in European supermarkets are many times different in freshness and variety from those in Russia, and I think about cooking a steak from non-frozen meat or baking fresh fish everyone can.

    Accordingly, we save on going to restaurants, absolutely freely pour ourselves wine and something stronger, and we are also not shy about smoking at the table.

    In the world of travel, there is a need for apartments from owners, just as there is a need for owners to rent out these apartments.

    How Airbnb works

    What Airbnb has: a database of owners who offer their properties for short-term rental, has reviews from those who have already used their services, has an owner profile where he writes about himself, and has photographs of what the owner offers.

    There is also a processing center that accepts money as a deposit, brings us together with the owner and, within the framework of the agreement between him and us, protects the rights of both, transferring financial relations into a contractual framework: when you book housing, you pay money, but the owner of the property will only receive it the day after your check-in.

    That is: if you don’t like something and the offer published on the Airbnb website by the owner is not true, you have the right to get your money back.

    If the owner of the property violates the agreement and cancels your reservation, you get back the entire amount paid + bonus (Airbnb fines the owner and this fine is your bonus).

    The process of searching and booking accommodation


    You enter the place (This is a country, city or region) where you are looking for accommodation.
    You enter the dates you are interested in.
    Number of residents.
    And you get search results - a photo of the proposed housing and the price.


    There are filters: by housing cost limits; by type of housing: “house, apartment, bed”; for services: internet, washing machine, parking, etc., etc.

    Did you choose your favorite based on the photo? Read the reviews of those who have already stayed there.
    Read about the owner - there is his photo, what he writes about himself and what clients who have already stayed here write about him.


    Well, if everything suits you: book! To do this, you naturally need a visa or mastercard credit or debit bank card.
    The money will be debited from your card, but the owner of the property will receive it only on the second day of your stay in his apartment or house.


    If you don’t like something, namely: if something differs from the offer that was on the Airbnb website, you can write to Airbnb support and they will return your money and select an alternative housing option for you.


    Airbnb Pitfalls and Cons

    The ease with which any homeowner can become an Airbnb partner and get into their database is the reason for the large number of outright scammers and scoundrels in this database.
    If Booking.com checks hotels and apartments included in the database since both of them must be legal entities (firms, LLCs, etc.), Airbnb does not do this check.

    Difficulty contacting support.
    I have many positive results of solving situations with Booking.com support service in Russian: .

    It's no secret that anything can happen and no one is safe from mistakes. Booking.com handled all situations with honor: I received an alternative or a refund in situations that seemed hopeless at first glance.

    Airbnb acted according to the scenario: we’ll wait, maybe everything will resolve itself.
    I did not receive any help from Airbnb, for example, in a situation when, upon arriving at the host, I discovered that the previous residents had extended their stay.

    That is, in essence, I found myself homeless in the evening in a foreign city. I had to, and naturally no one compensated me for the Airbnb mess.

    It often happens that people who have booked a beautiful apartment (pictured) in fact receive an uncleaned shithole with hair on the bed linen with holes, an unwashed toilet and a sink that was clogged a year ago and smells like a morgue.

    In addition, it is more convenient for me to book 1-2 days and change location often - I actively travel across countries. With the Airbnb system, this (being mobile) is impossible.

    On the Internet now, every travel site tells how to rent out your home on airbnb for the winter or vacation, but few people actually rent out theirs and know how everything really is. After reading such sites with advice: “How to rent out an apartment through airbnb,” I decided to write this article, based on own experience working with this system. Main points and pitfalls, whether or not to draw up an agreement, how to withdraw money, and so on.

    By the way, if you don't already know! You can also rent out your accommodation through Booking.com!! Site number 1, as you know, for rental housing. When you register as an owner, you won't pay a commission on your first 5 bookings!

    How to rent out an apartment using airbnb.

    Everything is simple, there is nothing complicated in the process. If you are already registered in this system as a guest, then you do not need to register separately as a landlord. You need to log into your account and add your ad. If you are not registered, then via this link You will have access to not only registration for renting out an apartment on Airbnb, but also a housing bonus if you go on vacation yourself for 2100 rubles, or 25 euros.

    Creating an advertisement for renting an apartment: what you should pay attention to.

    The most important point There will be photos when you create your rental listing. And it doesn’t matter whether you do them yourself or invite a photographer from airbnb, which, by the way, is free. Here are just a few tips:

    • If you rent out your apartment in which you live yourself, like me, then try to remove all unnecessary personal items. This spoils the picture, and subsequently the guest can point out the discrepancy between the things stated in the ad. So, in one photo I had a MacBook on the table - and everyone asked if it would be available upon check-in.
    • Take photos of the cozy details, the place where people will sleep, the bathroom and toilet rooms. This is what people pay attention to first. All sorts of cute little things have a positive effect and attract careful tourists who value comfort.
    • Make a map of the area, describing all the delights of what can be found nearby: shops, transport stops and where you can take a walk before going to bed. If your apartment is in a residential area, this will be very useful and, perhaps, will become a decisive factor for the guest to choose your accommodation. You can just save the map image from Google and label where everything is.
    • Choose the most successful and cozy photo for the header. In the search, it is she who will “work” for you. Consider this the keyword that will get your ad clicked.

    Apartment management: meeting and seeing off guests.

    Airbnb has made everything easier for hosts and guests when it comes to search and financial matters. But nevertheless, you will still have to meet your guests. And here there are two options: either you yourself (your friends or relatives) or a hired manager. Are you tempted to use the second option? However, there are some nuances here. Are you ready to issue a power of attorney for the management of an apartment to a third party? Aren't you afraid after some time to find your apartment in a ruined state?

    Airbnb has an internal forum for renters. In the St. Petersburg thread, the issue with the management company is discussed and there are negative reviews. When the management company, roughly speaking, squeezes all the juice out of the property without carrying out repairs and other necessary things (changing worn-out linen, for example). By handing over a clean, renovated apartment to management, you can end up with a dead one. Approach the issue more carefully.

    "Underwater rocks"

    Despite the simplicity that airbnb came up with, making renting a home via the Internet as simple and convenient as possible, there are also some pitfalls in it. Therefore, I want to voice what I have already encountered myself.

    Property insurance and collateral.

    For residents of Russia, the 1 million landlord insurance declared in the airbnb system is not valid.

    To protect yourself from possible problems with the tenant, Airbnb is advised to set a deposit. The minimum recommended amount is 75 euros and it is frozen on your guest's card. But I advise you to also conclude a lease agreement, an ordinary paper one, in which it is advisable to write down the passport details of your tenant, so that if something happens, you have something to go to court with. There is no need to be afraid to invite guests to sign such an agreement; it is advisable to even mention it in correspondence in advance. In Spain, when renting a house in Sitges, the owner offered us to sign such an agreement, and there is no crime in this.

    Bank commission for withdrawal of funds.

    For each transaction on your card, when you want to withdraw earned dollars or euros, the bank will charge you its commission.

    Currently, 12 euros are charged for euro payments, even if you have a direct euro account. The commission is “bitten off” by the partner bank. So far, only Alfa Bank does not charge such a commission. To avoid unnecessary expenses, you can set a withdrawal limit, and then airbnb will send you not after each guest check-in, but when a certain threshold (any) is reached.

    Payment currency.

    You can only receive money in the currency in which you set the price for your apartment. Currently, when the exchange rate of the euro and dollar is rising and falling, there is a reason to fix it in rubles if you still rely not only on foreign tenants. And in this case, the money will also be credited in rubles without any extra commission. By indicating the cost of renting an apartment or room in euros or dollars, they can only be withdrawn to a euro or dollar account.

    Why get rent in rubles nowadays if you can get euros? It's simple. It all depends solely on your rental property. If it is located in a very tourist place, in the center, for example, then you can count on success with foreigners. If the apartment is a little out of the way, in a residential area even 20 minutes away by metro, then the flow of foreigners dries up, but our compatriots are still attracted to such apartments. Due to the growth of the exchange rate, as happened in last years, at a rate of 50 euros per night, for Russian tourist the price jumped from 2 thousand to 5! Of course, you can recalculate the rate every day taking into account the exchange rate. It is also worth understanding that tourist flow Each city has its own. In St. Petersburg, the influx of tourists begins in May and ends in September. Well holidays. The rest of the time, demand falls.

    Cancel Reservation.

    If for some reason you cancel your reservation, your plans change, for example, or you simply change your mind, the system will block these dates anyway and you will not be able to rent out the property again. You will also have an automatic negative review that will be linked to your account even if you delete this ad and add a new one.

    You can set a cancellation policy for your guests and thereby protect yourself from a situation where a guest cancels at the last minute, choosing another accommodation, for example. I know a case where the reservation was canceled right before the holiday and the tenant for short term I was no longer able to rent out the apartment and lost money.

    A couple of tips on how to make your life easier as a rentier


    Good luck to you, interesting and careful guests!!

    Important addition

    By the way, if you don't already know! You can also rent out your accommodation through Booking.com!! Site number 1, as you know, for rental housing. When you register as an owner using this link, you will not pay a commission on your first 5 bookings!

    Important addition

    By the way, if you don't already know! You can also rent out your accommodation through Booking.com!! Site number 1, as you know, for rental housing. When you register as an owner using this link, you will not pay a commission on your first 5 bookings!

    1. Daniel Yozhik
    2. Daniel Yozhik
    3. Daniel Yozhik
    4. Evgeniya Melchenko
    5. Mary
    6. Ruslan
    7. Daniel Yozhik
    8. Evgeniy Pritula
    9. Anton
    10. Andryusiks
    11. Nadezhda
    12. Nadezhda
    13. Tatiana
    14. Tatiana

    Hi all! In this post we will talk about how to use a website for renting housing abroad. And also about some interesting nuances that we recently encountered.

    Surely many of you know about this resource, and perhaps you have already discovered it for yourself a long time ago and are traveling this way. Nikita and I first used airbnb services in the summer of 2014, after which we were absolutely delighted and since then we prefer to look for travel accommodation only there.

    So, let's start in order. What is airbnb?

    Airbnb stands for Air Bed and Breakfast". The name came about after two guys from San Francisco hosted guests at their home because they themselves needed money to pay for their rent. They had three air mattresses at home, which they offered to temporary residents. Every morning the guys prepared breakfast for the guests. After some time, these guys saw a great business idea in their actions and founded the Airbnb website.

    The portal itself says the following about itself:

    Airbnb began operating in August 2008 in San Francisco, California. Airbnb is a safe and secure place to rent, find, and book unique accommodations anywhere in the world, right on the website or via your mobile device.

    Whether it's an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb brings unique travel experiences to people at every price point in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. Add to that global customer support and a rapidly growing travel community. Airbnb is the most easy way for people to make money by renting out their free space and offering it to millions of people.

    In other words, on Airbnb you can find exactly the kind of accommodation that suits your level of comfort and price. Most cheap option- This common room. You rent a bed or sofa in a room where someone else lives. At the same time, you naturally use the shower, kitchen, Internet and all the benefits of civilization that are present in the apartment.

    The next option is separate room. An apartment may have several rooms; you rent one of them, but other travelers or apartment owners may live in adjacent rooms. This option is very good for those who have little money, but want some privacy. The advantages of the first and second options are that you can always communicate with the owner of the property, and he, as a local person, will tell you how best to get somewhere, where to go, etc.

    And the last option for renting apartments on Airbnb is entire housing. This could be a separate apartment or even a house - it depends on your goals and financial capabilities.

    Today, more than 25 million people around the world use Airbnb and more than one million apartments are available for rent. The choice is very large for any budget and for any expectations.

    Is it safe to travel with Airbnb?

    The answer is yes. The service pays great attention to security. If you are afraid of going to unknown people in an unknown apartment, then think about the fact that the owner allows people unknown to him into his apartment, full of his things. In theory, both are at risk, but in practice we have never heard or read about security problems.

    The Airbnb community is built on trust. A verified profile is one of the necessary elements that allows guests and hosts to decide who they want to host and stay with.

    Airbnb has provided several levels of verification and identity confirmation. When registering, the owner of the apartment attaches a scan of his documents, links accounts on social networks, and guests do the same.

    There are two main rules that will help you ensure safety:

    1. Please review carefully landlord profile. If your profile is missing any information or photos, write to the owner to update your profile. We always pay attention to the comments left previous occupants. If there are a lot of comments and they are positive, then the landlord is an active participant in Airbnb and can be trusted.
    2. Pay for your reservation only through site payment system. Do not agree to transfer money to the owner’s personal account, because... In this case, Airbnb will not be able to help you if problems arise.

    What's good about Airbnb?

    Let's look at the undeniable advantages of renting housing through this site:

    1. Cost. For those traveling alone, the cheapest accommodation option is either a hostel where you can rent a bed, or even free Couchsurfing. Both options are not very comfortable, noisy and not always pleasant. Especially if you are on a long journey and need to work.

    For those traveling as a couple, like us, the hostel is not suitable at all. Because renting the two cheapest beds in a room with 16 beds costs more than renting one separate room in an apartment. This is true. Tested in all countries and cities we visited. Particularly noticeable in Scandinavia. But there is an exception - Riga, there are really very cheap hostels there!

    Moreover, if you are traveling with a group of 15 people, I don’t even know what can save you except some camping and Airbnb.

    2. Feeling of home. The idea behind the Aibnb community is the slogan “Welcome Home.” This is true. A hotel room is, of course, convenient and comfortable, but real housing, a blanket like at home, mugs with funny inscriptions, a guitar in the corner and morning coffee in the kitchen is completely different. Walking around the city, you feel not like a tourist, but a local, because after the walk you will not go to a room cleaned by the maid, but home.

    3. Immersion in culture. Neither the longest excursion nor the most ancient monument and not even the most important one National Museum, will not help you understand as keenly and deeply the mentality of the country in which you find yourself as the unexpected everyday little things that you find at home. You will see the city and the country as the locals see it. Because you will have the opportunity to become that local.

    With Airbnb, you can stay in unique homes of real people - these can be ordinary houses and apartments, or even treehouses and igloos.

    4. Comfort and coziness. The good thing about Airbnb is that it makes you feel free. You paid money for housing, they gave you the keys - that's it. You don’t have to hang out with the owner of the apartment, how nice it is on Couchsurfing, you don’t have to endure the snoring of your roommates in the hostel, your things are safe, you don’t have to leave them in the safe every time. You have full rights to the apartment for the rental period - do what you want. The accommodation is usually very cozy, comfortable and pleasant. Everyone, of course, has different concepts of what is convenient and pleasant; more on that a little later. But when traveling around Europe, you can be sure of the cleanliness and beauty of the rented apartments.

    But a coin always has two sides, and a stick has two ends. During all our travels, we have more than once encountered various situations in the process of renting through Airbnb, which are better to know about in advance.

    What to look for when renting on Airbnb?

    1. The service takes a commission ranging from six to 12% of the booking amount. The larger the booking amount, the less Airbnb service fee. It would be hard to call this a minus, because... It is clear that the company's employees must receive a salary and have the means to develop this wonderful resource.

    At the end of the booking, you will immediately see the full amount, which includes all fees and the commission of the portal itself. Example below.

    2. Some owners, in addition to the rental price, set additional charges. Cleaning fees and damage deposits are common. The deposit for property damage will be taken from your card when you pay the rent and will be returned to your card 48 hours after check-out. If you damage the property, the deposit will not be returned.

    As a rule, a deposit is set for those apartments that are quite expensive and have expensive furniture. If you rent cheap housing, most likely there will be no such deposit.

    3. Default for people from Russia prices on the website are indicated in rubles. If desired, you can select a different currency in the settings. Given the unstable ruble exchange rate recently, the rental process sometimes turns into an attraction. Because the price of the apartment you choose may change within a few hours. Don't be surprised by this. It's not the owner of the apartment who's being naughty.

    4. The cost of the same apartment may be different depending on the rental period. Often renting for a month is cheaper than to rent for two weeks, and then for another two weeks. Because the hosts offer discounts for long bookings. Therefore, if you want to spend 25 days in a certain city, consider whether it might be worth staying for 30 days and thus saving several thousand rubles.

    5. The owner of the apartment is not always a virtuoso Internet user, so his profile may contain very serious mistakes. One of the situations that we recently encountered would have been completely unfunny if the owner had not eventually agreed to meet us.

    The situation is as follows: the landlord indicated the price per day per person. However, he did not enter into the system the information that for each additional guest the same amount must be paid. Airbnb is a very well thought out system that automatically calculates the total payment amount based on the number of people, number of days, etc. But, of course, if the owner did not indicate some data, then this system does not work. For our part, we indicated that there would be two guests and paid the full rental amount from the card.

    When we checked into the apartment, the owner asked us to pay in cash for the “second part of the rent,” which we did not know about. He explained this by saying that we paid with the card for only one tenant, and there were two of us. After much investigation, we explained to him his mistake, but it turned out that all the tenants had previously agreed to his conditions and paid for the accommodation of the second tenant in cash on the spot. Wow! Either he really wanted to deceive us, or he really wasn’t very smart.

    The moral is: Airbnb charges you in full! You don't have to pay anyone anything extra! To avoid misunderstandings, before paying, talk to the owner of the apartment via correspondence on the website, discuss the final amount and talk again about how many people there will be. Discuss all the conditions with him and make sure that you understand each other.

    6. Although the Airbnb name suggests that you are entitled to not only a bed but also breakfast, you can only count on breakfast if it is indicated in the description of the accommodation. Read the description very carefully! Not everyone has the Internet and a washing machine. To avoid disappointment with your apartment, simply consider your options carefully and don't be afraid to engage in correspondence with the owner.

    7. Correspondence with the owner It’s better to only conduct on Airbnb. Because in case of any claims from one of the parties, it can be used as evidence.

    8. When you move into an apartment, together with the owner, look at everything carefully and point out broken things, if there are any. Perhaps one of the previous tenants spoiled something, but the landlord did not notice and will blame you in the future. We also had a similar situation. It is almost impossible to prove that you didn’t break anything.

    9. All apartments and all owners are completely different. It’s almost impossible to get a complete picture of the property from the profile on the website. For example, twice we unexpectedly found ourselves in the slums, although, of course, this was not written about in the profile.

    Sometimes housing is very expensive, but on site you find a lot of dirt, dust, lack of towels and necessary utensils. The owner gives you the keys, and you don’t see him again until you leave, although according to Airbnb rules he must help you in every possible way if something breaks, etc.

    And sometimes, you find the cheapest accommodation in the whole city, and the owner goes to meet you at the airport, prepared toiletries, fresh bathrobes for you, stocked the refrigerator with food and comes to cook dinners! All in all, price is not always an indicator of the quality of housing.

    Three times already we have received a pleasant surprise. We usually book a private room because... This option suits us best in terms of price. But three times in a row, having paid only the cost of the room, we received the entire apartment at our disposal, because... either the owner of the apartment was away, or constantly spent the night with his girlfriend, or decided to live with his parents. There's always a little bit of uncertainty with Airbnb. 🙂

    10. Airbnb is a large and busy resource. It's no surprise that glitches and errors sometimes happen. One day my card was charged twice for a month's rent. After contacting the support service, my money was returned and, as a gift, I was given a coupon for further bookings in the amount of four thousand rubles, valid for a year. For active travelers this is a very useful and pleasant bonus.

    So if something goes wrong during the booking process, don't worry! The support service will definitely solve your problem.

    11. It’s better to register your account on Airbnb at email you actively use. You won’t receive any unnecessary mailings, but you won’t miss any important emails from the service. For example, if you contact support, all responses will be sent by email, personal account you won't see them on the website.

    Another nice functionality of the site is SMS sending. Your phone will receive replies from the hosts, even if you do not have access to the Internet. This is very convenient, so we recommend that you also include your real phone number.

    12. Please note that some owners install minimum booking period, for example, three days. And also keep in mind that Airbnb provides an option to cancel a reservation, but each landlord chooses flexible, moderate or strict cancellation conditions.

    13. This has not happened to us, but nevertheless, sometimes this happens - the owner himself can cancel reservation. The site provides for fines for hosts, but force majeure happens not only to guests, so you should treat such situations with understanding. As a rule, in the host’s profile there will be a note that he once canceled a paid reservation for someone.

    14. Lastly, remember that renting on Airbnb is this is not the same as booking a room in a hotel or hostel. Some landlords do not respond immediately, the available dates may be incorrectly indicated in your profile, and in addition, you may be refused to rent if the owner does not like your profile, and this is his full right.

    Therefore, it is better to look for accommodation on Airbnb in advance, have your profile filled out correctly, and also expect that during the “hot” seasons it can be very difficult to find an apartment. For example, during the carnival period in Rio, inexpensive housing on Airbnb was sold out in another two months.

    25$

    Friends, we hope this post was useful to you! We talked about all the nuances that we considered important and worthy of your attention. If you don't yet have an Airbnb account, we suggest you follow this link: www.airbnb.ru/c/ndatsko1?s=8 and register (copy and paste the link into the address bar). You'll immediately receive $25 that you can use on any booking. Well, we will also get $25. :)

    If you have experience using Airbnb or you prefer another way of finding accommodation when traveling, write in the comments, we are interested to know how our friends and acquaintances travel. Also, if you have any questions about renting housing, we will be happy to answer them, write!

    People from all over the world select accommodation for their trips. Despite ongoing battles with local laws prohibiting short-term rentals, the service today offers more than 2 million accommodation options in more than 65,000 cities around the world. The convenience and comprehensiveness of your search, coupled with unique locations and affordable prices, have made renting a property easier than ever, whether you're planning on hosting someone in a spare room or renting an entire home.

    However, the market for travel services is growing every year, which allows travel companies to develop even faster, occupying new niches and improving their services.

    From a designer search service to online platforms for renting inclusive apartments, we offer you a look at 9 worthy alternatives to the service Airbnb from the largest players in the short-term rental housing industry.

    HomeAway

    American service HomeAway was created 3 years before the appearance Airbnb and is today one of the main competitors of the Californian project. The company provides its users with more than 2 million housing options in 190 countries, which is comparable to the coverage Airbnb. To achieve such a scale, the service year after year absorbed a number of small local companies in various countries, thanks to which today the project HomeAway works on the basis of 50 different sites in 23 languages.

    The company offers the widest selection of short-term rental properties, including, in addition to standard housing, also ship cabins, villas, castles and farmhouses.

    It is curious that since December 2015 the service HomeAway acquired by a global travel company Expedia Inc, under the wing of which other online projects from the travel industry are collected, such as Expedia.com , Hotels.com , CarRentals.com, and others.

    Vacasa

    Another American company Vacasa is not as large as Airbnb or HomeAway, and offers a total of 7,200+ vacation homes in the US, Europe, South and Central America. However, the main difference from the market leaders is that the company itself supervises the real estate that it leases, and itself maintains a staff of about 1,000 employees involved in supporting the operation of real estate. This approach allows Vacasa maintain competitive prices for renting your home, while providing even more quality services to your clients.


    6-Bed Apartment in Escondido, California | Vacasa.com

    Inclusive

    Founded in the summer of 2016 in response to incidents of racism when trying to rent housing on Airbnb company Inclusive is an online rental platform with a great motto: “We are building a place where you can travel with respect, dignity and love regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity.”

    The project is relatively new, so it does not provide many rental housing options. However, the company says it already covers more than 130 countries and will continue to work to expand its service.


    6-bed private apartment in Marrakech | Inclusive.com

    Kid and Coe

    Traveling with children always comes with a number of special features. One of them is that hotel rooms often do not offer enough facilities and amenities for children's recreation. Service launched in 2013 Kid and Coe specializes in finding housing options that take into account the important details associated with a comfortable children's holiday. The offers on the site help parents figure out exactly how many people and what ages can be accommodated in certain apartments, and also provide detailed description toys available, and other important little things for children.

    The site is accompanied by a considerable amount of additional information that reveals the advantages of renting the chosen housing for both parents and their children.

    Service Kid and Coe has 1000+ hand-picked options in 50 different locations around the world, but is not one of the cheapest rental options.

    Boutique Homes


    4 bedroom apartment in Dubrovnik, Croatia | wimdu.com

    Homestay

    If the deciding factor in renting a home is price, we recommend that you take the time to search for options using Homestay. The service does not offer any private houses or apartments, and all options available on the site include accommodation exclusively with the hosts. Despite some specifics of such accommodation, you can get an interesting experience of spending time together with local residents of a new city, who will always be able to help you navigate various issues, and will also be happy to share with you the local culture and characteristics.


    Room with balcony in Paris | homestay.com

    We wish you successful travels!

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