Get ready for a long post. In this article, I tried to take into account all the nuances and close all questions about renting out my apartment using Airbnb. This information is based on my personal experience and the experience of my friends. And therefore practice, practice and more practice. Go!

How do I rent an apartment through Airbnb?

Imagine a picture:

You got on a plane to relax in some wonderful country, for example, in Greece. All week you lay on the beach enjoying the sun, sea, life and fresh seafood. You met new people, ate delicacies and tanned well.

And so you returned home, checked your account and were glad that you had a good time and managed to make good money while basking in the sun.

But wait a second, is that possible if you're not a venture capitalist?

Every year more and more people rent their accommodation to travelers. Some of them make six figures.

You need 3 things to make money with Airbnb: an empty house, a room that is idle or even a sleeping place, openness in communicating with people and a desire to make money.

Airbnb's idea is simple - you rent out your accommodation to travelers (often more expensive than apartments for rent to your fellow countrymen), and travelers enjoy the opportunity to live in comfort and feel like a local.

To help tourists delve deeper into the daily life of their destination, the founders of Airbnb have created a $ 30 billion company. This service covers 190 countries and 60 million tourists as its clients.

The good news is you can get your piece of this huge pie.

If you prefer to first carefully familiarize yourself with a new situation for you, before rushing into the pool with your head - this article is for you. Here is everything you need to know to make money successfully by renting out your accommodation to tourists. And the basis was personal experience renting an apartment through Airbnb.

How does Airbnb work?

Airbnb is an online rental platform that offers an alternative to the hotel industry. It is also a good earning opportunity for those who are open enough to let strangers into their home.

Airbnb connects tourists looking for inexpensive or unique accommodation and landlords offering a free bed or a fabulous palace, depending on their capabilities.

Tourists use Airbnb when:

hotels are overcrowded (for example, during a festival);
hotel prices are unreasonably high;
do not like hotels a priori and prefer to live "like at home".

They can come to you for a couple of days or for several months, all this is discussed in advance on the website and we will move on to technical issues a little later.

Airbnb deducts a small commission from both tourists and landlords.

Why rent out your home on Airbnb?

Airbnb has become a very popular site among landlords because it allows you to earn extra money without spending too much time and money. But this does not mean that this type of business only has no negative sides.

Opening your home to strangers is always a risk.

Firstly, renting out housing is also a kind of income generation, which is taxed by law. For non-payment of tax (if, of course, you are caught), you will have to pay a fine.

Secondly, we have all heard horror stories about housing that has been destroyed or robbed by tenants. Statistics show that such cases are less than 1%, but they also take place.

But if you have the courage to let strangers live on your property and decide for yourself the tax issue, then Airbnb can be a lucrative business for you.

If you like to chat, then this service will help you make many new acquaintances around the world. Many business people use Airbnb, and you have the chance to meet people from different social backgrounds.

Not to mention the fact that an empty home is a big source of expenses if you don't use it in any way. So why not bring benefits to people who will also pay you for it.

Airbnb Landlord Requirements

Initially, in order to rent your property on Airbnb, you need to create an account. It's free for both tourists and you. To register, you need an email address, or an account on Facebook or Google+ account.

Legal aspects

If you live in Russia, then you do not need to do any additional gestures. If you, as a decent citizen, are going to pay taxes, then you have 2 options:

pay personal income tax as a physical person. face;
register as an individual entrepreneur.

Choose the option that is more profitable for you, keep in mind that the individual entrepreneur also has insurance contributions to the Pension Fund.

If you live in another country, then clarify this point in your legislation.

Personal space

By registering for, you must accept the rules of the game - here it is customary to respect personal space. And if you have security devices at home, such as security cameras, then warn your guests in advance.

Otherwise, the guest may terminate your agreement and claim a refund, and you will receive a penalty on Airbnb.

Time spent

If you're serious about making money with Airbnb, then be prepared to spend a few hours a week on it.

You need to visit the official Airbnb website often to interact with your potential guests: answer questions, negotiate any points in order to convince travelers to stay with you.

You also need to confirm your reservation and clean up after the guests. Of course, you can delegate the latter to a cleaning company.

Get the owner's permission

If you are a tenant yourself, then obtain from the owner permission to sublease the entire premises or part of it, as prescribed in the contract, so as not to have problems in the future.

A responsibility

The Airbnb community is built on reliability and trust. Therefore, it is very important to accurately and correctly describe the housing you are renting: provide real photographs and normal living conditions (electricity, heat, running water and cleanliness).

Otherwise, negative reviews will be left for you, and your offer will have a low rating and tenants will bypass it.

How to get good reviews

Hospitality is the key to success. Airbnb has hospitality standards. Therefore, if you want to make good money in this service, then try to match them. This will help you get good reviews, which means your services will be more in demand.

The math is simple: good reviews = more guests = more money.

To get good reviews, you need to pay attention to the following aspects.

1. Always update your rental availability. It is important that the platform and prospective guests know when your property is occupied and when it is vacant.

2. Provide future guests with information in a timely manner. Be available for communication and visit Airbnb more often to be ready to answer questions in time, tell more about your accommodation, when you can check in / check out, etc.

Sometimes it happens that having booked accommodation with an unscrupulous landlord, the traveler is actually on the street in an unfamiliar city. In such a situation, he tries to quickly find a replacement for him, and here you are online.

3. Be considerate. Always prepare your home for new guests. If for some reason you have to cancel your reservation, then do it in advance so that the tourist does not find himself in the situation described above, and he has time to calmly find himself a new home.

4. Be honest. Provide real information about your accommodation so that travelers' expectations do not diverge from reality. Otherwise, your account may be blocked.

About safety

Safety is a question for every sane person facing a previously unknown phenomenon, and Airbnb is no exception.

There is always a risk that you will come across an unreliable person. Airbnb landlords have experienced various situations where the house was turned upside down after a party, property was damaged, and in some cases guests changed locks and refused to move out.

In Russia, this is quickly resolved with the help of the police, but in England, for example, serious problems may arise. They have such a concept as "squatting". This is when strangers can move into an empty house without demand, and they can only be evicted from there by a court decision, and the trial is a long matter.

Due to these incidents, Airbnb had serious problems in 2011, so since then they have implemented a complex verification system that has become the benchmark in the rental / rental industry.

You cannot be anonymous, and the system of reviews and ratings works both ways, keeping both guests and landlords within the bounds of decency. Those. you can only let trusted people with good reviews to your home.

Before confirming a reservation, the parties can only communicate through Airbnb. All messages containing a phone number are automatically blocked. Of course, there are workarounds, for example, sending the number in parts, but you need it?

Moreover, the bank cards of the participants are also confirmed by the system. You can exchange contacts with the guest only after the booking has been paid, so that you can call and communicate in a more convenient way.

All payments are made within the system using the online banking method. When a guest orders a reservation, he must enter his card details, or pay through PayPal, which also takes care of the safety of users.

Payment is credited to your account the next day after the guest settles in your property.

Another important thing is that you always have the option to decline a booking request if the guest does not seem reliable enough to you. There will be no sanctions for this, you have the right to accept only those you trust.

For more information, Airbnb has a Facebook Connect feature that allows landlords to request recommendations from a guest's friends.

If these security measures prove to be ineffective, the landlord will be paid $ 1 million in guaranteed insurance. You will be able to take advantage of insurance if your damage does not exceed $ 1 million.

If you have any problems, you can contact Airbnb and request a refund. Please note that not all property or personal liability is covered by insurance, so you might be better off purchasing separate insurance.

How to get an Airbnb account right

Filling out information about housing on Airbnb is quite simple. The platform itself is intuitive, so it doesn't take long to fill out an account. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, here are some tips.

Heading

Many people underestimate the importance of a bright and catchy headline, and write something like “Bright and modern two-room apartment in the city center”. Not bad, but there are thousands of titles like this.

To stand out from the gray mass, you need to be a little creative, you need to be remembered. For example, in Minsk there is a "taxi with a squirrel"; everyone in the city knows him. It's just that a man drives his customers in an inexpensive foreign car, and a real tame squirrel lives in the cabin of his car. A trifle, but cool.

There is no need to indicate your city in the title, this is understandable. Travelers first choose a city, and then an apartment from the proposed options.

If your home is located outside the city, this is worth mentioning.

Description

The description is simple, it is best if you write about your accommodation clearly and, most importantly, honestly. Provide as many important details as possible so guests know exactly what to expect. Don't make false or exaggerated claims.

To look more professional, translate your description at least into English, I advise also into Spanish and Chinese, but this is optional. This way you will build more confidence in your effort to be understood.

Photos

Photos are very important. Most often they rent apartments with good photos. The logic here is simple, the higher the quality of the photos, the more bookings.

Take photos during the day, natural light is best. You can only upload 10 photos to your account, so choose the ones that give guests a clearer idea of your room: how it looks, what size, what kind of bed, bathroom, etc.

For ideas, I advise you to contact your more expensive and popular competitors. See what angles they choose and do the same.

Airbnb also provides photographers. Photography is free. An icon will appear on your photos that they were made by an Airbnb employee, which means that they are reliable, and you still have a plus to trust. Just find out if this service is available in your area.

Set the rules

Airbnb allows all landlords to set their own guest policies. Consider your needs, travelers and neighbors. For example, do not make noise after 23 hours, do not smoke. Indicate the number of people you are willing to let into the house. You may want to assign them some household responsibilities, for example, take out the trash after themselves, water the flowers.

Your profile

Your profile is one of the most important elements of your account. People trust people. This means that you should look like a trustworthy person in the eyes of travelers. Fill out your information so completely and clearly that guests know what to expect from you as a host.

Price

Another important aspect that everyone pays attention to when choosing a home is the price. Before setting your prices, take a look at your competitors' rental prices. Take into account their location, photos and analyze how successful they are (according to reviews). Look at hotel prices.

While you are a beginner, set the price slightly lower than your neighbors' for approximately the same housing option. Take into account that you will need to pay the Airbnb commission, buy the necessary little things, like toilet paper, and possibly pay for the services of a cleaning company.

If you seriously want to make money on Airbnb to rent out your accommodation, be flexible in your pricing. Look at the market demand and raise or lower prices depending on the tourist season.

Lafhak. It is very easy to estimate the season, go to wordstat.yandex.ru. Check the "Request History" item in the purple search bar. In the line, write "hotel Moscow", write your city instead of Moscow and click "Select". You will see a graph from which you will understand how often tourists are looking for accommodation in your city, depending on the season.

It is very easy to use these, if you know that demand is expected to increase next month, then raise the prices. On the other hand, if you don't have a lot of guests yet, reduce prices until you get at least 2-3 positive reviews.

If you don't want to do these tambourine dances, Airbnb has a built-in pricing tool. It will automatically adjust your price based on the demand in your area. You can set the minimum and maximum price per day.

Landlord's checklist

So, you have completed your profile according to all the rules and even got your first booking. What's next? Now you need to prepare your accommodation for receiving guests.

Regardless of what level of comfort your home provides, you always need to meet guests clean and with goodwill at the ready. Think of your property like a professional hotel, trying to maximize your guest experience and get good reviews.

Check your accommodation

Remember that the expectations of your guests should not be at variance with reality. Think about how well your furniture fulfills its function. It is good if there is a washing machine, but if it is broken, then it would be better if it were not.

Do not overload the space; less furniture is better than more. Ikeevsky minimalism will do just right. But you have to worry about the safety of fewer things.

Put things in order

Arrange a general cleaning before renting out your house. Clean up the kitchen, bathroom, hallway. In general, wherever your guests can go.

A messy apartment is what killed off a lot of barely started Airbnb businesses. Nothing supernatural is required of you, just:

Vacuum carpets and mop floors;
Wipe off dust, even where you usually do not climb yourself;
Wash the bathroom until it shines. Have you ever heard the phrase: "the toilet is the face of the hostess." Rough, but to the point.

Mend the broken

Broken wires, flimsy steps, broken furniture - fix or throw away anything that could cripple your guests with its malfunction. Good reviews are important to us, right?

Change your bedding

This advice may seem obvious, but you will be surprised to find out how many hostels are neglecting it. Change bed linen after every guest. If you are too lazy to wash often, buy several sets. This will help you avoid bad reviews. Who would like someone else's hair on a pillowcase?

Empty the refrigerator

This is a rule from the category of "destroy all traces of the presence of previous guests." And it seems to be as unclear to many hosts as the previous point.

Nobody likes someone else's half-eaten pizza in the fridge. But if you buy salt, pepper, oil for frying, etc., the guests will be pleased.

Wash the bathroom clean

Any good Airbnb host offers 3 basic things to guests: a clean bed, a clean kitchen, and a clean toilet. Always keep these 3 points in mind, and you will get good reviews, which means even more guests. Hope this motivates you to be a good landlord.

It will also be superfluous to buy towels, toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste and whatever you think is necessary. This is not a waste of money, but an investment.

Keep track of valuable things

If you rent out a room in your home or your guests have been staying with you for more than a week, then make sure that your valuables are in safe places. Keep money, jewelry, personal documents and albums with family photos where your guests do not have access.

If necessary, you can even purchase a safe, so that you can be calm about your property.

Give guests a separate key

Make sure you have at least one spare key for guests. Never give them your only keys, they suddenly lose.

There is always something that can be done better. If good reviews are important to you, here are some helpful tips to look out for.

Added value

It is important to understand that the more attentive you are to the comfort of your guests, the more travelers will rent an apartment from you. If you're serious about making money with Airbnb, think about the added value you can give your guests, at least at the start of your business.

If you pay attention to the reviews from your popular competitors, you will notice that tourists really appreciate the little things that their landlords take care of.

I know many people who are too lazy to bother with all this, and I understand them, but their results are appropriate.

Don't keep your guests waiting

Always greet guests, and if you do not have time, then ask your friends about it. Be aware that travelers may arrive at night and need to live somewhere.

You can rest assured that you will not receive good reviews if you make your guests wander for hours at a closed door waiting for guests.

Meet them at the airport

The first impression is the most memorable. The best thing you can do for guests in this case is to meet them at the airport or train station. Firstly, in this way you will not only significantly reduce the number of SMS with questions about how to get there, but also make life easier for travelers. Believe me, they will appreciate it.

If you do not have time or desire to engage in pokatushki, provide guests with detailed information on how to get to you on public transport or taxi. Share fares and provide signs to help you know they are on the right track.

Help them find their bearings in a new situation easier.

Create a "Welcome card" (print it on a piece of paper or whatever your imagination is enough for) and enter there information that may be useful to them. For example, your contact details, list best restaurants, the city's museums and things to do.

The next day, check how your guests are doing. Do they need anything else. If you have the time and desire, you can spend them together, show the tourists the city. After all, renting out through Airbnb is not exactly the same as with regular renting / renting of housing, to some extent it is also a community.

Stand out from the crowd

Try to offer your guests something special to make them stand out from the crowd. Dinner at the restaurant, free guided tour, homemade biscuits. I guarantee that your guests will be happy and will recommend you to their friends.

Ask for feedback

Starting any new business is not easy. The same is true for your Airbnb business. If you are new to the site, then it will be difficult for you to find your first guest. People usually choose places where others have visited and talked about their experiences. They want to know what to expect, and that's okay.

The good news is, if you're new to Airbnb, you can ask your friends or family for feedback. Pay for your accommodation at the lowest price. Yes, you will lose a little money on the service commission, but it will be much easier for you.

What to do if you still get a negative review

Sometimes, even if you tried really hard, things can go to hell. It is a matter of time before you have the first negative comment on your profile. It doesn't matter why guests gave you a low rating, you need to remain calm and try to resolve the situation quickly and tactfully.

Apologize to the guests for what happened. Even if you disagree with the review. Business is business, and the client is always right. Make it clear to your future tenants that you are sorry about what happened and do your best to ensure that this does not happen again. If you think the guest is at fault, then you have 14 days after check-out to leave a review.

If the negative review was too negative, then write a public response to the review and explain what happened, tell us how you fixed the situation and reassure guests that they will not face it in the future.

All reviews remain forever, so do not give in to emotions, even if you really want to and remain a professional, regardless of whether you communicate with a guest personally or resolve issues online. Always admit your mistakes and treat reviews as friendly advice on which way to improve.

Remember that good communication can always prevent bad reviews. Always keep in touch with your guests and try to make their stay with you as hassle-free as possible.

Oftentimes, bad reviews are written because of a simple misunderstanding. So try to be understood correctly.

How best to exchange keys

Key exchange is the first contact with a guest. Try to make it feel good. If you don't have time to meet your guests in person, here are some ways you can hand over the keys to them.

Ask friends

The most common way. If you cannot do it yourself, then ask relatives, friends or neighbors. Give the tourists the phone number of the person who has the key.

Leave the key at a nearby store

A nearby shop or cafe is also a great place to leave your key. But in this case, you must be completely confident in the reliability of the workers. Also make sure your guests arrive during business hours, otherwise just create a new problem.

Use a key safe

Perhaps the easiest way to exchange keys, if you constantly do not have time, and you do not want to jerk your surroundings. Buy a small key safe with a combination lock. Then your guests can get into the apartment at any time of the day. You can attach it directly to your door, or you can place it in some secret place.

You can also install an electronic lock that can be controlled from a distance using a mobile phone. Or you can give the code to your guests and change it every time they check out.

Surephost Icon

If you have received at least 10 guests in a year, then you have a chance to get the Superhost status (super host). To do this, you need to fulfill several requirements. You must answer at least 90% of booking requests and over 80% of your reviews must be 5 stars.

By earning a Superhost badge, you will become more visible among competitors, and you will have your own advantages and bonuses.

Outcomes

If you are a hospitable person and are ready to let strangers into your house, then Airbnb can be a good source of additional income for you. But you need to initially find some free time to do this business.

Is it profitable to rent an apartment through Airbnb? The answer is unequivocal - yes. Firstly, it is always more profitable to rent an apartment for daily rent, and secondly, foreigners pay more money.

Many people have managed to create a steady source of income for themselves by renting out a few apartments and getting six figures a month. And you can, too, if you enjoy hosting and you've read this article carefully.

Today I will tell you about the service, which was created in 2008 and is gaining more and more popularity among travelers. Read also about ours in Bangkok.

You will learn how to register and book accommodation on Airbnb, how to get a coupon with a $ 25 discount, and also tell you why the service is interesting and profitable.

What is Airbnb and how does it work?

Many travelers are already accustomed to accommodation booking systems, such as Booking or where you can choose a hotel to your taste and wallet in almost any country in the world. But hotels are not always the best option for accommodation - sometimes it is more convenient to rent apartments and apartments. This is where Airbnb helps. We must admit that we have recently started booking accommodation through airbnb, and now we will help you figure it out too.

Airbnb is a worldwide rental business from apartment owners. Accommodation can be either separate rooms, houses, apartments, or interesting options, such as trailers, castles and islands. Now the system already has more than 34,000 cities in 190 countries of the world.

It turns out that Airbnb acts as an intermediary between those who want to rent out their apartment, house or room and those who want to rent this housing. Naturally, the service takes a commission for such a bridge. For this fee, Airbnb comes with a financial guarantee against all sorts of troubles, when you can contact the 24/7 support center and get a refund or settle other issues if something went wrong.

Why is Airbnb interesting and beneficial?

The service is especially relevant for expensive cities such as Singapore, Paris, other capitals and large cities, where hotel prices bite. But you can rent an apartment on Airbnb for $ 20-40, and a decent level. For that kind of money, in some cities only small rooms are offered in hotels.
The possibility of live communication over a cup of tea with the owner, a conversation with whom will help to get to know the country even deeper, to get interesting information.
It is especially beneficial to rent an apartment for a large company or a family with a child, when the presence of a kitchen and a separate space is very desirable. In terms of per person, it is often cheaper than a hotel, even very decent apartments, the analogues of which in hotels are very expensive.
Airbnb bookings are visa-friendly, meaning a printout of the booking can be submitted to the consulate
Interesting accommodation options, not the same type of chain hotels. For example, here.

How to sign up with Airbnb and get a $ 25 coupon

When you go you will receive from us $ 25 personal Airbnb coupon on your first booking (works if its cost exceeds $ 75). For example, if you rent an apartment for 3 days for $ 27 a day, then pay not $ 81, but only $ 56! This coupon is stored for a whole year, and even if you did not use it for the first time, you can do it later.

Airbnb coupon $ 25 from us!

2. Click on the button "get a discount"

3. Now you need to register. You can do this using your Facebook or Google+ accounts, or as usual via e-mail.

4. After registration, you need to confirm your profile - it is simple and will not take more than 3 minutes, follow the prompts of the service in your personal account.

Account verification methods

Account verification methods:

E-mail e-mail
Phone number
Your profile photo
Linking social networks to your account
Sending a scan of your passport / driver's license.

Why do I need a verified Airbnb profile?

By confirming your profile, both you and the owner prove that you really exist, thus increasing confidence. After all, Airbnb is not only a booking service, but also a travel community.

Often people choose to live with a confirmed owner of an apartment (a corresponding icon appears in front of him) and I advise you to do so. Also, confirmed guests are more valuable))

How Airbnb Rentals

Now is the time to book your accommodation on Airbnb. We go to the official site, and drive the city and dates we need into the search bar.

Find apartments around the world on Airbnb

All available options appear, and to the right of them is a map, along which it is very convenient to look around the areas by moving and moving.

Airbnb Bookings - Search Results with Filters & Map

Pay attention to filters - there are several of them. You can choose the type of accommodation, price range and others. More filters are available by clicking the "More Filters" button - you can clearly define your requirements for housing.

How to rent an apartment on Airbnb - choose options

We choose the options we like and read about them carefully. There is a section "House Rules", there are different conditions: is it allowed to smoke, is it possible with pets, what kind of beds, internet, bathroom, etc.

Read the description and house rules

Pay attention to reviews and whether the host account has been verified. If not, then there is some risk, or maybe this is just a new member, and they did not have time to write reviews. When viewing photos, it is very good if the photo has a “Verified” icon in the upper right corner - this means that an Airbnb photographer has visited this place and the photos are true.

Reviews about the apartment on Airbnb

Landlord reviews and verified profile

Also pay attention to the conditions of booking cancellation, they are of several types: in some cases, you can return the entire amount minus the service commission, in some cases the money is partially returned or not returned at all. More details can be found at.

Cleaning fee. In some cases, cleaning fees are included and are quite high. Be careful.

In some variants, it is taken deposit for the safety of property. You will not be charged anything, and the host must send you a request for payment through Airbnb in the event of property damage after you check out.

The description says how many people the housing is designed for. In some cases, additional people are paid (the amount is indicated in the description), in some - for free.

We write off with the owner of the apartment, find out the details we are interested in and determine its adequacy, if required :-). If you don't know English, then fill in the Russian text into a google translator and copy it.

Owner contact button and booking button

Airbnb booking and payment

1. Next, we send a booking request. Here you will need to enter the details of your bank card or PayPal wallet. The billing address is your address, or rather the one that you indicated when you issued the bank card with which you pay for this accommodation. The host has 24 hours to confirm your request.

2. Instant Booking is available for some options. In this case, the reservation is made immediately, just like in Booking or other similar services.

3. After the owner has confirmed the request and the payment has passed, you will receive a receipt and detailed instructions by e-mail with the owner's contacts and the address of the accommodation. An SMS also comes to the phone. Your money remains in the system and is transferred to the host only after the first day of your stay.

A confirmation receipt appears in your account

If you signed up with and your booking is more than $ 75, you will receive an Airbnb coupon for $ 25. This amount is reflected after clicking the "Book instantly" or "Request a booking" in the "coupon" column, as in the screenshot.

Airbnb discount on first booking $ 25!

We will be very grateful if you register using our link - and you are good, and we will receive a small bonus from Airbnb. :-) Thank you!

That's all we wanted to tell you about how Airbnb rentals work. Soon we will make an article with answers to frequently asked questions. See you and good travel!

Airbnb is the preferred service of many avid travelers today. What is he like?

Offers services for the rental of private apartments, houses and other accommodation options around the world. In its base you can also find hostels, villas, guesthouses, and even very exotic options such as tents or trailers on the backyard. The site offers a wide base of private accommodations at affordable prices (often lower than other well-known booking systems). The portal is especially convenient for self-booking - it is always fast, there are local versions for many languages, the mobile application is very convenient, there is a clear description of objects, a lot of photos and traveler reviews.

This service is great for those who:
- wants to save on rental costs;
- travels to another country for a long time (special, lower prices apply for a long period);
- prefers hotel accommodation to cozy apartments with a homely atmosphere;
- likes to communicate with local residents or would not mind living with the host family.

In general, the service interface is very convenient and understandable, so you can easily navigate the site from the first minutes.

Inside view

So, any person who has registered on the site can rent or rent out their housing, making money on it. In this case, the Airbnb service acts as an intermediary and guarantor between the client and the lessor - all payments are made directly through the service using the PayPal system or payment by credit card.

The registration procedure is required for subsequent booking. Add a photo to your account, write a few lines about yourself - this is all that is needed to confirm that you real person... Now you can go in search. To do this, enter the necessary information about dates and destination, after which a page with available options and a map with a mark of their location will open in front of you. You can narrow your search using filters (price range, area, type of accommodation, etc.). By clicking on the option that interests you, you will find a full description of this object, information about the owner and reviews of previous guests. It remains only to familiarize yourself, compare and choose the best option.

The nuances of booking

When using the airbnb website, first of all, you should pay attention to objects with a lot of photos and the most realistic descriptions. It is not worth booking accommodation with only a view from the window or photos of local attractions. Pay attention to the description: it should be as detailed as possible. If the owner posted just a couple of lines about his home, most likely you cannot expect detailed answers from him during further communication.

Trust those properties that already have multiple reviews. Of course, if the object is quite fresh, but you like it, and the price and description are quite satisfactory, you can take a chance. If after arriving you find that the description is not true, you have a day to contact the technical support of the site and tell about the current disputable situation. In this case, and a number of others (the owner's failure to appear, uncoordinated cancellation of the reservation), you can count on compensation for material damage from the administration of the portal. Certain guarantees also exist for the owners. Airbnb provides landlords with an impressive amount of theft protection. More details on the terms of compensation can be found on the website.

When choosing an object, you should also take into account the booking conditions (flexible, moderate, strict, etc.). To avoid any surprises, also pay attention to the need to pay a security deposit, cleaning fees and other reservations.

So, after the choice is made, write to the owner to clarify all the details on the selected object. And only after solving all pressing issues, you can request a reservation. Keep in mind that airbnb rentals include a mandatory service charge of approximately 10% of the total booking fee. After the reservation is confirmed by the owner of the apartment, a letter will be sent to your mail with the contact details of the object, and the amount for the rent will be frozen on your card. The money will be transferred to the owner only after 24 hours from the moment of your entry. During this time, if necessary, you can file a claim.

That, in fact, is all you need to know about the work of AirBNB in order to safely use its services. Enjoy your travels and great rest with this service!

- I use Airbnb regularly. Very satisfied, especially beneficial in expensive cities: Paris, Munich, Hong Kong. There are always good options, well, certainly better than tiny hotel rooms.

- How did you manage in terms of price compared to hotels? As far as I could see, the site is not exactly cheap housing, but rather an average level. Although, if you compare, the apartment is larger in area, and better and more pleasant in terms of conditions.

- When all the hotels are occupied for one reason or another, ayrbnb oh, how it saves. And in terms of price / comfort ratio it is incomparable. It is very nice to negotiate a discount with the owner for a long time. And if you go out in a big company, then in general you can find an excellent option.

- My first experience of booking on airbnb was not entirely unfortunate. Found inexpensive accommodation by the sea. The price attracted so much that they did not even pay attention to the fact that there was not a single normal photo of the apartment itself, only some kind of neighborhood. And with the reviews it is not clear what - clearly from friends. The hostess answered all my questions very briefly and too positively. Upon arrival, it turned out that the studio was the size of a closet, where even walking between the beds was problematic. There is an interruption in water, and in the yard there is a dump, it’s even scary to imagine. We immediately canceled the reservation, sent a complaint to airbnb, since the money was returned to the account. I'll think a hundred times before my next trips before deciding to return to airbnb.

- And we used airbnb when we went to St. Petersburg on New Year's holidays. We exchanged contacts with the hostess, talked, we even got a discount. We arrived, had a great time, much cheaper than in a hotel due to the kitchen - this significantly reduced food costs. The service worked smoothly, thanks.

- Booked an apartment in Barcelona through airbnb, as hotels there are unreasonably expensive. Even with the site commission, it turned out to be cheaper. But I had to tinker - sometimes realtors came across, then the owners did not answer for a long time, then they answer rather rudely ... But still they found a good apartment, and close to the center. The hostess answered immediately, we signed off, asked a ton of questions. She met us already in the apartment and even made a discount, since we decided to stay for a few more days. In fact, a good service, albeit with its own nuances, but still worth the risk.

- The problem with the site is that you have to book a lot in advance: you still have to wait until they confirm, refuse, or simply do not answer. Such an attempt to find an apartment in Amsterdam led to the fact that, as a result, we had to urgently look for a hotel, since almost no one from the owners answered in time.

- The service is good for expensive cities or for a long time, when you can ask for a discount. And then with their commission runs hoo. If you are going for a couple of days, I would not mess with you once again.

- Normal site! Maybe, of course, I was lucky with the owner ... But I was satisfied, everything went without a single slip. The owner is very friendly, he told everything, called us a taxi to the airport in advance without any surcharge. It cost a little less than 100 euros, taking into account that we lived 10 minutes by metro from the center of Paris. We will definitely come back more than once!

- Well, for such a price, you can rent any decent hotel with breakfast, all the amenities and a view of the Louvre) If you are guided by such prices, then I don't see any point in using the airbnb.

People from all over the world are choosing accommodation for their trips. Despite the constant struggle with local laws prohibiting short-term rentals, today the service offers more than 2 million options for comfortable accommodation in more than 65,000 cities around the world. Convenience and completeness of search, together with unique locations and affordable prices, have made renting properties easier than ever, whether you plan to spend time with someone in a spare room or rent an entire house.

Nevertheless, the market for services for travel grows 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 for the Californian project. The company provides its users with more than 2 million housing options in 190 countries around the world, 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 a wide range of short-term rental properties, including, in addition to standard accommodation, 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 whose wing other online projects from the travel industry are collected, such Expedia.com , Hotels.com , CarRentals.com, other.

Vacasa

Another American company Vacasa is not as large as Airbnb or HomeAway, and offers a total of 7200+ holiday homes in the US, Europe, South and Central America... However, the main difference from the market leaders is that the company itself oversees the real estate it leases, and itself maintains a staff of about 1000 employees involved in supporting the operation of real estate objects. This approach allows Vacasa to maintain competitive rental prices for their homes, while providing even more quality services for their customers.

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

Innclusive

Founded in the summer of 2016 in response to incidents of racism when attempting to rent housing in Airbnb, company Innclusive 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.”

The project is relatively new, so there are not many rental options available. However, the company claims to cover more than 130 countries already and will continue to work further to expand its service.

6-bed private apartments in Marrakech | Innclusive.com

Kid and coe

Traveling with children is always accompanied by a number of peculiarities. 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 would just take into account the important details associated with a comfortable children's holiday. The suggestions on the site help parents figure out exactly how many people and what age can be accommodated in certain apartments, and also provide a detailed description of toys available, and other important little things for children.

The site is accompanied by a considerable amount of additional information, which reveals the benefits of renting the selected housing for both parents and their children.

Service Kid and coe has 1000+ carefully selected options in 50 different locations around the world, but not among the cheapest rental options.

Boutique homes

4-bedroom apartment in Dubrovnik, Croatia | wimdu.com

Homestay

If price is the deciding factor in the issue of rental housing for you, we advise you to 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 of the specifics of such a residence, you can get an interesting experience of spending time together with the locals of the new city, who will always be able to help navigate in various issues, and will also be happy to share with you the local culture and peculiarities.

Room with balcony in Paris | homestay.com

We wish you successful travel!

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22.03.2020 Maria Glazunova

Cons of Airbnb

Of course, we cannot say that everything is perfect at Airbnb, there are also disadvantages that appear due to the human factor. Since most of the owners are not engaged in the apartment business, their approach in some matters may not be professional.

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.
Speed. Unlike hotel booking sites, where you can choose the room you want and immediately go to check-in, you should prepare for a trip using Airbnb in advance - online information is not always 100% up-to-date on the availability of accommodation for the dates you need. In any case, you will need to wait for the owner's confirmation.
Less privacy. Firstly, in order to book accommodation, you need to fill out your profile, indicate your contact information and, preferably, write a little about yourself (or record a video presentation). You also need to provide your documents for identification (they will only be available to Airbnb, the landlord will not see them). Secondly, if you plan to rent a separate room rather than an entire apartment, then, perhaps, other guests or owners will live in the apartment with you.
You may be refused a booking if the owner does not like you or your profile in some way - after all, he rents out his apartment and has the right to choose who to settle in his apartment.

In order not to encounter a misunderstanding, carefully study the owner's profile, the description of the accommodation on airbnb, and the reviews of previous guests especially carefully. Also, keep in mind that most of these drawbacks are mitigated by Airbnb's Guest Compensation Rules (see below).

What Airbnb is to us

For us, Airbnb is a great option for staying between hotels and. It combines freedom and independence on the one hand and the opportunity to get more comfort and home coziness, as well as to join the country's culture on the other.

Instructions for use

In order to register, you need to go to the Airbnb website. If you sign up 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 home 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 options found, as well as a city map with marked points

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

Having found a suitable accommodation, you can study the details, see photos, read reviews of previous guests about a specific apartment on airbnb. The right side of the page shows the cost of living for one night and for the selected number of days, as well as the cost of Airbnb services

After that, you can send a booking request

After the host confirms the specified dates, you can pay for the reservation using a bank card or PayPal.

What to look for when choosing a home

Verified profile- in order to verify his identity, the landlord can provide Airbnb with his documents, after which an icon will appear on his profile indicating that he went through online and / or offline verification.

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

Response rate- if the frequency of 10% is indicated in the profile, then you can not waste time on such housing, most likely no one will answer you, and the 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 very much time left before the estimated booking date. Choose, in this case, those who respond as quickly as possible.

Updating the calendar- 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 accommodation and host reviews

Reviews on airbnb- this is probably one of the most important criteria. An airbnb apartment description can say anything, but if the overwhelming majority of guests praise this place, then most likely it is really good there. 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 - it was an interesting experiment."

Cancel Reservation

Airbnb has a variety of cancellation options for accommodating you based on your confidence in your trip. It should be borne in mind that the Airbnb fee is not refundable, except in serious circumstances (of course, if the cancellation was initiated by you):

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

You can read more about the types and conditions of cancellation here.

Why is Airbnb Safe

Airbnb has “ Guest compensation rules", Which allow you to get a refund of the paid Money, in the event that there is some misunderstanding, for example:

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

And although this does not happen often, but if something does not suit you in the booked accommodation, contact Airbnb within 24 hours of your arrival. More details can be found here.

Confirmation of booking for a visa

We ourselves have never provided a service receipt to the consulate yet, but according to the support service, and also, judging by the numerous reports of airbnb users, the reviews on this topic are quite positive - such a booking is accepted without any problems at consulates and visa centers.

Rent out your apartment via airbnb

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

For hosts, Airbnb offers as much guarantees as for guests, so it's safe too. Moreover, it is free, since Airbnb adds its additional fee to the cost (about 10%), i.e. you will receive exactly as much as you indicate in the ad. By the way, a professional photographer will take photos of an apartment for Airbnb for you too for free.

In order to rent an apartment in airbnb, you need to go to the "Your ads" section in the "Control Panel".

Conclusion

As with anything new, at first glance, Airbnb can seem a little out of the ordinary and daunting. But in reality - Sevris is very convenient, thoughtful and safe, so I recommend at least trying to use it in order to have another travel tool in stock. I hope Airbnb can be a good alternative for you to hotels, hostels and guesthouses 🙂

To make this service even more enjoyable, let me remind you that you can get a bonus on your first Airbnb booking. To do this, just register using this link. I wish you great travel and a pleasant stay!

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 accommodation through airbnb, share this article with your friends (repost on social networks).

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