SO YOU WANT TO RENT AN AIR BnB

Written by Brian F. Piekiel (7/2/2022)

I do not claim to be a professed expert at Air BnB rentals. There are tricks, nuances, undisclosed surprises that may frustrate you as you engage in the process. I have rented 26 Air BnBs over the past five years. My goal is to pass along some of the things I have learned in my journey in order to save you time, money and, hopefully, some frustration.

1. Searching for your perfect Air BnB

You may have the perfect destination in mind. One thing to consider is that the further away you are from the geographical center of your destination, the more likely the rental prices will come down. But you need to decide if you are willing to take a bus, train or taxi to the “center of the action” in order to save money. In some cases, it is cost prohibitive. In larger cities, you do save money if you don’t mind taking a 15 to 20 minute bus or train ride to the center of the city in the morning, returning the same way in the evening.
Plus you get TWO experiences: 1) the lively downtown action, and 2) seeing how the locals live on the outskirts (and assuredly there will be plenty of places to eat, as well as bars, movie houses and cafes to entertain you in both places)! If you want a place by the beach, go no further than 1 kilometer out which is a nice walking distance. Any further will unnecessarily tire you. But an apartment 4 blocks in from the beach will be less expensive than something right on the beach.

2. Opening the Air BnB app.

Hopefully, you have done all of the preliminary work to set up your Air BnB account. When I joined in 2017, I was asked to provide a driver’s license or passport, short biography, credit or debit card number and a photo which would appear on the site. CHOOSE a good photo! This is what hosts first look at, like it or not! Be brief in your biography, but make it all positive. Yes, you can include advanced degrees, travel experience, career progress, possibly a short sentence on how much you love travel. NEVER include negative statements. If you say you hate cats, no cat owner will ever rent to you!

NEXT: Fill in the “Where To” box. Best just to put in Paris, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro or wherever you plan to visit. You can limit or enlarge the scope of your geographical search later on. You will, also, be asked your dates of travel and the no. of guests. It is essential to be honest. I always travel alone but have read all too many horror stories of guests who entered “1” and then tried to sneak in a boyfriend or wife or whomever. This definitely will lead to all sorts of unpleasant complications.

Now, you are presented with a list of available Air BnBs for the dates you selected. The next step is extremely important to complete before you even begin perusing the list. Next to the heading “X number of stays”, there is a box labeled “Filters”. You must complete this. While there are numerous filters, I, personally, always select the following: either A/C or heating depending upon the time of year, kitchen, washer, WIFI and workstation (usually a desk and chair). I used to always select “Entire Place”, but lately, I’ve seen private
rooms with their own temperature controls (which says much about the host that they are willing to make that much of an investment into a bedroom). If your stay is a week or less, you can always eat your meals at cafes and wash your own clothes in the sink. I typically stay one month to enjoy the deep discount offered (plus I’m retired – where else do I need to be? ) so a washing machine and work desk are of great help. I never set the pricing, only because it’s just as easy to skip over the uber expensive listings as you peruse the list of stays. (Plus it’s fun to get a glimpse of luxury!) Now go back to the list; it may have shrunk from 1,000 stays to 200 stays. Do not despair. You may still find your gem in the list of 200 but you are always free to add or subtract filters in order to change the list of available stays.

SELECTING “YOUR” AIR BNB!

Start scanning the list. I immediately eliminate any listing that has under 4.5 stars. Read ALL OF THE REVIEWS! Sometimes you may need to use your intuition as to whether a guest or host review is just sniping. But if a reviewer in a 4.7 Air BnB says in the review that the space was great but the shower never got warm and the A/C wasn’t fully functioning, take that as a red flag. In filters, you can opt to see only SuperHosts who are highly accredited. I have never used this filter and have been fortunate to find some gems among the
non-Superhosts. THE REVIEWS GIVE YOU THE BEST SENSE OF WHAT TO EXPECT! I tend to shy away from the listings that say “NEW” with no reviews but I recently took one in Tbilisi, Georgia and was pleasantly surprised. Nevertheless, you still need to be circumspect.
“I found the one I like!” – what’s next? Send a message to the host, do not immediately book it. Say something like, “My name is Tom S. I am visiting your fair city July xx-yy. I am on holiday and your apartment looks very appealing. Is it available for the dates I provided and is there any additional information you require from me?” You will likely receive a response within 24 hours. More often than not, you will receive a booking invitation. BEFORE you hit that send button, I strongly recommend you take a screenshot of the amenities list for two reasons: 1) You are personally reviewing and accepting what the host offers, and 2) if you arrive and say the amenities list indicated a microwave oven and there is none, the host is on the hook. (This personally happened to me twice so even I don’t always take my own advice).

Once you hit that pay button, you have just 24 hours to change your mind but the money comes out of your credit or debit account immediately.

ARRIVAL DAY

You may have already had a few exchanges with the host about arrival time. It is extremely important to be respectful and on time, if they are planning to meet you. Some hosts provide lock boxes and you never see the hosts. Some hosts meet you and hand you the keys. While others will give you either a cursory tour or a detailed tour of the premises. This really is the most important part of the entire Air BnB experience. As well, I ALWAYS come with a list of questions:
1) What is the WIFI network and password?
2) Where do I take the garbage?
3) Are there quiet hours for the neighborhood?
4) What are the taxi, fire and police numbers?
5) IF IT ISN’T INTUITIVE (I.E. washing machine with Russian language settings), how do I operate the microwave, oven, tv remotes and
washer? (You would be amazed at the number of Air BnB hosts in Europe who never even consider #4 and #5 as worthy of attention).
6) Make sure you know how to completely lock the apartment from the inside and test the keys to both the outer entrance and apartment door in the host’s presence.
Very important! When the host has left, take any photos of damage to the apartment so you can provide time/date stamped photos proving the damage was already there when you arrived.

PROBLEMS MAY ARISE

In my experience, the majority of hosts wish to engage with you during your stay with WhatsApp, a messaging app. While it is much quicker than messaging through the Air BnB app, you lose ALL protection if things go awry and the communications between you and the host were all on WhatsApp. Here are examples:
1) OK on Whatsapp: “Hey, apartment is lovely, can you recommend a restaurant for dinner?”
2) MUST be on Air BnB messaging platform: “The A/C went off in the
middle of the night. Could you please come look at it today?”
3) Using both (Whatsapp for immediacy and Air Bn/b messaging board for your protection: “HEY! The shower head fell off and water is pouring into the bathtub. HELP is necessary immediately”
You must remember that Air BnB will ONLY review messaging between the guest and host on it’s own messaging platform. Never get confrontational with a host. This is a business, not a personal relationship. If things aren’t settled to your satisfaction, message Air BnB
directly. In my experience, Air BnB is much more pro-guest than pro-host. You have a right to some kind of refund or even moved to another Air BnB if the host fails their contractual obligations. If the host ever becomes belligerent, immediately notify Air BnB and inform them that you want to work directly with Air BnB, not the host, to resolve issues.

SECURITY

While, I, personally, have never felt unsafe in any Air BnB that I’ve rented, I have read many horror stories, mostly from guests whose belongings were stolen while they were away from their apartment. I, personally, travel with the following (EVERYWHERE):
1) Yorepek 18.4 laptop backpack. (really, the best one on the market)
2) Slim minimalist design neck wallet. Carries cash, passport, cards, even your I-Phone fits in it.
3) Swissgear 27 inch Hardside expandable luggage with spinner wheels. (indestructible).
4) Thomas the Tank Luggage Tag. (Identify your suitcase immediately on the carousel!)
5) TSA Approved Cable luggage locks (just get a dozen!)

All available on Amazon. In your Air BnB, you can lock all of your bags with the luggage locks. You can lock the backpack to the suitcase with another luggage lock. Then you can lock that conglomerate to the spindle of a kitchen chair back, a metal rod on, say a radiator or any metal rod that doesn’t have an open end on either side. Look around the apartment; you’ll find one. Thieves look for the easiest hits and they’ll run when they see how difficult you have made it to take your goods. Personally, I leave my laptop and passport in my locked backpack. I keep a screenshot of my passport on my I-phone and I carry my wallet with me always. I ALWAYS LOCK MY BACKPACK AND SUITCASE WHEN I AM AWAY FROM THE AIR BNB!

ENJOY YOUR STAY!

DEPARTURE DAY

Time to go home. You paid a cleaning fee – can I just leave? NO! You should wash any dishes you used and put them back where they belong. You should wipe of all counters and sink surfaces. The refrigerator should be completely emptied. ALL garbage must be taken out. And bed(s) should be stripped with blankets, sheets and pillowcases left on the bed. Towels, washcloths and bath mat should be put somewhere, preferably on top of the washer if there is one or close the toilet and put on the cover. You DO NOT need to do any laundry. You DO NOT need to spend any money restocking cleaning supplies or toiletries you used (exception: if you run out of T.P. during your stay, just buy some. Don’t ask the host to resupply you).

FINALLY

It’s all good! Nothing pairs better with travel than openness, optimism and a keen desire to meet new people and make new friends. I have been so lucky in this regard! Bon vacances!