Booking Airbnb for a newbie

Look for Super Hosts, read listings and reviews carefully. Check if the property is listed on other sites, or if it has its own website (booking directly for the latter can often be much, much cheaper). Google Maps/Street View it. Watch out for things not mentioned in the listing i.e garden or parking - if they don’t mention it, they probably don’t have it!
It can seem like owners are messaging you frequently (on arrival, while you are there, about checking out before you’ve even checked out!) but that seems to be a setting from Air BnB they can choose and is automatic.
I’ve stayed in quite a few Air BNBs but only in the UK. Never had a problem with any properties or owners.

ETA I try to avoid ones where the owner lives next door, only ever choose whole properties not annexes or rooms. Like to be left alone during a holiday so hotels not really my kind of thing.

I have booked AirbnB for the first time this year - never ever will I do so again - Ty Capel Beaumaris was the worst place I have ever stayed in - the ‘Host’ Kevin Boyle was completely disingenuous re stench at property -telling me it was teak oil which his wife had used 🙄 whole place grotty and very poorly maintained I had to resort to AirbnB ‘customer services’ to get partial refund - Please don’t risk falling foul of unscrupulous ‘hosts’ 👍☘️

I've only ever booked 2 in the UK, both in Cambridge. The first was fabulous, couldn't fault it. It was an annexe but detached from the main house and we didn't see anything of the owners at all. The bathroom was the best I've ever seen at any self-catering place, really big and luxurious and very clean.

The second one was terrible because of the extremely dirty bathroom. It clearly hadn't been cleaned in weeks, I was shocked. Thick limescale all over the glass shower screen so that you couldn't even see through it properly, dirt round the base of the taps. A clear rubber bath mat that had pink mould on it. etc etc . The toilet wasn't too bad but I didn't dare look under the seat after seeing the rest of the bathroom.

The rest of the flat was very clean so I couldn't understand the contrast in the bathroom. We were only there 2 days and out for dinner more or less as soon as we arrived and I didn't want to have to hang around for a manager or cleaner to come in so I just took loads of photos and then sent DH out to get some cleaning stuff then just cleaned it myself. And then emailed the owner next day I think. I asked for the cleaning fee back and got it but now I think I should have asked for more off. It completely put me off staying in an AirBnB again. Which is a massive shame, because the first one had been so good. Both had great reviews, so how on earth can that be?

We’ve now stayed in about a dozen different airbnbs and have another booked in the US for this summer. I would echo saucery’s advice. I read reviews very carefully. I always message the host and would be concerned and possibly cancel if I didn’t hear back. For us as a family it works better than hotels and often better than standard self catering. We’ve done quite a few trips where we’ve travelled around and being able to book a few nights in different places is great. In places like Rome we were able to stay right in the centre rather than having an expensive hotel further out. Also, our tween/teen kids like having their own space and being able to cook at home makes it cheaper. I do think it’s got more expensive over the past few years. Quite a few properties now have compulsory cleaning fees which is annoying especially if you’re only staying 1-2 nights.

I would only ever book an Airbnb that has multiple good reviews. Be aware that people tend to score properties highly, so anything other than a really high average review score means there's probably an issue. Take the time to actually read the reviews. I also wouldn't book anywhere where the review section shows that the host has been known to cancel bookings (unless the cancellation was around March 2020, in which case it was probably due to the pandemic). Check for reviews from people who stayed at a similar time of year to when you plan to stay.

Look at the description really carefully. Beds do not equal bedrooms as people put beds into the corner of a dining room etc

Look at the photos really carefully. Try and match each photo with each described room. If you are missing a room then beware

If the photos show grubby bits, the whole place will be filthy. If they cant be bothered to stage it for photos, they wont be bothered for paying guests

Stalk it on multiple sites and try and work out the exact location in regards to street noise and building sites

If you need parking/washing machine /wifi..dont assume there is one unless you see it in the description and preferably a photo

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Never rent anything with less than 10 reviews within the last 2 yrs

Make sure you read the property description carefully so that you know what the sleeping arrangements are, eg does maximum occupancy involve someone sleeping on a sofabed in the living room or does everyone get a proper bedroom?

Be very, very careful. I've had a couple of decent experiences and a couple of terrible ones (there were 2 in Cambridge that still make me shudder just thinking about them).

I wouldn't book one again unless I really was desperate after hearing lots of horror stories about how terrible customer service is to deal with if something goes wrong. (Also stories of cameras in the properties, unsafe conditions, owners walking in on guests etc).

Also, forgot to add, all the places I stayed had really good reviews but the properties varied widely. E.g. one was spotless, one was full of the owners crap down to mouldy food in the fridge and wardrobes full to bursting. In one, the 'beds' were actually fold up camp beds that were unbelievably uncomfortable to sleep on etc.

Years ago, when I tried to leave a meh review for one, the owner threatened me via email unless I retracted it.

I own a beautiful Airbnb with 60+ 5* reviews. I really care about and do my best for my property to be clean, safe and beautiful. That’s been reflected in my reviews. I think they’re crucial. They’re not fake on Airbnb. I think you can be safe if you book a property that meets your needs - read the description - that also has excellent reviews.

Some places are on Airbnb and Booking.Com so I read the reviews on both.

I look carefully on what people's negative comments are to see if they are things that I would be bothered about. Too many steps or far from the beach are less of an issue for me than dirtiness or uncomfortable beds.

If a property I like is on both Airbnb and Booking I'd go for Booking.Com as I've found them to be very helpful in the past.

Reviews are crucial, and people do tend to score highly so if it's a low 4 score I look to see why. Also bear in mind that in a place with a really high rating, out of a handful of reviews you'll always get a couple of bad ones but usually for me they're on the unreasonable side and this will stand out. Or like a PP said if it's something that wouldn't bother me. If the host is decent they would have posted a response addressing this for all to see.

I used to Airbnb my own place and regularly got 5 star reviews but one couple gave me a 3 but couldn't say why when I asked, what I could've done to make it better etc. Just that it was in comparison to the last Airbnb they stayed it which could've meant anything. That really annoyed me, some people are just weird!

The advantages are more room and sometimes- but not guaranteed these days - cheaper than a hotel.

Read reviews carefully, particularly any less than glowing ones. Also see what the tone of the response is and how quickly they get back to you. Oh and check their cleaning requirements from you as a guest, particularly if it's in France.p, even if you have paid a hefty cleaning fee.

We have stayed in a couple in the UK and they were both absolutely fine.

We are going to one in June - the owner has kindly volunteered her DH to drive us to and from concerts we are attending whilst there !

I have used it a few times and have one booked for this summer, but only in the UK. I'd be more nervous about booking one abroad. I have never had a bad experience but they all have had lots of very good reviews. Definitely read the reviews carefully though and message the owner, see how quickly they respond.

We only ever use booking.com. As far as I can work out, you don't know exactly where the AirBnb is until you've booked (this may have changed as I've not actually looked at them for years) but you get a radius of around a km.

When we go on holiday, we we want to be in walking distance of supermarket, beach, restaurants etc, so wouldn't want to be carrying shopping half a mile up a hill or have to cross a dual carriageway on the way back from dinner for example. So that's the main reason not to use them.

Plus I like the booking.com filters, it seems really easy to select what you're looking for, they also seem more reliable. I've heard loads of stories about Airbnbs cancelling at short notice and you don't seem to have much comeback. But when a friend had a booking.com cancel on him at short notice, he got a full refund and compensation on top equal to half the cost of the rental, which covered the cost of the new place he had to find at short notice (he'd booked somewhere that had an event on, so obviously the owner thought they could re-rent for more money).

(This may sound like an advert for booking.com, I assure you it's not, just that we've used them many times and been very happy with the facility). It's probably also worth saying that I never review anything and CBA reading reviews, especially as I'm more fussy than most about some things, but less bothered about others, so reviews aren't really helpful. As long as most people seemed satisfied with the place, I'm happy with that.

I use them at least once a month, sometimes in Dorset but mostly in northern EU. We look very carefully at pictures and have rarely had a bad one, and even the bad ones have been ok! Last weekend we had a fab house with enormous garden in NL for example.
Read the reviews carefully and go for 4.8 or above.
Bear in mind there are cultural differences, we take a roll out silicone dish drainer, and assume the oven will be a combi microwave. I always take spare tea towels and a small hand soap, plus a large mug for my tea. And yea bags of course!

As far as I can work out, you don't know exactly where the AirBnb is until you've booked (this may have changed as I've not actually looked at them for years) but you get a radius of around a km.

I don't know what it was like in the past, but it's now the case that you can see the location pretty accurately on the map, ie which street and whereabouts on the street.

We have stayed in lots of air b'n'b s in this country and in Europe .

I agree with what everyone else has said i.e to look carefully at the reviews . Look at the sleeping arrangements , check re location - although you won't get a street given until you have booked .

The advantages are space , a garden ( if you put in this filter ) and when kids were younger toys etc when it is a family home . You can also get this with good holiday cottages too .For a family with more than 1 kid it is usually also cheaper than booking hotel rooms .

We have stayed in holiday rentals and family homes .Both pros and cons . If you are staying in someone 's home you will sometimes have quite limited space for clothes especially if you are staying a fortnight or more .
You should be able to see from the listing what category it is .

Abroad we have tended to stay in family homes where the family are away for their summer holiday and haven't had any issues so far . Had great experiences . It's good to try and build up a rapport with the hosts i'e when messaging about availability as they are trusting you with their family home . So tell them a bit about you .

I have always had cleaning as part of the deal and never any expectation of leaving the property in an absolute pristine state . Appreciate this may vary in practice from country to country / individual properties .

If you do want a larger family property rather than an apartment be careful about reading the details as some look amazing but then when you have scrutinised the details you see that e. g the basement is rented out and the garden is shared .

As you are booking with an individual rather than e.g a hotel chain you will have a greater risk of cancellation eg if a family home and their circumstances change .

We have had the host cancelling on us once for genuine reasons .

The super host properties will have the best reviews and the host will want to maintain this status so will be very attentive if you have any issues . They will also book up quicker than other properties .

As with everything else price is generally a factor and although no guarantee will reflect the condition of the property .

There were 2 properties we stayed in where the cleaning wasn't great . For one I knew that the reviews weren't amazing and the other available properties were much dearer . There were other advantages though , space , location etc .

Is staying in someone's home especially if a flat / apartment you will need to take into account neighbours and be more considerate about noise etc . No excessive noise / music after a certain time . I have always tried to be mindful of this as fully appreciate how annoying it will be for the neighbours if they are getting up to work in the morning and you are on a holiday time set .

There may be more restrictions about this than you would get in e.g a holiday home .

The host will also review you after the stay .

I've been an Airbnb superhost for 10 years, just one listing, meticulously managed by me personally. You want a host like me, i.e. experienced, hands-on, only one listing. What you don't want is an agent-host managing the property; they won't care about standards much, especially if they're managing several.

Here's my advice for a failsafe experience (the following applies to web/desktop browsing, I don't use the phone app much):

If you like the look of a listing, scroll down to 'Meet your host'. Only add the listing to your wishlist if the host is a Superhost and has at least 3 years' experience, 100% response rate, and at least 60 reviews.

Even if they fit the above criteria, avoid hosts with more than two listings (you can check this by clicking through to the host profile page), and also avoid hosts who aren't an individual but a company name (but N.B. 'professional host' doesn't necessarily mean it's an agent, I'm 'professional').

Note that the host's personal rating isn't the same as the listing rating. My listing is 4.95, me personally 4.92 because I've been doing it for so long and had a previous listing,and you inevitably get random unfair low reviews (e.g. 3* for not having a tumble dryer when they'd asked, do you have a tumble dryer and been told no, and still booked).

Read all the listing reviews. If there's one bad one in the context of 100 5-star ones, trust the good reviews. Contrary to what PPs have said, guests really don't score highly unless they're happy.

Do not book a listing with a rating of less than 4.9.

Do not book a listing where more than one review complains about cleaning standards or similar.

When you have your shortlist, message the hosts to enquire about your dates. Invent a question to ask if you have to. The point is not the answer to the question, but to get a sense of the host from 1) how quickly they reply, and 2) how friendly the reply is, etc.

Do not ask for a discount for a standard short stay. It's a red flag to any experienced host.

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You don't have to leave the place exactly as clean and tidy as you (hopefully) found it. But it's polite and respectful not to leave it in an absolute state. Same as if you stayed with a friend or relative, you wouldn't leave shit stains in the loo, or a pile of dirty plates and mugs in your bedroom.

It is extremely unlikely, if you follow the advice above for selecting a place, that a Superhost would make false accusations against you as regards damage, etc. If you're really anxious about this, take photos of the place before you check-out.

Disputes generally only arise with bad guests and/or bad hosts. If you're a good guest and you choose a good host, you'll be fine.

As for Airbnb v hotels, that's really up to you. Short holiday lets are nothing new - lots of people prefer to book a Spanish villa rather than a hotel, because they like their own private pool and eating what they like for breakfast, and not being woken up by a chambermaid every morning wanting to clean the room. I hate hotels and always stay in Airbnbs. In cities such as Paris or Florence, it's fun to have a key to your own flat as you feel less like a tourist. It's fun to go food shopping. Other people prefer the ease of hotel culture.

This sounds like a mammoth homework task! I think the fact that you have to put so much effort in demonstrates how variable and inherently trustworthy Air BnB is. I have had some nice places and I have also had some terrible places. The most annoying thing was a place that was not in the designated area I had chosen but some 20 minutes away. I could only see the exact location on booking. I never use Air BnB now.

What you don't want is an agent-host managing the property; they won't care about standards much, especially if they're managing several.

True, ime. We stay in one 3 or 4 times a year and it was under management company at first (one that has a bad rep for student lets, its other property arm). It was ok, but a bit soulless, clean enough but dust on picture rails, garden a bit tatty etc. Convenient for us though, so we rebooked. The owner took over management and it’s loads better now. Much cleaner, things like side lamps provided, garden maintained properly, a much cosier environment than before.