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

How to rent out an apartment through Airbnb?

Imagine the picture:

You boarded a plane to relax in some wonderful country, for example, Greece. You've been lying on the beach all week, enjoying the sun, sea, life and fresh seafood. You met new people, ate delicacies and got a good tan.

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

But wait a second, is this even possible unless you're a venture capitalist?

Every year everything more people rent out their housing to travelers. Some of them earn six figures.

To make money with Airbnb you need 3 things: an empty house, a room that sits idle, or even sleeping area, openness in communicating with people and the desire to earn money.

The idea of ​​Airbnb is simple - you rent out your home to travelers (often more expensive than daily rent apartments to your fellow countrymen), and travelers rejoice at the opportunity to live in comfort and feel “like a local.”

Helping tourists dive even deeper into daily life the places they arrived, Airbnb's founders created a $30 billion company. This service covers 190 countries and 60 million tourists as its clients.

Good news - you can get your piece of this huge pie.

If you prefer to first thoroughly familiarize yourself with a new situation before rushing headlong into the pool, this article is for you. Everything you need to know to successfully make money by renting out your home to tourists is described here. And the basis was personal experience renting an apartment through Airbnb.

How does Airbnb work?

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

Airbnb connects tourists in need of affordable or unique accommodation with hosts offering a free bed or fairytale palace depending on your capabilities.

Tourists use Airbnb when:

• hotels are crowded (for example, during a festival);
• hotel prices are unreasonably high;
• They don’t like hotels a priori and prefer to live “like at home.”

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

Airbnb retains a small commission from both tourists and renters.

Why rent out your home on Airbnb?

Airbnb has become a very popular platform among renters because it allows you to earn additional money without spending much time and money. But this does not mean that this type of business does not have negative sides.

Opening your home to strangers is always a risk.

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

Secondly, we've all heard horror stories about housing that was destroyed or stolen by tenants. Statistics show that such cases are less than 1%, but they also occur.

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

If you like to communicate, then this service will help you make many new acquaintances around the world. Airbnb is used by many business people, and you will have the chance to meet people from different social circles.

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

Airbnb Rental Requirements

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

Legal aspects

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

• pay personal income tax as an individual. face;
• register as an individual entrepreneur.

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

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

Personal space

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

Otherwise, the guest may terminate your agreement and request a refund, and you will receive a penalty in Airbnb's system.

Time spent

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

You need to visit Airbnb's official website frequently to interact with your potential guests: answer questions, make arrangements to convince travelers to stay with you.

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

Get permission from the owner

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

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, you will be left with negative reviews, your offer will have a low rating and tenants will avoid it.

How to get good reviews

Hospitality is the key to success. Airbnb has hospitality standards. Therefore, if you want to earn good money in this service, then try to comply with them. This will help you get good reviews, which means your services will become 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 the availability of your rental property. It is important that the platform and future guests know when your property is occupied and when it is available.

2. Provide future guests with information in a timely manner. Be approachable and check in with Airbnb frequently to be ready to answer questions in a timely manner, tell them more about your property, check-in/check-out times, etc.

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

3. Be proactive. 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 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 security

The question of security arises for every sane person who encounters a previously unknown phenomenon, and Airbnb is no exception.

There is always a risk that you will come across an unreliable person. Airbnb hosts have had various situations where the house has been turned upside down after a party, property has been damaged, and in some cases guests have changed the locks and refused to leave.

In Russia, this kind of thing is quickly resolved with the help of the police, but in England, for example, serious problems can arise. They have such a thing as “squatting”. This is when strangers can move into an empty house without asking, and they can only be evicted from there by a court decision, and the legal process is a long process.

Incidents like these got Airbnb into serious trouble in 2011, so they have since implemented a sophisticated vetting system that has become a benchmark in the home rental industry.

You can't be anonymous, and the review and rating system works both ways, keeping both guests and landlords within the bounds of decency. Those. you can only allow trusted people with good reviews into your home.

Before confirming a reservation, parties may 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 do you need it?

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

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

Payment is credited to your account the day after the guest checks into your property.

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

If you want more information, Airbnb has a Facebook Connect feature that allows hosts to ask for recommendations from a guest's friends.

If these safety measures prove ineffective, the landlord will be paid a guaranteed insurance of $1 million. You will be able to use 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 insurance does not cover all property or personal liability, so you may be better off purchasing separate insurance.

How to properly register an account on Airbnb

Filling out information about housing on Airbnb is quite simple. The platform itself is intuitive, so filling out an account won't take much time. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, here are some tips for you.

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.” This is not bad, but there are thousands of such headlines.

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 it. It’s just a man driving his clients in an inexpensive foreign car, and a real tame squirrel lives in the interior of his car. It's a small thing, but it's cool.

There is no need to indicate your city in the title, this is already clear. Travelers first choose a city, and then apartments 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 home clearly and, most importantly, honestly. Include as many important details as possible so guests know exactly what to expect. Do not make false or exaggerated statements.

To look more professional, translate your description into at least English, I recommend also Spanish and Chinese, but this is optional. This way you will generate more trust by your effort to be understood.

Photos

Photos are very important. Most often apartments are rented from 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 those that will give guests a clearer idea of ​​your space: what it looks like, what size it is, what 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 its own photographers. Photography is free. A badge will appear on your photos that they were taken by an Airbnb employee, which means they are reliable, which will add to your trust. Just find out if this service is available in your area.

Set the rules

Airbnb allows all hosts to set their own rules for guests. Consider your needs, the needs of travelers and your neighbors. For example, do not make noise after 11 pm, do not smoke. Indicate the number of people you are willing to let into the house. You may want to assign them some responsibilities around the house, for example, taking out the trash after yourself, watering the flowers.

Your profile

Your profile is one of the most important elements of your account. People trust people. This means you must appear in the eyes of travelers as a person worthy of trust. 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 housing is the price. Before you set your prices, look at your competitors' rental prices. Take into account their location, photos and analyze how successful they are (based on reviews). Look at hotel prices.

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

If you're serious about making money by renting out your home on Airbnb, be flexible with your pricing. Look at market demands and raise or lower prices depending on the tourist season.

Lifehack. It’s very easy to evaluate the season, go to wordstat.yandex.ru. Check "Query History" in the purple search bar. In the line write “hotel Moscow”, instead of Moscow write your city and click “Select”. You will see a graph from which you will understand how often tourists look for accommodation in your city depending on the season.

These are very easy to use; if you know that demand is expected to increase next month, then raise your prices. On the other hand, if you don't have many guests yet, lower your prices until you get at least 2-3 positive reviews.

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

Landlord checklist

So, you have set up your profile according to all the rules and even received your first reservation. What's next? Now you need to prepare your home for receiving guests.

Regardless of the level of comfort your accommodation provides, you should always welcome your guests in a clean and friendly manner. Think of your property like a professional hotel, trying to maximize guest experience and good reviews.

Check your accommodation

Remember that your guests' expectations should not differ from reality. Think about how your furniture performs its function. It’s good if there is a washing machine, but if it’s broken, then it would be better not to have it.

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

Get organized

Before renting out your home, do a thorough cleaning. Clean up the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway. Basically, anywhere your guests can get to.

Dirty apartments are what killed many fledgling Airbnb businesses. Nothing supernatural is required from you, just:

• Vacuum the carpets and wash the floors;
• Wipe off the dust, even in places you usually don’t go into;
• Clean your bathroom until it shines. Have you ever heard the phrase: “the toilet is the face of the owner.” Rough, but to the point.

Fix what's broken

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

Change the bed linen

This tip may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many hostels neglect it. Change bed linen after each guest. If you are too lazy to wash often, buy several sets. This way you will avoid bad reviews. Who would like someone else's hair on their pillowcase?

Empty the refrigerator

This is a “destroy all traces of previous guests” rule. And it seems to be just as unobvious to many hosts as the previous point.

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

Scrub the bathroom clean

Any good Airbnb host offers their guests 3 basic things: 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. I hope this motivates you to be a good landlord.

It would also be a good idea to buy towels, toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste and anything else you see fit. This is not a waste of money, but an investment.

Keep track of valuables

If you rent out a room in your home or have guests staying with you for more than a week, make sure 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 to give you peace of mind regarding your belongings.

Give guests a separate key

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

There is always something that can be done better. If good reviews are important to you, here are a few for you useful tips, which are worth paying attention to.

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 provide to your guests, at least at the beginning 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 rental owners have taken 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 guests waiting

Always greet guests, and if you don’t have time, ask your friends about it. Keep in mind that travelers may arrive at night and will need somewhere to stay.

You can be sure that you will not receive good reviews, if you force your guests to hang around a closed door for hours waiting for guests.

Meet them at the airport

The first impression is the most memorable. The best thing you can do for your 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 don't have the time or desire to go on rides, provide your guests with detailed information about how to get to you public transport or taxi. Communicate the fares and provide signs that will help them know they are on the right track.

Help them navigate a new situation more easily

Create a “Welcome Card” (print it on a piece of paper or whatever your imagination allows) and put in it information that might be useful to them. For example, your contact details, list best restaurants, museums in the city and things to do.

The next day, check how your guests are doing. Do they need anything else? If you have time and desire, you can spend it together and show tourists the city. Still, renting out through Airbnb is not quite the same as with a regular home rental/rental; to some extent, it is also a community.

Stand out from the crowd

Try to offer your guests something special to stand out from your competitors. Dinner at a restaurant free excursion, homemade cookies. I guarantee that your guests will be satisfied and recommend you to their friends.

Ask for feedback

Starting any new business is not easy. This is true for your Airbnb business as well. If you are new to the site, you will have a hard time finding your first guest. People usually choose places where others have been before and talked about their experiences. They want to know what to expect, and that's okay.

The good news is that if you are new to the Airbnb platform, you can ask your friends or family members to leave a review. Pay for your accommodation yourself at a minimal price. Yes, you will lose a little money on service fees, but it will be much easier for you.

What to do if you do get negative feedback

Sometimes, even if you tried your best, things can go to hell. It’s only a matter of time before you have your first negative comment on your profile. No matter why your guests gave you a low rating, you need to remain calm and try to resolve the situation quickly and tactfully.

Apologize to your guests for what happened. Even if you don't agree with the review. Business is business, and the customer is always right. Let your future tenants know that you regret what happened and will make every effort to ensure it doesn't happen again. If you believe a guest is at fault, you have 14 days after check-out to provide them with feedback.

If the negative review was too negative, then write a public response to the review and explain what happened, tell how you corrected the situation and assure guests that they will not have to deal with this in the future.

All reviews remain forever, so do not give in to emotions, even if you really want to and remain professional, regardless of whether you communicate with the guest in person or resolve issues online. Always admit your mistakes and consider feedback as friendly advice on how to improve.

Don't forget that good communication can always prevent a bad review. Always communicate with your guests and try to make their stay with you as hassle-free as possible.

Often bad reviews are written due to a simple misunderstanding. Therefore, try to be understood correctly.

What's the best way to exchange keys?

The exchange of keys is the first contact with the guest. Try to make it leave a good impression. If you don't have time to greet your guests in person, here are a few ways you can hand over the keys to them.

Ask your friends

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

Leave the key at a nearby store

A nearby store 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 at work time, otherwise you will only create a new problem.

Use a key safe

Perhaps the easiest way to exchange keys if you constantly don’t have time and don’t want to disturb your surroundings. Buy a small key safe with a combination lock. Then your guests will be able to 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 remotely using mobile phone. Or you can give the code to your guests and change it every time they check out.

Surehost icon

If you have received at least 10 guests in a year, then you have a chance to receive Superhost status. To do this, you need to fulfill several requirements. You must respond to at least 90% of booking requests, and more than 80% of your reviews must be 5 stars.

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

Results

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

Is it profitable to rent out an apartment through Airbnb? The answer is clear - yes. Firstly, renting an apartment by the day is always more profitable, and secondly, foreigners pay more money.

Many people have managed to create a permanent source of income for themselves by renting out several residential properties and earning six figures a month. And you can too, if you like to host guests and you have read this article carefully.

Airbnb- this is rental housing around the world from private individuals; upon closer examination of the Airbnb website, the service is more reminiscent of a social network like couchsurfing.com. To rent a home on Airbnb, you will need to register on the Airbnb website, fill out a questionnaire, and even better if your profile has recommendations. Unlike couchsurfing, Airbnb rentals cost money.

The main feature of Airbnb is the ability to rent housing around the world from private owners just like you. In addition, you yourself can successfully rent out your apartment through this service.

The choice of housing on Airbnb is surprising, it has everything! From the simplest housing, in the form of an old trailer, to expensive castles in Scotland, there are both simple apartments furnished with Ikea furniture and designer apartments in New York penthouses.

Who is Airbnb rental suitable for?

Renting a home using Airbnb is suitable for everyone, but those who travel can benefit the most big company or married couples with children.

For the first group, Airbnb allows you to save on accommodation in comfortable conditions. A group of travelers can rent big house at the price of a hotel room and to stay comfortably in it, because not every hotel will allow six people to live in a room, no matter how large it is.

For married couples with children, renting housing on Airbnb is also very convenient, because by renting an apartment or house from local residents you get much more than a place to sleep. With Airbnb, you're renting a real home with space for kids to play and parents to relax, and having a kitchen in your rental can help cut down on the cost of eating out.

Airbnb rental housing pros

• Personal space when booking through Airbnb. When renting apartments through Airbnb, you are guaranteed to have your own personal space in the form of a garden, veranda, front lawn, etc. Almost every house on Airbnb has a kitchen, so you can always cook food at home, which is impossible to do in a hotel number. For the cost of a hotel room you get real home with everything you need.
• Any place in the city. Since local residents rent out apartments on Airbnb, the choice of area to live in is not limited solely to tourist recreation; you can rent an apartment or house in any area of ​​the city and live like a local. Visiting shops, cafes, markets that are visited by all local residents will allow you to better understand the surrounding reality. Yes, it’s just nice to be where you are not looked at as a means of making money, which can often be seen in tourist places.
• New friends from Airbnb. As I said earlier, the Airbnb service is similar to couchsurfing, they also carefully study guest profiles and can refuse you if they don’t like you, but if they like you, then in the overwhelming majority of cases you will make new friends in the person of the hosts who will try to take care about you, because reputation is more important to them than money.
• Rent whatever you want on Airbnb. Airbnb allows you to live in the most amazing places on planet Earth and in a wide variety of houses, castles, yachts, trailers, lighthouses, etc., everything your imagination is capable of can be a reality with Airbnb. For example, you can afford to live on a private island or in an old Portuguese lighthouse, converted with the latest technology, in a word, dream up.

Airbnb rental housing cons

• Airbnb brokers. The worst thing that can happen on Airbnb is to run into intermediaries; many enterprising types (I personally ran into similar ones in Goa) pretend to be hosts, but in fact they are intermediaries. This is very common in Goa, some local population Poor knowledge of all the intricacies of working on the Internet, and nosy intermediaries actively take advantage of this. As a rule, in such apartments the owners are not particularly happy about you, because the amount they got from the intermediary does not exceed 50% of the rent paid, so they don’t have to be particularly happy. Some types go even further and sell ordinary hotel rooms under the guise of their apartment, what would it be like for you to choose a private house by the sea and arrive at a hotel.
• You have to wait for your Airbnb reservation. Airbnb is designed in such a way that renting an apartment requires confirmation from the host (unless the host has specified “instant booking” in the settings). Unlike the usual booking of accommodation in hotels, where everything happens very quickly, in Airbnb it may take some time before the final payment for the reservation of accommodation.
• Airbnb cancellation by host. On Airbnb, your host has the right to cancel your reservation. It’s impossible to understand why this is happening, maybe he doesn’t like you (your profile on Airbnb), maybe someone offered a better price/better conditions, maybe the owner of the property didn’t like your writing style in correspondence and a million other reasons, but there is only one conclusion, booking an apartment on Airbnb may be cancelled.
• Airbnb cancellation policy. It happens that travel plans change and in such cases it is advisable to study in detail the cancellation conditions on Airbnb; the service provides several types of cancellation: strict, moderate, flexible, long-term. Be sure to research cancellation information before booking your accommodation.

Traveling around different countries, most travelers stay in hotels, boarding houses or guesthouses. Since 2008 there has been great service AirBNB, where you can book a variety of inexpensive accommodation from private owners instead of hotels. Moreover, the choice of housing on the site was more colorful, educational and all over the world. Unfortunately, AirBNB has changed for the worse and negative reviews about Airbnb are becoming increasingly common. I was registered in this service almost from the very beginning and I have something to compare with.

For a long time I liked renting apartments from private owners through AirBNB, so I was always happy to recommend this service to my friends. But the further you go, the worse and more expensive the service becomes.

Now AirBNB is not always profitable and convenient for travelers, and I no longer want to recommend it. I myself am almost completely, because... many apartment options with Airbnb are now available on Booking and they are cheaper. But I don’t know what I will use tomorrow. I tried HomeAway and others - everything is not the same, and most importantly, the choice is too small. I really like the idea of ​​AirBNB, so I hope something similar will appear soon, but better, cheaper and without hidden fees - and I will definitely tell you about it (stay tuned for updates on FB and VK).

Airbnb has taught us that the only way to book cheap apartments is through them. Alas, this is no longer the case. Before you book something on Airbnb out of habit, Google it and look for the same option in other services - it only takes a minute, but you can save almost twice as much (see example below).

Here I’ll tell you what has changed in Airbnb, and below you can read my old article about how it was once a really great service.

Important changes to Airbnb since 2018

What happened to Airbnb and why renting housing through them became unprofitable and even risky:

• Bookings in Europe are being cancelled. at the last moment - there is a risk of being left without a reservation at the height of the season.
  Since 2018, renting housing through AirBnb has become risky - there are more and more reviews that reservations began to be canceled at the last minute. This is due to the entry into force of new laws that homeowners are subject to - this is mainly true for Europe and the USA. The most reviews about booking cancellations I have seen come from the following cities: Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Lisbon, Amsterdam, NY, Singapore. However, Airbnb, instead of helping to solve this situation, shifted all responsibility onto the clients - get out of it however you want.
• It is better not to apply for a visa when booking through AirBnb
  In connection with the previous point, they may refuse to receive it or give it for a shorter period - this has begun to happen more and more often.
• AirBnb customer service is unhelpful.
  This used to be the best customer service I've ever encountered. Nowadays it’s impossible to even find where to contact support on the Airbnb website, the e-mail and phone number of the support are carefully hidden, and when they manage to reach not the automatic replies, but a real person, they answer like robots and cannot help in any way.
  Especially when your question concerns tricks with payment on Airbnb - the support service begins to “turn on the fool” and pretend that they do not understand what they are talking about. And they say we don’t understand where you got the screenshots from...
• Removed prices from the calendar.
  Previously, you could look at the prices for each day in the calendar and select those days when they were cheaper, but now this option has been removed.
• They hide the final price.
  The price you see on the main page may differ from the final price by 1.5 times! Guess in whose favor?
  Moreover, this doesn’t seem to be an Airbnb scam, because... It's all there somewhere in the rules and there's no way to dig into it. They just learned to hide the final price so cleverly.
  For example, we want to rent an apartment in Milan for 3 days (see picture below) - on the Airbnb main page the price is 53 euros per day:

  Now watch your steps carefully: on the next page they already write that 50 euros is super! But commissions are added, a total of 205. I wonder where the price of 53 on the main page came from?
  At Step 3, for some reason the price turns into 206.36 and they write that this is a conversion fee. What kind of conversion? From euro to euro?
  And finally, in the end, they convert us into rubles and the total price becomes 213 euros for 3 days (for this day the Central Bank rate is 1 EUR = 73.90 RUB). How much did you end up with per day? (The answer is below the picture.)

  
  Airbnb Price Trick - Follow the Steps

  We count: magically 53 euros turns into 71 euros per day! By the way, it’s not clear where 53 came from? In general, if you look at the screenshot, many more questions arise for Airbnb...

  Therefore, do not rush to book, first go to the payment page and compare this price with the price on other services - always compare the final price, not the intermediate price! You will be very surprised.

• It became more expensive and appeared hidden fees Airbnb.
  The commission has increased: Airbnb now takes 3% from the owner and 15% from the guest - as stated on their website. In addition, many do not notice, but Airbnb does a forced currency conversion not in favor of the client, and this adds up to 3% at the final payment step. Total 21% – this is too much! Therefore, I switched to Booking, where the commission is lower, and the price for the traveler is final and there are no hidden fees - to the client immediately on the first page.
  Why Booking? Yes, because that’s where the same apartments with Airbnb are now presented, but at a higher price favorable price. It looks like the owners Airbnb apartments became unprofitable, because even the starting price for apartments has become higher than, for example, on Booking.com.
  For example, here is the same apartment in Lisbon, which is listed on Airbnb and Booking (using the links it is easy to compare from the photo that these are the same apartment). Let's compare prices for the same dates:
  

  Total: 372 euros on Airbnb (without conversion fee, the exact price will be in the last step) versus 233 euros on Booking (final price).
  If you pay with a ruble card, your Airbnb bill will end up being 28,449.04 rubles. at the Central Bank exchange rate 1 EUR = 73.90 RUB. That is, the final price is 385 euros!!!

  

  That is, the euro exchange rate in Airbnb turns out to be 76.47 rubles, which means the markup is the same +3% for conversion.
  It would seem that for payment it is better to leave the account in the host’s currency, but no - Airbnb forcibly converts it into the currency of your country, which you specified during registration, even if you pay with a card in euros, and you will only find out after payment (I wrote about this in their support with all screenshots at every step of the booking process, because at every step the price changed, it seemed strange and I decided to take screenshots, but they replied that I was a fool and had chosen the wrong currency, and it was unclear where I got the screenshots from...). I wonder if the host’s currency is “tugriks” (for example, in Thailand), will there be a double conversion? I didn't check. Well, Airbnb has found a great way to make money!

• Airbnb absolutely don't care about loyal users.
  If they offer promotions and discounts to newcomers, then to those who have been using the service for a long time, they only increase commissions every year. I think many people remember the 12% commission.

Why did Airbnb stop caring about its customers? Maybe Airbnb will come to their senses and turn back to us, the clients? After all, there was a great service and you can still occasionally find interesting options on Airbnb, but, alas, less and less...

How AirBnb used to work

(Everything below was written in 2010 and is no longer relevant - I’ll leave it for history)
My acquaintance with AirBNB happened by chance. In March, when planning a trip to, I was still unable to book an inexpensive hotel there. Prices started at $100 and went into space. As a result, on the advice of a friend, I found myself an apartment on the 28th floor in the Bukit Batok metro area through AirBNB. For only $80, and with great view from the window and an excellent swimming pool. Although the owner was nominally present in the apartment, I practically did not interact with him. For my first experience, I was more than pleased - I managed and had a good idea of ​​“how I would live here” :)

Don't confuse AirBNB rentals with couchsurfing. “Registrations” through couchsurfing are free, but do not provide either privacy or comfort. Hotels, on the contrary, offer comfort, but at a high price. By the way, in some cities there are not as many hotels as you would like. That's why renting a home via AirBNB this is something in between - more comfortable than “fitting in”, but cheaper than hotels.

Why do I like booking accommodation through AirBNB?

In the photo: a fully furnished apartment in Prague, for example, can be rented on AirBNB for 29 euros / day

1. Savings

AirBNB offers nice, well-equipped accommodation for less than hotels. This is especially true for fashionable, expensive and tourist cities such as Nice, Barcelona or. It’s up to date to book your accommodation via AirBNB on holidays, when the cost of all hotels skyrockets.

2. Hotels are not available everywhere

In the photo: when traveling you can choose completely different and unusual types of accommodation

You can live in a variety of areas of cities where there is simply no. Booking via AirBNB, a traveler can test a variety of housing formats: apartments in skyscrapers, standard apartments, separate villas, romantic attics and even yachts :) Moreover, there are options to get a room in an apartment or rent the entire property.

3. New impressions and interesting experiences

Living “like a local” for a couple of days, something like a “demo version”, is a valuable experience and broadening your horizons. A great way to appreciate the features of housing and the quality of local life, to feel like a “Barcelonian” or “Singaporean”. Especially useful if you are thinking about visiting this country :)

4. Communication with new people

If you rent a room in an apartment, it is quite possible to improve your knowledge of a foreign language by communicating with the owners of the property. For example, learn something about the locals, about the real prices and rules of life of this country and its inhabitants.

How to book accommodation through AirBNB

Register for AirBNB, fill out your contact details in your profile. To book good accommodations through AirBNB, you need to be liked by potential hosts. Post your most welcoming photo, write what kind of “white and fluffy” traveler you are, and landlords will be drawn to you :) By the way, on AirBNB, landlords and tenants have their own personal ratings. The more often you rent through AirBNB, the more recommendations you will have. This will simplify subsequent settlements.

What to look for when looking for accommodation on AirBNB

In the photo: first of all, we check the calendar and prices for the required days

First of all, check the calendar for available dates and prices for these days. Prices may vary on different days of the week.

Having selected an interesting housing option, we study the final price, living conditions and reviews of other guests.

Pictured: Please note that cleaning fees and AirBNB fees have been added.

When renting housing through AirBNB, you pay the actual price for housing + site commission + cleaning fee + guarantee amount (blocked/refunded)

In the photo: it is important to read all the living conditions

We study all the conditions for renting housing on AirBNB

Typically the landlord specifies the following:

1. Type of accommodation: apartment (house) or room only
2. Number of guests (in this example 4). If there are more guests, an additional fee will apply for each additional guest.
3. The amount of the security deposit (this does not always happen). This amount is blocked by AirBNB from your card in case of damage (in this example 150 euros)
4. Housing cleaning fee. Sometimes the landlord charges more money for cleaning, thereby reducing the site commission for you (a percentage of the daily price of the apartment)
5. Penalties for canceling a booking (flexible, moderate, strict) - be sure to read these conditions when booking.
6. We study in the description what is in the apartment: parking, internet, washing machine, TV, etc.

If everything suits you, write a request to the host or simply click the red “Book” button. Then wait for a response. Most landlords will respond and confirm your request fairly quickly. Sometimes, however, they refuse.

If you see a lightning bolt icon, it means the apartment can be rented automatically, without waiting for the owner’s confirmation. So convenient.

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 apartment prices for those who come to relax on long term— I won’t hide the fact that it’s cheaper, since the products in European supermarkets are much different in freshness and variety from those in Russia, and I think anyone can cook a steak from non-frozen meat or bake fresh fish.

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 housing.
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 why large quantity outright swindlers 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.

I have collected in one place links to all sites for booking travel accommodation that I know of. Here you will find out how easy it is to spend the night in almost any city in the world at an affordable price or even for free! Or really find unusual place, a stay in which will be remembered for a long time.

The post contains the largest database of hostels in the world, the largest service for renting accommodation from hosts, sites for booking unusual designer hotels, overnight accommodation in exchange for help around the house or looking after a pet - in general, options for every taste. Choose!

Classic: hotel aggregator sites

Personally, I open these sites first when I'm going on a trip somewhere. As the name implies, they combine information from various booking systems, such as: booking, hotels, ostrovok (one of best prices in Russia), agoda (good for traveling in Asia), trivago, expedia and many others.

Aggregators compare prices, look for discounts and special offers, where you can find not only hotels, but also hostels, guest houses- it’s very convenient to have everything in one place.

Read also:

Free overnight stay

The best way to understand a country and its people is to get to know local residents, and even better, live with them for a while. International hospitality sites provide such opportunities when people invite guests to their home. Just don’t see them as just a free overnight stay, rather it’s a cultural exchange, interesting communication, an opportunity to improve your languages ​​and find new friends around the world.

Source: instagram: @myinterior

Accommodation in exchange for housework

These sites should not be considered only as a way to stay overnight for free, but as a new unusual experience and an opportunity to help people and the ecology of the planet for a week, a month, or maybe more. The idea is that you work several hours a day, and in return you receive room and board.

Source: GettyImages

Rental services for cool and unusual hotels

If you want to live in a lighthouse, in a tree house, stay in eco-friendly hotels or hotels only for vegetarians, try glamping (glamorous camping) or just have fun, then there are special sites for this.

✔ and - here you can buy someone else’s reservation at a discount. Someone couldn’t go and is selling their reservation on the website. You get a good discount, and the person gets money for a non-refundable room.