THE PITFALLS TO CONSIDER WITH AN AIBNB RENTAL
So, you say to yourself, “let just book an Airbnb for our upcoming visit to Los Angeles?” And, well, why not! Certainly, over the years, it has become the number one platform for reserving short-term rentals with listings world-wide. It’s considered the biggest and most well-known OTA (Online Travel Agency).
MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOSTS:
People love the all the options, you can find rentals in any location, different price points, and different types of furnished rentals and houses. There are all different types of Hosts who list on the platform from individuals who do it part-time, some who have more properties that do it full-time, there are companies who list and people who claim they are a company but are not! Sometimes, the host will claim it’s a company, but they are unable to be found on the internet outside of Airbnb!
Vs choosing an accredited professional corporate housing company that has a dedicated team and field reps that can immediately address any question or issue.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get!” – Forest Gump. Well, that phrase from the movie could be considered to have many similarities comparisons to when making an Airbnb reservation!
Vs a corporate housing company that operates the same standard for the total inventory so you don’t have to worry about inconsistent apartment standards.
IS LISTING ACCURATE?
Obviously, you can look at reviews to get a better idea. But reviews can be misleading and inaccurate. It might be a great experience for one guest and a complete nightmare for another guest. We get quite a few emergency phone calls in the nighttime from prospects who checked not an Airbnb only to find out its significantly sub-par from what the listing stated. Such as the photos don’t always match, the cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired, the noise and traffic is much worse than anticipated, and the responsiveness and helpfulness from the Host can be very unhelpful. We only say this because, this is the horror stories we hear from guests who checked out of an Airbnb and moved into one of our furnished rentals after the fact. In fact, sometimes the guest has had a previous good experience with a Host, only to have major insures with the unit when they rebooked with them again.
Vs a corporate housing company that always provides accurate listing with proper photos and a team that is ready to make sure your whole stay goes smoothly.
LIMMITED STAFF AND CLENLINESS:
So why does this happen, and how can it be avoided? It’s a bit like the wild west when making a reservation! Sometimes hosts do it part-time. They are individuals, not professional companies. They hire a cleaner, but, as they are an individual, they have no team or organization to make sure the unit is thoroughly inspected, detailed, and have damaged items fixed or replaced before your check in. often, they are not set up to have the manpower to properly operate the apartment if something is not working correctly or need to be fixed.
Vs at Bedford, there are dedicated inspectors that go into each apartment after it’s been cleaned to make sure the unit is in tip-top condition with all furnishings, and all items to makes ure upon your arrival everything is in perfect condition.
LACK OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL:
It has been a very popular opportunity for individuals, landlord to make some extra premium on rentals. But a furnished rental does need a lot of attention to detail, and if a host has another job or focus, sometimes it can be lagging.
Vs at Bedford, we have the manpower of a team dedicated to make sure this is our whole focus to provide you an apartment that has had the attention to detail.
SUPERHOSTS ACCREDITATION:
Well, what about super hosts, then? Super host do offer a higher degree of duty of care and responsiveness. This status is sometimes easier to achieve if they operated minimal number of listings that are manageable where they do have the time to inspect and respond immediately to question or an inquiry. They deserve their status. And can be achieved if their sole focus are Airbnb listings only. These are safer to go with but are not always available for your specific dates or price point.
Vs at Bedford Housing you have a large inventory of apartments to choose from which makes it significantly easier to reserve the exact apartment to fit your needs.
TIME CONSUMING FINDING LISTINGS:
What about the time it takes? Well, as you are not speaking to anyone, you can end up spending hours wasting time scrolling through all sorting through tons of listings to find the right options and photos to help make the right choice. Then you must make sure the correct filters are on. Sometimes you can find a good deal, but unless you are careful with the filters, you might just be renting a room and sharing a bathroom in someone’s house and not having your place and privacy. So, you must read each listing carefully to make sure it’s what you are booking.
Vs, we are just one phone call or text chat away from giving you the info quickly to your phone or email so you don’t need to waste your time with endless searching.
DON’T FORGET THE ADDED FEES!
Airbnb charges a 12% fee on top of the rental nightly rate and a 14% short-term occupancy tax which totals 26% above the nightly rental rate! It’s very important to realize this when selecting your booking.
Vs we give you the upfront fee breakdown which usually consists of deposit, rent and cleaning fee.
EXTENSION DIFFICULTIES:
Quite often with short term rentals, guests are looking to extend outside of Airbnb to save on fees. However, most Host have listings which they take other reservations after your check out date making it impossible to extend in which you have look for a new rental. You now have the aggravation of having to move and pack up and incur additional cleaning fees.
Vs you always have the option to extend depending on your agreement with a 14-day notice to vacate.
CANCELLATION FEES:
You always have the instant book option to help speed through which a reservation to choose. It’s just if you don’t make the right choice, and need to change it you could be out can be jeopardize as cancellation fees.
Vs. the good thing is that you can call us, go over all the necessary details before deciding to place a holding deposit to reserve the apartment.
COMMUNICATION CAN ONLY BE VIA TEXT THROUGH AIRBNB PORTAL:
You can always dialog first with the Host to make sure your inquiry is the right fit for your needs. But Host are not always on the Airbnb portal 100% of the time so correspondence can take time to find out answers to your questions. This can be frustrating and time consuming when you are trying to make your reservation. Because on Airbnb portal, you cannot call the Host directly, you must work through the platform to communicate. You will not be able to speak to the Host unless you can figure out a way to communicate alternative method. Some guests do this but Airbnb are monitoring this and if found out, Airbnb can ban you from their platform if you are trying to work around their system.
Vs avoiding this aggravation completely but calling us at any time to immediately get the answers to your questions without wasting your time.
USED CONDIMENTS
Guests complain if there are no condiments, seasonings, ingredients for cooking inside the place. Certainly, it is a convenience having these items so that you don’t need to spend on new ones. However, how comfortable are you using these items that multiple strangers have used before/ these items can’t be cleaned so you are touching and cooking with ingredients that could be a health risk. Usually, most airbners must go to the market anyway to buy just what they need for their stay.
Vs. corporate rentals do not have these items, so the kitchen pantry and refrigerator remain properly clean as you are expected to purchase the items you need from the supermarket.
Therefore, next time, consider a corporate housing rental as an alternative. Option if you want to help avoid these potential pitfalls. At least you can speak to someone and quickly determine if there is the right type of apartment that fits your needs without wasting time. Call today and find out why you can avoid all these scenarios listed.
