Why AirBNB isn’t the way to go For those who might not be aware, AirBNB is a company that was founded in San Francisco in 2008. The company provides an online meeting place for people who are looking for cheap places to stay to enter in contact with individuals who are willing to rent out part of their living space for a nightly fee. As of the fall of 2013, AirBNB has expanded to include over 500,000 listings in more than 30,000 cities in 192 countries. And in addition to listing rooms in apartments, AirBNB has grown to offer overnight stays in everything from castles and manors to tree houses, boats, and even private islands. Whether your tastes are frugal or expensive, AirBNB seems to offer you the experience of staying in a new place for a fraction of the cost of regular hotels. However, is it everything it’s cracked up to be? Keep reading to find out the other side to AirBNB.
No Guarantee The most unnerving aspect of renting out a room on AirBNB is there is absolutely no guarantee. The Internet has long been a place where people can misrepresent themselves and that services they are offering, and AirBNB is no exception. Many people have booked a room through AirBNB, only to arrive at the location to find that the host is rude, the room is dirty, or, worst of all, the place doesn’t even exist. AirBNB has put a rating system in place to try and combat the dishonesty about the details regarding rooms and living areas, but they are not always accurate.
Often Illegal One of the most surprising facts about AirBNB is that by renting out a room for a night or two, you can often be unknowingly committing a crime. Cities and countries often have their own rules and codes about the steps a host must take in order to legally rent out part of their home or apartment for money and sadly, many of the hosts on AirBNB do not follow these guidelines. This can make you an unwitting party to a crime in a strange new city. So while hotels might cost a little more, at least you can be sure that you won’t be cited for criminal behavior simply by paying to stay in one.
You’re Living with Someone You’ve Never Met People usually think long and hard about who they decide to live with. However, on AirBNB your host that you’ll be effectively living with is often somebody that you know absolutely nothing about. While they might have an AirBNB profile that gives you a bunch of details about them, you have no way of knowing if any of it is true. So before you use AirBNB, ask yourself if you really want to become temporary roommates with someone who is a complete mystery to you.
AirBNB is an innovative idea, but is still fraught with problems. So next time you are looking for a place to stay in Albuquerque, pick a hotel.