I both rent out and have rented on Airbnb. It's great. You need to be aware that the service charges BOTH renters and rentees a service fee. Whomever is doing the renting does not know what Airbnb will charge the renter, as it depends on length of stay. Read the terms. As for the commenter who rented a place found unsatisfactory/not as advertised (Wee Cottage in Austin, I'm talking to you), you should call Airbnb immediately, within 24 hours, & request they withhold your payment to the renter. Like Austin, take photos if you can. And guess what? Airbnb will with hold the $. They do not deposit it to the renter AT ALL until the renters have been in the rental, presumably, for 24+hours. There's a reason for that. Duh. Be informed is better advice than 'be ware'.



None of my former guests have written about my place. It would be nice if they would, but they paid up, showed up & each assured me all was well. I can't make anyone write a review. The advantage for the renter is you usually have a kitchen & often a personal concierge. In my case, I have provide a map of local venues (grocery stores, decent restaurants & menus, sights and bike/car rental locations), all within walking distance. I give them my phone number (I'm just steps away), but I also give them total privacy if they don't want to see my face. When I travel, I want it all to be 'right' and not to have to ask for anything so I respect others may want that as well.



I rent via Airbnb when I do not have family in town and am not involved in a Home Exchange. I have exchanged with people from all over the world, & though I am relatively new to Airbnb, I am very travel-experienced. I like working with them. When one guest booked a price I had made a mistake on, and he knew it, Airbnb was prompt to rectify the issue (as was the guest).



Airbnb probably does not edit reviews, but removes unsuitable properties as they are notified of them BY RENTERS. That seems obvious since they list thousands of properties. They are responsive and gain NOTHING by presenting poor options for users. That's just dumb.