beware of airbnb, vrbo and similar rentals

From time to time, we have clients who ask us about alternatives to hotels, and, not surprisingly, they often ask about whether we can book them in an Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, or some other short-term rental.

We cannot, for a number of important reasons.

Certainly, people have had really great experiences with these properties, and we know that there are many charming, unique properties on these sites. But as travel advisors who take our responsibilities to our clients seriously, we have grave concerns about the idea of booking our clients in an unregulated and possibly illegal short-term rental property. Here are some of the reasons.

Privacy

Reputable accommodations would never invade their guests’ privacy, take unauthorized photos, and share those photos on social media or other internet outlets. And yet, that happens. Because Airbnb and similar short-term rentals are completely unregulated, it’s a sad fact that guests have sometimes discovered that there are hidden cameras in the properties they rent.

Scams

We had some prospective clients who found an Airbnb rental in London, which was spacious, well-located and cheap. And it also had some great reviews! Sound too good to be true? Well, when they rang the buzzer, a little old lady answered the door and asked why it was that people kept ringing her bell asking about staying there. She didn’t rent her flat to anyone, she said. Suddenly they’re in London—one of the most expensive cities in the world, with no place to stay. Fake listings still happen—even those with good reviews.

Legality

In many places, there are local laws or ordinances that prohibit individuals from renting properties out on a short-term basis. Why does that matter to the traveler? Well, even if it’s the owner of the property who’s breaking the law, by staying in an unlawful short-term rental like a VRBO or Airbnb property, you’re running the risk that the rental property will be shut down by the local government, which could mean that you suddenly find yourself with nowhere to stay. And while you might be able to get your money back eventually, you’re going to have to deal with a bunch of complications to get your money back.

Security

We were just talking to a young man who went on a family vacation to Europe. There was a screen door in their property that didn’t latch properly. When his mother got up in the middle of the night, she found a strange man standing in the living room of the property, with all of the family’s personal belongings—including laptops, iPads and passports—in a bag. The thief ran away, but they had to chase him through the streets of a foreign city in the middle of the night in their pajamas until he ditched their stuff. Sound like a fun way to spend your vacation? We don’t think so, either.

Another friend related a story to us about an Airbnb rental in Paris, where someone started pounding on their door and shouting up at the window in the middle of the night. They were afraid to open the door, not knowing who these people were or what was going on. And they were panicked that someone else in the building might buzz them in, and up to their front door. They called the police, but the police said that it wasn’t an emergency, and essentially refused to deal with it. With no front desk to call, they really didn’t have very many options, except to hunker down in their rental and hope that the people would stop harassing them and leave.

Safety

This is the biggest concern of all. Do you know whether the property you’re renting has smoke or carbon monoxide detectors? Is it possible that there are unsafe conditions on the property? Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental websites don’t inspect the properties they book, and can’t guarantee that they’re safe. There are some truly horrifying stories about these rentals, like the Iowa family who never returned from their vacation, because of a gas leak in their VRBO rental. VRBO’s response to this tragedy: That they’re not responsible for the condition of the properties on their site, and that it’s the owner of the rental who should be liable. Oh, and they promptly removed the listing for that property. But what about all of the other properties on their site?

So, that’s just the short list of why we won’t book our clients in Airbnb, VRBO, or other similar properties. We won’t book our clients at properties where we can’t stand behind the quality and safety (and existence!) of the accommodations we’re booking. We have a wide network of properties across the world, that include multi-room units with kitchen facilities, Aparthotels, boutique properties, and villa, townhome, and apartment rentals. With options that we know to be safe, well-maintained, legal, and in compliance with all regulations, we can stand behind those alternatives. We can’t, however, leave our clients’ vacations — or their safety and security — to chance.

If you’d like to book a rental property that’s been vetted, is safe and secure, and that is operating within the law, let us know. We’ve got access to some beautiful properties that we can really stand behind.