You’ve probably heard of Airbnb, but are also likely to have little idea what it’s actually all about. Simply put, you can save on your holiday accommodation and even rent out your own place when you’re away. Sounds good? Let’s delve deeper.
Sum up Airbnb in one sentence
Through Airbnb, you can rent someone else’s apartment or house from them when they aren’t at home, or you can rent our your own.
Well that sounds dodgy…
Approaching crowd-powered accommodation can be a little intimidating, particularly if you are thinking of renting out your place when your away. The good news is that, while there are plenty of horror stories to come out of Airbnb, there is also substantial protection put in place for you. One glaring omission from this protection is theft. Generally speaking, if you rent out your place and your TV is stolen, chances are you’ll be out of pocket.
Right, so what are the benefits?
While the dependence on strangers being decent is a fairly big downside, Airbnb is not without a huge amount of benefits. First of all, you can stay in some unique places which far surpass standard hotel accommodation. To the left, you’ll see a beautiful modern Dublin City center house available for just €75 per night. Bearing in mind, this allows you full access to a kitchen to allow further savings.
On certain occasions, you’ll be staying in accommodation while the owner of the house is also there. This sometimes means cooked meals or you might never see them. Chances are you’ll at least meet them at the start of your visit to get the keys, at which point they can give you some of the local knowledge. Reviews on the Airbnb site ensure you’ll have an idea what kind of host you’ll be visiting.
When and where can I use Airbnb?
Pretty much wherever or whenever you want, in over 190 countries. If you are going to be away, you can rent out your own place to cover the costs of you renting a place elsewhere. Of course, Airbnb will take a cut, but chances are you’ll at least break even on your venture.
Before getting involved, be sure to properly read all terms and conditions on the Airbnb site, contact your own insurer to make sure everything is covered (should there be no visible sign of breakin) and download the iOS or Android Airbnb app.