Air BnBs?

[Lifestooshort1542]

So excuse me but I’m a little late to the party…..
never used an air b n b before always book through known travel agents for all inclusive holidays.
Planning a big 3 week trip to Australia and looking at some beautiful apartments with pools, terraces and gardens. So so reasonable.
We want a decent base clean and comfortable, and some of the apartments on Air b n b are stunning, £100 ish a night for modern open plan apartments with pools.
but I’m wary!
is it safe to book via air b n b?
anything I should check out or know before booking?
Do you pay front? Any protection if things go wrong?
any advice greatly appreciated thank you ☺️

I often use Airbnb for holidays and have stayed in some lovely places… always check all the reviews, and it can help to go for someone who is a ‘super host’. Yes you pay upfront and the site is pretty secure and reliable in my experience . I’m sure plenty of people will have had terrible experiences but I haven’t (yet!) and have been using it for years.

I have never had an issue with Air BnB but I would suggest that you check the reviews and look into the posting about additional cleaning fees as these can be extortionate.

I am also becoming more wary of the impact that places like Air BnB are having on housing markets and pricing locals out of their communities so I try and book places that wouldn’t normally be someone’s family home.

I’ve had lots of good experiences with Airbnb but our experience last summer was really awful - the place was disgusting and we had to leave. However the air bnb customer services acted on our behalf and we got a refund. Lesson learnt - book places with PLENTY of reviews!

Be careful as there are some scams especially in big cities. If something seems far too cheap compared to other airbnbs in the same area, it probably is too good to be true. Especially watch out for any requests for separate payments.

Having said that most listings are legit. Air bnbs are cheaper than hotels for more space and with kitchen facilities etc. Great for families and longer stays. You won’t get a reception desk to help book taxis or room cleaned etc like in a hotel but depends whether that’s important to you.

I'm in an air bnb in Tokyo right now. It's fine. Works well. I only book apartments with a lot of good reviews.

When are you going? Accommodation in Aus is very expensive. A lovely apartment in a good location with a pool / garden (likely shared) should be a lot more than aud $200 a night, unless it's in the low season. I'm Australian just paid that for a budget airport hotel in Brisbane!

It will be October 2027 x

Be aware that in some places people need a licence to rent out their properties for tourism purposes, and they often do not have those licences.

I recently read a story from Barcelona where it seems that half the Airbnbs are run by criminal gangs. They rent places from legitimate owners for normal occupation and then sublet them for 4 or 5 times as much. If asked for their licence by city officials they sometimes bribe them to look the other way (no new licences have been issued for some time, and the existing ones are all not being renewed). Airbnb doesn't cooperate with the authorities as their entire business model depends on these illegal practices. The authorities sometimes raid the properties and take them off the market, which is no fun if you're arriving on holiday two days later.

Airbnb is my go to booking site though I do shop around to compare with Booking .com or their own website for the best price, and importantly for us, best booking conditions. We only book places with free cancellation as we have had to cancel several times in the past for various reasons. I've only had 2 bad stays and one was my own fault and that's over a 12 year period. I've done 1 night to 1 month stays.

Lots of good reviews, Superhost status, no onerous checking out requirements or charges are things to look out for. In the reviews you can pick key words like noise or parking to check what people say.
I've only ever booked in Europe but can't see why it would be any different in Australia.

Where? Most of October isn't school holidays, so not peak, but not low season, either. I'd make sure you know where the accommodation is located, as Aus is very spread out & you could be in the boonies somewhere.

I wouldn't personally book air bnbs so long in advance here as there's a lot of changes going on & restrictions to reduce the number of them, so a few might stop operating.

I'm not saying don't - and I've used a few lovely air bnb's & some will give you an amazing experience (especially out of the cities), but $200 a night is unheard of. A lot are privately owned apartments in resort or holiday unit complexes.

Sorry I realise I’ve been a little vague!
it’s on the Sunshine Coast we are looking at Mooloolaba area/maroochydoore.