Host trying to make a deal outside airbnb

[Leonard858]

Hello,

i have been in touch with a host that suggested to rent to me outside Airbnb to avoir the fee. 
it’s a two month rent so he s saving a lot.
can I report this and how?

what will Airbnb do in this case?

from the looks of it, I think he has done it before.

BR

leonard

[Elaine701]

@Leonard858 

It's clearly not kosher to do this, but in a practical sense, a two month rental is something that really should be contracted separately, because under the law in many countries, 2 months is considered a long term rental and subject to a completely different set of regulations, which the basic Airbnb contract cannot possibly cover, as it is tailored specifically for short term rental. 

Furthermore, if the host is on the "split commission" system as most hosts are, then it actually means a substantial discount to >you<, not the host, since >you< will be paying 15% of the base rental rate to Airbnb on top. It only saves the host 3% (depending on the deal the host is proposing). 

It's more likely a contractual and/or local residency law issue that is behind this. Airbnb can't offer the proper legal protections to either the guest or the host. 

I'm not suggesting that you should engage this, nor that you would be safe to do so, only pointing out that there's more to this than meets the eye. 

[Huma0]

@Leonard858 

The host is not saving a lot really. It's the guest that pays most of the Airbnb fees. It seems like a lot of risk for the host to take to save such a small amount of money, but maybe they feel it is worth it if it's something they do often.

However, it is strictly against Airbnb policy to book offline and, if they find out, both you and the host could be banned from the platform. Also, neither of you will be covered by Airbnb if something goes wrong. Personally, I wouldn't risk it, especially not if you haven't stayed with the host before.

One solution, if you otherwise feel happy with the listing, is to suggest you book a shorter stay and then extend once you are there and are satisfied with everything. Many hosts who do long term stays prefer this approach anyway. Again though, it's not something I would want to do. If it's not a good fit, the guest could be left without a place to stay or the host could lose significant income.