Possible Scam? Long term renting through Airbnb

Maria13720
Level 1
Bournemouth, United Kingdom

Possible Scam? Long term renting through Airbnb

Hi everyone, 

I found a property on Facebook Marketplace and messaged the person advertising the property. They told me to email the "landlord" for further details so I did. Upon emailing the landlord she told me the price of the property which included all bills (incl Council Tax UK) and said we could move in as soon as tomorrow if we wanted as she is currently living in Berlin and thinks she will be living there for the foreseeable future. She attached photos of the property including garden photos - my partner and I proceeded to drive to the property address and we didn't go inside but could see the garden was identical to the photos with the same storage shed and everything so there was nothing suspicious there. However she has said the renting process will go through Airbnb. Once we put down a deposit (through Airbnb) we will meet an Airbnb agent at the property and sign a contract, for the first 2 months the payments will be made to Airbnb and after that time, if we are still happy with the property, we will send the rent money directly through her. 

 

I really love the property and would happily move in i'm just sceptical as i'm not familiar with Airbnb long term renting and wasn't actually aware it was a thing! 

 

I'm asking if anyone has had a similar experience as a long term tenant through Airbnb and whether the above sounds suspicious or whether it's genuine process. If we were to give a deposit through Airbnb would we be protected? She said how we would sign a legal contract but i'm wondering who the contract will be with, does Airbnb act as a letting agent in these cases? Also, do Airbnb "agents" meet tenants at properties to give them keys etc. 

 

She has not requested money or anything like that so it is still early stages i'm just very wary of getting scammed. If someone has rented a property through Airbnb before as a long term tenant, please can you get in touch and let me know your experience and whether your experience sounds similar to the above and the processes you had to go through etc. 

 

Another thing i am concerned about is the fact she has said council tax is included, i was under the impression that even if you rent a property the council tax must be in your own name... 

 

There are a lot of red flags but I don't want to miss the opportunity if it's genuine because it's a lovely property and everything she is saying could be genuine and she just wants to skip the middle man of letting agents. 

 

Please let me know your thoughts!! 

Many thanks, Maria 🙂 

29 Replies 29
Till-and-Jutta0
Host Advisory Board Alumni
Stuttgart, Germany

Please forget it, it's a scam. Airbnb doesn't advertise on Facebook Marketplace - use the original system only.

 

Have a look also there: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Please-help-long-term-rent/m-p/1433249

Dale711
Level 10
Paris, France

Hi @Maria13720 ,

@Till-and-Jutta0  ( Host Advisory Board members ) point it out correctly. 👍

 

It's a scams! 

“ Once we put down a deposit (through Airbnb) we will meet an Airbnb agent at the property and sign a contract, for the first 2 months the payments will be made to Airbnb and after that time, if we are still happy with the property, we will send the rent money directly through her.”

 

Airbnb never have an agent to meet tenants at properties to give them keys.

 

Do go through the links below, 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Beware-of-fake-Airbnb-websites-scam/td-p/731410

 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/RENTAL-SCAM-LONG-TERM-LET-quot-GEORGE-quot/td-p/682034

 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/RENTAL-SCAM-LONG-TERM-LET-quot-GEORGE-quot/td-p/682034

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maria13720  SCAM. Stop communicating with this cybercriminal. The only "opportunity" you will miss is the opportunity to lose all your money.

 

Airbnb doesn't work like this at all. 

Nahawa0
Level 2
Cold Spring, KY

**[Image removed - Community Center Guidelines]

I need help too! I'm super inclined to believe it's really and my husband and I LOVE IT! PLEASE HELP BEFORE I PROCEED.

@Nahawa0 It is 90% certain to be a scam. This percentage will rise to 100% if you carry on the conversation and they say things like 'Airbnb will send you an invoice' (they don't) or 'If you don't like the property when you see it you will get a full refund' (you won't).

I hope you don't fall for this scam. The ONLY safe way to rent with Airbnb is via their website (keeping an eye out for fraudulent sites)

Sara7447
Level 2
Perth, United Kingdom

This is currently happening to me too.

 

From this email: **[Contact details removed - Community Center Guidelines] - Please note that it is not allowed to advertise or share contact details on the Community Center. and number: **[Contact details removed - Community Center Guidelines] - Please note that it is not allowed to advertise or share contact details on the Community Center.

 

the airbnb link provided is opening through my airbnb app

**[Image removed - Community Center Guidelines]

Lachlan31
Level 1
England, United Kingdom

What happened to this booking please? Was it a scam?

@Lachlan31  It most certainly is a scam. That is not how Airbnb work. 

If you want to book an Airbnb apartment always do it via the platform. If you find an apartment on Facebook marketplace or somewhere similar that tells you they use Airbnb as described by @Sara7447 @you should run.  They just use the Airbnb name to sound legit. They will ask you to wire money. On the official Airbnb site you book directly on the site using your credit card. You don’t ever wire/transfer money to anyone. 

@Lachlan31 @Sandra856 it was clearly a scam, i blocked the email. I was concerned though because the link they sent me was an official air bnb link, like the link to the air bnb opened in my official air bnb app. I’m not sure how to report this profile to air bnb?

@Sara7447  The link is a real profile - they use it to trick people. Also there is no deposit on Airbnb. And you won’t get a contract post booking - when you book a real Airbnb you automatically enter into a contract. 
When you book a real Airbnb you pay on the platform and Airbnb will keep the money safe for you until after you have checked in. Scammers will try to get you to pay outside the platform - that is the only way for scammers to scam. So it is very likely that this person would have send you a fake link if you had continued the contact. 

@Sara7447 Where did you find the Airbnb in the first place? Because it is not possible for a host nor guest to exchange private info like email, phone number etc. on the Airbnb platform before after a booking is confirmed. So how did you get in contact with the scammer host? 

@Sandra856 Thank you for clarifying this. I am familiar with air bnb booking as i use it a few times a year for travel purposes. I found the scammer on Facebook marketplace - so contact began on Facebook messenger and then moved to email. We emailed back and forth and i agreed to the offer under the circumstances that we had a 5 minute video call which was refused. I then googled long term air bnb rental and it was flagged as a scam right away so i wanted to share my experiences here in the comments