Legitimate Airbnb?

[Daniel13041]

Hi all. Apologies if not posting in the correct forum. 

We have booked an Airbnb in Puglia, Italy. The host has 88 reviews and a rating of 4.9. There are also a few Tripadvisor / Google reviews etc for the place. We have some concerns as he asked if we would pay a small deposit and then pay the rest in cash on arrival. To be fair he did offer us to pay entirely through Airbnb. We agreed to pay the small deposit which we now regret. The host is now saying he does not have Airbnb on his phone and can we Whatsapp.

Link to the property is below. Wondered if anyone had thoughts / advice?

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Many thanks 

Dan 

**[Identifiable listing removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines- Please note that is not allowed to post a listing link unless posted by a listing owner]

[Joan2709]

Hi @Daniel13041 

Anytime the Host asks you to communicate off platform I would be suspicious. Also claiming he doesn't have the Airbnb App on his phone sounds bogus. I also find suspicious the last review is dated October 2023? Also, never pay deposits or cash to a Host. Payment is always required through the platform per Airbnb's Terms of Service.

I would contact Airbnb about your concerns. You may need to cancel the reservation and move on to another property. Not sure about getting your deposit back.

[Zheng49]

Sounds suspicious to me. I would cut my losses and move on. 

[Elaine701]

@Daniel13041 

Sounds a bit suspicious. And the deposit thing is hard to reckon, since payment via Airbnb is done by Airbnb, not the host. It's on Airbnb's terms. 

On the other side of that coin, we will not accept long term reservations on Airbnb (more than a month) to avoid potential legal issues. We need to have a contract for anything over a month, and we have squatting laws here that could potentially allow a guest to stay for years - for FREE - before we could ever get them out.

We must have a contract with anti-squatting clauses for any type of long term rental. And frankly, to ensure the consistent integrity of the accommodation, we really need to get into the property preferably every week, maximum 2 weeks, during regular changeovers. So, any long term guest needs to convince us that they're respectable and safe.

In the case of a long term inquiry, we do point out to them that it is different than a short term let, and we cannot in a practical way, perform that entirely through Airbnb, and it will require some direct contact prior to confirming the reservation.

They almost always back out and we never hear from them again (which is ok). But we've had a few that will look us up on the internet and contact us directly. And in those few cases, after some rather extensive  back and forth, the agreement and overall relationship has been extremely good, and has led to annually returning guests.

We NEVER solicit from any short-term guest that they should contact us directly. I'm perfectly happy with the Airbnb process for that, and there's zero incentive to go around the platform.

Also, for day-to-day communications during a guest's stay, we always use WhatsApp, and guests overwhelmingly prefer it over the Airbnb message system. But for anything involving potential conflicts, we always use the Airbnb message system. 

So, there's legitimate reasons for some types of "off platform" communications. But it's always wise to be careful about that (prior to booking). If you're going to contact the host directly, look closely at their demeanour and what they're asking from you. Make sure you fully trust them before sending any money. 

Good luck with everything. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Daniel13041 if the listing didn't mention a deposit then the host has no right to charge one. I would go to Airbnb and ask for a cancellation with full refund.

[Marie8425]

@Daniel13041 

I hate to say it  but  I   am just guessing you agreed outside Airbnb because you were offered some type of benefit usually a lower price.  Usually  if you bite on that  bait you will find your in a bind.  We all  learn lessons  sometimes  the hard way,  me included.  I would just be glad you  figured out  your mistake before you are in Italy without a rental..

[Bhumika]

Hi @Daniel13041 , thank you for posting your concern in the Community. You've received many fantastic insights from experienced Hosts in our Community. Did you get a chance to have a look at them? 

Have you already talked it out with the Host to ensure you're comfortable going ahead with the booking?

Did you eventually cancel the communication? Hope everything is well!