Renting

[Mark5438]

Hi I’ve just inquired about renting a property for a year and the owner said it’s through Airbnb.

to secure the viewing I need to pay a months rent and deposit to secure viewing. Is this something that Airbnb do

[Alicia753]

@Mark5438 For long-term stays (28 nights or more), Airbnb often collects the first month's payment upfront as a booking confirmation. Future payments are then scheduled monthly, but the entire amount isn't usually collected in advance. As for the deposit, this can be allowed but it must be disclosed on the listing description. Also, ensure that all communications and transactions should ideally happen through Airbnb's platform. This ensures that both parties are protected under Airbnb's policies. Hope this helps! 

[Helen3]

Sorry this is not great advice @Alicia753  As @Kia272  says this sounds like a scam.

As an experienced host you should know that Airbnb doesn't require guests to pay a deposit and month in advance to secure a viewing. That's not how Airbnb works.

@Mark5438  did you find this host on a third party platform. If so 100 per cent this is a scam. The only way to make a booking on Airbnb is directly on their platform.

[Alicia753]

@Helen3 I don't want to argue with you but feel free to do your research. You're hosting on Airbnb for quite some time now, I'm under the impression that you are aware this is something that Airbnb allows depending on what the guest is booking. @Helen3 @Kia272 To help you know more about this, here's an article topic you can search for, Collecting fees outside Airbnb in the help center. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Alicia753 The standard scam that I hope @Mark5438 has avoided is for the hosts to say that they need to pay an amount and that Airbnb will then meet them at the property and, if they don't like it, the money will be refunded. The scammer then provides an invoice/website similar to an Airbnb page and when the guest pays they never see their money again.

[Kia272]

@Alicia753  Had you paid the slightest attention to what the OP wrote, you'd know that this is not the situation you describe above. 

It screams scam. 

You gave advice not appropriate to the situation. No argument here. 

[Kia272]

@Mark5438  Contrary to what was written by the other responder, this absolutely sounds like a SCAM!! Run away quickly! 

AirBnB does not do any pre-viewing. There is no deposit other than when you make a reservation and make a payment. That's just a payment towards your reservation and not a deposit. This is a SCAM!! 

Don't do it!!!!

Because you said  "the owner said it's through AirBnB" it sounds like your inquiry was not done through AirBnB, but from another website, like Craig's List or similar. It's a scam. Don't pay any money!!

[Rebecca]

Hi @Mark5438 👋

What did you do in the end regarding this booking? 

I found some articles that can help if this was a scam: 
✨ Avoiding fraud, scams, and abuse

✨ Report suspicious messages 

✨ Paying outside Airbnb

Looking forward to hearing from you. 😊 

[Frances3408]

@Mark5438. Charging pre viewing fees for a year's rental is illegal here in OZ (so Airbnb would need to comply with this) and as we are based on similar English law I would suspect its not permitted there either. You should approach a local real estate agent or tenancy union and ask them whats allowed.

Tight rental conditions means rental scams are flourishing, especially online. Platform Gumtree has been caught here recently for allowing ads that promoted outlawed rent bidding, due to its "'make an offer" functionality.