Genuine and real listing

[Ilian3]

Hey guys,

I am sure there have been millions of topics like this one, so apologise if its annoying for anyone to keep reading/answering topics like this one, but I have only used airbnb once some 5 years ago and my girlfriend was the one who dealt with the whole prossess of finding and booking an accomodation.

So i found this accomodation (below) that has no reviewes and seemsslightly cheaper than the rest of the accomodation and I am scared that i might run into a scam.

Can anyone please take a look at this listing(below) and give me an advice if this seems real and if i should go ahead and book the apartament ?

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/20433527?guests=1&adults=1&sl_alternate_dates_exclusion=true&source_i...

Also, can anyone just let me know if airbnb offers some kind of a money protection to the people who have used their website to make a booking transaction. 
Is there any way that one can lose their money, once they have paid to for their stay? what if the host decide to.. i dont know.. ignore their visitiors and refuse them access to the accommodation?

Thanks a lot guys,
Ilian    

[Ana1136]

@Ilian3 we have no way of knowing if this listing is real since it is posted on the Airbnb website. The host can't just decide not to let you in, and even if they did it is an inconvenience but Airbnb will refund your money. Airbnb doesn't release the payment to the host until 24h after check in so you are safe there, you will check out the property when you arrive. That said, I wouldn't book this place. The host hasn't even made an effort to wash the dishes in the sink before taking a picture, what can you expect when you arrive. But it may be good so it is a risk booking a place without reviews. If you want to be sure book a place that has plenty of good ones. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 · Accepted solution]

@Ilian3 

Everybody needs to start somewhere, the host will be as nervous about your booking as you will be by booking it - but at least you will get it at a bargain price. 

The house is available on Airbnb website so they will be responsible for finding you alternative accomodation if it doesn't actually exist. I'm sure it will exist so if it floats your boat - book it.

[Ann72]

@Ilian3 As the host joined in August 2017 and hasn't had a single booking, I'd stay away.  Looking at the bedroom picture, with her laptop next to the bed, I bet she lives there and will just clear out if she gets a booking.  Honestly I found the whole place depressing - whether it's real or not, I would be miserable there.  And that's what you have to consider.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  I haven't looked at the listing, so won't comment on that, but the Airbnb join date isn't an indication that a place has ben listed for that long and has had no bookings. A person could have opened an Airbnb account planning to list something, and never did, or used it to travel as a guest. Or never used it at all, as was the case with a couple of guests I've had who had been members for years but had no reviews. They joined, planning to travel, and just never had an opportunity to do so. And they were both lovely guests.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977 You are correct!

[Rachel0]

@Ilian3 As others have said, it is probably a genuine listing but I would avoid it.  It looks a mess and I am sure that I saw an electric wire of some sort hanging in the picture of the bathroom.  Also, her calendar was last updated 4 months ago, which is an indication that she doesn't care too much about her listing.

[Sarah977]

@Rachel0  I've never understood the updating the calendar business. I have my calendar set to accept bookings for 3 months in advance, dates get blocked automatically for my bookings, I have the same price every day, all year, and aside from tweaking things on the listing to get a better search ranking, I don't see what updataing the calendar actually means or why that would be an indication that a host doesn't care about their listing. Explain?

[Rachel0]

@Sarah977 @Ann72 I think that when a guest looks at the listing and sees "updated today" next to the calendar it gives out a more positive message than "updated 4 months ago" does.  It tells me that the listing is active (and so is the  host).  I also remember reading on one of the old forum pages a long time ago that updating the calendar each day improves one's search rankings but whether that is true or not I couldn't say.  

[Ann72]

@Rachel0 @Sarah977 The calendar updates automatically when you get a booking, so we know that she hasn't gotten a booking in 4 months...

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  Yeah, I get that, but what I don't understand are suggestions that hosts update their calendars. I know there's lax, inattentive hosts who neglect to make sure pricing for holidays and event times is accurate, or who forget to block off days when they may have family or friends coming, but if you're attentive to making sure to do those things, what is there to update?

[Ilian3]

Dear all,

Thanks for the advice.

What I made out of all the replies is that people's money stay secured in airbnb until 24h after the check in, so I dont really see how I can get burned from booking this apartament.

As one can imagine there arent so many Montevideo's apartaments listed here in airbnb and the ones that are on reasonable prices are spread through out the whole city. The reason why I have gone with this one specifically is ,cause it should be within a couple of streets from University of Montevideo , where I will study for one year.
I didnt really get the mess coments - after all, the first thing that I will do after I move in is clean the place and bring it into a livin condition (even thou if i have to be honest, it doesnt really look thaaaat messy to me:))

Anyways, I am still to make my mind (I am still caution about this listing) but thanks a lot for your help.

Enjoy your week,
Ilian

[Helen3]

As you are going to study there @Ilian3  for a year, would it not be better and cheaper for you to go through the accommodation office at the University?

[Ilian3]

Hey @Helen3 ,

The first thing that I did was contacting the University. They were very helpful and very responsive. However, they have no on‐campus housing and  the options that they offered were not to my liking ( living with a local family or living with other students in shared accomodations).

In regards to your other recommendation - I woudnt go for the cheapest property either and there arent "loads of other properties available that only cost a little more" - There are a few ( maybe 10ish) and I contacted all of them, they all said that their accomodations are not available for such a long-period-booking.

Anyways, I actually had a lovely chat via one of the social medias with Julia and she seems like a lovely person, so I went with her listing.  Hopefully it will work out good for both of us 🙂

Thanks again everyone! and the admins can now discard the topic if they'd like

[Helen3]

Hi @Ilian3 

It looks like it is genuine, but I would never go for a property just because it is the cheapest, go for one that is well located and has the amenities you want.

There are lots of properties available that only cost a little more but are with longer established hosts with great reviews including superhosts. Why not choose one of these.