Airbnb employs a host of scam-prevention strategies to limit Airbnb scams and ensure that all Airbnb listings are legitimate. But when there’s a will, there’s a way. Not all Airbnb hosts and properties are trustworthy. If you book a property that turns out to be a scam or, at the very least, dishonest and non-transparent, you could end up facing significant issues when using Airbnb.
But what exactly do you need to look out for? Here are some of the Airbnb red flags that potential guests run into when they’re booking accommodations.
1. Sketchy Listings
One of the top red flags to look for when shopping around for a short-term rental is listings that don’t quite add up.
Most have a good internal compass when looking at various Airbnbs to make sure they’re legitimate. Some of the Airbnb red flags to spot before you make a reservation may include conflicting information in the listing, potentially AI-generated language, fake real estate photos, and listings that otherwise don’t look the same as other listings across Airbnb.
If you don’t feel right about a listing and you want to make sure you’re playing it safe, go with your gut and look for another rental that is representative of an honest listing.
2. Suspicious Host Profiles
Looking more into the host of a property can tell you a lot about a rental, which is why it’s one of the warning signs to keep an eye on before you book a vacation rental yourself.
While Airbnb does its best to ensure that hosts can’t circumvent its security measures and create a fake profile, people still get through. Fortunately, it can be relatively easy to spot fake hosts on the Airbnb app.
Suspicious host profiles often lack pictures, use email addresses that don’t belong to top providers, or even have fake names and addresses with little in their bio to expand upon the information they’ve provided. Those who have had a bad experience with Airbnb rentals due to fake hosts often have hosts reach out to them to try to arrange payment or communicate outside of Airbnb’s rental booking platform, which is a massive red flag.
If anything about a host’s profile sets alarm bells, avoid their listings entirely.
3. Unrealistic Pricing
When looking for a place to stay, you’re looking for an Airbnb experience that will give you the best bang for your buck. However, there may be prices in the area that seem too good to be true. Not every online listing will have realistic pricing, which is a way that scammers get you to book a property that you’ll never get to stay at.
Granted, there are going to be pricing variations depending on the property. This may be driven by:
- Type of Property: Property prices will vary depending on the type of property you’re renting out. For example, a full multi-story home is naturally going to cost more to book than a singular room in a house. Knowing the different prices for each will help you determine when something of a similar nature is priced oddly.
- Location: A new place that pops up in a rural area may not be priced as high as an Airbnb in a suburban or urban location. Consider where you’re going and what the average pricing might look like for a rental in said area.
- Demand: Pricings tend to rise when more Airbnb guests are looking for rentals or when there are events in specific locations where people are scooping up hotel rooms and rentals. As such, prices will fluctuate throughout the year as demand for properties increases.
If you’re looking at vacation rental properties that tend to cost hundreds per night and you’re seeing an outlier listing for well below $100 (alongside the other Airbnb red flags mentioned here), there’s a good chance that the Airbnb you’re looking at is not a property that you should pay for. Drastic pricing changes can be indicative of a fraudulent listing.
4. Lack of Reviews
A good host knows that reviews are beneficial for both their Airbnb business and prospective guests. This is why so many of them will include these views in their listings, giving users greater insight into what the property is like and what their stay was like.
A suspicious host will often have a lack of reviews on their profile. This makes getting scammed easier for those willing to take a chance on a new property that has just been listed on the platform. When hosts don’t have any reviews on their property, it’s a sign of a potential issue or even a sign that the experience has been subpar and they have received no positive feedback.
Another thing that you should be wary of is fake reviews. When fake Airbnb hosts can’t get real reviews from authentic previous guests, they may use other means to get reviews on their profiles. They may even have photos and reviews that look authentic but are entirely fabricated. Knowing how to spot fake reviews will also help you avoid scam listings that will ruin your experience using the Airbnb website.
5. Limited or Vague Property Descriptions
The listing description is a place where hosts have a chance to shine. They’ll use this opportunity to describe all the amenities their property offers, all the things that guests can enjoy nearby, and all of the highlights of their property that will help them elevate their rentals above other Airbnb selections.
Because of this, it’s extremely odd that hosts would have limited or vague property descriptions that provide little information about the property layout, amenities, and other highlights that come with the stay. More often than not, deciding to leave out information in the description section is done intentionally so that visitors willing to book an Airbnb without all the relevant information will easily fall for the scam.
You wouldn’t book a hotel without first knowing what kind of hotel it is, so you should always approach the Airbnb platform the same way.
6. Inadequate Communication With the Host
When it comes to Airbnb reservations, you deserve full transparency, both before booking and while you’re staying at someone’s property.
This Airbnb red flag is something that you’ll be able to catch quite early when you’re in the research stages of finding the right Airbnb for you.
If you reach out to your host and you receive communication that’s not prompt, rude, or very vague, you’re working with a host who is very likely to be a problem later. In this case, there’s no guarantee that a listing is a scam. Rather, this red flag is related to the fact that all hosts should offer prompt and helpful communication. When they don’t, it indicates that they’re not fully invested in your experience.
You can’t expect them to respond within seconds, but you should hold them to fairly high expectations when it comes to the type of support that they offer.
7. Hidden Fees and Extra Charges
Hidden fees and extra charges have been among some of the biggest complaints in recent years when it comes to finding an Airbnb.
Why?
Many Airbnb guests would book a property only to find a host of extra charges that inflated the booking value. Not everyone wants to pay hundreds of dollars more to book a property that previously looked much more affordable. This might have been something that previously drove away users rather than providing them with an incentive to keep using the platform.
When you’re looking into a listing, always keep an eye out for hidden fees and extra charges. Everything should be transparent to the degree that you know exactly how much you’re going to pay long before you reach the checkout page. Airbnb is planning on making some changes to the platform to address this (especially when it comes to cleaning fees), so it hopefully shouldn’t be an issue much longer.
8. Unclear Cancellation Policies
Airbnb cancellation policies can be quite unclear, something that’s only exacerbated when hosts with less-than-ideal intentions add their stipulations to the mix.
A good host is someone who will take care to not only spell out Airbnb’s cancellation policies but any terms and conditions that they may have as well that can affect your stay. Life happens, and being able to cancel and get a refund is something that you should exercise your right to do. However, this can be near impossible when you don’t have all the information you need about cancellation policies. If a host is unclear purposefully or because they’re not doing their due diligence, don’t book the property.
Keeping an Eye Out for These Airbnb Red Flags Will Greatly Enhance Your Experience
Airbnb is a platform designed to help people book their perfect stay, regardless of whether they’re on vacation or simply need temporary accommodations. Unfortunately, this can make it so that hosts who want to run a scam or don’t have the approach down quite right can create a listing that could lead to a bad stay experience for you. If you’re planning on using Airbnb to book your next rental, keep all of the above in mind as you go through each listing so you can find a rental property that is sure to work for you.