airbnb - what can you tell me...

beecher2

chucknorris wrote: »

I still wouldn't do it, if you want to do it, go ahead, I'll be interested in your feedback, but I'm selling property soon anyway. Looking forward, shares look better than London property to me.

Sorry for confusion - there's no way I would do it! I would only ever use airbnb as an alternative to a hotel. I'm completely risk averse and I also think it has potential issues for neighbours.

chucknorris

beecher2 wrote: »

Sorry for confusion - there's no way I would do it! I would only ever use airbnb as an alternative to a hotel. I'm completely risk averse and I also think it has potential issues for neighbours.

I think that you are correct, a friend of mine (lives in Hastings) lives under a flat that is used for holiday lets via airbnb, she said some of the guests are quite noisy (late at night).

Conrad

beecher2 wrote: »

If you're going to make £100 a day plus,

Wow, now you've you got my attention.


Even if I just let 1 flat this way, that's a nice little earner and worth furnishing and other hassles.


Would it be £100 per day, say for a 1 bed flat in the outer burbs of London 10 mins walk from a main train station in a reasonably nice area?


I am exceptionally fussy and offer properties in impeccable order and contemporary quality style. I'm not sure neighbours would mind, after all most users of hotel rooms are polite and mindful in the main otherwise none of us would use them.

Conrad

I'm wonder what the occupancy rates and deductions / costs are?

paddyrg

AirBnB may suit some people, but be aware it can also be used for orgies, or longer unsupervised lets maybe pot growing (caning your electric bill!)

Conrad

Ok so I just signed-up and did a test run as both a potential guest and host. For one thing the site is not very good - it kept focusing on places miles away and would not let me filter them out and narrow down the area (if it does, it's not clear and apparent how to).


As a host the returns indicated are little more than I get for standard rental, so deffo not for me

beecher2

Maybe do a test run for a date in a few month's time as many places might be already booked. You can move the map around and new properties will appear if you have the box checked for 'search as I move map'. I noticed my airbnb host had 'airbnb: dream or nightmare?' on her sky box so maybe have a look at that too if you decide you are interested.

PasturesNew

AirBNB's original intention was that people could rent out a spare room, say, for short periods.... but then people changed that when they realised they could rent out rooms in empty houses.... either their own, or, they could rent a house on an AST and rent it out through AirBNB.

Thinking purely about the monetary opportunities, the cash-chasers had opportunities to rip people off (there was no property), or ignore leases (say on flats saying residential/occupier use only), or simply trouser cash by renting over the odds when their landlord thought they were renting to "a nice family".

It's when the scamsters set their beady eyes on the cash opportunities that the problems come.

All sorts of other issues involved too, such as insurances etc.

PasturesNew

I used AirBNB when I was looking to move areas. I wanted a short term let while I looked for something more permanent.

I spotted a hotel advertising a room to rent, so I googled them and checked them out, then contacted the hotel directly. They were a decent/proper hotel who were just using the site "to see" I guess. I ended up with a great rate with them directly, staying for three weeks. Bed, cooked breakfast, use of swimming pool, 300 yards from the beach, mid July/peak holiday season, I think it was about £130/week.

PasturesNew

Somebody close to me (well, 1.5 miles up the road) rents out what's really a shed in their back garden. Probably Farrow & Ball paint ... no loo, you have to traipse up the garden to the house for that. No access to kitchen/fridge, you have to traipse up the garden to the house for that.
£50/night they want.