Airbnb's reliable in Rome?

[tray]

We will be traveling in August 2020 with a three day stay in Rome prior to our cruise. I am considering renting an Airbnb but want to make sure this is a reliable option. I thought I saw something a month or so ago (when I first began planning) about some people receiving last minute cancellation calls from whomever they rented from. But I can't remember if it was Airbnb, and I've tried to search and have found nothing. Any advice?

[euro cruiser]

There is risk with all share-economy sites, there is very little other than a personal sense of right and wrong to compel an owner to behave in predictable ways.  The complaints of any renter can be expunged from the site if the owner makes a compelling argument to Air B&B, and they need the owner more than they need you (in the micro case, obviously they need renters in the macro sense).  Therefore, while it's important to read reviews to get a true sense of the place you are considering renting, you're not going to get a good feeling about the owners or their reliability.

 

That said, why would Rome be any more or less risky than other cities?  If you're willing to take the risk of renting via Air B&B, Rome should be as "safe" as any other place.

[tray]

Thanks for your reply. I apologise if my question came across as questioning the safety of renting in Rome, but I have never used Airbnb internationally and remembered reading a thread about several people having their rentals cancelled last minute. I have rentef through Airbnb quite often where we live and have never had trouble, so I am hoping it will be three same elsewhere. But maybe we've been lucky this far. So frustrating that people can't ask a simple question on these boards without offending someone. I never once used the word "safe". I asked how reliable it might be since I don't know anything at all about how Airbnb is regulated.

[euro cruiser]

Sorry if my reply came across as offended, I wasn't, I was just questioning the premise that any one city would be riskier than another.  I think that Air B&B (and other similar sites, I'm not picking on them specifically) are somewhat risky, certainly as compared to the "old way" of renting apartments, via agencies with local offices and multiple rental units (in case one becomes unavailable for any reason).  

 

After reading your response I'm coming around to your way of thinking on this.  It's a lot easier to rebound at home if your rental doesn't work out, even if you don't know the city you're visiting you have a general familiarity with the major hotel chains and you speak the language.  It would be a lot harder to successfully react on the spot in a place where you don't know the hotels and don't speak the language.

[tray]

Thanks so much for your advice and insight!! We are fairly inexperienced travelers (this is only our second time to travel to another country!) & have only stayed at hotels (except locally). Have to ponder this one, but we have lots of time!!  

[euro cruiser]

There are still traditional rental agencies if you prefer apartments over hotels.  Generally you will pay a little more but that's the tradeoff for greater peace of mind and the value of their reputation.

 

I particularly like Summer in Italy:  https://www.summerinitaly.com/

[Host Bonjour]

You can also look into VRBO, which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner, and was around long before AIRBNB hit the scene. Just type those four initials into your search engine and one of the options that pops up will be their website. 

 

I stayed in an apartment on my first visit to Rome but my Italian friends arranged it for me though I arrived in the city alone, everything went smoothly. I should state though it was by far not my first or even my fifth country to visit and I was fairly good with Italian though I'm not so sure it would have been essential to things going well with the apartment; I arrived, paid, collected the key and that was that.

 

Eurocruiser's advice is sound and helpful as always but I wanted to point out that the rating and review system on Airbnb or any similar site, tends to be quite helpful when selecting an accommodation. One would want to read more than just review of a host to look for consistency and to read what, if any, bad review is about. Sometimes people write bad reviews over something that one person might have had little control over but feel the need to lash out over anyway. And a hotel can sometimes be a let down too, you never know, perhaps less likely but one never knows. We have had disappointing stories on some hotels here too, and yes, you are correct, I think a few rentals that have been cancelled though I can't remember which services they were listed with.

 

Bottom line is the more research and investigation you do into finding a place that suits your needs, the more likely it is that you'll find something that you'll arrive into which suits you and your families' needs ideally. No cancellation or move required and little more than a buon giorno 🙂

 

Do definitely come back to post more questions if you are wondering about certain locations in Rome, or hotels, if you would like some additional thoughts to further whittle down your choice. Have fun on your search, hopefully it'll start to get you in the mindset of being in Rome. 

 

Ciao!

 

 

 

[margbem]

We are UK based and have used Airbnb in this country, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. Whilst very occasionally the photos might be very well taken!! we have not had a problem. I always read ALL the reviews as for some reason they might not always be in date order, look at the photos carefully, the more pictures the better, and look for host cancellations which are always mentioned, before I choose and book. Reading the reviews is critical for me because you get information about all aspects of the property and you might happen upon something that is critical for you: noise, distance to transport, elevator or lack of, especially in European cities with apartments in old buildings. Good luck!

[ROWSE]

Last October we used AirBnB to rent in Civitavecchia before a cruise and in Rome for a few days after, and had

no trouble at all, they were great.  This is just my experience and cancellations could happen at any time.

 

We try to book with Superhosts and I thoroughly read the reviews.  While that in itself cannot prevent

a last minute cancellation, it makes me feel more secure.

 

We have an AirBnB booked this September in Florence as well and one in Rome the night before

coming home.   Then next May we have two different ones booked in England, so you can tell I

trust it.  If it makes you nervous in any way, I would not do it, you would probably spend valuable time

worrying about it. 

 

We do it to save some money as hotels are just crazy expensive.  Good luck and enjoy your time in Rome!

[slidergirl]

I've only rented my friend's (she's a Superhost) AirBnB down in Cocoa Beach, FL, so my experience with that company is limited.  I did have someone this Spring hack my one of my accounts and booked a vacation down in the Dominican Republic with AirBnB - I caught it and fortunately, the AirBnB staff corrected it within minutes (unlike Marriott who took days, even when I told them someone was checked in right then at a hotel in New Jersey).   I have use VRBO in Europe, in Vernazza and Paris.  We had a major hiccup in Paris - the day before we were to arrive there from Pisa (agroturismo just outside), the owner of the apartment contacted us - a big flood from an upstairs apartment made their unit unusable.  BUT, she immediately found someone with an apartment that was available.  It ended up being a very nice place in a good part of town my friends had never been to and we loved it.  

 

 

[chipmaster]

On 7/25/2019 at 1:39 PM, tray said:

We will be traveling in August 2020 with a three day stay in Rome prior to our cruise. I am considering renting an Airbnb but want to make sure this is a reliable option. I thought I saw something a month or so ago (when I first began planning) about some people receiving last minute cancellation calls from whomever they rented from. But I can't remember if it was Airbnb, and I've tried to search and have found nothing. Any advice?

 

Airbnb is so convenient and my two kids swear by it when they travel both locally in US and abroad and almost NEVER consider hotels except for business travel.   It's still a very new concept for their parents from old school ways.

 

FWIW, we looked at hotels and considered using points for the various Marriott this past month in Venice, then the SO looked at AirBnB and found so many options ( cheaper, better location, kitchen, balcony ).    It was also uncomfortable not really knowing or trusting what would happen, would we be stranded when we showed up after a full day of travel.   All I can say is check the reviews online, we selected a cute unite but a 25 meters from San Marcos for probably far cheaper than any of the hotels, it wasn't a hotel experience but for what we paid so nice, included a balcony view where we retired every evening for Spritz / wine and sunsets, 

 

Research research, and read the reviews, and you should be good, good luck.

 

 

[Floridiana]

Some cities have cracked down on Airbnb, is Rome one of them? That might be the reason why the rentals were suddenly canceled. Converting apartments to Airbnb reduces the rental market for the cities' residents and drives up prices. It also increases traffic and trash. Vacation rentals used to be registered and the owners pay taxes on their rental business income. 

[tray]

Wow!! Thank you everyone,  for your great advice and for sharing your personal experiences! I have actually booked a place and we are really looking forward to a great new experience in Rome!! 

[Host Bonjour]

3 hours ago, Floridiana said:

Some cities have cracked down on Airbnb, is Rome one of them? That might be the reason why the rentals were suddenly canceled. Converting apartments to Airbnb reduces the rental market for the cities' residents and drives up prices. It also increases traffic and trash. Vacation rentals used to be registered and the owners pay taxes on their rental business income. 

 

Indeed, NYC and LA, and living here, having had to find apartments (within a budget, as most people have to) is one reason, lots of unsavory landlords withholding apartments that would otherwise be rented is another. One would say "why not?" but....by listing them on Airbnb, they're not only removing apartments (the ones that ordinary people might otherwise afford) from housing stock in order to make more money than they would on monthly rent BUT, they are also essentially running hotels but NOT obligated to comply with regulations that all the hotels do have to adhere to (and in NYC there are no shortage of business regs - forget about it, though some are federal like ADA requirements) so, it becomes unfair to not just ordinary people but also the hospitality industry competing for business and complying with local, state, federal and their company regulations. And not all the accommodations are big corporations. 

 

That's a bit of a summary for why the service has met with resistance/obstacles (I'm inclined to agree as a local though I'm definitely biased; illegal sublets always existed but this places things on another level.) in the gig economy (not unlike Uber/Lyft in Paris, London etc) and the always competitive hospitality industry. Disruption is also not new to any sort of business or way of doing things (horses---->cars, trains--->planes) and navigating through the changes isn't always easy either. 

 

For the most part, Airbnb, ride-sharing seems to have helped in many ways, in many places. Only makes sense that it won't be great, or even necessary, in every place, especially locations that already had an abundance of options, although yes...affordable ones, not always easy to track down.  

 

I first heard about Airbnb while I was in London, six years ago from a German man visiting from Dublin; he'd been using it awhile and explained how it worked. I wondered why it was difficult for him to find an affordable place in London but...everyone goes about things in different ways and wants a different sort of experience. He had already been a return visitor with his Airbnb host; it had been off to a good start over there. 

 

Again, I think Rome, and many other cities are great places to give it a shot at renting. So glad you booked a place tray!! When you're back, come to back to the topic and let us know how it went. Have a feeling you'll enjoy feeling like a local in Rome, I know I did! 😉

 

Ciao!