Airbnb

[Smowball]

Anybody ever used it to stay abroad?? I've used it in this country with good results and was looking at abroad and saw some amazing places for really reasonable prices. Obviously with flights added on.

[sunny-dave]

I've used it in Majorca and Brussels - some bargains, but some points to watch.

1. Check that the prices include everything - extras for 'cleaning' and 'tax' can add a surprising amount.

2. Only ever pay via Airbnb - never use a bank transfer - lots of ripoffs going on.

3. Check that the city you are going to isn't in dispute with Airbnb - eg lots of problems in Berlin at the moment.

4. Only book somewhere with reviews and identifiable pictures for that particular apartment - a lot of scam merchants use pictures and reviews from a real apartment to market a dodgy one.

[Smowball]

Some good points there Dave. How would I know if it was a fake one with fake reviews??

[sunny-dave]

I'd do a google image search on some of the photos - see if they turn up in other listings - even if they are legit, you may find some more reviews of a property.

Have a look at other properties listed by the same person - are they using the same photos for several properties

I'd never book with someone who had a lot of properties, unless they were a company with proper contact details outside of Airbnb