I thought Airbnb rentals long-term were protected for the tenant but my friend just got kicked out of a long-term rental in Buenos Aires?

[llantas]

I always thought the safest way to rent a property as a tenant was via Airbnb. I have used them all the time. Usually I just do the first rental with Airbnb and then do a deal direct with the owner to save on Airbnb fees. My friend here from the UK preferred going through Airbnb even though it costs more as he thought he would be protected more against the owner just ending the lease.

But it turns out that even if you book a long-term lease on Airbnb the owner can end the lease early and give a number of reasons. That did not seem right but I watched my friend get kicked out of an Airbnb where he still had 6 months+ on the lease. Has anyone had this happen to them? If so, what reason did the owner use to end the lease? What happened to all the rent that was paid ahead of time?

 

[Digital Nomad]

I always thought the safest way to rent a property as a tenant was via Airbnb. I have used them all the time. Usually I just do the first rental with Airbnb and then do a deal direct with the owner to save on Airbnb fees. My friend here from the UK preferred going through Airbnb even though it costs more as he thought he would be protected more against the owner just ending the lease.

But it turns out that even if you book a long-term lease on Airbnb the owner can end the lease early and give a number of reasons. That did not seem right but I watched my friend get kicked out of an Airbnb where he still had 6 months+ on the lease. Has anyone had this happen to them? If so, what reason did the owner use to end the lease? What happened to all the rent that was paid ahead of time?

On longer term bookings it generally is more favorable for the renter vs. the owner. For example, I have done a year rental on Airbnb before in Madrid and Airbnb only charged me each month at a time. They would charge my credit card each month and pay the owner. A few months in, my dad got in a bad car accident and I had to go back home to help my mom. I had to end my lease early but I had to pay an extra 30 days from the date I said I was leaving. I thought that was fair. The property owners might also have the ability to end the lease early as they are also only getting paid each month.

Now I usually just rent a few days at different Airbnbs in different neighborhoods and see which one I like the most and then if it's available for a long-term lease I sign a contract directly with the owner. I have never had issues this way and we have a signed lease. I don't do the long term lease until I know for sure I will stay in that city.

I also had a mid-term stay in Prague with Airbnb and the owner cancelled it mid way saying I had to leave. He said that the building was going to change the hot water pipes in the building so everyone had to leave. I was doubtful of that and I told Airbnb and they showed me a letter the owner sent but it was just typed up in Word and not signed by anyone. I did get a pro-rated refund but thought it was suspicious.

 

[BuySellBA]

On longer term bookings it generally is more favorable for the renter vs. the owner. For example, I have done a year rental on Airbnb before in Madrid and Airbnb only charged me each month at a time. They would charge my credit card each month and pay the owner. A few months in, my dad got in a bad car accident and I had to go back home to help my mom. I had to end my lease early but I had to pay an extra 30 days from the date I said I was leaving. I thought that was fair. The property owners might also have the ability to end the lease early as they are also only getting paid each month.

Now I usually just rent a few days at different Airbnbs in different neighborhoods and see which one I like the most and then if it's available for a long-term lease I sign a contract directly with the owner. I have never had issues this way and we have a signed lease. I don't do the long term lease until I know for sure I will stay in that city.

I also had a mid-term stay in Prague with Airbnb and the owner cancelled it mid way saying I had to leave. He said that the building was going to change the hot water pipes in the building so everyone had to leave. I was doubtful of that and I told Airbnb and they showed me a letter the owner sent but it was just typed up in Word and not signed by anyone. I did get a pro-rated refund but thought it was suspicious.

@Digital Nomad is correct. Even on long-term leases on Airbnb, it is really just a month-to-month payment arrangement. Each month that the guests stay, Airbnb is paying the property owner after each 30 day period. The rental guest can request to terminate the lease early and in most cases will have to pay a 30-day cancellation fee. Many Airbnb owners much prefer short-term rentals vs. long-term rentals.

Property owners can get out of a long-term lease on Airbnb for several different reasons most of which involve possible building maintenance but just keep in mind in Buenos Aires it is very easy for a property owner to pay someone to write up a letter saying that something is broken or scheduled maintenance is coming. Fortunately most property owners are ethical and you don't run into this issue too often in Buenos Aires but it does happen.

We used to see it happen all the time several years ago but not as common today. @llantas, your friend should not be out any funds as Airbnb only pays the owner 30 days at a time. I'm sure the Airbnb owner probably gave your friend some advance notice they were ending the contract early. We find this to be a really shady thing to do after you already agreed on terms of a lease.

 

[MikeRoss]

I just get the Whatsapp of the Airbnb owners during my stay and any time I go back to that city I just book direct with them. I already know the place is nice and the owner is easy to work with. I often times save up to 35% that way avoiding Airbnb fees and city IVA taxes booking through Airbnb. I have never had issues. I have done this in Buenos Aires as well and it works very easy.

Some owners will allow you to pay them on Paypal or Zelle so it avoids the hassles of getting cash here.

 

[Flamingo]

I just get the Whatsapp of the Airbnb owners during my stay and any time I go back to that city I just book direct with them. I already know the place is nice and the owner is easy to work with. I often times save up to 35% that way avoiding Airbnb fees and city IVA taxes booking through Airbnb. I have never had issues. I have done this in Buenos Aires as well and it works very easy.

Some owners will allow you to pay them on Paypal or Zelle so it avoids the hassles of getting cash here.

This is the tried and tested method most people prefer just working directly with a reputable Airbnb owner. Just make sure you have a written contract so each side is clear what each is paying and if there is any inflation adjustment for the future make sure it is clearly noted. It makes sense just finding it directly if possible. Some realtors are charging hefty fees on long term rentals. It takes a bit of work and emails but you can most likely find an Airbnb owner that would be willing to do a long term rental.

But some Airbnb owners don't do long term. I have a few friends that only do short-term as they use their properties for family throughout the year and also they claim to make more money on short term vs. long term.

 

[earlyretirement]

I just get the Whatsapp of the Airbnb owners during my stay and any time I go back to that city I just book direct with them. I already know the place is nice and the owner is easy to work with. I often times save up to 35% that way avoiding Airbnb fees and city IVA taxes booking through Airbnb. I have never had issues. I have done this in Buenos Aires as well and it works very easy.

Some owners will allow you to pay them on Paypal or Zelle so it avoids the hassles of getting cash here.

This is very normal to do. Most people don't want to use Airbnb on long-term contracts because Airbnb is adding on another 10% plus in some countries they are adding on VAT or IVA or hotel taxes. In Mexico, it can add on an additional 33% in taxes and fees so most of our clients only use Airbnb the first time and then book direct with me on subsequent bookings.

This is the tried and tested method most people prefer just working directly with a reputable Airbnb owner. Just make sure you have a written contract so each side is clear what each is paying and if there is any inflation adjustment for the future make sure it is clearly noted. It makes sense just finding it directly if possible. Some realtors are charging hefty fees on long term rentals. It takes a bit of work and emails but you can most likely find an Airbnb owner that would be willing to do a long term rental.

But some Airbnb owners don't do long term. I have a few friends that only do short-term as they use their properties for family throughout the year and also they claim to make more money on short term vs. long term.

I typically always prefer short-term rentals vs. long-term rentals as the ROI is much higher on short-term vs. long-term provided that you're a SuperHost and keeping your property full. I recently did a long-term rental on one of my apartments and it was really smooth and it might cause me to do more long-term rentals as the process was so smooth.

I always thought the safest way to rent a property as a tenant was via Airbnb. I have used them all the time. Usually I just do the first rental with Airbnb and then do a deal direct with the owner to save on Airbnb fees. My friend here from the UK preferred going through Airbnb even though it costs more as he thought he would be protected more against the owner just ending the lease.

But it turns out that even if you book a long-term lease on Airbnb the owner can end the lease early and give a number of reasons. That did not seem right but I watched my friend get kicked out of an Airbnb where he still had 6 months+ on the lease. Has anyone had this happen to them? If so, what reason did the owner use to end the lease? What happened to all the rent that was paid ahead of time?

Definitely on Airbnb there are owners that can end a rental earlier than the agreed term. It is HORRIBLE for a tenant and I would never ever do that to a tenant but I have had long-term rental clients cancel a longer booking and they usually have to give a month's notice.

 

[MikeYoung]

I also just usually connect with the owner unless it is a new property on Airbnb or the owner has not been on the platform long. I would rather pay more for peace of mind.