When my husband and I followed our GPS to the charming Maine saltbox home we’d rented on Airbnb last July, we blew right past. We circled back, finally accepting that we’d arrived. Surely, this sad shack on top of a retaining wall at the back of an empty lot was not where we’d planned to spend our summer vacation, was it?
The listing for the three-bedroom home — a seven-minute drive from the touristy section of a charming town on Maine’s midcoast — depicted a clean, unfussy, light-filled interior. The owner was a “Superhost,” and the 73 reviews averaged 4.9 stars. But inside was a sad, dank version of that listing: We found spiderwebs in the toaster, gray water gurgling from the taps, and a misaligned exterior door that wouldn’t bolt shut.
We hadn’t expected luxury — just comfort, cleanliness and safety. I don’t think our host intended to disappoint us, but clearly some things fell through the cracks. What had I missed?
Here, experts offer insight on how to recognize red flags in home-share listings.
Search to get a sense of the area.
Had I thought to plug our Maine rental’s address into a search engine, I would have quickly discovered a 2021 real estate listing, complete with unfiltered photos of the property and surrounding area. The info would have made me suspicious of the property’s current state and likely to dig a little deeper before committing.
Even without an exact address, however, using Google Maps Street View to find a nearby intersection and exploring a few blocks in the area can reveal important details. Note the street parking and the kinds of cars that park there — are there construction vehicles, taxis or private cars? Be aware of things like rec centers or schools, as well as train stations and bus depots, which might be noisy or create traffic at certain times of day. You can also search for local police reports and weather safety alerts — for example, whether the neighborhood is prone to flooding or has limited access in bad weather.
“I always check Google Maps to assess walkability,” said Melissa Lavigne-Delville, an Airbnb host who has rented properties in California and Louisiana andwho is a frequent user of home-share services. “I want to know what the neighborhood aesthetic looks like. I tend to avoid properties adjacent to commercial buildings that would kill the mood.”
The local service industry may also provide some clarity: Reach out to nearby restaurants or shops that align with your tastes, and ask if they have any concerns about — or recommendations for — renting homes in the area. Then stop by and thank them by buying a meal or a souvenir once you’ve landed.
Read between the lines.
The effort that a host puts into a listing can be an indicator of the effort put into maintaining the home. “If the description is too short, that lack of effort and attention to detail will likely carry over to the house,” said Margeau Bull, who has rented properties in North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana on home-share platforms. Ms. Bull recommended prioritizing clarity and transparency — reference points, distance to local attractions or neighborhoods — rather than vague estimates and phrases like “just minutes away from” whatever the popular spots are.
She noted that properties are often listed on multiple home-share sites, like Vrbo, Airbnb and Booking.com, or home rental sites, like Zillow and Apartments.com. Searching a number of sites for descriptive phrases or property features can help guests cross-reference reviews, photos and even floor plans.
A listing overrun with pictures of local landmarks or too many tightly cropped photos of décor may be a host’s attempt to distract from the less appealing features of a home. And if something about an image seems off, a Google Images search may help identify those that are A.I.-generated.
Dig into the reviews.
“Reviews are a chess play for both parties,” said Ms. Bull, who criticized the system for being both limiting and subjective. She said that guests may be reluctant to leave reviews of fewer than five stars for fear of retribution from the host.
Airbnb’s algorithm prioritizes the reviews the platform thinks you want to see, but users can filter reviews by their personal preferences — and should read beyond the starred rankings. I later discovered a few five-star reviews for our Maine listing that included complaints about lack of cleanliness, uncomfortably hot bedrooms and failure to provide basic amenities.
There are limits to the rating system: “A disgruntled guest who loves to cook might deduct stars for a poorly stocked kitchen,” Ms. Lavigne-Delville noted. “But if you plan to eat out all the time, that might not matter to you.”
An Airbnb representative said in a statement that the company encourages “authentic, peer-to-peer reviews,” provides guidance for guests during the rating process and re-evaluates listings after each stay. “To date, we’ve removed over 500,000 listings that failed to meet our quality standards” — which also means that, at some point, you may have found yourself staying in one of those 500,000 listings.
Salvage what you can.
Airbnb’s AirCover for guests includes protection from eligible issues, like host cancellations, listing inaccuracies and trouble checking in. But “eligible” is subjective. Travelers who want to plead their cases should document issues and safety concerns with photos and videos and should submit them promptly — within 72 hours, according to Airbnb’s policy. Guests may spend hours or even days of their vacations trading messages and waiting on hold for customer service reps to evaluate such issues; receiving any compensation or refunds could take longer.
Some guests may get more traction trying to resolve issues directly with hosts through Airbnb’s messaging platform, like the removal of cleaning fees, or the option to cancel and be refunded for any nights the host is able to rebook. But be prepared for something less than full satisfaction.
If Airbnb determines there’s a significant issue with your rental, the company can help you relocate to a similar property or may offer a full refund. But if personal finances allow and you don’t want to waste precious vacation time waiting for a resolution, it may be worth moving to another lodging.
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