Booking holiday accommodation online is growing in popularity. With the rise of sites such as Airbnb and Owners Direct, fraudulent bookings are also increasing. How can you be sure what you’re really paying to rent? We cover some top tips and points to bear in mind when booking through any of these sites.
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What is the purpose of these sites?
These sites act as a third party for accommodation owners to easily advertise and rent their properties as holiday accommodation. These sites have no actual connection to the owners so it’s worth bearing in mind that none of the sites are liable for any misrepresentation. By agreeing to the terms of their sites, you acknowledge that you’ll take necessary available steps to ascertain the legitimacy of the listings.
Airbnb
Booking
Search for accommodation near to where you’d like to stay. Check listings for reviews (the more the better!) to give you a good idea of what to expect. Read through everything that’s mentioned on a listing so there’s no nasty surprises when you get there.
Some hosts have ‘verified’ profiles. This is awarded when other information has been provided to Airbnb about who they are. This includes providing links to social media accounts, supplying a photo of their driving licence, or submitting a live photo (taken at the time of the process).
Message the host any questions you have before booking. When you decide where you’d like to stay, a booking request is sent to the host. You’ll have to pre-authorise the payment but this won’t get debited from your account until the host has confirmed the booking.
Payments
Any payments made on the site go to Airbnb and are then released to the host 24 hours after your planned check-in date. This gives you a 24-hour period where you can raise any issues with the host or Airbnb if necessary.
Host cancellation
Should the host have to cancel your booking, you’ll be sent a notification through the website along with alternative similar options so you can re-book your accommodation. If you don’t wish to re-book, you’ll be refunded. No host gets paid for a cancelled booking. Airbnb apply penalties to hosts that cancel- a charge will be applied to them and an automatic review will be placed on their listing showing other users that they cancelled.
Photo by: Mariusz Niedzwiedzki/Adobe Stock
Raising an issue
Upon checking in to your accommodation, check everything is as it says on the Airbnb description. If you have any queries or issues, first raise these with the host. This allows them the opportunity to comment or resolve any problems. Always carry out your messaging through the Airbnb website or mobile application. Any messages will be stored there and used as evidence if necessary. Contact Airbnb to make them aware of the issue. Take photos of the problem, if possible. Airbnb will require these as evidence if the situation escalates.
Guest Refund Policy
Under this Airbnb policy, a guest can make a claim for a refund if the accommodation:
- is made inaccessible (for example, if the host doesn’t provide you with the key or code to gain entry).
- is misrepresented (at the extreme end of the scale, if it doesn’t exist).
- is unclean or unsafe.
- has an animal present that you weren’t made aware of.
You must contact Airbnb within 24 hours of your check-in to document the issues. If the host is unresponsive, they will place a block on the payment going to the host, allowing them time to investigate. Airbnb will source alternative accommodation for you or refund your money.
Owners Direct
Owners Direct is run by HomeAway Ltd, who operate a series of websites. These are owned by the Expedia group.
Booking
Not all listings allow you to pay online through the site. You should look for these as paying online with a credit card (if possible!) will offer you more protection than paying directly. Owners Direct encourage their users to engage in a telephone conversation with their prospective host before booking. They also encourage the hosts to draw up a rental agreement to put in place for protection of both parties but this isn’t mandatory.
Why is paying for my booking more secure using a credit card?
A credit card offers further protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If a service or product has cost you between £100 and £30,000, your card provider is liable for any breach of contract. Therefore, should you pay £100 (or more) for your accommodation and it turns out to be fraudulent, you can reclaim this amount from your credit card provider. This also applies if you paid for any part of the cost by credit card (even if under £100), and not just the whole amount.
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Payment
A pre-authorisation for the cost is sent with your booking request. A host is able to choose from two methods of payment. ‘Instant Payment’ allows them to be paid as soon as they confirm your booking. ‘Check-In Payment’ pays them 1 day after your scheduled check-in (providing there are no issues).
Cancellations
HomeAway have partnered with Europ Assistance to provide extra protection on your bookings. Packages offered are Premium, Classic and Holiday Home. All three provide cancellation protection should you need to cancel. However, these don’t pay out if your cancellation is due to a pre-existing medical condition. These policies are invalidated if you purchase them after 10 days of sending a deposit to the host, or if your rental starts within 96 hours of purchase.
If a host cancels your booking, they must manually refund the amount if they’ve been pre-paid.
HomeAway Basic Guarantee
This included policy covers up to £700 for a booking should the listing be fraudulent, or if the advertiser’s account has become fraudulent (for example, due to hacking). It doesn’t cover loss of funds as a result of;
- construction.
- weather events.
- natural disasters.
- political/security threats.
You can only submit a claim under this if the host won’t refund the money directly and you must supply appropriate evidence documenting the issue. If you’ve paid by card, you must make a claim for chargeback first. HomeAway may require evidence that this has been declined before paying out under this Guarantee.
What is chargeback?
Chargeback is where you ask your card provider to reverse a payment due to a breach of contract, e.g. if a service isn’t provided.
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Holiday Lettings
Bookings
Although some of the listings on this site are marked ‘Visited by Holiday Lettings’ don’t assume this verifies the quality of the accommodation. This simply means that the advertiser has arranged for Holiday Lettings to take photographs of the accommodation. These may be more secure to book, as it shows the accommodation exists, but the site takes no responsibility for any misrepresented information.
Payment
Hosts receive the money for your rental 24 hours after your planned check-in.
Cancellations
Should your booking not go through because of misrepresentation, inaccessibility, or fraudulent activity (either of the listing or on the advertiser’s account), Holiday Lettings will reimburse your booking payment up to the value of £7,000. However, you must be able to show that you cannot be reimbursed under chargeback, PayPal or directly from the owner.
Raising an issue
If, upon arrival, there is an issue with your booking due to one of the above reasons, you must contact Holiday Lettings by telephone within the first 24 hours of your arrival. Should Holiday Lettings offer you alternative accommodation, this must be accepted- no refund will be offered as an alternative.
Tip summary for booking holiday accommodation online
- Always pay online where possible.
- Pay using a credit card if possible for the extra protection it offers should the service not be delivered.
- Do your research before booking- check for reviews, read the full listing, and speak to the owner of the property, asking any questions that you have. You’ll be able to get a feel for whether they know the property well and for the type of host they are.
- Check within the site’s terms and conditions for refund and cancellation policies to see what the procedure is should you encounter an issue. Be aware of how much they will cover.
- Purchase traveller’s insurance to cover any lost monies that the booking website won’t cover.
- Screenshot or save a copy of the accommodation listing as you book. This way you’ll have evidence of what your booking should include.
- Upon arrival, check that the accommodation is satisfactory and meets the description of the listing you booked via.
- Photograph any issues on arrival or as they occur.
- Contact the host immediately through the booking site of any issues arising. The first 24 hours are crucial for reporting problems.
- Know your rights under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and understand how chargeback works.
Now you’ve got your accommodation sorted, check out the exciting places you could hire a car.
Written by Jessica Juby.
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