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Don’t Become the Latest Airbnb Victim: How to Protect Yourself

Websites like Airbnb have been a dream for the millions of folks eager to earn extra cash renting out spare bedrooms or summer homes. But it can also seem risky—after all, you’re letting a stranger into your home. Airbnb has offered some solace by serving up guest reviews supplied by previous “landlords.” It may not be as effective as hiring a detective to follow around a would-be guest, or administering lie-detector tests, but it provides some sense of whether someone will be nice and polite—or trash the place.

However, just like Yahoo, Sony, your microwave, and your Roomba, your Airbnb reviews could become a target of hackers.

The BBC reported several cases of cybercriminals who took over highly rated Airbnb guest accounts, booked stays under assumed names, and then stole whatever they could from the rental homes. It’s not known how prevalent the scam is, but it prompted Airbnb to announce it had upgraded its security as a result.

“As our global community continues to grow, we remain vigilant of the ways bad actors are looking to take advantage,” wrote co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nate Blecharczyk in a blog post. The site advertises more than 3 million listings in nearly 200 countries. “Fortunately, the vast majority of our hosts and guests never have to deal with account takeovers or any other scam.”

The company already flags users who log in from unexpected countries, IP addresses, computers, or phones, and when there is an unusually high number of logins from the same IP address.

Over the past week, the company has added extra security features that require more verification when users try to get into their accounts from different devices. The company sends suspicious users one-time codes in order to get back into their accounts. It’s also sending users text message alerts about any changes made to their accounts.

So don’t yank your home off of Airbnb or another online rental site just yet. We here at realtor.com^® also have a few tips that hosts can use to vet potential guests and keep the bad guys out.

Make sure your home is properly insured

Airbnb provides hosts with a $1 million House Guarantee free of charge that protects them against most property damage. However, that doesn’t mean hosts should kick back and relax. The policy offers only limited protection for valuables such as jewelry, collectibles, and artwork.

Hosts should make sure they also have their own insurance policies on the homes they’re renting out. They need to be upfront with their insurance providers to make it clear their property is being used occasionally as a short-term rental property instead of just a primary residence—the policies are often different. This makes it more likely a homeowner will be reimbursed if something goes wrong or missing.

Check out your guests

Hosts don’t need to compile dossiers on their guests, but they should still do their homework.

First go the easy route: “You can still check their previous reviews,” says Nashville, TN–based Realtor^® Brian Copeland, of Village Real Estate Services. He rents out the five-bedroom house he used to live in through VRBO, an online service similar to Airbnb. “If it’s a guest who doesn’t have a lot of stays, it’s probably a red flag.”

But, because there’s always a chance those reviews could have been hacked, it makes sense to consider the low-tech approach too: personal contact.

Lynn Bock, who rented out her cottage in Puyallup, WA, was the target of an attempted hack. She suggests that hosts should “always communicate” with guests and create personal relationships with them before and during their stays. It’s not only a form of screening, but it also ensures they’re having a good time.

“It makes good business sense,” she says.

Fellow Airbnb host Raziel Ungar agrees.

“We usually have a little conversation just to make sure they’re normal,” says Ungar, a Realtor at Pacific Union in Burlingame, CA. He’s been renting out his two-bedroom house in Burlingame for just under a year.

Airbnb also recommends that both guests and hosts trust their intuition. “If you don’t feel right about a reservation, don’t accept it,” the company’s website cautions.

Don’t leave pricey items in your rental

A simple fix: Don’t leave anything expensive in your rental to begin with. This is a lesson that Nashville host Copeland learned the hard way.

“I had a table that was stunning with a big eagle carved on it that was completely damaged,” Copeland says. “Shame on me. I shouldn’t have had it in there.”

So remove small, luxury appliances or expensive artwork that can easily disappear.

“If you have a KitchenAid mixer that is $500, you have to reassess if you’re better off going to Wal-Mart and buying a more affordable mixer that’s not as tempting to steal,” he says.

Hosts can also require a security deposit from guests. This helps provide a financial cushion if something does get damaged or goes missing.

Use electronic keys

And using electronic keys instead of physical ones can also protect your home from guests making copies and then coming back uninvited, or passing them along. Ungar sends his guests the electronic code to his house right before their arrival and then changes the code immediately after they leave.

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