hello, i booked an accommodation through airbnb at 242 West 116th st NY.
Is this legit?I understand that the website airbnb is not illegal but im just scared that ive been scammed because i have sent the money to the website. Apparently the money wont be given to the owner of the accommodation until i have checked in. Has anyone ever used this airbnb website before. Can anyone help?

Hello Anie,

The site airbnb is Legal. It is the listings that are questionable. You see anyone can list an apartment. It is a listing site similar to craigslist - but more so networking.

There is little to worry about in terms of scams as this site relies on profiles and actual proff of persons.

However, It is difficult to assess if your accommodation is hosted or non hosted. If it is non hosted then it is more than likely illegal.

Airbnb is a great site if you are visiting other places that allow rental of apartments on a nightly basis (aka Vacation Rentals). So again, the site is legal, the listing is the questionable part.

What do you mean by "hosted" vs. "Non hosted". What other agencies/sites, besideds airbnb offer listings that result in satisfied guests?

i just spent friday night and saturday day, trying to right a mess made by an airbnb scammer. my friends booked a room that they found on airbnb, but since they were coming from mexico, they paid offline via western union. the person had listed an apartment that had a physical address that didn't exist, as it was right in the middle of penn station! my friends did not know this, but did not ask for my help until they realized they were without a place after arriving on friday night! as soon as i looked at the apartment listing, i knew it was a scam!!! they were ripped off for $1000! don't use this service unless you are familiar with the city you are visiting! and never pay offline...oh, yes, and they also said it was in walking distance to columbia university...walking distance if you don't mind walking about 75 blocks! never rent an apartment on 33rd street from Netasha...scam, scam, scam. And, by the way, airbnb, has yet to respond to our emergency calls (when i called, i did not yet know they had paid offline, thus voiding airbnb's obligation, however, my message did not indicate that!).

frenchbelle, did your friend get back their money in some way? Cause I've just found your information, but it's too late... netasha found me! I paid 800$ by money transfer from Italy (not by western union) and today she missed the appointment with me and my girlfriend for the keys. She doesn't answer to the email since 2 days. So a friend from cleveland told me to go to the italian consulate in new york where maybe they can help me. I have her passport photocopy, her signature in a receipt...

I'm sorry to hear your friend was taken advantage of. The reason they got scammed is because they paid outside of the web site. There is no reason to use western union (which reeks of scamming -- DO NOT send money via western union on any web site). airbnb is a third party payment system to prevent scams. if you go around an escrow system you lose the all safe guards that the escrow service has in place to protect you.

Airbnb protects you against scammers as long as you do everything through the site. Once you agree to communicate outside of the site, or transfer money, there is no way for them to protect you. They may have a small fee, but it safeguards against scammers like Natasha!

We ARE NOT all scammers at AIRBNB!! Please do as the website requests and you will be protected. Please don't let one bad apple ruin the rest. For a SMALL operation like ours in Hot Springs Montana, we can not afford to advertize on the big sites like VRBO or Homeaway. Airbnb does work, if you work it!! Thanks, Teresa from Jane's Place Montana.

Teresa, local laws meant to protect New Yorkers means that most vacation rentals (for fewer than 30 days) are ILLEGAL here. I'm sure Jane's Place Montana is legitimate, but there are many, many scams perpetrated in NYC. The big problem here is that sites like airbnb do not VET their listings, so there is no way for a renter to know whether the place even exists. And even if the place exists, the owners are most likely renting it illegally. While that is not the renter's responsibility, it isn't much of a holiday when you find yourself out on the street because a neighbor complains -- and that happens all the time!

So, when visiting Montana, give airbnb a try. When visiting NYC, get a hotel!

Hi, what laws are you talking about? I would like to know what laws could put a guest out on the street. Please say what yu are tlking about.

If the renter does not have permission from the owner to sublet, and does so anyway is one way to end up on the street.

[www.housingnyc.com]

As someone who rents his apartment, and sometimes a room via airbnb, I can claim that it is not perfect, but the best alternative.I got tired of being played by someone looking to rent a place for a week, and lining up three places, leaving two hanging.
As a renter, you are protected as I do not get them money until after you check in, as the apartment owner, I am protected because I know I will get paid- yes I had the "bouncing personal" check issue happen.
The vast majority of us on airbnb are not scammers, on the side of the client and the apartment holder.
I will only rent after a series of e-mails, I need to know when the person is coming, leaving, and what are their intentions, they will, after all, be staying in my home.
Both sides can reject.
As an apartment owner who has been scammed, I know it goes both ways.
Read the add carefully, if it is to good to be true, it usually is, look at the reviews, if they are all good and their is a horrible one, it could just be a bias. Find the neighborhood, and be realistic.
Dont expect to pay $ 120 a night and get a large doorman building in the upper east. Most apartments in Manhattan are small.
No, most of airbnb customers and owners are not scammers, but we all have to be carefull. E