One faces the posibility of those horrible loses each day, but obviously you are increasing your risk with AirBnB.
But a nutter having your key is just a minor detail if entry is desired; and with AirBnB at least you get a cash reward for your risk.
But a nutter having your key is just a minor detail if entry is desired; and with AirBnB at least you get a cash reward for your risk.
Every day we do take risks by stepping out the front door, however the communities we belong to institute safeguards to help mitigate these numerous risks. We hire police officers, firemen, and construct hospitals. Living in these communities is not free, we pay taxes to support this.
AirBnB is a virtual community that also collects taxes: 3% to be exact. However, they do nothing but mitigate the risks of funds transfer, and in other cases increase the risk by handcuffing attempts at vetting.
So, yes, while I do face these horrible possibilities every day I know that the communities I belong to are attempting to minimize them -- can you honestly say that about AirBnB's community?
Plus, when you are giving your key to another person, the risk is not just monetary, but the additional emotional risk of just being violated. I think it was very telling that EJ was particularly betrayed by the lies in the ongoing email updates and not just the monetary loss.
I've read lots of the discussions about this today, and I think I'm the first to post this:
http://www.airbnb.com/home/safety
It is no better or worse than Craigslist, as humans are involved. Some humans always screw things up for the rest of us.