Negotiating Airbnb Prices?

[GMXam]

It always depends where you live - it's a huge difference if you have an appartment in a side street in Palermo Hollywood or one directly on Santa Fe for example. Most of the noise in my opinion comes from traffic, in particular busses and the strong need of portenos to show everyone that they bought a car that has a horn

or boliches from 1am-7am

 

[mmoon]

Most of the owners on AirBnB will adjust their rates in advance on the site according to the season, so you probably aren't going to have much luck with that angle. However, if you are planning a stay of around month, they should definitely be open to negotiating based on the fact that you will only be one entry and exit (and one major cleaning, assuming you aren't a crazy slob), so I would look to save somewhere around 15-20% for the long stay. We have friends with an apartment near Paseo Alcorta, and they say that most people are in and out of BA in about 3 days, so long term rentals are very nice for them and worth a discount. It would be SO much easier to use AirBnB versus dealing with an Argentine landlord for such a short stay! What you might save in money you will pay for dearly in headaches. Just go through the online payment system so there aren't any issues. Anyone who wants you to bring a pile of foreign cash or wire the money, I would be concerned.
All of the listings on AirBnB should show a location, so if you find something you like, just ask here about the location/street/intersection and I'm sure you will get robust answers about the noise level, etc.

 

[ajl1239]

Thank you!

 

[aholm]

Very true, BsAs is always on the top ten, in this list from last year it was number 8 but I have seen it even higher.

However, the good thing with AirBnB is that they do have reviews, and in my experience owners have been quite honest, for instance "Yes, you can hear the noise from the street, but it dies down at night" or "If you are a very light sleeper, it may not work" etc. So read the reviews and ask - of course they can lie but they will try to maintain a good reputation.

Back to the negotiating: I have negotiated twice with AirBnB owners and like Sleuth says, depending on the circumstances there might be some room for negotiation. One tenant for a month is of course less work than many. So ask respectfully if they would be open to a discount for a longer stay. Good luck!

Interesting. My current broker has listings on AirBnB and I asked him about one. He told me not to pay attention to the posted price in pesos (I pay in pesos). He told me the price is actually much more than what is posted on AirBnB. Is he trying to cheat me? I know AirBnB requires commission. Plus, my stay would be 6 months to a year. I know thats convenient for them.

 

[Noruega]

Interesting. My current broker has listings on AirBnB and I asked him about one. He told me not to pay attention to the posted price in pesos (I pay in pesos). He told me the price is actually much more than what is posted on AirBnB. Is he trying to cheat me? I know AirBnB requires commission. Plus, my stay would be 6 months to a year. I know thats convenient for them.

So the price on AirBnB is lower than what you pay?? That does like you are being cheated... And you could technically reserve it on AirBnB for the listed price, if it is available. In my experience, the AirBnB price is always the highest (if they offer the place in various channels) because it is geared toward foreign, short-term tourists, so the price is based on short stays, like 3 days or a little more... Both the ones I negotiated I got down quite a lot, especially the first one. (And that one I got to pay in pesos.)

 

[thorsten]

I have the same experience like Noruega. Especially if you rent the place for half a year, you should typically get a discount as the owner has 100% occupancy over a longer period of time.

 

[aholm]

So the price on AirBnB is lower than what you pay?? That does like you are being cheated... And you could technically reserve it on AirBnB for the listed price, if it is available. In my experience, the AirBnB price is always the highest (if they offer the place in various channels) because it is geared toward foreign, short-term tourists, so the price is based on short stays, like 3 days or a little more... Both the ones I negotiated I got down quite a lot, especially the first one. (And that one I got to pay in pesos.)

Yeap, I told him I had "already found a new apartment thanks" when he started offering me options (I don't). He was essentially trying to take advantage of me for being foreign. I would maybe have renewed my lease, had he not done that. Proving my theory that unethical business practices are less profitable in the long run .

 

[wongjoh]

Yeap, I told him I had "already found a new apartment thanks" when he started offering me options (I don't). He was essentially trying to take advantage of me for being foreign. I would maybe have renewed my lease, had he not done that. Proving my theory that unethical business practices are less profitable in the long run .

You have not yet made him less profitable as he will just scam the next unaware foreigner, with rinse and repeat. The real way to limit his unethical practice is to reveal his identity on a public forum such as this. Wait until you have no more dealings with him and then let the world know about the shady facts. That will make him think twice about doing the same to others.