As full time travelers, we’re always on the hunt for the best Airbnb monthly rentals. We used to travel on the go non-stop in the beginning stages of our website. However, as time went on, we found ourselves needing to settle down for more long term Airbnb stays. Here’s everything to know about renting an Airbnb for a month and tips from our own experiences living abroad!
How to Find the Best Airbnb Monthly Rentals
1. Apply Your Filters
The first thing to do when starting your search for long term Airbnbs is to set up your filters. This is where you can choose maximum price and a number of important features for the best Airbnb monthly rentals. These can be things like air conditioning, high-speed wi-fi, and kitchen accessories.
Having a full kitchen can be essential for longer stays with Airbnb. Unless you’re in Southeast Asia eating cheap street food out everyday, you may want a full kitchen to work with and prepare meals.
One thing we always look for with Airbnb monthly rentals is laundry. So often, we are coming off a long road trip and need to give our clothes a thorough washing. This can even save you money and time trying to find a local laundry spot!
You’ll also want to decide what size apartment you’re looking for on long-term stays. While we’ve rented our fair share of studios, having a one or even two bedroom allows us much more space for our remote work.
→ How to Find the Best Airbnb: 8 Tips We Always Use
2. Rates On Airbnb Monthly Rentals
Something to be aware of when looking for monthly stays with Airbnb is how the rate structure works. Many properties include weekly or monthly discounts. Still, know that these can only be applied with the proper amount of days set.
For instance, to find the best airbnb monthly rentals you’ll want to set your amount of days to 28 or more. This is because the popular website needs the proper amount of days to show you the full monthly discounted rate.
Many times we’ve initially searched for short-term rentals only to find it was a much better deal to stay an entire week. Also, we’ve looked at places that were the same price for a 2 to 3 week stay as it was to take it for the whole month.
3. Search Based on the Airbnb Map
So once you’ve applied your filters and decided how long you’re staying, how should you start your search? Our favorite way to find Airbnb long term rentals is by utilizing the map.
Say you’re looking for vacation rentals in Nerja Spain this summer. By zoning in on the main town and setting your filters to 28 days, you can view the best Airbnb monthly rentals from above.
The monthly rates will be listed along with the approximate location of each house or apartment. This can be a great way to find the perfect place while also filtering out stuff that is out of your price range. The map feature will also show you what’s within walking distance of the area you want to be in.
4. Be Flexible With Long Term Airbnb Dates
This is an important part of renting an Airbnb for a month! Quite simply, the more flexible you are with your travel dates, the better deals there are to be found.
We know this isn’t as easy for everyone. It can be especially tricky if you only have specific dates to get off of work. However, once you play around with the dates, you will find better prices and more long term Airbnb options.
We recommend toggling around within the app if you don’t see exactly what you want at first. You are even able to click on each specific property and see the dates that are already sold out.
Airbnb recently released its new search filter where you can specify what you want during a certain time period. For example, imagine you are trying to rent Airbnb for a month between September and November. It will then show you all the places with openings for 28 days within the wide range of dates.
5. Negotiate For the Best Airbnb Monthly Rentals
One of the biggest advantages to Airbnb is having the ability to reach out to the property owners directly. So often, we’ve found the place of our dreams only to have it be a bit out of our price range.
This is when we typically send the owner a message to see if they can work with us. Below is a real example of our conversation where we’ve gotten a better rate on a long term Airbnb.
“Hi Chelsey,
My wife and I are visiting Budapest and your apartment looks great! However, it is a little out of our price range. I see there is a monthly discount already applied. If you’re able to come down a little bit more we would be interested to book right away. If not, we totally understand. Have a great day!”
It’s as simple as that! For this particular property she responded asking us what we were willing to pay. We told her what we could afford and she was able to accommodate us.
We ended up getting $100 USD per week off of our monthly rental. Sometimes you’ll even be dealing with property managers who want to fill the spots quickly and not the owner.
If you haven’t used Airbnb before it may feel a little uncomfortable at first. Just remember the worst they will say is no! We’ve had almost entirely positive experiences when negotiating for Airbnb monthly rentals. As long as you’re polite about it you have nothing to worry about.
6. Travel in Off-Season
That brings us to our next point about renting Airbnb for a month. The best way to get a great deal on a long term airbnb rental is to travel in the swing or off-season months.
Now we know everyone wants to be in the Greek Islands for July and August. It’s when the weather is warmest and the crystal-clear Aegean and Mediterranean Seas are best for swimming.
Yet, by traveling outside of the peak months you will find some serious discounts on the best Airbnb monthly rentals.
Specifically in parts of Europe, you’ll find the weather to be just as nice in May or September. This also leaves room for more negotiation with Airbnb hosts like we mentioned above.
→ When’s the Best Time to Visit Greece? Month to Month Breakdown
7. Look For Airbnb Monthly Rentals Outside the Big Cities
Another way to save money on your Airbnb long term rentals is by searching outside the metropolitan areas. This may not be ideal if you’re visiting a place like New York City or other massive cities.
Nonetheless, if you’re staying for a month or more you may find better options elsewhere. Know that the further you get outside the cities and main parts of town the cheaper it usually is. It’s also how you can find places with a swimming pool, mountain views, or beautiful beach houses on the water.
This may require you to have a vehicle, but that just provides an opportunity for you to go on some epic road trips! We’ve actually found amazing deals on rental cars in the swing season months in Europe.
Remember that cars often work the same way as Airbnb monthly rentals. During our recent month in Croatia, we found a vehicle for just 50 Euros per week. At this price, it almost seemed silly not to have one! Take a look at Discover Cars to compare companies to see if there’s something that works for you.
→ Check Out the Latest Prices With Discover Cars
8. Check Reviews From Other Long Term Airbnb Renters
The first thing we always do while searching for a great long term Airbnb is check the reviews. Yet, it goes a little deeper than just scanning through what others said.
If you filter for long term stays you can find what other travelers said about their monthly experience. This can be important to find out about wi-fi speeds, kitchen supplies, and even how good the location was.
Honestly, the reviews are something that makes or breaks booking long-term rentals for us. Airbnb uses a 5 star rating system. You’ll want to not just look at the score, but also how many reviews the property actually has.
As a rule of thumb, we never book anything under 4.5 stars or somewhere that has less than 20 reviews. We could be losing out on some best Airbnb monthly rentals by not including ones that don’t fit this mold. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry when you’re staying in a place for this long!
9. Watch Out For Taxes and Fees
Ah, the pesky fees that come along with long term Airbnb rentals. Think of it like adding baggage to your international flights. The prices aren’t always what they seem!
The most common one that adds on to your total price is the cleaning fees. It may seem kind of silly to tack a cleaning fee on to Airbnb monthly rentals, but it’s something that’s always there.
Unfortunately, there are some taxes and fees that having nothing to do with the property owner. Airbnb includes a service charge on every rental that they won’t even see when listing the apartment.
The extra fees can be a negotiating point for you though if you’re speaking directly with the host. If you make them aware why it’s coming in over your budget, they will sometimes lower the price of the rental unit for you.
The best way to avoid this surprise is to go to the final booking screen on their website. Then you can clearly see the total cost and decide if it’s still going to work for you.
10. Payment & Long Term Airbnb Cancellation Policy
You should know about the payments while we’re going over the more annoying things about a monthly Airbnb rental. First of all, you’re going to need a credit card to book your accommodation. This part of renting Airbnb for a month is much like it is with any hotel around the world.
One nice thing is that many of the best Airbnb monthly rentals won’t require you to pay the full amount up front. This can come in clutch now and then, as the long term properties can often be in the thousands of dollars.
You should also know that Airbnb has a pretty good long-term cancellation policy. Before booking, be sure to check the cancellation options for each new place you’re looking into. This may not apply to shorter stays, but it’s something to be aware of for your long term Airbnb.
11. Go Off Airbnb Once You Get There
Something we always recommend for Airbnb monthly rentals is finding a different way to contact the host after you check in. Many owners stop checking their messages once you’ve given word you’re settled in. This is when popular tools like Whatsapp or even texting can be a better way for guest communication.
This is also how we’ve gotten better rates for the next month of our stay! A few times we’ve gone off of Airbnb and paid directly in cash to avoid the taxes and fees.
Now this does come with a warning. Everything within the Airbnb messaging platform is documented. So if you have any issues arise you will want to go through there with your Airbnb listing for peace of mind.
12. Leave Your Airbnb Monthly Rentals in Good Standing
A major key to finding future Airbnb accommodations if by taking care of the property you’re staying in. If you didn’t know, the host has the ability to leave a review of you as you will of their place. That means when you go to book your next Airbnb monthly rentals they can actually decline your stay if they have reason to.
Remember that you’re in someone else’s home! A lot of the time it’s a primary residence that they’re renting out while they take a vacation somewhere else. Whether you’re doing short term rentals or a long term Airbnb, take care of it as if it were your own.
→ How to Get an AMAZING Airbnb Review Every Stay
Are you an Airbnb host looking to up your review score? Be sure to check out our article 20 Super Helpful Airbnb Host Tips From Seasoned Travelers.
13. Look Into Other Home-Sharing Platforms
The last tip to know is that there are many other great websites besides Airbnb! In the rare case we haven’t been able to find the best Airbnb monthly rentals, we have used other platforms to find accommodations.
We recommend looking into VRBO for a similar style setup to find a long term vacation rental. Sometimes you will see the same apartment buildings as Airbnb with lower prices.
You can even look into House Sitting if you don’t mind watching other peoples pets during your stay. Here’s a fantastic TrustedHousesitters Review for more information!
Another essential tip is that you can find apartments and houses with the popular companies like Booking.com or Agoda. We mostly think of these websites as just hotels, but it’s just another option for an extended stay.
If you do your research beforehand, you will even find the phone numbers and emails of the properties for a better deal. This way you can book with someone directly and save some money. We found a great deal like this during our two months in Da Nang Vietnam.
Have any questions about this article or want to share more about finding the best Airbnb monthly rentals? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
Where in the world are we? Follow our daily adventures on Instagram@nothingfamiliar!
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