For the homeless of us who may have the cash, but not much else.
During my time being homeless now, AirBnb has become the one way I have actually avoided being on the streets.
In fact, something you might notice is that folks have started to rely on hotels to have a roof over their heads as opposed to traditional apartment renting. [Sources: r/ODSP | Businessinsider.com | toronto.ctvnews.ca]
It started when a friend had me stay at a hostel/inn location in downtown Toronto.
And with doing my own google search, I found that Hotels.com has the best rates for cheap places like the one I was in. Not only that, but it also allows you to sort listings by price (lowest to highest).
But with the cost of it being $70-$100 per night, it wasn’t a sustainable option. Could I possibly get a better deal elsewhere?
Yes, which led me to AirBnb.
Now first off, yes, I avoided it because of the notoriety. And trust me, I definitely will be sharing my own experiences lower down in the article.
Using the app/website
The first important thing you’ll have to note is that AirBnb requires identification to verify you to be a user/guest on the platform. I used my driver’s license, but I would imagine this would be difficult for those of us who are refugees.
But if you can get past that first barrier, your options have now expanded greatly.
When you’re looking for spots in Toronto, we can find rates per night, and some hosts have discounts for the longer your stay is.
Once you make a payment for your stay, you can view details like the host’s address and are then given instructions by the host on how to make yourself at home for your stay.
Hosts usually let guests self-check in, usually through a keypad on the front door, with a code once you’ve paid.
If there are any questions or concerns, you can message the host directly on the AirBnb app.
And for everyone’s safety, everyone is verified and you can leave reviews on each other.
An interesting part is that you can only see each other’s review on one another once you you’ve both submitted the review, eliminating any ‘You left a bad review for me so I’ll leave a bad review for you’ shinennagans.
Use Klarna to your advantage
And for my personal favourite part of AirBnb: Klarna.
Instead of paying all that money down, split it into several no-interest bi-weekly purchases. An invaluable asset that other hotels won’t have if you need to delay spending large sums of money, but do be careful to not go too wild with this as Klarna has been making their services more strict. Like, I can’t even use my prepaid bank cards to make an initial payment now.
Edit (Oct.30th.2024): Turns out Hotels.com also uses Klarna.
And now for what you’re really here for:
My experiences.
Since my price range is low, I go for the $40 to $60 per night stay (Any lower would mean sharing a room with someone, which has led to unfavourable experiences for others).
I’ll start with the good though:
From my experience, I’ve only met one host in person and he was super lovely. Actually reminded me of my adoptive dad, haha.
Other than that, it was the self-check-in method, which was usually pretty simple.
A couple of hosts had a cleaner/maid (or maybe even a friend who looks after their place?) that I saw but didn’t bother me.
And I won’t lie, I was scared the first time I tried AirBnb because the reality is you’re in someone else’s home. And it feels weird if they’re not there, so you feel like you’re trespassing.
But once I got over that feeling, I enjoyed most of my stays. I got a good night’s rest knowing I wasn’t sleeping in a shelter or on the streets.
The rooms are usually very nice and private, so I could do my post-op aftercare with no worry.
And if you’re fortunate enough to have one of the hosts I did, you get treated to a really adorable room.
Now are you ready for the BAD? Because, oh boy.
So this happened recently, this weekend. I was supposed to get in touch with a friend but I didn’t get to see them so it’s late at night and I have to find a place ASAP.
AirBnb to the rescue!…but not really.
The first thing that went wrong:
The first AirBnb I booked, the host asks for a whole lot of identification.
Obviously, I’m taken aback by this because no host has asked for my government ID before. Because AirBnb does that themselves when you sign up.
And what’s worse, there’s a language barrier so I’m getting nowhere.
Whatever. Refund? Um, no.
So here’s the big caveat when it comes to AirBnb booking: The host’s “No Refund for Cancellation” policy. Doesn’t matter if you didn’t go, your money is taken.
(I’m going to try to dispute this through PayPal. Will let you know how that goes)
And this time around, I was facing an awful situation where my Canadian Tire credit card got closed by accident and I couldn’t recover it, so I can’t even use Klarna now because of that (it was the card I was using for it).
So now I’m out money I couldn’t really afford to lose.
Fuck.
Okay, not like I have much choice with the money I have, but let’s try this again.
Same-ish kind of deal with another host, but he’s fine with just my driver’s license for ID.
Okay, whatever. Let’s get moving.
I make it to the AirBnb location and…I’m lost.
Reason? The host’s place has no house number so he has to tell me how to get there through text…with the language barrier we have. ._.
And now for a reveal about myself: I have no sense of direction. My birth dad once gave me instructions on how to get to one place and I ended up on the other side of the island (back in Barbados).
Okay, deep breath.
I calmed myself down and found the place.
But oh boy, almost wish I didn’t.
So the entrance has a smart camera to which the host is telling me to put my ID to the camera so he can verify me.
He then lets me inside and I get these whole ‘B Style horror movie’ vibes because now I have to get a card from the closet.
What does this card do? It unlocks the respective door when you put it to the keypad sensor.
Now I just need a TV suddenly turning on somewhere and Jigsaw telling me “Hello, [NAME]. I want to play a game.“
You know how places have a key card device so only registered employees can go through the doors? Yeah, this was the same deal. At pretty much every door, there was a keypad.
And don’t forget the cameras in the halls.
The place is literally built like a goddamn psyche ward (I WOULD KNOW, I’VE BEEN IN ONE).
Like I told my friend with my dark sense of humour, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I got kidnapped in the middle of the night and trafficked. And then I would been like “Ha, not sure what else I expected there” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Thank fuck I only booked for one night, even against my better judgement.
I think the most positive thing there was that I felt like no one could walk into my room because of the keycard reader on it.
Oh yeah, there was a hidden one on my room door as well, signified by a coloured dot. It seems like there was a card reader on all the guests’ rooms, but I didn’t want to risk any more than I already was verifying that.
It goes without saying that I left as soon as I could.
And yeah, now I have a set of rules for AirBnbs now: The bargain AirBnbs might get me killed lol.
Thankfully, my next AirBnb host was wonderful to balance that out.
So yeah, are AirBnbs helpful for us either travelling or homeless? Yes, but with a BIG ASS ASTERISK.
If you have the money, you can even book a whole month at an AirBnb.
Pretty neat, eh? It’s a good enough middle ground besides being a full-on tenant.
It’s going cost you around $1200CAD though, and that’s practically your entire ODSP cheque. And that’s if you get the shelter allowance because ODSP doesn’t recognize AirBnbs as a housing cost (confirmed this with my Ontario Works caseworker).
It’s a big money saver when you compare a hotel, without a doubt.
Just, be careful, especially if you’re a vulnerable individual.
Oh, and one more important thing: Like I said in my update to the TTC Transit Discount article, the discount doesn’t apply to the Greater Toronto Area. If you’re a dumbass like me, then you’ll be spending far more on transit than you should just to get to Brampton or the York Region.
Instead, factor in how much it’ll cost to travel outside Toronto when considering an AirBnb price because it won’t be worth saving $3 if your bus tickets are going to add up in the double digits.
Recommendation: HELPFUL*‘BIG ASS ASTERISK’
Now we can get into a whole speel about how rich folk are buying homes meant for big families to start their own little AirBnb gigs, which basically screws everyone out of affording their own home while they profit from it, but that’s not for me to discuss here.
At least not yet.
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