Staying in an Airbnb can give you more privacy, space, and flexibility when you travel. You might have an entire house, a full kitchen, a private backyard, or a quiet cabin instead of a standard hotel room. However, staying in someone else’s property also means arriving somewhere you probably haven’t seen in person before.
A few simple precautions can help you get familiar with the property and spot potential problems before you unpack.
You don’t need to spend your vacation worrying about everything that could go wrong. Most Airbnb safety tips come down to knowing where you’re staying, checking the property when you arrive, protecting your privacy, and knowing what to do if something doesn’t seem right.
Airbnbs aren’t the only accommodations worth checking when you arrive. If your travels also include hotel stays, our guide to Hotel Safety Hacks: 60+ Smart Ways to Stay Safe While Traveling covers practical precautions you can use throughout your trip, from checking in to heading home.
Here are 15 things worth checking before you settle in.
Airbnb Safety Tips to Follow Before You Book
Some of the most important safety checks happen before you ever reach the property. Spend a little extra time researching your rental rather than relying on the photos and overall star rating alone.
1. Read Recent Reviews Carefully
Start with reviews from people who have actually stayed at the property.
Airbnb says guests can only leave a review after completing a trip. Reviews can therefore give you information that isn’t obvious from carefully selected listing photos.
Read several recent reviews and look for repeated comments about locks, cleanliness, the neighborhood, noise, parking, lighting, stairs, communication with the host, and whether the property matched its description.
One complaint doesn’t necessarily indicate a serious problem. Multiple guests mentioning the same issue deserve more attention.
Also look at how the host responds when guests report problems. A professional response that addresses a concern can tell you quite a bit about what you might expect if something goes wrong during your stay.
2. Research the Location
Take a few minutes to look at the general area surrounding the rental.
Consider where you’ll park, how you’ll reach the entrance, nearby businesses, public transportation, and how far the property is from the places you plan to visit.
Think about what coming home after dark will look like, too. A location that seems convenient during the day may feel very different when you’re walking several blocks back at night.
Solo travelers may want to pay particular attention to entrances, parking areas, and how easily they can get from their vehicle or transportation to the rental.
Researching an unfamiliar neighborhood doesn’t mean assuming it is dangerous. It simply means knowing what to expect before you arrive.
3. Check the Property’s Safety Features
Before booking, review the safety information included with the listing.
Look for smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, a fire extinguisher, and other safety equipment. Airbnb recommends checking whether smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are listed before booking and confirming them again after arrival.
Carbon monoxide deserves particular attention because you can’t see or smell it. Fuel-burning furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, water heaters, generators, and other equipment can produce carbon monoxide under certain circumstances.
If you’re traveling somewhere that doesn’t commonly require carbon monoxide alarms, consider packing a portable alarm.
This is also a good opportunity to look closely at photos for pools, hot tubs, balconies, steep stairs, fireplaces, or other features that may require additional precautions, particularly when traveling with children.
4. Keep Your Booking, Payments, and Communication on Airbnb
Be cautious if someone asks you to communicate or pay outside Airbnb.
Keeping your messages on the platform gives you a record of conversations with your host. Airbnb also recommends keeping communication, booking, and payments on its platform.
Vacation rental scams can involve copied photos, fake properties, or listings for rentals that don’t actually exist. The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to be particularly suspicious of people demanding payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
Don’t allow an unusually good deal or pressure to book immediately to override your instincts.
Airbnb Safety Tips for the First Few Minutes After You Arrive
Your first few minutes at a vacation rental are a good opportunity to check the property before luggage, kids, groceries, and everything else gets spread throughout the rooms.
5. Keep a Clear Exit and Look Through the Entire Rental
Before you unpack, walk through the property.
Keep control of the entrance and make sure you have a clear way back out while you complete your initial check. If you’re traveling with another adult, one person can remain near the entrance with the luggage while the other takes a quick look around.
Check every guest-accessible room, bathroom, closet, and other area included in your rental.
You’re confirming that the rental is empty, secure, and generally matches what you booked.
If you encounter something that makes you feel unsafe, leave rather than continuing to investigate it.
6. Check Every Exterior Door and Accessible Window
Once you’ve looked through the property, test the doors.
Check the front entrance, back door, patio and balcony doors, and any other exterior access points. Lock each one and gently check that it actually secured.
If the rental uses a keypad or smart lock, make sure you understand how to lock the door from both sides.
Then check accessible windows, particularly those on the ground floor or reachable from a balcony, staircase, roof, or fire escape.
If an exterior door or easily accessible window doesn’t lock, contact the host before settling in.
Airbnb’s safety requirements state that hosts should provide guests with a secure space and secure keys or access codes. Airbnb also says entry codes should change between reservations.
7. Find the Emergency Exits and Safety Equipment
Don’t wait for an emergency to figure out how to get outside.
Identify the main exit and another possible way out when the property layout allows it. This is especially important in large homes, basement apartments, cabins, and unfamiliar multi-level buildings.
Make sure luggage and other belongings don’t block your exit routes.
Find the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and locate the fire extinguisher if one is provided.
You don’t need to dismantle an alarm to inspect it. Look for obvious problems, such as a missing device or visible damage, and report concerns to your host.
Many of these arrival checks are useful anywhere you stay. Our Hotel Room Safety: 21 Must-Know Tips to Stay Safe While Traveling guide covers what to look for once you enter a hotel room, including the door, locks, emergency exits, and other easy-to-miss safety concerns.
8. Record a Video of the Property Before You Unpack
This Airbnb safety tip can also protect you from disputes over property damage.
Before moving your belongings throughout the rental, use your phone to record a quick walkthrough.
Capture each room and pay particular attention to existing stains, scratches, broken furniture, damaged appliances, holes, or other noticeable problems.
Take close-up photographs of significant damage as well.
Keep the original files because your phone may preserve useful date and time metadata. You can also include a visible clock or another reference that helps establish when you recorded the property’s condition.
If you discover significant damage, send a message to the host through Airbnb shortly after arriving. That creates another record showing that the problem existed when you checked in.
9. Look for Fire, Electrical, and Fall Hazards
You don’t need to perform a professional safety inspection. Look for obvious problems.
Damaged electrical cords, exposed wiring, scorch marks, overloaded outlets, unstable furniture, or a space heater positioned beside something flammable deserve attention.
Check stairs, railings, decks, and balconies as you explore the property. Watch for loose steps, unstable railings, poor lighting, and unexpected changes in floor height.
These checks become particularly important when you’re traveling with young children or someone who has limited mobility.
Report serious hazards rather than attempting to repair the property yourself.
Airbnb Safety Tips for Privacy and Hidden Cameras
Privacy is another important part of vacation rental safety.
Airbnb prohibits hosts from having security cameras or recording devices monitoring indoor areas of homes, even when the devices are turned off.
That doesn’t mean you need to dismantle clocks and smoke detectors when you arrive. A basic visual check can help you identify something unusual without damaging the host’s property.
10. Look for Unexpected Cameras
As you walk through the property, pay attention to devices that seem out of place or appear positioned to capture private areas.
If something looks suspicious, examine it without taking it apart.
One commonly suggested trick involves turning off the lights and slowly shining a flashlight across suspicious objects. A camera lens may produce a small blue, purple, white, or other reflective glint when the light hits it at the correct angle.
However, this isn’t a foolproof hidden-camera test.
Glass, screws, plastic, electronics, and other everyday objects can reflect your flashlight. Some camera lenses may not create an obvious reflection at all.
Use the flashlight method as one additional visual check rather than assuming it can prove that a room is camera-free.
Hidden cameras deserve a closer look than we can cover in a general Airbnb safety guide. If you want to know where cameras are allowed, what hosts must disclose, and what to look for during your stay, read Do Airbnbs Have Cameras Inside? 9 Important Truths Every Traveler Should Know.
11. Consider Using a Hidden Camera or Tracker Detector
Travelers who frequently stay in vacation rentals may want to add a detector to their travel kit.
Some anti-spy detectors combine radio-frequency detection, magnetic detection, and optical lens detection. Depending on the model, these tools may help identify certain wireless cameras, transmitting devices, or magnetic GPS trackers.
However, they aren’t magic camera finders.
Wi-Fi routers, phones, Bluetooth devices, smart TVs, and other legitimate electronics can create radio-frequency signals. Some hidden devices may also store recordings locally rather than continuously transmitting a signal.
A detector can add another layer to your inspection, but a clear reading doesn’t guarantee that no recording device exists.
12. Know What to Do If You Suspect a Hidden Camera
If you find what appears to be an undisclosed indoor camera or recording device, don’t immediately pull it apart or destroy it.
First, document what you found. Take photographs or video showing both the device and its location in the room.
If you feel unsafe, leave the property and go somewhere secure.
Contact Airbnb through the platform and report what you found. Preserve your reservation details, photographs, videos, messages with the host, and other evidence.
Depending on where you’re traveling and the circumstances, secret recording may also violate local law. Contact local law enforcement if you believe someone has illegally recorded you or if you feel threatened.
Avoid confronting someone in person when doing so could put you at risk.
Airbnb Safety Tips While You’re Away From the Rental
Safety doesn’t stop once you’ve completed your arrival check.
13. Use a Simple Door Marker When You Leave
If you’re concerned that someone could enter the rental while you’re gone, a small piece of paper can work as a simple, informal indicator.
Fold a tiny piece of paper and discreetly position it between the door and frame as you close the door. Take a photo or remember exactly where you placed it.
Check the paper when you return.
If it has fallen or moved, the door may have opened.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t prove someone entered. Air movement, poor placement, maintenance, or another innocent explanation could move the paper.
Never place anything where it interferes with the lock, latch, door operation, or fire safety.
More importantly, if you return and have a genuine reason to believe someone may still be inside, don’t enter the property just to investigate. Go somewhere safe and seek assistance.
14. Secure Your Valuables and Be Careful With Wi-Fi
Don’t leave passports, wallets, cash, medications, expensive jewelry, or important documents sitting in plain sight.
Keep important belongings together in a secure or discreet location. Lock exterior doors and accessible windows whenever you leave.
Think about digital security as well.
A rental’s Wi-Fi network is convenient, but it isn’t a network you control. Keep your devices updated and use caution when accessing sensitive financial or work information.
If your employer requires a VPN or other security precautions for remote work, continue following those requirements while traveling.
Airbnb Safety Tips for Families and Solo Travelers
Different travelers will have different concerns, so your final check should account for the people staying with you.
15. Check for Personal Safety Hazards and Share Your Location
If you’re traveling with children, don’t assume a property described as family-friendly has been completely childproofed.
Check stairs, balconies, pools, hot tubs, fireplaces, blind cords, cleaning products, medications, heavy furniture, and other potential hazards.
Airbnb’s own family safety guidance recommends precautions such as safety gates for stairs and pools, securing cleaning products and medications, and anchoring unstable furniture.
Pet owners should check fences, gates, balconies, and outdoor areas before allowing an animal to explore freely.
Solo travelers can take an additional precaution by sending the property’s address and basic trip details to someone they trust.
Everyone in your travel group should know the rental’s address, too. Save it in your phone so you can quickly provide your location if you need assistance.
When traveling internationally, find out the local emergency number instead of assuming it is the same as the one you use at home.
What Should You Do If You Feel Unsafe at an Airbnb?
Trusting your judgment matters.
A broken appliance and a door that won’t lock aren’t the same type of problem. Decide whether the situation is something the host can safely correct or whether you need to leave.
Document problems with photographs or video and communicate with your host through Airbnb whenever possible. Keeping those conversations on the platform creates a record of what happened.
If you believe you’re in immediate danger, don’t stay at the property while you wait for a response from the host.
Get yourself and anyone traveling with you to a safe location and contact local emergency services when necessary. You can address the reservation and other details once you’re safe.
Make These Airbnb Safety Tips Part of Every Trip
Checking an Airbnb doesn’t need to become an elaborate investigation.
Most of these precautions take only a few minutes.
Start before your trip by reading recent reviews, researching the area, checking the property’s listed safety equipment, and keeping your booking and payments on Airbnb.
Once you arrive, look through the property before unpacking. Check rooms and closets, test doors and windows, find your exits, locate the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and record the property’s condition.
A quick privacy check can give you additional peace of mind. Know Airbnb’s rules regarding indoor cameras, pay attention to anything unusual, and know what to do if you discover something concerning.
Finally, secure your belongings, make sure everyone in your group knows the address, and let someone you trust know where you’re staying when appropriate.
The goal of these Airbnb safety tips isn’t to make travel feel frightening. A simple arrival routine can help you become familiar with an unfamiliar property, catch problems early, and then get on with enjoying your trip.
Be aware, and stay safe!
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