Furnished Finder vs Airbnb: Which is Better for Hosts?
If you thought that Airbnb would be the clear winner in the Furnished Finder vs Airbnb debate, it might not necessarily be the case. While Airbnb is a global household name, depending on your type of housing and market, Furnished Finder could be a worthy Airbnb alternative.
Key Takeaways
- Furnished Finder only caters for longer stays with most properties having a minimum of one month, while Airbnb is more suited for vacationers looking for shorter stays, in some cases even accommodating single nights.
- While Furnished Finder was specifically designed for travel nurses, it also targets corporate travelers, digital nomads, and families who are relocating or renovating and need an alternative house.
- Furnished Finder is generally more affordable as it offers lower fees than Airbnb which charges guests and hosts services fees.
If you want low-hassle, consistent monthly income with minimal vacancies, Furnished Finder is the better website to list your house or apartment. Airbnb, on the other hand, offers higher potential nightly rates and more bookings, but comes with constant turnovers, stricter platform rules, and more work.
That said, as this comparison shows, it’s more than simply money and workload. The type of renters you wish to attract, and, of course, location, could also be a reason why you would want to prioritize the one.
Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect and how it compares to Airbnb.
What is Furnished Finder?
Furnished Finder is a website that offers furnished rental accommodation (both shared accommodation and whole units) to travelers for stays of 30 days or longer. On its site, users can view available furnished housing options and read up on the reviews written by previous guests.
It’s available to all renters, but especially looks to offer temporary housing to travel nurses and other professionals, like business travelers. According to its website, about 31% are travel nurses, 33% are corporate travelers and remote workers, and 19% are relocating families.
How Does Furnished Finder Compare to Airbnb for Property Owners?
Not only is Furnished Finder different from Airbnb in a few ways, but it can also offer other advantages in terms of features, cost, and ease of use.
Furnished Finder | Airbnb | |
Target Market | Travel nurses, remote workers, corporate tenants, and relocating families | Tourists, vacationers, and short-term travelers |
Length of Stay | Monthly rentals only (minimum 30 days) | Nightly, weekly, or monthly |
Fees and Cost | Lower platform overhead and predictable annual cost for hosts | Higher per-booking cost, but fee absorbed across many bookings |
Payment Handling | Property manager/owner collects payment directly | Payments processed by Airbnb |
Guest/tenant Screening | Property manager/owner screens tenants directly and may require background checks | Airbnb verifies ID. Hosts have limited independent screening ability. |
Support | Disputes are handled between host and tenant with limited platform support available. | Round-the-clock support and Airbnb mediates disputes. |
Advantages of Furnished Finders
No commission or booking fees
Furnished Finder charges a listing fee only (in other words hosts won’t have to pay a commission per booking). It is really straightforward. Property owners only have to pay a yearly subscription fee of $199.
Screening functionality
Furnished Finder integrates with KeyCheck allowing property owners to complete guest screenings via the dashboard. It also offers a paid service in partnership with TransUnion SmartMove that gives hosts access to background checks, previous evictions, and credit reports.
Direct communication
Unlike Airbnb where communication needs to stay in-app, the Furnished Finder platform allows you to communicate directly via phone, email, or text, with phone and text being the preferred choices.
That said, it does have an in-platform messaging feature, similar to Airbnb's, if you prefer this. Airbnb’s messaging system that facilitates communication between hosts and guests has an intuitive interface and can be helpful for coordinating stays. So, the ease of use isn’t necessarily the biggest drawback, but rather the fact that you’re restricted to this method.
Fewer turnovers
As each booking will be for at least 30 days, you’ll have fewer turnovers. This means that you can save on cleaning costs.
Housing request feature
While Furnished Finder doesn’t attract as much website traffic, it offers a useful housing request feature that can help property owners to reach potential tenants directly. This feature lets users list their needs which then get sent to nearby property owners that match these criteria. This way, your listing won’t get buried in the search results.
Disadvantages of Furnished Finders
Limited to the US
To list on Furnished Finder, your property needs to be located in the United States. On the other hand, Airbnb is available in most countries across the world. In fact, there are over 220 countries and regions with Airbnb listings.
No demand for unique stays
Unlike Airbnb that lets you list unique properties like treehouses, yurts, etc., Furnished Finder accommodates only a few property types that’s limited to the entire place, private rooms, hotel rooms, or apartments. Hosts also typically prefer more traditional property types with one to two-bedroom units being the most in-demand.
How Do I List My Short-term Rentals on Furnished Finder vs Airbnb?
User-friendliness is one of the first things that property owners look at when choosing a platform for their rentals. The process that you need to complete to list your property is generally a good indication of what you can expect from the platform in terms of intuitiveness and support going forward. Plus, if the benefits of listing on Furnished Finder have already convinced you to use it, you’ll need these steps in any case.
Getting started on Furnished Finder
Step 1: Click on the “List Your Property” link and complete the short form.
Step 2: In the Furnished Finder custom manager dashboard, complete your listing by adding all the details, like a description of your property, photos, monthly rate, and additional fees, that a traveler will need in order to be able to make an informed choice.
Step 3: Submit the property information to the Furnished Finder platform.
Step 4: Reach out to one of their specialists for approval of your property and listing. As a property owner, you will also need to be verified and screened.
Step 5: If your listing was approved (this usually takes about 24 hours), you can start editing your listing.
Step 6: Remember to set up message notifications so that you will be alerted as soon as you receive a housing request for your property.
As you can see, this process is very similar to creating an Airbnb listing.
Furnished Finder vs Airbnb: Which One Is More Affordable?
Knowing how payments and fees work on each platform is key. After all, your goal is to make money. Here’s what you can expect:
Furnished Finder
The tenant will pay you directly. If you are specifically renting out to healthcare workers, some tenants might prefer that their medical staffing company pays you directly.
Furnished Finder recommends that you use Baseline to collect rent and security deposits. It’s designed specifically for rental properties and free of charge for Furnished Finder users in the first year. Aside from being able to use it for free, it also reduces the payment processing time from five business days to only two.
Airbnb
Compared to Furnished Finder and other rental platforms, Airbnb payment and fees are more complex. Not only are Airbnb fees more intricate than Furnished Finder, but they can also add up as you are charged a percentage of your booking subtotal.
Airbnb currently uses two types of service fees for hosts: split fee (available only to certain hosts) and single fee. With the split-fee system, Airbnb hosts will pay about 3% of the total booking cost, but it could be higher.
With the single fee, hosts will be charged a service fee of 14% to 16% of the total booking cost.
While Airbnb will take care of payment processing, it could mean that Airbnb hosts will have to wait some time. Airbnb will send your payment about a day after the guest has checked into your property.
Then, your bank and payout method will also play a role in how long it will take for the payment to reflect in your account. For example, if you use PayPal, it can clear within one business day.
However, if you use international wire, bank transfer, or direct deposit, it can take as long as seven business days. Depending on your financial institution, there can also be extra fees.
Furnished Finder vs Airbnb: Final Verdict
Furnished Finder can be an ideal alternative to hosts wanting to take advantage of long-term rentals or accommodate business travelers, digital nomads, or traveling medical professionals specifically.
It offers more transparency, while the fees are also lower as you do not have to budget for commission. In fact, if your property is close to hospitals it is definitely an avenue to consider seriously as there is a real demand for travel nurse housing in many locations.
On the other hand, if the thought of being tied to long-term rentals and accommodating these types of travelers don’t fit in with your business strategy, rather stick to Airbnb. It remains one of the most popular platforms for furnished rentals among a bigger group of travelers for a reason.
The Solution When There’s No Clear Winner
If you can’t decide on which rental platform you want to use, you can list on both Furnished Finder and Airbnb simultaneously. In fact, many hosts do this to maximize occupancy rate, using Furnished Finder to fill longer blocks with stable tenants and Airbnb to capture shorter stays in between. After all, more exposure can’t hurt, right?
While this can be a good strategy, it does increase your workload. Also, when you list your property on multiple rental platforms, double-bookings become a real risk.
For this reason, it is highly recommended that you invest in a vacation rental software solution. Not only will this type of tool help you to prevent double-bookings, but it also helps to automate many of your daily routine tasks.
In fact, you do not need to list on both Furnished Finder and Airbnb to benefit. For example, iGMS, one of the top vacation rental software solutions, offers a long list of benefits and can help to streamline tasks such as:
- Managing multiple accounts and units on Airbnb, Furnished Finder, and other rental platforms
- Creating your own direct booking website in minutes
- Sharing daily schedules with your team and auto-assigning tasks
FAQs
What is the difference between Furnished Finder and Airbnb?
Furnished Finder is not really aimed at short-term stays but dedicated to monthly rentals. Secondly, interested travelers do not need to communicate via a platform and they are also welcome to visit the listing before finalizing a reservation.
Which is safer to use: Furnished Finder or Airbnb?
Both Airbnb and Furnished Finder are generally safe to use and have a verification process for users requiring government-issued IDs and/or profile photos.
Which platform gives hosts more control over their listing and pricing?
Both Furnished Finder and Airbnb allow hosts to set their own rate, but Furnished Finder gives hosts more autonomy overall. There are fewer platform-imposed rules and policy enforcement. For example, with Furnished Finder, it’s not uncommon for hosts to do more thorough tenant screening or exchange contact details early in the process.
About the Author
Callan Riddles is a former Content and Social Media Specialist at iGMS. Callan has a passion for finding new ways to help vacation rental businesses thrive. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, and experience all the new things that life has to offer.
