[tdfw]

I feel Airbnb offers a value-added service and, in my personal experience, that has justified the extra price. Also keep in mind that the spirit of Airbnb was short-term vacation rentals; not long-term tenancies.

With Airbnb I can evaluate the host's social "credit" to some degree (have they connected with LinkedIn? What references have they provided?) and transparent straight-up reviews from past guests. Having Airbnb act as an arbitrator when things go wrong is priceless.