KEY BOX: TELLTALE SIGN SCAMMERS HAVE MOVED IN
IF YOU see a key safe box attached to the wall outside a front door, it is highly likely that one of the flats or rooms inside is being let out on Airbnb on a short-term basis.
Guests are given a code to punch into a number pad on these small safes, inside which they find the key for the property.
It means the landlord doesn’t even have to be there to let guests in. Visitors are then asked to replace the key in the box when they leave.
Most people who let out properties on Airbnb employ cleaners to ensure the property is kept in good condition for the next guest.
They can simply give the cleaner the code as well, so earning thousands of pounds without turning up to the property for months.