There are many wise comments in the responses. Another good reason for getting things in writing is that their intent for the film is part of the contract. A local kids ice cream joint that closes in the winter rented out to someone making a “music video”. It turned out to be a porn flick and caused quite an uproar. Of course, I’m still wondering who discovered the finished film and admitted it by complaining about the use of the diner.
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This sounds like a great opportunity, they just went about it the wrong way.
I’ve had many people reach out about film shoots, and we have accepted many of them. We are also a little used to it - my own apartment has been a location, and I happily offer my backyard to friends for projects. But that means I also know how much the space is worth and what it entails, so when a group reaches out I treat my space like a work space and scouted location. Insurance, permits, etc.
Some guests balk at my response, and some rise to the occasion and the higher fees. We love working with student groups and independent filmmakers, but we don’t charge a large group here for a project the same we would charge guests…
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This has got to be a scam. I got the same request here in Texas. I responded that our farm was not a good fit. The preapproval expired. The letter is so similar, they must be telling them to look for farms on Airbnb. Here’s a copy of what I received.
Hi there Sissi,
I hope you are doing well and having a great night so far! My name is Tori McCarthy and I am reaching out because I am a MFA film student at UT Austin and I am currently scouting locations for my graduate thesis film. The film tells the story of a young woman attempting to take a long road trip to attend the funeral of her beloved grandmother during the beginning of the pandemic. It is a small woman led non profit student production and one very dear to my heart as not only will it complete my graduate degree but is also inspired by my own experiences this past year. Currently we are seeking private roadways/ long drive ways to shoot some of the road trip sequences. We have scenes both with the car moving and parked as well as day and night scenes, so in terms of schedule/logistics we have a variety of scenes we could make work to your convenience ! We will be shooting April 8-11 and April 15-18 all around Austin and hill country and would be interested in shooting between a half day (6 hours) up to 2 full days ( 10 hours plus lunch or multiple half days) all depending on what you are amenable to ! Separate from filming we are also looking to book accommodations for our lead actress and naturally it would be very convenient to do both in one place ! Thank you so much for your time and consideration- I look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
Tori McCarthy
UT Austin MFA Film/TV Production ‘21
This is just a student film. Lots of them there (my hometown), I’ve made them myself there. In my current city, there are also student filmmakers. I love to host their filmmaking. Best guests ever and don’t even spend the night. And then I’m invited to the showing, it’s always fun. However, I understand (this has been discussed many times) that some hosts just don’t care for it or are worried about insurance and such. It’s ok to not want to do it, but this is not a scam.
The letter that she sent you is exactly how they teach you to write a letter when requesting a location for filming, in every film school everywhere, so, yes, all the letters will sound similar to one another.
Here is your filmmaker. It took 2 seconds to find her. No scam.
Yes, I’ve heard nightmare stories of folks who let a film crew rent thier Airbnb’s. I’m not willing to sacrifice mine for this.
Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.
Sissi
Understandable. Did you know you were part of the production before the shoot? 
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Oh goodness, you’ve reminded me about a similar instance here a few years ago. A small store was rented out in all innocence to a film company and that too was a porn film. 
Why? Most of us get the film company request often and they’re not scamming. They’re just trying to save money by not paying for a properly insured location.
Oh my goodness, you’ve just reminded me about… nah, can’t say anymore, host still a well respected member here 
JF
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We rented out place to a film crew in 2020 that said they were from New York and were filming a documentary. We were a bit concerned, but we live in town and have security cameras on the outside.
They rented for an extra day before they checked in ( for Covid reasons). The had some large cases for their film equipment. They left each day with their equipment and returned at night with it. They were obviously legit and just needed a place to stay.
Wish we could have met them and learned about their film.
What a coincidence! We just had a group check in that is a part of a 7 member Country-Folk band. They wanted to film a little ‘out in the country’ as they put it, and we can certainly provide that. They got in late last night so we’ll see what happens…fingers crossed…leery about renting to musicians - I used to be one 
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We have twice rented out our large historic home AirBnB for films. This historic house is right next door to the house we live in, so I was able to keep a close eye on things. The first occasion was a local filmmaker shooting a low budget sci-fi film (not a porno) and I insisted on reading the script before approving the booking, plus knew some local people who vouched for the guy.
If you want to watch the film, it’s on Amazon Prime, I think. The title is Escape 2120. The actors from out of town stayed in the house, and they also shot some scenes inside the house. Doc and Sally’s apartment in the movie is basically the downstairs of that AirBnB house with some of the furniture taken out and the film maker’s furniture substituted.
We did okay from the booking and they got a good rate because we were willing to help a local guy fulfill his dream of making a movie. It was one of our first bookings so I was unaware of a lot of issues I should have considered (insurance, contracts, etc).
The second time it was the Oxygen Network. They wanted it because they were making an episode for a true crime series—Murder for Hire—and it was a crime that happened in our town. They used the AirBnB house to film the interviews with the victim and his family. With them, I had gotten a little more up-to-speed on things and so I had a proper contract with them, appropriate insurance in place, etc, and was paid more in line with the rates on giggster. If you want to watch the episode, its season 1, episode 18, Not Your Average Grandma.
We had great experiences both times but I was very clear about what they could and could not do and had everything spelled out. Maybe we were just lucky but both times they were very careful not to damage anything and respected the property.
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I forgot to say the actors in the sci-fi film were a delight to host. We got to know them a bit, and have kept in touch a little through Facebook with the three main actors—the ones that played Doc, Sally, and Dave.
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Giggster is a platform for location shoots…send him there.
A guy recently called to rent my house for a “Netflix/HBO” documentary about a murder story.
HIM: The story involves a man who pushed his wife down the stairs. AND, they wanted a home that looks like it’s located in Nevada. I asked for credentials, and was given a link to a profile on IMBD. He wanted interior shots asap.
ME: My house has NO STEPS, NO STAIRS. It’s in the suburbs of Atlanta- no desert anywhere.
And, you’ll have to be supervised by my cleaner.
- He never showed up for his appointment.
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That’s funny. How bizarre for him not to have bothered to actually read the listing info to find out if it had the features he wanted for his shoot. Pretty unprofessional.
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Not on AIrBNB, but we had a local company use one of our apartments for a shoot. We had a contract and proof of insurance, although reading your response and knowing what happened on our property “load-in and load-out times, how big the crew was, what we could and could not shoot, if we could move furniture, electricity requirements, what type of lights we used etc.” would have been helpful…
Good insight, thank you.
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Hi stonethistle:
I have had two different production companies use my air bnb for filming. They get a permit from the city, hire a off duty police officer to direct traffic and provide you a certificate of insurance covering your property. They also pay more for the use of your property. Neither production company asked to use the restroom or kitchen. They brought their own food and facilities. The ones I have had experience with were great. Of course they had a much larger crew. The scouts are always on the lookout for places to film and looking through listings on air bnb and VRBO makes their hunt much easier.
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