Short Term Stay vs Airbnb: What's the Difference?
Both can find you somewhere to stay for a few weeks. They work very differently, and the biggest difference is simple: Flathive is not a booking platform.
Short Term Stay (beta) lets owners and flatmates offer a furnished room for a stay of one week to three months. It's for people between leases, starting a new job, on a placement or internship, or new to the city and wanting to look around before committing to a longer flat.
Airbnb is built for trips: book a few nights, pay through the app, check out. Short Term Stay is built for living somewhere for a while, in a shared home, with the people who already live there. Here's how the two compare.
Side by side
Airbnb details are general and vary by listing and country. Check Airbnb's own pages for current fees and policies.
| Flathive Short Term Stay | Airbnb | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A listings site. Owners and flatmates advertise a furnished room; you message them and sort it out together. | A booking platform. You book and pay through Airbnb, and it sits between you and the host. |
| Length of stay | 1 week to 3 months, in whole weeks. | Usually by the night, from one night up. |
| Nightly stays | No. It's for people who need somewhere to live for a while, not a holiday. | Yes, that's the core of it. |
| What you get | A furnished room in a shared home, living with the people already there. | Anything from a room in a host's home to a whole house or apartment. |
| Booking | No booking button. You message the household, ask questions, view the room and agree to move in. | Book online, often instantly, against the host's calendar. |
| Price | Shown on the listing, usually a little above normal rent. You and the household agree the final price between you. | Set by the host per night, plus cleaning and service fees shown at checkout. |
| Paying rent | Paid directly to the household, however you agree. Flathive never holds your rent. | Paid to Airbnb up front, then passed on to the host. |
| Fees for renters | None. Searching and messaging are free. | Guest service fees on top of the nightly price. |
| Fees for owners | A one-off listing fee to switch on short stays. No commission on rent. | A share of each booking as a service fee. |
| Cancellations and refunds | Whatever you agree in writing with the household. We don't step in. | Airbnb's cancellation policies, set per listing. |
| Bond | Up to you and the household. Agree it, and how it comes back, before you pay. | Generally no bond. Damage is handled through Airbnb's own processes. |
| Who you deal with | The people you'll live with, directly, from the first message. | The host, with Airbnb in the middle for payments and disputes. |
We are not a booking platform
Flathive connects you with people who have a room. What happens next is between you and them, the same as with any flatmate.
We don't take bookings
There's no calendar to block out and no "Book now" button. A short stay starts with a message, same as any room on Flathive.
We don't handle money
Rent, bond and any extras go straight between you and the household. Flathive never holds or passes on payments for a stay.
We don't set the rules
Dates, price, bond, house rules and what happens if plans change are yours to agree. Put it in writing before anyone pays.
We don't guarantee stays
We aren't a party to your arrangement, so there's no booking guarantee, insurance or refund from us. Ask questions, view the room and agree everything up front.
Price: a suggestion, not a rule
A short stay is more work for a household than a long-term flatmate: more changeovers, more cleaning, and weeks the room might sit empty in between. That's why we recommend advertising short stays at at least 10% above the normal rent. For every $100 of normal rent, a short stay would be advertised from about $110.
That figure isn't set in stone. It's the price on the listing, not the price you have to pay. Flatmates and owners can talk it through with whoever's interested and agree whatever works for both sides: more for a one-week stay, less for a full three months, bills in or out. Whatever you settle on, write it down.
Agree the weekly price, the dates, the bond, what's included and the notice either side must give, all in writing, before any money changes hands. A Flathive rental agreement is a quick way to do it.
How Short Term Stay works
If you're looking for a stay
- Open the Short Term Stay tab and search by area, dates and budget.
- Message the household. Your enquiry is marked as a short stay so they know what you're after.
- Ask about the room, the flatmates and the house rules. View it if you can.
- Agree the price, dates and bond in writing, then pay them directly.
Searching and messaging are free.
If you have a room
- Your listing needs at least one furnished room.
- On the Rooms step, switch on short stays, set your short-stay price and the shortest and longest stay you'll take.
- Pay the one-off $5 listing fee. Your listing then shows under both Rooms and Short Term Stay.
- Chat with people who enquire, and agree the details with them directly.
Renting out a room you rent yourself? Check your tenancy agreement and get your landlord's OK first, and check any local rules on short-term letting.
Owners: the Short Term Stay FAQ covers the details.
Which one is right for you?
Here for a few nights, want a whole place to yourself, or want a platform to handle payment and cancellations? Airbnb is built for that.
Need somewhere to live for a few weeks or months, at closer to normal rent, with people you can talk to before you arrive and no booking fees? That's what Short Term Stay is for.
How Flathive helps
Flathive is New Zealand's peer-to-peer flatmate and shared housing platform. Whether you are listing a spare room or searching for your next home, Flathive makes it simple to connect, communicate, and move in safely — with verified profiles, direct messaging, and listings across the country.