Call Kurtis: Risks, Rewards Of Renting Rooms

People are advertising online, letting people pay to stay in their homes.

It's a way to make money or find a room much cheaper than a hotel but is it safe?

"It's a good opportunity to actually meet foreigners," says Romer Bernardo, Sacramento resident.

Romer says he makes between $40 and $45 per room when he rents out his two spare bedrooms inside his Sacramento home.

It puts extra money in his pocket and is much cheaper for his guests.

"It saves them a lot of money. They feel like they don't have to pay for every single thing, like wifi," says Romer.

"This is my room here," says Talin Akdemir from Australia.

Talin is renting out a spare bedroom in Seth Porges' Brooklyn condo for $90 a night, getting access to a full kitchen, food, toiletries, access to a rooftop deck and her own private balcony with a city view.

"I'm having a local experience and that's what I was after. I didn't want to be a tourist. I wanted to live like a local New Yorker," says Talin.

Seth says his spare room is booked about 28 days out of the month, which adds up to more than $30,000 a year.

"When you rent out your room by night, you can make a lot more money than renting out by the month. So being an Airbnb host, you can make a lot more money than renting the room to a roommate full time," he says.

Airbnb is just one of many websites taking advantage of the short-term vacation rental market.

But these sites don't do background checks.

A San Francisco woman blogged a guest burglarized her apartment and an Oakland guy says a drug addict he rented to took an ax to his doors.

"Think about it, you're bringing a stranger into home," says Elie Seidman of travel site Oyster.com.

Elie says private homes can't offer the security hotels can.

"In the vast majority of cases, everyone is a great person. But unfortunately, in society, whether it's here in the U.S. or abroad, there are exceptions," says Elie.

Airbnb announced it's rolling out new consumer protections and will cover up to $50,000 in damages and thefts for hosts.

"I do feel very comfortable," says Romer.

Romer enjoys hosting international visitors and says he always feels safe because he talks with his renters first and checks their references.

"As a host, I'm basically in control of who I invite to my home before I let them in," says Romer.

Some cities, including New York City have banned these short-term rentals.

We checked with the city of Sacramento, which has not. The County of Napa does have a ban.

Airbnb does say problems are rare and it has a trust and safety center on its website.