This was our first airbnb experience. There are a few things you need to be aware of:
1- The place is away from shopping centers and restaurants. The place is far away from downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Hollywood district.
2- You are not renting a full house. It is a guest area with access through metal door in the backyard. I believe the owner of the house lives in the house next to the guest house.
3- There are two large dogs in the vicinity. They give us, especially my daughter, a terrible scare upon arrival. After we rushed in and locked the door, they stayed there for a few mins starring at us until the owner called them back.
4- The rental place is really small and I do not think it can safely hosts 5 people. But some people may be OK with this.
5- You are expected to read all the instructions for check-in, internet, etc. Do not count on a quick response (intentional or not). We had issues with WIFI connection. We got a response to our inquiry hours later.
Because of the arrival experience we had with the dogs, my daughter refused to stay there for the second night. We ended up paying for a hotel room close to the airport for the second night.