This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
This just makes me really relieved that my property works well with IB and I have it on and am happy with it. And while I prefer a moderate cancellation policy, Iāll be switching to flexible if they raise the fees just because I donāt trust them to stand by their cancellation policy anyway, I mostly view it as a deterrent from lousy guests.
I really feel for those hosts who need to have a strict policy and where IB simply doesnāt work for their set-up. I just got an IB for tomorrow and Iāve messaged the guest to find out their arrival time within minutes of their booking and havenāt heard back yet. Tomorrow is a busy day, so I can make it work, but Iāve got a check-out tomorrow as well so Iām hoping itās a later check-in. But I doubt it. And they donāt have the courtesy of responding to me within 10 minutes of their booking? Itās nerve wracking and Iām gonna get dinged if they show up and Iām not home or itās not ready yet. Thankfully this is a rarity for me, but this is common reality for many people even without IB and Air is really pushing hosts to leave the siteā¦
whoa, All Aboutā¦ Where are you from? IN the U.S.? I did not get such an email.
Does this mean if you are on strict cancellation AND non IB you will pay TEN PERCENT??
I just wonder if this beta is rolling out to try new things.
Shame on Airbnb making this all about guestsā¦Taking away our optional control!!! SHAME!!!
Today I am spending the day trying to list on new platforms.
I am glad I am taking a break from hosting. Between charging more for not using IB, and the increased fees for strict & moderate cancellation policies, I would feel that I am taking on a lot of risk as a host. Iād feel unsafe accepting sketchy IB guests into the home I live in, and Iād also feel I was taking all of the financial risk with having my calendar blocked until a guest cancels at the last minute.
And I do not believe Air will stand by their policies (and protect hosts) with instant book either. After a while - if all hosts were on instant book, and guests still continue to just click through photos (without reading anything) Air is going to piss those guests off because they will lose a lot of money.
Imagine a guest books a house for a week with a four person maximum. Guest just assumes their two toddlers donāt count, so they are really bringing six. Host finds out soon after booking and says āsorry - but you will need to rent another house for two of the people.ā - Well guest isnāt going to do this as husband and wife with four kids arenāt going to rent two houses now.
In the end, host refuses to refund their $1,500. What do you really think Air is going to do?? The guest WILL file a chargeback with their credit card company. And Air is not going to just eat those kinds of charges over and over and over again.
Sarah, You are expressing what Iāve said many times before about the direction Airbnb is taking, which is to become less personalized. They want us to function like Expedia.com, etc., which is faceless, but itās super convenient for guests. They push a button and itās all done. They donāt have to schmooze and cajole usājust show up!
Yeah. Thankfully this isnāt normal for me and my ānicheā with Air is a private and fully separate space. But the problem with IB and the general faceless booking process is that we have questions we need answered since this is our only space and we have lives. If he arrives at the beginning of my check-in window Iām screwed. If he communicates with me that thatās when he intends to arrive I can cancel my plans and make it work. But that is a last resort which will be necessary though because the people currently staying have a dog so thereās extra cleaning involved.
And Iāll be pissed if he never messages me back and I cancel my plans and then he arrives at like 9pm. Because itās all not necessary with some basic communication.
And switching to all IB and completely flexible policies will hurt everyone long-term because the quality is going to go down and then thereās no niche.
Iāll believe this rate raise nonsense when I personally see an email from Air telling me they are raising he rates if I donāt comply with their IB garbage.
Did anyone in America get this survey or email? I sure as hell didnāt. Iām having trouble believing Mr. AllAbout.
Well, they did break the cancellation policy changes that the Italian hosts are going through and will eventually be pushed on us all. And I donāt doubt it at all.
All About must not be in the US. I believe Air is rolling out these things in other countries. Thereās no real evidence they will be doing that here. A āyesā from a CSR does not count as evidence.
I didnāt. And I find it strange that the first three sentences of each paragraph are identical - and the first two words of the next. Airbnb is usually more literate.
If I were you Iād definitely rent LT, especially since you have the seasonal ebb and flow. You work your butt off then coast a little and make a little less. Seems like it would balance out and you wouldnāt have to work as hard IF you really screen a LT tenant.
It all depends on the situation. Whatās funny for us is that the city inspector specifically told us that we cannot do LTR in our space without a variance from the city since weāre zoned for single family occupancy, but we can let people stay up there short term all we want, other than that it can only be either immediate family or friends visiting, but both we could not profit off it. Weāre probably fudging it a bit, but our state has already passed the house saying that owners can do STR even if local municipalities say otherwise and theyāre working out collecting taxes through Air.
I like that I can keep an eye on the place and not have a long-term tenant destroying it.
Yeah, give incentives for the behaviors you want, not punishment for those doing what they need for their property. Everyone agreed to 3% fees when they signed up. So give a discount to those who are doing what you wantā¦
LTRs donāt destroy places. The ones I have actually have improved the places; and they really stay long term. But you have to take the time to screen them, which doesnāt take much effort.
I had a guy I knew for years rent from me and he destroyed my house. Meanwhile we have a great tenant right now who takes great care of it. It all seems so random in a lot of ways, and the best screening techniques tend to be illegal, lol.
But I do think, especially with LTR, price point really does affect the quality of your tenant. Because at a certain price youāve naturally screened out the lousy tenants because they canāt afford it. With what I have that I STR, I wouldnāt be able to price out the lousy people and it would get destroyed like the last 4 people who my dad rented it to before me (illegally, lol).
