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Apparently, Air does allow third party bookings. Who knew. I had a message yesterday from a medical agency wanting to book a room for a contract worker, but as I was unable to verify the individual, I declined.
The organisation with the name of “Company X”, believe it or not, does have an actual website, and has had 300 5 star reviews. I contacted Air, and they said the reviews were real, and yes, they allowed a company to book on behalf of workers, but it was at my own risk.
BTW, the contract worker was a personal carer, the least qualified of any worker in the medical field, so as it sounded a bit unusual, I turned it down.
Is this a real thing or did I avoid being scammed in some way?
Companies can fill out a corporate account and then book for their individual employees through the system. It’s the only 3rd party booking ABB allows.
You didn’t get scammed. ABB verified the company and you could have had a guest. If the stay is over, say 21 days, have your own separate lease agreement sent via the ABB Messenger app because they become tenants. A lease is a good idea anyway for anyone staying long-term.
It’s good money. I’ve done it. And it’s easy money. No daily turnovers (or weekly), clear boundaries in the lease, the company pays the bills. If anything goes sideways, you contact ABB and the placement company for resolution.
The thing to keep in mind when you talk to Airbnb customer service is that you aren’t talking to Airbnb, you are talking to a CS rep, half of whom give out incorrect information.
Airbnb policy clearly states that 3rd part bookings are against policy. But they are allowed if the booker has an Airbnb for Work account. You should be able to see that on the booking account.
Just because some CS rep tells you it’s okay to accept the booking doesn’t mean Airbnb will back you up if something goes awry. When they said “it’s at your own risk”, that’s what they meant.
That said, some hosts do accept 3rd party bookings with no issues, so it’s up to you.
I do find it strange that you would be wary of a guest, though, just because they are a personal carer. Someone’s occupation, unless they’re a hitman, indicates nothing about what sort of guest they will be, nor does it seem unusual to me that the company would book for “the least qualified of any worker in the medical field”. You have no idea what that person’s qualifications are. Just because someone ends up flipping burgers to make ends meet doesn’t mean they aren’t working on their PHD.
It’s just that it seemed odd to me that a company would pay for accommodation for this level of worker. I mean, would a fast food outlet do the same?
But I believe what has happened is that legislation here in Australia has changed and now the government is paying $$$ to make sure aged care has all the workers it needs, and paying employment contractors for workers’ accommodation is part of that. (I’m thinking what you’re thinking - this needs oversight or it is going to be exploited by unscrupulous people).
The CS person did not clarify this sufficiently to me or help me verify the company or help me find out how to do this. They really are pathetic. Seems we have to painstakingly research all obscure circumstances in case they occur, because they sure aren’t going to tell us.
I’m not sure what a “personal carer” job description is where you live, but I sort of assumed that it would be equivalent to what is called a home support worker in Canada.
Those workers do a plethora of things, from administering medication, to changing a patient’s dressings, to helping out with things around the house that they can’t do themselves, or just checking in with someone on a regular schedule to make sure they are okay. They also often deal with the families of the patients. Those workers actually have nursing degrees.
It’s a really hard and exhausting job, as the programs are understaffed, so the workload is heavy, and some of the patients can be very hard to deal with.
Remember that what Airbnb ‘allows’ or ‘doesn’t allow’ shouldn’t indicate how we should run our businesses. Just because one advertising platform ‘doesn’t allow’ something doesn’t mean that it’s some sort of scam or dodgy practice.
Many hosts have third-party bookings (me for one) and I don’t see any way that Airbnb can enforce this ‘rule’.
Remember that Airbnb is an advertising platform and a credit card handler. If the company were to help hosts in the ways you suggest then their fees would be sky-high and hosts complain about the fees as it is.
So don’t worry about what Airbnb allows or doesn’t allow. Run your business in the way that’s right for you.
Fast food outlets don’t have private contracts they need to fill in places other than where their employees live. Obviously this medical agency gets paid enough to book places for a caregiver.
Did you even dialogue with the person who made the booking, or just decline it without even getting a sense of the situation? To each his own, but I would have exchanged a message or two and just asked some questions before dismissing the request.
While I have had to contact Airbnb about technical issues and things like that, I’ve never contacted them about anything regarding vetting guests- I consider that my job. It’s not like Airbnb comes to hosts’ rescue if they get a bad guest anyway.
I work with an insurance placement company that books on behalf of people displaced from their homes for insurance work, floods, fires, etc. and it’s been a great experience. Long stays, they pay market rate, no cleanings. The guests are very nice and appreciative. I wouldn’t shy away from these third party bookings, as long as they are an ABB verified company.
To add what others have said - talking to ABB support is completely worthless, they do not staff that position with anyone who really knows anything at all.
It is up to us, as hosts running our own business, to vet our guests and the third party companies we may deal with. You seem to have a very limited view of what a “home carer” is and does - these people perform many services, as @muddy pointed out.
I would have messaged the booking person and gotten a feel for it. Then most likely taken the booking along with a lease to be signed by the person living there and possibly the booking company. They do this all the time. It’s good money.
My first MIL had a home carer for the latter months of her life. She had cancer and her husband was blind. She opted to die at home rather than elsewhere.
The carer came into their home early in the morning and saw to various nursing activities for my MIL. She also did various tasks for my blind father-in-law (because he had relied on my MIL for his care when she was well, he wasn’t a very capable person. He was reasonably healthy, though elderly).
The carer remained in the home throughout the day and early evening, basically running the home and nursing a terminally ill old lady and caring for an elderly blind man.
She remained their daily carer until my MIL’s death.
She was the only practical help they received. Yes, neighbours (and I of course) visited often but all the work, especially the unpleasant parts of looking after a bedridden lady, were dealt with by the carer.
That seems to be a very responsible and noble job and not one to be compared to a burger-flipper.
I host in Australia and first thought was that it could be a contract worker involved in the National Disability Insurance Scheme providing services to a person. The allowable expenses for some of the services and support provided are generous to say the least. I would check whether the use of the room will be for workers acommodation, not for providing work related services to another person.
Up until a couple of years ago I worked as admin in a rural Australian aged care facility. We were always desperate for staff, especially Personal Carers who work under the guidance of an RN. In my last year we were using a huge number of agency personal carers and had to find accommodation for them. Many times there was nothing so we had to go without staff and the residents had to settle for tired staff working double shifts.
I would contact the company and find out more information as you just might be helping out some very hard working, compassionate and patient permanent staff who have minimum cert 3 and are very poorly paid. Their job does not mean they are grubs.
Yes, I have spent many, many years working as an RN in aged care. Nobody ever offered me accommodation. Instead, they asked me to do double shifts - when they could have called in an agency, but they refused because it would cost too much. In the end, I refused - for the sake of my health and having to drive home with no sleep, and so endangering myself and others on the road.
“Rural and Remote” as it is called here is different, and I understand where they might have to pay acommodation for RNs and ENs (LPNs in the US). But my rental is in a suburb of a big city. So I think there’s a story here about waste of government money/unmet needs. Something fishy IMHO.
I rent by the month and have had many corporate tenants and they all been fabulous, very low impact. I think they usually only work and sleep and go home on weekends. They’re conflict avoidant. . One forgot to give notice until after they left and I had a month that was paid but unoccupied — I repainted. The thing to be clear on is who is responsible, the company or the tenant. Companies, theoretically harder to deal with if there’s a problem, but they have already approved the cost and responsibility before they rent, so they just cut a check and aren’t interested in details. I make sure to i have contact with multiple people, though, usually the tenants supervisor and billing. I also require the tenants be specified and background checked, they can’t cycle people through. I do a lease, I don’t go through air.
I rent to a lot of nurses as well and they’re more like they’re on an extended vacation. In the U.S. get a generous travel stipend.
