Insider Questions and Answers

21

Yes there is a double standard @Chris

Airbnb introduced more favourable terms for Airbnb Management Companies where they can include age restrictions, ask for a deposit to be paid outside of Airbnb etc

A real kick in the teeth to independent hosts.

3 Likes
22

Pro hosts and (typically) SH are the only users with a super strict 30 day policy. This policy is by invite only from Air. Regardless of that the ONLY thing allowed to be collected outside of the platform is technically the taxes if the host has a property that requires it (and not collected by Air) this must be disclosed in listing ad or the guest can refuse to pay. That’s the policy answer. Real answer, and every agent hates it, is property management companies make Airbnb so much damn money in service fees that they close their eyes unless it’s brought up as a complaint by many guests. In most cases, property management companies on the platform hide behind saying "we needed additional payment from guest when they requested a kitchen essentials basket and we ended up accepting cash for ease of service compared to starting a resolution center case). They know the loopholes and rip them to shreds daily. There are even some companies that require their own background check AFTER booking on Air is complete and have a disclaimer that they have the right to refuse refund if guest fails their background check. I’ve fought this with higher ups and the roundabout answer always comes down to revenue.

1 Like
23

Agreed! I do all I can to twist policies against them ever time they call to bitch about something. ‘oh your guest broke something? Can’t you take it from your outside deposit you required off our platform? Here’s a cookie, get off my phone now’ type of attitude each time they call and I get the case.
Air should support independent hosts not massive tourist bs.

1 Like
24

I wouldn’t want to ban locals. There is no reason to. Just vet them like you would any other guest @GardenGnome

Obviously any guest that wants to party wouldn’t be appropriate.

2 Likes
25

Thank, so now I have to round up about 90 more listings and I can do whatever I want. :laughing:

I wish this would come into the media, because this would immediately stop AirBnB’s “We help poor people to make ends meet” lie.

3 Likes
26

Lies are the new truth. Nothing seems to stop them.

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27

@GardenGnome

A surprising number of my rentals have been locals:

  1. Family coming in for holidays
  2. Home under renovation
  3. Moving from Home A to Home B & home B isn’t ready
  4. Graduation

For me: Locals = Mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money.

3 Likes
28

Why don’t you contact your local media then, as you have some concrete examples @Chris

1 Like
29

But it isn’t a lie…I’ve leaned heavily on my Airbnb rental revenue since my layoff. If I didn’t have rental revenue, my savings would be gone instead of “getting lower”.

I helped a good friend (now happily the competitor nextdoor) set up her listing to primarily help pay for assisted living care for her 95 year old father.

4 Likes
30

Surely he means the way Airbnb acts like that’s all they do. They never take ownership for any removal of affordable housing from the market but they are happy to take credit for every mom and pop operation running out of the guest room.

4 Likes
31

I stay in local ABB’s all the time, I call it my mini sanity break from hosting, housecleaning & other responsiblilites. I may only be 15 - 30 min away but it feels like another world & I come home with a little skip in my step.

4 Likes
32

Just to clarify…other people on this forum have said it is 14 days from the exact time the email comes from AirBnB asking us to review the guest. The email seems to come at random times (I had 3 this week all within about an hour time frame), and they were all several hours after my check-out time. I have a bad guest I need to review and want to wait until the last possible minute but have been given different information about how long I have. Can the guest not leave a public reply after the 14 day period is up? More importantly, if the guest reviews me at the last minute, can I not leave a public response after 14 days?

33

I can’t speak for @Chris, but possibly we agree that the investor hosts with 38 out-of-state properties, when it comes time to fight restrictions, hide behind the homesharers with 1 or 2 rooms, pretending that BOTH groups are just Joe and Jane Bag O’Donuts trying to forestall eviction.

34

Sorry if I am posting in the wrong thread but I have really struggled to find the original. It was about Airbnb promoting their own cleaning service or rather recommending cleaning services.

I recently noticed that they are promoting “Recommended professional management companies” to “take the stress out of hosting”. Has anyone else seen this?

35

We’ve stayed in Airbnbs when:

  1. The day before closing on a new house and our bed was in the removals truck
  2. When we were evacuated due to hurricanes
  3. When our place had noisy renovations going on
  4. When were were tented for termites

We’ve had local guests stay in our rentals because of the above reasons plus:

  1. Work was being done on their building
  2. They were closing on a new home a few days after selling theirs
  3. They were having their home redecorated and hated the paint smell
  4. They had just bought a house nearby but it wasn’t ready yet
  5. A boyfriend was coming into town and their own place was too tiny
  6. The guests just fancied a relaxing weekend away from home
  7. They had electrical or other inconvenient work being done at home

There must have been other reasons too - I can’t recall. But they were all lovely guests.

1 Like
36

My wife and I have talked about this. And you can call it research lol

1 Like
37

It is 14 days from the moment the email arrives saying please review your guest, I have tested this.

RR

2 Likes
38

No, the guest can not leave a reply, public or private to you, after 14 days. More importantly, as a host, you have 48 hours (I think) as a response time to respond. I do know for sure you always get a chance to respond after a review is posted, I just cant remember if it’s 48 hours or 72 hours.

39

Ok on the review question I will report back tomorrow on this one, Mary’s group… The review request was received Sun, Mar 3, 1:11 PM (13 days ago)
My check out is 11:00 I will check and see if my review of her is public, If not (As I am 99% sure) I will check again at 1:10, then 1:11 and report back tomorrow afternoon.

There is so much talk about this I want to prove it up one way or another, I have tested this before but this time I will report back here as I do it.

RR

PS, this person has 6 or 7 good reviews and has never reviewed a host, she will be surprised tomorrow when she reads her first bad review:( She snuck in an extra guest and loaded the dishwasher without bothering to scrape off a ton of food, it was just gross.

2 Likes
40

Are you relying on AirReview for this information or did you check the old fashioned way?