Having second thoughts about being a host

[Terri292]

I have read so many comments from very unhappy hosts here that I am seriously considering pulling my listing, which I can do right? I may go with another company. Do any of you have suggestions on who it is better to host through? VRBO? Home away? I’m sad this isn’t going to work out as I just listed for the first time last night and was excited, but airbnb sounds like a nightmare! Is there anything I need to do with the one reservation I got today if I’m removing my listing?

[Robbie54]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0   "Here too, no address details are provided for guests, so are basically anonymous as far as a host is concerned"  That's a really good point. I have a guest arriving from Leicester next week and as some parts of the city are currently in lockdown ith travel restrictions in place I have no idea which part they are from. I did ask and I was told they are just outside those lockdown spots. Without knowing their address I had to take their word for it.  Not ideal to say the least. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Robbie54 

And this, at a time when the future looks like LESS information will be provided.

There is a severe distrust by Airbnb of its Hosts on its platform, but what it doesn't actually realise is that they are more dependant on hosts than hosts think they are reliant on them.

Every other day I get emails from small specialist online accommodation sites all wanting a piece of the action.. and historically, I know the demographics of visitors that Airbnb sends to us, and the ones I'd like to encourage.

If I had time to think about it (3 months of lockdown doesn't count), I reckon the 5-6k service fees over a year could finance a pretty bespoke marketing campaign. 😀

If they began to be a bit more 'Happy Clappy' that their marketing suggests, they could do pretty well with what they already have.

[Rebecca181]

@Terri292 All listing companies have their pros and cons. A big pro with Airbnb is you will likely get the most bookings through them. A big con is you have far less control in regard to enforcing your chosen cancellation policy and you are not able to hold a security deposit. If you can deal with that, and also understand that you will want your *own*  insurance that covers short term rentals (do NOT rely on Airbnb's 'Host Protection Guarantee) - and if you manage your listing with care - you will likely do very well with Airbnb and host very nice people.

Also: Three years ago when I started, the customer service for super hosts was outstanding. Now, not so much, but I did get my last issue resolved, but only after threatening to pull my listing if it wasn't. Also know that your listing will tank in the searches if you don't have a flexible cancellation policy and if you are more expensive than your neighbors, but that's true with most all the platforms these days. Give it a try, and best of luck!

[Mark116]

@Terri292  To answer your question, airbnb pluses are it has high visibility, its easy to list, the main negative is that when anything goes wrong, whether that is a glitch with your listing, a bad guest, a disaster, anything, you can't rely on airbnb, the response might be helpful, reasonable or completely bat***, so if you proceed with the understanding that protecting yourself, your reputation and your investment is 98% on you, and that there is always the chance that airbnb will secretly and randomly torpedo you for reasons unknown, then you'll probably do fine, this forum is a priceless vault of useful tips and knowledge.

We will be listing with VRBO this fall, so I can't speak to that, most people say they are similar, but have different strengths and weaknesses.  

[Barry-and-Lera0]

Hosting for 5 years and travelling for 9 years via Airbnb. Nothing but great guests and experiences.