Airbnb just burst my trust bubble

[Meehyun0]

Airbnb security deposit is a false security for hosts. They just burst that “trust bubble”.  What they don’t seem to understand is that you, the host is the backbone of their business model.  Act like it and Airbnb will act accordingly as well. Why do you think their IPO is valued at $30 billion!   

Every business transaction worth any value is done with trust.  When they break that that is beginning of the end in any business relationship. 

A solution for bad apple guests:  

Security Deposit: 

If  Airbnb guests who create havoc in your rental will not admit to their fault; you get nothing!  Nada! So then why have a security deposit?  I’m asking that myself.  

So one solution maybe:

Think like  insurance companies who I hate more than lawyers sometimes. You need to charge more to cover for those 5% of bad experiences you will get.  So raise you rental rate to that amount.  I used to state their is $500 security deposit. Get rid of it add $5/daily rate and hopefully it works out by the years end.

If you have a great rental, any rental above 100 5 stars reviews, stop instant booking or vet every guests without a review like a hawk. Start rejecting your guests. Trust your instincts.   I ask all my local guest to send me their drivers licenses .  If they don’t, don’t rent to them period!  People who book Airbnb are not hotel bookers.  So they will jump through hoops to book your 5 star rental.  

Repeat this to yourself:  you are giving value to the guests!(mind you this only applies if your rental is 4 star and above).  

Good luck to you all.  I think there should be a booking co-op site run by the 5 star hosts themselves.  Food for thought.

best, Meehyun

[Ann72]

@Meehyun0   Although I found out years ago that there is no security deposit, we're on the same page about rates.  They should be high enough to cover the bad surprises.  I can't tell you how often I've read here and in Facebook groups of hosts stressing over the heat or air conditioning being left on when the guest is out.  The stress is not concern for the environment.  It's about how much it costs.  Seriously, if an exorbitant electric bill won't be covered by your booking income, you're not charging enough.

I alone know the value of what I offer and therefore approach each booking with the confidence that the guest will leave happy.   So it's very easy to turn away the discount seekers and the exception seekers and ignore pricing suggestions from bots.  I keep instant book turned on because I find that the people who want discounts or special treatment don't use it - they request to book with all their questions and demands.  People who see the listing and know they want to stay there book instantly with no questions or special requests.

So - hear hear.  How would your co-op site work?

[Mikki0]

@Meehyun0 

I have a security deposit and the 3 times I used it, airbnb paid. I don't know if it came out the guests pocket, or an airbnb slush fund, but I had issues with guests, I sent a request for funds, I had pictures, and i got paid. 

[Ann72]

@Mikki0  I've had the same experience - every time I've put in a resolution, either the guest paid or Airbnb paid. 

[Meehyun0]

I just wrote this long response and voila, there was an error message. Makes you wonder if they flag people who speaks their mind...

[Debra300]

@Meehyun0,

There is a known glitch with the community site often timing out while a person is writing a long post.  The workaround is to copy your entire post before submitting the post.  If you receive an error message, you can quickly paste it into a new chat window, and re-submit.