Guest check in - Late fee listed from agent for meet and greet for apartment keys

[Catherine2545]

I contacted the host on an upcoming reservation for a stay in the Gold Coast and stated we would be arriving late and would also like to contact the agent dealing with our reservation for a meet and greet to get apartment keys. Host said that's fine did not stipulate late fee and I emailed agent. Agent stated in email last night that there is a late fee of $50. I did not receive anything about this cost prior from host nor was it listed anywhere in the reservation email. Is this allowed? Can they charge a late fee? What do I do as I read a very recent review from another guest stating that doing self check in was a nightmare

[Anonymous]

@Catherine2545  Hosts can send a request for additional fees via Resolutions, but they don't have the authority to collect the payment if you decline. Airbnb doesn't enforce arbitrary fees on behalf of hosts, even if they're stipulated in the listing - that's just not how they roll. If the listing specifies a time window for check-ins, you're obliged to honor it, but there's no rule about what to do if you can't.

What Airbnb can't do is force the host to honor the booking if you try to check in without having paid the late fee. If you show up on your arrival date at get turned away, Airbnb will eventually give you your money back, but you might lose a lot of money on the last-minute replacement booking.

If you happen to be within the brief grace period for free cancellations, I would strongly suggest cancelling this booking immediately. It becomes a lot more complicated if that's not the case - you'd really have to persuade an outsourced customer service operator who might not be fluent in English that you're being hit with undisclosed fees, and if your arrival time is outside of the window shown in the listing you won't have a leg to stand on. But whatever it takes - even if it means losing out on some fees - I would recommend cancelling this booking. Nothing good can come of a stay that involves a dispute before arrival.

Of course, another possibility is to pay the $50, which might be a reasonable expense for the privilege of arriving after the host's normal business hours. Airbnbs are not like hotels with 24-hour desk service; most hosts have to arrange their whole life and work schedule around your arrival, so if you want to come at an exceptionally late time, it's likely to be a disruption that comes with a cost.

[Sarah977]

@Catherine2545  While it was responsible of you to contact the host re the late arrival, it sounds like this went sideways because both the host and the agent were involved and it sounds like the host was unaware of the late check-in fee, or just lets the agent handle everything.

While you should always let the host know if you can't make it during regular check-in times, you can't just assume that arrival outside of those times can be accommodated. As Andrew pointed out, Airbnbs aren't hotels with 24 hour reception.

Even for a listing where there is no agent, and you are dealing with a hands-on host, there are check-in times for a reason. The host can't be expected to cancel personal plans they may have, or stay up 2 hours past when they normally go to sleep, just because a guest is arriving late.

In other words, exceptions to check-in times are something you need to ask about the ability to accommodate, not just assume that it can be accommodated without a fee.