Is there less activity in the community center?

[Inna22]

I remember coming to the hosting page and seeing lots of new discussions. If I missed a week, there was a lot of catching up. Lately all I see are really old posts from multiple years ago resurrected by one reply. Today there was literally nothing new to read or respond.  Is that everyone else's experience?

[M199]

@Inna22 

Yes, since @Sarah977  got turfed out😩 by Airbnb.

My participation, along with the latest "upgrades"  has dropped my participation by about 90%. Not to mention CS.  UGH!

My instincts, from what I have read since May 2022 is that all longterm experienced hosts see the  "writing on the wall".  Even a couple of CC admins have bailed.

But that's just my opinion.

It was a short but fun experience that I will treasure (except for a few guests), we're also done this year.

[Julia0]

@M199 

on a similar subject, the "other" forum has disappeared since yesterday, anyone know anything about it? "Muddy" was a frequent poster there too. Airhosts.forum.

[Julia0]

@Mike-And-Jane0  @Inna22  @Amanda660 

Sorry, I'm a bit rusty as I haven't posted for a long time! 

[Loretta126]

@Julia0  I haven’t been able to get to the other Airhosts forum, either. Don’t have any idea what happened. I think they have a Facebook page - I’ll try posting something later today to see what’s up. 

[Gillian166]

@Julia0  oh! i thought it was just me who couldn't get the page to load. 

@Loretta126  just had a look at the fb page, been untouched for a year. 

There's been a bit of squabbling going on there of late, wondering if there's some bts dramas.  

[Inna22]

@M199 has anyone spoken to @Sarah977 ? Should we start a petition to bring her back or she does not even want to be back?

[Suzanne302]

@Inna22   I really miss @Sarah977 

[Huma0]

@Inna22 @M199 

I have actually been posting more regularly partly because I'm fuming about the Summer Release. It's also party though because I feel that questions are going unanswered or some people aren't been offered advice due to @Sarah977 's absence. She was always great at responding to unanswered posts and getting those conversations going. 

I suspect though that I will take more of a back seat soon because it's so frustrating how Airbnb is treating the majority of its hosts and I don't think healthy to dwell on that too much of the time. It's too much of a downer! 

Also, unless there is some radical change, I expect my time as an Airbnb host will come to an end soon enough. You can't be a host if you don't have any guests! There's also a lot less to post about when you are not actively hosting, which is why I disappeared from the CC for quite a while during the pandemic.

I suspect many others feel the same. You certainly see less these days of people who used to be regular contributors. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Inna22 Indeed I think a lot of hosts will post less (myself included). In my case we are dual listing with Cottages.com (a full service listing site in the UK). If we like the less hands on approach to pricing etc and they deliver more bookings than Airbnb (shouldn't be difficult at present) then we will probably switch off Airbnb altogether.

[Amanda660]

This is our 7th year but it’s looking like it will have to be our last.  With bookings having dried  up since the May updates it’s unlikely  that we’ll reach our minimum nights booked requirement to remain on business rates. 

I think with so few bookings folks have less to talk about - fewer funny stories, dramas, odd guests and queries and updates in general.  Nothing to post about if you don’t have any guests. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Amanda660 what is the requirement for nights booked for business rates in Scotland. In England I am not sure but think it is around 60 days (if there is a limit at all). I think they are bringing one in but not sure at what level.

[Amanda660]

@Mike-And-Jane0  I got a letter in last month advising that we’d have to provide proof of booking to retain Business Rates for 2022 - 2023.  I can’t recall off the top of my head if it was 183 or 193 days for our area.   I was on track for that but it’s looking less likely unless things get a wriggle on from September.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Amanda660 Blimey that's as bad as Wales are talking about. I just wish they would make it the same as FHL tax status which is 105 days actually rented and an ability to average over different properties and different years.

[David3267]

I must admit as a sporadic visitor to the page I find when posting a query that one gets some good advice and a whole host of garbage from people who don't read the question properly so I think it's a little self perpetuating really, I certainly won't bother asking advice on here again. Shame as it used to be quite useful.