Supporting each other in the Community Center

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

We know that information about the current coronavirus situation is being shared widely, but with all the noise it is easy to feel quite confused and lonely. So, in any way we can, we want to make sure that you all feel supported at this difficult time.

To begin with, I want to ensure you are aware of the go-to Airbnb resource for information regarding the coronavirus and hosting: Airbnb.com/COVID19. 

We’re keeping it updated with Airbnb policy news, advice, and tips, so we hope you find it useful. A lot of the tips have come straight from threads shared here in the Community Center.

Head to Airbnb.com/COVID19 to find out more.

Exploring the Community Center, you’ll also see many useful topics and members sharing their own experiences and advice. Here in the Community Center, we rely on the support of our fellow members on a daily basis.

During times of uncertainty, it is important that communities really come into their own and be  there for each other—and we’ve certainly never been short of camaraderie here in the CC. Currently, many people are working from home or are unable to leave their homes and it can be a lonely place to be. The Community Center is a good place to find support.

We’re planning some online meetups through this period and some activities we can all participate in “around the house,” so do keep an eye out for more information on this shortly.

In the meantime, sometimes the little things can go a long way, so please share any of your tips and supportive words for each other below. 

Stay strong. 

Lizzie

[Alexandra316]

@Lizzie What really confuses me is how far in advance they're allowing guests to cancel. Like why are they allowing people to cancel mid-April bookings? We have no idea where things will be by then. I feel like it would be better to take it one day at a time, rather than allowing for sweeping cancellations. They're inviting guests to cancel reservations into mid-April.

I honestly don't know what the right answer is: this situation is so scary and uncertain for so many people. I just wish that Airbnb wasn't making these sweeping decisions with seemingly no though of how it will impact hosts. The impact to the guest is nothing: the impact to the host is significant. This isn't no harm, no foul, as Airbnb seems to suggest in their communication.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Lizzie   @Alexandra316 

I would actually prefer allowing cancellations now up to probably 3 months out. I don't see the flights etc coming back and it would allow our potential US and Australian guests to cancel and hopefully allow us to get rebooked with more local guests.

We got lucky last night when one guest cancelled for a Thursday check in this week and a new guest booked from today. If said cancellation had been left any longer we would have lost the new guest.

[Alexandra316]

@Mike-And-Jane0 My cancellations have nothing to do with air travel: most of my guests are from Canada, so unfortunately that won't make a difference for me. People are cancelling on mass regardless of where they're from.

[Kenneth12]

Airbnb,  obviously,  with a large loss in the past quarter, is not in a position to backstop hosts' losses.  It would soon be bankrupt,  leaving hosts belly up.

ABB needs to seek the financial backstops from the Federal government being offered to airlines and other companies,  with the understanding that some of that will be distributed as emergency funds to hosts based on their projected 2020 volume before the crisis.

I'm glad to make a few calls to legislators "in my Rolodex" or,   in fact,  to help with a co-ordinated effort.

Otherwise,  the hygienic information needs to be reviewed,  revised and stepped up a notch for hosts in "hotter" areas,  IMO.

Thanks,   and good luck to us all until we make it to the other side of this crisis. 

[Ange2]

@Kenneth12 

It's a bit more nuanced than that. Not that it makes a difference in the overall scheme of things.   But it does show that hosts are making money for them, so at the least they could spare a thought for them.

Data 2019: Couldn't find 2020.

"Revenue reportedly grew 31% year over year to $839 million"

"Airbnb saw strong growth in total booking value during the first quarter"

"Despite the massive losses [due to a 47% climb in marketing expenses for IPO readiness] Airbnb has over $3 billion in cash on its balance sheet as of Thursday, according to a source familiar with the company’s finances. Airbnb also has a $1 billion line of credit that it hasn’t used, the source said."

[Kenneth12]

Neglecting the various issues here with a third party source and basic corporate economics,  $1BN or so of the above would now be gone-- and that line of credit?  Ha.

It is left to the reader to calculate how much it would cost Airbnb to backstop host losses,  based on the above revenue figure.

[Ange2]

My point is that hosts are the money-makers for them.

So, at the least,  they could spare a thought, have some respect.

Airbnb hasn't responded to host's concerns.

[Colleen253]

You want to make sure we SUPPORT EACH OTHER? And you want us to 'feel supported'? My goodness, aren't we hosts already doing ALL THE SUPPORTING??? Our backs are broken, we can't support anyone!!! This community center will certainly be a desolate, lonely place on the other side of this. 

[Sandra126]

@Colleen253 , yes we can. I take much comfort for knowing there are hosts out there like Sarah, branka and Silvia, John, etc. Not financial, or tech, just general support. Stay strong, stay well. All the best.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

I can understand the host's point of view but do you REALLY want to host during this pandemic???  I don't.  I will rather lose some money than clean after potentially sick guests and risk my daughter's and my health or lives. And  I don't want to risk my guest's safety neither because I know it's impossible to 100% sterilize and disinfects the entire apartment and all things in it after some infected guest.  I am happy with Airbnb's decision to refund my guests and I hope all of them will cancel. We already closed our calendars for all future bookings until this pandemic is over. People, take care, this is not the flue! Don't gamble with your health for a few bucks!

[Tat1009]

You miss the point.  Some people may not be living in the same accommodation which they are managing on AirBNB.  Some people rent accommodation to manage on AirBNB as a business or additional income.  Some people buy property to manage the accommodation on AirBNB.  Where we are sharing the accommodation, we do not wish to host either if we can avoid it, and we have had to contact guest to make an arragement between us, which we could come to, either the guest is cancelled and gets full refund or refund + compensation, if we initiated the cancellation, or where the guests cancel, we negotiate for a partial refund - something acceptable to both parties.

The Extenuating Circumstances policy giving full rights to the guests to cancel without any penalty, without any reference to or restrictions from the host, is not the right way to approach the situation.  Guests have just taken the opportunity of the policy to cancel, regardless of whether the area is affected by Covid-19.

That is the issue, not Covid-19 itself.  Covid-19 is a red herring in that it clouds the real issue of AirBNB unilaterally changing its policy to suit only one segment of the AirBNB community, guests.  You can replace Covid-19 with any other catastrophic or disastrous events, it does not change the fact that AirBNB should not do such a thing to the hosts that help it to make its revenue.

No one would want to suffer or risk suffering Covid-19.  But no one would like their livelihood taken away overnight either without a chance to stop that from happening.

We wish you well, and hope that Covid-10 does not affect the area in which you live. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Tat1009it already affected the area where we live, Zagreb is just 150 km from the Italian border. Our schools are already closed, all public events are canceled or postponed for autumn, concerts, theater shows etc... are canceled.... and new measures are enforced every day.

I am happy about Airbnb policy and I hope it will stretch to later dates as well because some of our guests didn't respond to our offer for mutual cancelation and they are blocking our calendar 4 months in the future ( for 2-3 nights each month). Because of them we can't rent our apartments long term and are losing money. If we cancel reservations for May or later we would now be penalized so we should choose between bad and worse. I just hope Airbnb will allow us to cancel penalty-free eventually, closer to date, but it will probably be a last-minute cancelation.

I just want to say - some hosts are happy with this new policy, especially hosts from Europe. 

[Tat1009]

Sorry to hear of your situation there.  Hope it will pass soon for you all.

I understand your perspective.  But, then, one size does not fit all in a global world.  We are in, thankfully, a country not so affected (Australia), and where we still have pretty much a normal life.  But, our domestic local guests have all cancelled the moment that policy of 13 Mar 2020 was cancelled, even though there is no major spread of the virus where we are (in WA) and all were driving to our accommodation, not even flying interstate.  Covid-19 situation may change in time to come, but one of the guests could have almost completed her stay already by now, but she changed her mind (had asked us before the policy came) and wanted to cancel for that reason, not for Covid-19.

So, not quite fair for a host in this regard.  Anyway, moot point.  AirBNB is not going to change.

Take care over there, and hope for all the best for you all in that area.

[Donald28]

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@Tat1009 wrote:

Some people rent accommodation to manage on AirBNB as a business or additional income.  Some people buy property to manage the accommodation on AirBNB. 

Sorry, but that is not airbnb's issue. If someone rented an apartment or bought a property solely to rent on airbnb and a virus (or any of 100 other catastrophic events) causes no guests to come... that's the hosts sole problem. 

[Kenneth12]

Either your chances of encountering nCoV are 1 in 10,000 or less,  or your local authorities are going to close down your area for you (presuming they have any sense).    It's really as simple as that.

For the vast majority of people,   CoVID-19 will be milder than the flu.