warranty

[Francesco1471]

hello I'm here to write about how much I loved airbnb as a guest and how much I understand the inefficiency as a host.

I rented my house as a boy for two months, at first everything is fine (the first two days), then the neighbors' moans begin. despite the fact that there was no possibility of partying in my apartment, the guest was partying indefinitely, I also said not to use the awning considering the strong wind on the island, but despite this at the end of his stay I return to my apartment just refurbished and I find it a disaster.

missing entry keys

broken curtain

new sofa (15 days old) broken

cups glasses plates and many other missing things

an 8h cleaning

and as if the joke were not enough, first the guest who told me that he would pay me back for everything ... after a while he disappeared into thin air. then airbnb which said the same.

who took care of my case a certain @ivy, I don't think he saw any documentation or photos, since he replied every two weeks always saying that something was missing that was already present. but after 2 months of emails they tell me that they will not pay me back for anything.

but what is airbnb for? what is this host guarantee for? and where does airbnb support in these cases? to me it seems a total rip off, but I want to go on in this case to really understand if it was a human error of this girl or maybe it always is.

I sincerely believe that airbnb can only be useful as a guest and for a few hosts who live near the apartment.

[Elaine701]

@Francesco1471 

Sorry that you had to endure this. But most of those who have long experience at hosting have learned the same way you have: by fire. 

Airbnb is a booking platform. That's what they do. They sugar coat the perception that they're so much more, but the basic reality is that they just generate bookings. It's their greatest strength. They do it well. 

But be under no illusions. That's all you can expect really. And as the (publicly traded) dominant global player in short term rentals, Airbnb is inherently motivated to maintain that position by ensuring that the bookings keep coming, wherever they come from. That's what they do. Everything else is just perception. A necessary perception to maintain guest confidence in the platform, and keep the bookings coming. The guest will always be favoured by the platform. It's just the nature of the beast. 

So, if you want to avoid this type of guest in the future, you should not rely on Airbnb (or any other platform) to prevent it, nor compensate you when it happens, no matter what flowery promises they make. The "host guarantee" is largely useless, and can actually penalise the host for bad guest behaviours. Best to avoid Airbnb involvement whenever possible. 

Use Airbnb for what it's best at: bookings. Protecting yourself from bad guests is really >your< problem. It may not seem fair, but it's how it is. And Airbnb has little interest in changing it. 

Ask questions of the guests before they book, and scare them away if their responses are dodgy. There's another booking right around the corner. It's Airbnb's greatest strength. 

Good luck with everything. Chalk this one up to a learning experience, and watch your back going forward.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Elaine701  Airbnb would be "only the booking platform" if they would allow us to collect the security deposit, cancel by ourselves without refund when guests break our house rules, respect our cancellation policies etc... in other words if we would have more autonomy and would be allowed to protect our properties by ourselves (we know Airbnb can't protect them)

[Elaine701]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

Yes, well they've had plenty of smacking around about their apparent disconnect from the hosting business, and their incompetent handling of it. They aren't likely to change, as that could scare away a few bookings 🤨

In the mean time, hosts just have to take matters into their own hands, despite Airbnb. It's not ideal, pleasant or desirable, but it's either that, or depend on Airbnb. You all know which option I choose.