Is Airbnb really going to require that we provide linens & towels?

[James165]

I just saw that as of July 2018 Airbnb will be requiring that hosts provide linens and towels. That is a killer for us and will be for many who do weekly vacation rentals and don't live locally. We have no means of ensuring linens are washed between rentals, much less being sure they won't accidentally be taken by the guests. I supposed we could find someone to contract, but that will likely add $100-200 per rental - most of our guests would much prefer save the money and bring their own. We tell them about the local linen rental agency so they have that option. 

The changes to Airbnb seems to be leaning toward people (guests and hosts) who have boatloads of money. I know that likely is where they'll make most money, but I fear that they are leaving their base behind. 

[Susan1028]

@James186

airbnb also allows "special offers" during booking. So, you could mention in your listing that it's less if they bring thier own, then send them a "special offer" price that reflects the lower amount during booking.

[Mike340]

@James165

Sounds like many of your guests are not expecting you to provide linen. I am sure your prices reflect that. You could tick the boxes to say linen is provided to please the Airbnb bot, but then put in your rules or message the guests and advise that a discount has been applied and as such guests should bring their own linen, in order to keep rental prices down. They sound like they are happy with that and so, obviously are you.

[James165]

That's my hope. But we'll see if the Airbnb gods will allow that.

[Dan2]

By comparison, all coastal AirBnb rentals in Southern California provide bedding and towels. Now that I think of it, every AirBnb host I've stayed with from London to Norway and throughout other parts of the US provide bedding and towels.

@James0, as far as you know, is it unique to South Carolina?

With the newest AirBnb changes, is it a requirement to provide them, or is the requirement only to list whether they are or aren't included?

[Marit-Anne0]

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@Dan2 wrote:

By comparison, all coastal AirBnb rentals in Southern California provide bedding and towels. Now that I think of it, every AirBnb host I've stayed with from London to Norway and throughout other parts of the US provide bedding and towels.

@James0, as far as you know, is it unique to South Carolina?

With the newest AirBnb changes, is it a requirement to provide them, or is the requirement only to list whether they are or aren't included?

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No, it is not unique, it is the same with for example holiday homes in France rented by the week, camping cabins in Norway etc. We may list a tent pitch for which we are now required to supply linen and towels, it does not make sense.  

[Andrew172]

Dan, we have a place on the coast of NC. There is one road on and off the island. It takes 20-30 minutes to make the trek in either direction. There are no linen services on the island. If we are required to provide this service, it will triple our cleaning fee to have it done professionally. 

For some hosts, it may be relativly easy or cost effective to offer this service. For others, this is a huge hurdle. As hosts, we can wash the linens, but think of the potential dangers. We do not use professional equipment therefore the linens do not reach a high enough temp to kill all the germs. We also use regular detergent which some people may be allergic to and develop a skin rash or dermatitis as a result. It is frustrating to say the least.

[Sarah977]

@Andrew172    While I don't think hosts should be forced to offer any amenities past basics like toilet paper and soap, and should be able to offer what they want as long as the guests are clear on what is provided, I have a hard time understanding why most of the hosts here are so upset about providing basic linens. 

You say it's 20-30 minutes on and off the Island, but your listing says there is a washer and dryer. So why would a linen service be necessary?  You could require your guests to start a load of wash before they leave, when the cleaner arrives, she can transfer that load to the dryer and start another load ( this takes maybe 5 minutes?) and start her cleaning routine, going back to transfer that load to the dryer at some point. Might add a maximum of 20 minutes to the cleaning time. Of course there is the financial outlay of the cost of the sheets and towels to start with, but after that, I don't see the big deal if there is a washer and dryer on the premises.

And I can assure you that the majority of hosts do not use professional equipment to wash the guest linens- they deal with them just like they deal with their own laundry. A dryer gets hot enough to kill germs. None of my guests have gotten any dread diseases from the linens I wash in cool water and hand out on the clothesline to dry in the sun.

[Andrew172]

@Sarah977 I think the issue has more to do with Airbnb requiring hosts to provide this service rather than leaving it up to them to choose. Additionally, I do not think guests should be burdened with keeping up with the laundry as they prepare to leave. Yes, my cleaners could help with keeping linens clean, but to suggest that it would only take 20 minutes is very optomistic. We have 3 beds and host up to 6 people. Thats a minimum of 6 towels, 3 fitted sheets and 3 top sheets--not likely to fit everything in one wash--we'd be lucky to get it with 2. During our busiest time, we have 5 hours between check-in and check-out. Our cleaners are on a tight schedule because most rentals rotate around the same time. They have to clean a certain number of places during this short window and adding another requirment to their tasks will slow them down. If it took an extra 20 minutes at 3 different homes, they have lost an hour. That very well may be an extra home for them. This is all assuming that the guests actually start laundry and have not left the place in bad shape. None of your guests may have had any skin issues but that does not mean it cannot happen. My wife suffers from skin issues and cannot use scented soaps or detergents. She has issues when we switch from one brand to another even if it is hypoallergenic and non-scented. We are also located very close to the beach and are constantly battling sand and salt. The more we wash towels and sheets in our unit, the more sand and salt we dump into our pipes and machines. I had to replace two p-traps this year due to sand build up and one supply line due to salt corrosion.  When my family stays there, we only wash what is absoltuly neccesary. We take the rest home and wash it there. Its frustrating when a new policy is created that simply does not fit some hosts needs. We have been renting for over 20 years and we have never had any issues due to a lack of towels and linens. We try to keep our place affordable but it is getting harder and harder when our guests are nickle and dimed and we do not see the benefit in order to create a better experience. 

[Sarah977]

@Andrew172  I hear you on the salt and sand- I had a housesitter from hell one time who washed towels, dog bed covers and clothes without obviously bothering to even shake anything out. She emailed me 2 weeks before I returned to say the machine wasn't draining. She asked if she should phone a repairman. I told her to stop using the machine and take her stuff to the laundromat. When I returned and tackled the machine, I found the drain hose plugged solid for its entire length with sand, dog hair and mud. When I took the filter off the back, another 3 cups of sand and gallons of skanky water that had been stuck in there for 2 weeks came pouring out.

Thanks for explaining, and like I said, I totally agree that airbnb should not be dictating to hosts what they must provide, beyond a clean, comfortable space. Some people would consider a TV "essential" to their lives, others are adamantly against having a TV in their homes. Some people consider AC as essential to survival in hot climates, others find that fans are perfectly adequate.

[Andrew172]

@Sarah977 Exactly, every location is different with unique experiences and challenges. We would love to do more for our guests, but it is tricky when you don't feel consisitantly meet those standards. So we have to draw the line somewhere. I just hope Airbnb is able to relax the policy a bit.

[TheSords0]

Not true.  

[Dassi0]

This is very informative. I never thought about the issue of towels when the host is not on site. 

We provide sheets & towels— but we live here too!  We have 3 guest rooms, so far. 

[Gillian19]

@Dassi0 I don't think anyone who makes these brilliant decisions at Airbnb has given any thought to the practicalities of holiday lets and absent hosts. It is certainly going to increase rates and potentially reduce the flexibility we offer (eg one night stays). In the last year one of my properties has been rented out for approx 120 nights with an average of 4 guests a night. that's a lot of towels to be washed (and paid for)!!

[Gillian19]

And of course Airbnb will get a higher commission out of the extra I have to charge to cover my costs for their increased demands that I provide towels. I'm just hoping that I can increase the amount of guests from other rental sites so that I can stop using Airbnb.

[Rebecca181]

@Gillian0 - And these increased costs will make those constant, nagging 'suggestions' to lower our prices even more irksome and annoying (sigh).