New Airbnb Infant Policy

[Wylie1]

Babies are louder, smellier and they often break things. So why has Airbnb decided not to let hosts charge for the worst guests?

Due to airbnb's most recent pricing decision I will be denying all requests from people with children who will be staying for free.

[Laura1649]

That is what hosts are having to fall back to.  But because this is MY HOUSE and MY BUSINESS the choice should be mine to host infants and charge or not charge or not host them.

[Jordan244]

can't you just charge for damages? some air bnb's charge a damage deposit, and also include the renter is responsible for replacing damaged things.

[Sarah977]

@Jordan244 The so-called security deposit on Airbnb is not held by Airbnb at the time of booking. It is only there as a warning that it could be charged. If a host tries to claim on that deposit, they first have to request for the guest to agree to the charges. Now how many guests who are the types who damage property do you think readily agree to pay up? The majority try to claim that "it was like that" when they moved in and has nothing to do with them. So when the guest doesn't agree, the host has to go on a big song and dance, taking photos, getting quotes for repairs or replacements, "proving" the guest did damage, and all that as to be set in motion before the next guest arrives and within a very short time period. Hours and hours of work, aside from possibly having to cancel the following reservation while the damages get dealt with, and the resulting loss of income, etc, etc.

So "just charge for damages"? No, it doesn't work like that, unfortunately.

[Lorna3]

Airbnb has a brilliant business model: we hosts take all the risks, provide the actual product, do all the work of cleaning and replacing damaged items, clean up after poopy babies -- while  Airbnb sits back, runs its algorithym and milks both cows for its fee (guest and host).

My main issue is with guests who lie either inadvertently (they complete their booking hastily)  or deliberately in order to pay less.   I just had a guest book for two adults and two  (free)  infants when in fact only one is an infant and the other is a 2.5-year-old.

Airbnb MUST re-examine this completely unfair (to hosts) policy about allowing guests under 2 to be free.  They create the MOST WORK OF ANY GUESTS.   As a host you cannot disallow infants, your listing will only say unsuitable for infants, but not NO infants.

[Ann489]

@Lorna3   I had something very similar happen.   My listing clearly states "no infants(under two yr olds), yet this guest claimed that she didn't have to disclose them when I questioned her after she had arrived with the two little ones in tow.   To make a long story short--one fell into the pool, the other "beautified" my couch, a wall and my guestbook  with a sharpie(no idea where he got that from).  Not a penny of compensation from the guest(just a four star review), nor from Airbnb.   Needless to say, the only little ones that set foot in our guesthouse now, are our grandchildren.

[Lorna3]

Everyone who works at Airbnb, particularly those who set policy, should be forced to host and clean up after a family of 5 with a couple of toddlers and an infant and let's throw in two dogs as well.

I can just imagine their preppy smiling faces when they confront the ruined mattress, soaked with pee... spend two hours cleaning sticky handprints off of every reachable surface, rewash the floors that are spotted with spilled milk from dropped bottles.  Airbnb needs some reality therapy!

Guests under age 6 should pay full cost and automatically be charged a damage deposit that is held and returned only when the host confirms the premesis are not damaged.

[Sarah977]

@Lorna3  to me, the problem lies in what Airbnb classifies as an "infant". No parent refers to their 2 year old, or even a one year old as an infant, unless they're trying to get away with not paying for them.

True infants, i.e. babes in arms, not yet mobile on their own, don't cause damage and don't make a mess. A mobile one and half-2 year old can definitely cause a lot of destruction and a huge amount of mess.

If Airbnb changed their age descriptions to Infants, 0-9 months, Toddlers, 10months-2 years, and only allowed true infants to be allowed to stay for free, that would solve a lot of this BS. It's pretty hard to pass a 2 and a half year old off as a 9 month old.

[KC8]

I know this thread is two years in... but good God all these arguments are still valid.  Airbnb USED TO consider babies under 1 to be infants (which I still wouldn't allow, since the parents are NEUROTIC AF about everything in the house... temperature, security, what are the pillows made of? , my BABEEEE MIGHT DIE!!!...  OMG, I have avoided all children for as long as possible and just had a booking with someone who has a toddler  (1-2y/o) and informed me that she doesn't count.  I said yes she does, she's over one year old...and Voila!  I discover Airbnb changed their policy two years ago to classify children up to TWO (Freaking TODDLERS who are the most high-risk and destructive children on earth) to come free.  

So when Brian Chesney wants to come over and help me unscrew all the heating grates in my house to pull out all the cheerios and legos that are stuck down there and cost me a 5-star clean review because I can't get them out with a vacuum and don't have time on a same-day transition to call a handyman to dismantle my HVAC system to get GI-Joe out and scrape all the stickers off the screen door with a razor blade I happen to not keep in the house for the SAFETY OF CHILDREN... then we can talk.  I hate Airbnb more and more every day.  Lorna3 (above) nailed it.  We're the idiots making them all the money.  

[James1624]

You are exactly right. Over here in Australia, AirBnB ignores you for a month then suddenly asks for all kinds of paperwork, etc. And they threaten to close the case if you don't reply within x days, etc. Each incident has cost me at least 12-15 hours of work getting quotes on letterheads, internet quotes, photos, cleaners, repairmen, etc.

[Andrea9]

@Wylie1

Yeah, seems like the Millenials at Airbnb seemsed to think that kids don't make a dent in expenses or cleaning work.... wait till they have kids!

Since you're sure to have looked at how your listing appears, your choice for No Children has been translated to "May not be safe or suitable for infants (Under 2 years)" on your listing, which is open to parents' judgement of whether or not they think it's suitable or not. There have been a couple of host posts I've seen that mentioned parents appearing with their tots and getting backed by Airbnb instead of the host. You might want to add in your House Rules that your accommodation is not child-proofed, thus not safe/suitable for children. If you use that kind of wording you can't be sued, whereas a simple 'not-suitable' caould be contested in the US.

[Jon112]

I placed in my rules not suitable for Children 2-12 and not suitable for under 2 years old.  A couple booked via Instant Booking and then in conversation found out htey have a 2 year old they are bringing which makes 5 people instead of the max capacity on my unit of 4.  They have a good review from the past so I am conflicted. Do I let them stay and pray the baby does NO DAMAGE or do I tell them they cannot stay because they violated my rules that I set when I listed my property?  ANY advice from former hosts would be helpful...Thanks

[Sharon64]

If it were me I would call Airbnb and let them explain why you are cancelling the stay. I not only had not suitable for children, I also noted it again. Please take a look. The infant may cry constantly, get sick, etc. The folks should not have done that.....no matter the number of guests, you stated not suitable for children.

[Jayesh0]

Hi @Jon112

We had our insurance broker come to the property to make sure we were compliant with what was required of us to make the property "child proof".  We had to bolt tall shelving to the wall, ensure all TVs were wall mounted with no accesible cables, install a self closing gate at the top of the stairs, etc, etc.  These were considered to be existing hazards for a small child, so to ensure a payout if we had to make a claim, we had to comply with all their requests.  

If you are in doubt about how child proof your property and personal belongings are, I would not take the risk.  I have found it is best to make the decision about your policy and stick to it.  If you wanted to host children you would have explored the insurance repercussions already.  9/10 if there is going to be a problem it is because you deviated from what you set in place as policy at a time when there were no outside influences.  You made the decision already.  

My opinion - Call airbnb and have them relocated.  United States +1-415-800-5959 +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)

Lisa

[Abraham18]

I understand fear of children causing damage, but in my experience, it's not my little babies who do that. I'm traveling with a six-month old that can't even crawl. He's not going to ruin anything. To me, using these descriptions "not suitable or safer of 0-12" or whatever age you put is a great annoyance when searching for a place to stay. Airbnb does not filter these out even though I say that I have an infant, and it's not surprising that someone may have overlooked this in the description. Airbnb doesn't seem to take it into account. 

Also, as a parent, I've got to say that I'm dissapointed to hear people talk so negatively about children as they do in these forums. Children are an amazing blessing...and we all were them once upon a time. I understand that you don't want people doing damage or that some places may not be suitable for children, but it's disheartening. 

[Kim328]

I totally agree, super disheartening. Damage done by anyone is the responsiblity of the guest so why does it matter if it's an infant. And if you mark 2 adults and an infant, then that should be reflected in the serch filter to avoid showing places that don't allow 3 (for fire code violations or whatnot).