Hello fellow Hosts,
We have been renting through Airbnb and other sites for close to 4 years. We have been seeing that Airbnb has improved in certain areas such as continues updates once the guest reservation is completed. We appreciate that and it helps us maintain a good communication with the guests and cuts down on miss-understandings.
However, ther had been several changesto practices by Airbnb that are making it difficult for the hosts to focus on sharing the enjoyment of their property with the guests. Some of these examples are:
- The Superhost rating system is no longer a rewarding system it is a rather punishing one. I have read the community's discussion and find that there are several good answers. I suggest that Airbnb's management give a priority to improve this area. What does Airbnb have to lose? This is not a college exam or a job interview rating. We want Airbnb to help and incourage us to be better hosts.
- Security Deposit is what it is. As a seasoned licensed real estate broker in california for 25 years, Security deposit needs to be collected up front and held in an escrow account. It is there to protect the property owner and to recover when there is a valid and qualified claim for damage caused by the tenant. Airbnb should not mess up this standard procedure and give false impression to both the host and tenant. The guests are more likely to be observant of the house rules and avoid violations and damage to the property if they are made aware that the money is collected and held upfront. Airbnb does not release the money to the host until a valid claim is made and approved. Otherwise, let the owners handle the security deposit themselves if they wish to do so within clear guidelines approved by Airbnb.
- A breakdown of all the money collected from the guest should be available to the host to see. This is not confidential information, at least not for the host to see. Airbnb is acting on behalf of the host to rent their property. The host has the responsibility to provide the guest with the service contracted and paid for. It helps the host to see what the guest paid and alert Airbnb to a problem that can be avoided the next time. I recall that Airbnb did provide this breakdown of the charges. All major sites provide that information including TripAdvisor and Homeaway.
Buttom line, all good hosts want is to be partners with Airbnb in generating a good profitable business where everyone is a winner especially the guests. Let us go back to the initial reasons why Airbnb started and grew into a global entity.