A month is not 28 days

[Dennis20]

Why does Airbnb consider a month as 28 days? I have several guest who rent for a month or more. My rates are quoted as the cost for one month stay. As an example if my rate is $1,000 for a month the guest only gest 28 day credit. The guest then has to pay for an additional two days to stay a full month. So if my daily rate is $100 then the guests pay $1,000 for 28 days and an additional $200, why? My rate is $1,000 for a month not $1,200. I've lost potential bookings and actually had guest request the $200 refund because my rate is $1,000. How did Airbnb decide that a month has only 28 days? Its confusing to the guests and the hosts. Suggest a month should have 30 days.

[Cormac0]

@Dennis

Because February has only 28 days and it much simpler to programme then applying logic to each individual month and building a sub-routines for leap years presumably.

[Dede0]

@Dennis20 Not to be rude, but to explain... Your rate is not $1,000 per month. AirBnB doesn't provide any mechanism for a host to set a fixed monthly rate. Hosts set daily rates (which can vary from day to day) and can set percentage-based discounts for weekly or monthly stays. In each of those two cases, the discount applies not just to each exact 7-day or 28-day period, but to the entire duration at or above the 7-day or 28-day mark. In other words, if someone rents for 7 days, 9 days, or anything up to 27 days, their entire charge is reduced by your weekly discount. Likewise, when someone rents for 28 days, 30 days, 53 days, etc, their charge is reduced by your monthly discount.

You can verify that yourself by viewing your listing's calendar while NOT logged in. Jump ahead to an empty stretch of days and select,  for example, 10 days. Note the amount to be charged. Do the same by selecting a 30-day stretch and note the amount of the charge.

[Dennis59]

Regarless a month is still 30 days for the majority of the world. Airbnb should give the option to select what a month is.

The argument that it's difficult to program is kind of nonsense. Airbnb should update their system to reflect the needs of the market.

Monthly rental is obviously popular and pretty basic when looking for an apartment. Having a percentage based off the daily rate is the most non-intiutive idea they could possibly think of.   Again trying to be a hotels.com and offer a Discount promotion coupon style incentive.

[Joe210]

This Error on the part of AirBnB also applies to monthly discount rates.  My guests get a 40% discount for booking an entire month.  But what that really means is that there is a 40% discount for anyone who books for 28 days because any and every 28 day period is considered a month to AirBnB. 

[Dennis20]

I have been fighting this 28-day month with Airbnb for more than a year. I quote monthly rates but clients only get to stay 28-days. Then the client finds out they have to pay for an additional two days and they are not happy. If clients are insistant then I have to refund them the payment for the additional two days. Only one month a year has 28-days, so explain to me and my clients why they can't stay for a full 30-days.

I've also told Airbnb that I don't offer any discounts. I quote rates for weekly and monthly. Airbnb likes to play smoke and mirrors by stating my weekly and monthly rates are a discount off the nightly rate, not true. How can my monthly rate be a discount off the daily rate if the client isn't paying the daily rate. This makes no sense. Common Airbnb get with the program.

Dennis M.

[Dennis59]

Airbnb is forgetting it's core seller and trying to make a similar feeling/system to hotels.com. Offing a % off and discounts on daily rates.

Airbnb strenght is its extended stay impression. If they continue to copy booking.com and hotels.com as a traditional OTA, they will ruin their relationships with their hosts and their customers.

They are trying to make guests feel like they are getting deal. Having a Monthly rates and weekly rate is the reason we do not need a futher promotion/discount. It's just nonsense and a gimmic to make custoemrs feel they are getting somehting at a better rate.

Airbnb should reward hosts who input these two rate plans weekely and monthly, not a % off a daily rate.

And yes you should be able to set what a month is? 28 days or 30 days. Or based on a calender month if that is your preference.

It's time to get to work airbnb programmers.

Dennis

[Jarrod4]

Obviously a month is not 28 days (11/12 times).... this is dumb. If staying somewhere for months, payment dates would eventually change to halfway through the month...and for even longer term you would eventually lose close to a whole month if you rented for the year. 

[Dennis59]

I wonder if airbnb employees who get paid monthly work on the same plan? Those extra days of the calendar just do not exisit I guess.

The standard for a month and most real estate contracts is 30 days.

[Frederick21]

Dennis,

Airbnb is priced on a daily rate less a weekly or monthly discount for Hosts that choose to provide a discount.  I do not see a monthly discount for many of your listings so I am not certain what issue you are having when quoting a rate to potential guests.

Without a monthly discount your quoted rate is simply the number of days requested by your potential guest multiplied by the daily rate. 

Example:

Potential Guest asks for a 28 day stay = 28 X Your Daily Rate

Potential Guest asks for a 30 day stay = 30 X Your Daily Rate

Potential Guest asks for a 31 day stay = 31 X Your Daily Rate

It is not complicated.  There are no fixed monthly rates on AirBnb.  If you are not happy with the way the AirBnb system you should look for another rental platform or use a local classified ad service or rental agent.  Also, it is a violation of AirBnb´s terms of service to request a Credit Card from your guests at the time of rental.