Airbnb service charges over 25% !

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Meddy3
Level 2
Victoria, Canada

Airbnb service charges over 25% !

 

Hello everyone ,

 

We have three properties in Airbnb since last year, and we were happy to be a part of this community with almost 100% our guests satisfaction and being  a superhost, but in last few months we had lots of unoccupied days, and still there are lots of un-booked days in coming months, although our rates are quite low, compare to the market and also we tried to have effective pages for our properties, in the Airbnb website.


Recently we realised that the Airbnb service charges is something around 25 percent! and sometimes more! This huge portion of payment are deducted from both side, but as a host we could see only a small part of it, in our booking page!


We believe this is a major issues that our properties in Airbnb can't compete with others who use other websites like Homeaway, VRBO, Victoriastay, or booking.com and etc. Their service charges are significantly lower than Airbnb. (somewhere around 10 % to 13 % and even less). Clearly, we "all hosts" are the ones who actually put our investment, and honest efforts in this business and we are the ones who accept the risk of having strangers in our houses.

 

This is our honest though. Perhaps it can effect to people "regardless of being hosts or guests" , when they find out this unpleasant fact. Please share your opinions and let us know more about your experiences. 

Kind Regards,
Meddy 

1 Best Answer
Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

  @Meddy3 Airbnb doesn't charge a whopping 25% collectively from a booking, fortunately. If they did, they wouldn't have zoomed past the competition as they have done in the last few years. The reasons why you are not getting bookings 'in the last few months' lies elsewhere. While on the subject...

  Airbnb exposes our listings to millions of people throughout the world, and charges us (hosts) a palatable 3%-5% for the priviledge, it is not a right. What guests are willing to pay (or not) it is their business, and if they find Airbnb's guest fees so objectionable they wouldn't book through Airbnb in such extraordinary numbers, yet they do.

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28 Replies 28

@Meddy3 I’d guess the extra is a tax amount or a currency conversion and then also the guest service fee. It’s a lot but it isn’t 25%

My first booking today and the Airbnb charge is 25%!  I only know this because the guest told me what she paid.  PLUS she paid 3% to Airbnb then I as host was charged 25%!!  That’s 28% total. 

I messaged airbnb at 330 pm over 3 hours ago, no response.

so that’s why I’m here. 

@Meddy3   As you know in Canada, we have the GST for starters.    Each province, and city, may have other taxes and charges that kick in.  So the final price tag to the guest can be even higher than in British Columbia. 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

  @Meddy3 Airbnb doesn't charge a whopping 25% collectively from a booking, fortunately. If they did, they wouldn't have zoomed past the competition as they have done in the last few years. The reasons why you are not getting bookings 'in the last few months' lies elsewhere. While on the subject...

  Airbnb exposes our listings to millions of people throughout the world, and charges us (hosts) a palatable 3%-5% for the priviledge, it is not a right. What guests are willing to pay (or not) it is their business, and if they find Airbnb's guest fees so objectionable they wouldn't book through Airbnb in such extraordinary numbers, yet they do.

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

"Airbnb eliminates some guest fees to take on Booking .com"

 

https://skift.com/2019/05/27/airbnb-eliminates-most-guest-fees-to-take-on-booking-holdings/

Jerry251
Level 1
Long Beach, CA

The dramatic rise in Airbnb fees charged to guest is an attempt to increase Corporate profits in order to be better positioned for going public or selling off the business.  Jumping the fees to guests from roughly 6 percent to over 17-20 percent is either the above reason or just flat out Corporate greed. 

 

As hosts we pay the brunt as we cant raise prices accordingly and with more cities taxing at 11-13 percent , and you place another 17-20 percent the guests now pays 29 - 33 percent more than they did several years ago. 

 

I think Airbnb will learn a lesson in this type of Corporate greed when the economy starts going south and we have much fewer travelllers then Airbnb will suffer.  Clearly they are not focusing on their competitors who are not charging these high fees and clearly they don’t care about the profits of the hosts just themselves ! 

Jerry263
Level 1
Sacramento, CA

Just booked. Cleaning fees about 31%, service fees about 17%, with taxes and  additional fees about 14%. I think they are way too much. Here is a breakdown.

Price breakdown
$273.00 x 2 nights$546.00
Cleaning fee$170.00
Service fee$92.36
Occupancy taxes and fees$78.76

Total (USD)$887.12

Steven65
Level 10
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Cleaning fees are optional, set and collected by the host, right? eg Fixed cleaning charge of say £30 per stay. Hosts could remove this fee and add it instead to daily charge. 

 

Airbnb Service fees are approximately 10% to guest and 3% to host, so 13% total. Still high in my view, but not unreasonable. 

My partner just booked a room for 160 and the service fee was 27. Thats more than 10%. In fact 20 would be 13% and 27 is 17 !!! % personally I think that's unreasonable.

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

Airbnb used to show us "what guests will pay" for a specific date on our calendar but they stopped doing that. They seem to not want us to know how much they are making off the guests... and yes, it's a lot!

Mori5
Level 2
Sydney, Australia

I also recently calculated AirBnB commission two weeks ago, I came up with a figure over %27, in all of my recent bookings. Specially when you keep changing the rent regularly it is very hard to keep track of the commissions and earnings.  I emailed them with all breakdowns, they replied there should be a mistake they will be investigating and now after two weeks no answer from them yet.  

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

airbnb made about $1500 off my single airbnb listing in just the month of july! And for what really? Connecting guests and hosts? 

 

They'll make roughly $7500 for the 2019 year from my single listing! That's pretty good considering that is just 1 listing out of 800,000! 

Tefa-and-Joe0
Level 1
Black Mountain, NC

I agree that the guest I just spoke with was charged 22%.  Her reservation was for $736 on her end and my end showed $576.  That's crazy.

Actually the service charge rate by Airb&b is quite reasonable compared to VRBO from my experience. The major problems I have with Airb&b is their false propaganda and dishonesty. Last year during the Federal government shutdown their promised perks to hots who happen to be government employees and hosting during the shutdown. I applied for the perks and despite my multiple attempts they just ignored me until today. It has been a year. Second, a guest booked my house for a weekend  in January of 2019 and ransacked it. Although I sent video and pictures to Airb&b for them to repair the damages they keep giving me the run around. And so far virtually nothing has been done. So, when Airb&b say that they have insurance to cover your house in case of damages, do not believe them. You are on your own in term of selecting whom you admit into your house.