Can I donate my listing through Airbnb

[Erika122]

Hi,

I was recently contacted, through the app, about donating a week or weekend as a fundraiser for a charity. I am not opposed to the idea as I think it would be good publicity for my listing, however, I would not want to do this outside of the air BNB app. Has anyone done this and if so how? 

[Kimberly54]

Hi @Erika122, and all,

Has anyone else been contacted like this?

Nothing has come over my app or computer.

Is this even real?

Be SUPER careful! 

[Amy38]

@Erika122 The only caveat I see is the request for a specific week

I have purchased trips at charity auctions and the norm is that the person has donated it, a bidder wins it and then has a year to use it,  and the host blocks off dates it is availble or not.

A request for a specific date for a family doesnt ring true to me.  It sounds like a pre-determined trip, not a charity auction.

[Lisa658]

@Erika122

You would have to get the organisation to set up an AirBnB business account so that they can make a 3rd party booking.  I believe the lowest rate you can book a night for is $10 per night.  The organisation would have to send you an enquiry for the dates of interest and you would respond with a special offer for $10 per night.  I believe this is the only way you can use the platform for this type of booking.

We took an AirBnB booking last week from an organisation that had partnered with AirBnB and been given an accommodation allowance.  The organisation was then able to use the credit to book on behalf of the recipient.

Lisa

[David126]

I donate a couple of nights to organisations I am connected with as fund raisers but do not do it through ABB, too much hassle.

The $10 minimum which you could then refund plus fees would be the way to go.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Erika122 - do not do this.  Airbnb does not support this - if they did they would provide an Airbnb coupon to the group requesting the donation - not require you as the host to do this out of pocket.  However, you can personally purchase a gift card and give it to the organization and they can still promote your listing as the donating host.  Hopefully the guest will use the card to stay with you.  Hosts occassionally provide a refund for a charitable event, but you cannot provide a refund for the Airbnb fees.  

Also, these types of "promotions" will not really do anything to help you get more bookings.  It may drive people to your listing on the Airbnb platform, if they use the links, but it doesn't make people book with you. Other hosts have been asked to donate to provide for free advertising on blogs, websites and such and most will tell you it wasn't worth it.

Besides, anyone reaching out to you within the platform or off for a donation is actually violating the terms and conditions of Airbnb. Solicitations in this way are not allowed. 

[Lisa658]

@Alice-and-Jeff0

Just to put things into another perspective, I would also consider that anyone trying to make a 3rd party booking with a private profile, anyone asking for your phone number or anyone trying to make payment outside the platform to all be violating the terms and conditions of AirBnB.  Soliciting a donation is just another one to add to the list.  Often time, new users may not even be aware they are in violation of the terms and conditions. 

None of these actions are allowed nor are they supported by AirBnB.  The solution is generally to coach the potential guest on how to book within the guidelines if you would like to proceed with the booking.  In this case, I do not see why this would not be possible unless there is a separate regulation specifically against it?

I don’t think this is all that different to new hosts having their friends book at $10 or $15 per night in order to practice using the platform and get feedback on their hosting skills and the amenities they are providing.  To my knowledge, there are no rules or exceptions around how much of a discount you can offer other than the imposed minimum nightly rate.

We have directly donated weekend stays a few times to sports teams trying to raise money for new uniforms or to make money for a sports day and would happily do this again to contribute, particularly to children in the community.  It was not really about the advertising, it was to support an endeavour that we believed in.

The organisations would likely have enough to pay the $10 nightly rate + the $1.50 per night or so in fees for what could be a sought after raffle prize.  If the host does choose to refund the $10/night, then $3 for a 2 night stay or $10 for a week is well within reason and they would likely have access to funds for this.

If @Erika122 really wants to go through AirBnB I think that it can be done within the nominated guidelines and be totally compliant with all the terms and conditions for booking through the business profile.  Is there something specific that I am unaware of and totally missing here?  Would be interested to know as we also had our first request of this nature through AirBnB last week.  

Thanks kindly, Lisa

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Lisa658 - there is no way to provide a "free" stay, as you just enumerated.  At best, it's a "discounted" stay.  Advertising one vs. the other can cause legal ramifications. You can, as I advised, write off an entire gift card purchased to support a cause.  

Also, as the host, you have no contol then who purchases this "gift".  You have to say yes whether they are verified, a felon, maybe even someone who couldn't qualify under Airbnb policies as is.  You have to say yes to this guest whether you are comfortable with them or not. 

Let's just think about some "what if" situations: What happens if the guest damages your property while they are enjoying this free stay? Assuming that you've collected a security deposit as normal, now this situation gets sticky.  It's not a business transaction, it's a charitable one.  What if they break your house rules or have a party and you have to have the guests removed?  We all know how difficult this is with paying guests, let alone ones who think their stay is "free".   What if you as the host have a problem and have to cancel?  They cannot rebook another location with your "gift".  A charitable gift is a legally binding contract so if you cannot fulfill the contract - let's say your property gets torn apart by a tornado - how will you fulfill the contract?  Unless you put restrictions on the gift, those getting the donation could potentially use it during the most valuable weekend you have on your books.  You can't say no without saying so in advance.  I'm sure there are so many more "what if" situations....these are just the few.  And before you say it - everything could go smooth as silk, no tragedies or drama, that the risk is worth the value of the donation... true enough.  

Finally, Airbnb washes their hands of any liability that comes with donations: 

Donations

Some Hosts may pledge to donate a portion of the funds they receive from confirmed Bookings made via the Site, Application and Services to aparticular cause or charity. We do not take any responsibility or liability for whether the Host does in fact make the donation he or she pledged to make. In such cases, the Host in question is responsible for his or her own compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to such pledges and/or fund-raising.

(My fear here would be if they wash their hands of the liability of actually giving the gift, they will was their hands at supporting the gift itself, not a road I want to go down personally.)  

The point for me being is that the risks outweigh the value of a little bit of "advertising".  If you are doing it out of the goodness of your charitable heart, go forth and give away!  This is what is great about the free homing services Airbnb provides for people when there are displaced persons - you can donate your space to take people in. The amount of additional traffic to your site to get a few more bites on stays does not, to me, outweigh the risks.  If you are supporting a charity that makes you proud to do so, I can't, for the life of me, come up with a reason to not take the risks outside of the ones I've already provided.

However, for me, I'd buy a gift card and let the guests stay where and when they wanted and write the entire purchase off on my taxes. The organization can still promote me as the donating host and my listing as the contributing offer, but it relieves me of most of the risks associated with a physical donation of space and gives more freedom to the people getting the charity. Heck, they may not like me - that reason alone would keep me from wanting to force them to stay in my property!  

JM2C

[Lisa658]

@Alice-and-Jeff0

I don't think too many hosts would be advertising about their donations.  If the organisation wants to advertise, I would assume the wording becomes their responsibility.

You have actually touched on the one point that would likely make using AirBnB much less feasible for donating accommodation.  When the organisation books, they must nominate the stay dates at the time of booking so this would not work in many instances.  I suppose they could book a year in advance or at the end of the period the stay is valid for.  When the guest selects their dates, the organisation could send through a request to alter the booking.  Most times peak dates are excluded from these types of prizes in any case.

In our situation, the organisation requested the specific dates that they wanted at the time of booking.  They told us about the family that would be staying.  The family does not have an AirBnB profile.  I did check and this is all acceptable as the responsibility falls to the booker with a Business Profile reserving on behalf of another party, not to the guest.  The profile holder provides payment and assurance for the security deposit.  I don’t actually see this as any more risky than any other AirBnB booking.

In most instances, offering a donation will have very little to do with advertising.  Most legitimate organisations are not in the business of bartering for donations.  The booking we accepted last week comes with no advertising at all.  We are also providing an “Experience” for this family so we are really looking forward to it.  Every single person we have mentioned it too while trying to source certain things has asked if they can help out.  We expect it will be a great experience for us too.  I actually like that the booking is through AirBnB because it seems to be bringing out a lot of kindness in people and it fits the spirit of the original mission of the platform.  JM2C

I would caution hosts to ensure that the organisation is legitimate and the booking is done through their profile but other than that, I would not have any problem recommending donating a stay for a worthy cause.

Lisa

[Ben205]

@Erika122

Hi. I've just offered our place to a local building society who run raffles amongst their members to raise money for a designated charity. The raffle hasn't been run, yet, but we were asked if there was a particular charity we would like to support.

We know that tickets will be bought by local people, most if not all of whom will have savings or a mortgage with the building society. I don't have any reservations about this - I'm sure we will get somebody nice who is grateful for the holiday. And, I'm also sure that the prize will bring in a lot more money for the charity that it would if we just gave our income from a 3-night stay.

If we get some publicity, great. But that's not the reason for doing it.

Let us know what you decide to do.

[Barry-and-Lera0]

We have donated "staycations" for local charities but have done it outside of Airbnb. We did not see the point (and hassle) of using the Airbnb platform for things like this. Homeowners policy covers guests as they are not "paying" guests.  

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Barry-and-Lera0 - you should check with your homeowners policy, because ours absolutely does not cover guests in our home when they are staying as a result of a business transaction.  We have to carry a seperate "occassional business" rider to cover these overnight stays.  It's the same as a hairdresser or a therapist that has a separate space in the home for their business.  If you are writing it off on your taxes as a business expense, you are most likely not covered by homeowners.  Just be careful and check in with your agent.  

[Barry-and-Lera0]

Donating our guesthouse for a charity and having no monetary transaction puts it on the same level as having an Aunt or Uncle stay on the property. I agree with you that an actual transaction will not be covered by homeowners unless the policy states so but I am not talking about a paid transaction.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Barry-and-Lera0 - a donation, while being free and charitable, is still a business transaction. It's not like your Aunt and Uncle staying at all. Please talk to your accountant, insurance agent, and lawyer to make sure you have all your bases covered.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/record-donation-bookkeeping-35129.html

[Barry-and-Lera0]

I was lookng at it from the insurance point of view not the accounting aspect but I'll look into it more.