I am so tired of the airbnb policies. I have been running my business for 20 years, have 50 properties and almost all 5 star reviews. But somehow, Airbnb with only a few years under their belt, thinks they need to step in and take control. No other rental channel interfers in our businesses like Airbnb.
In life, we as adults, need to be responsible. We buy car insurance, homeowners insurance, health insurance and trip insurance. But Airbnb believes that we, as hosts, should also be insurance companies. I can't understand how an illness, a dealth in the family or other "circumstance" by a guest, somehow makes me they one who should suffer the losses. Yes, it's unfortunate when those things happen but this is business. People have to insure themselves when they travel, unless they travel on Airbnb. I even put in my house rules that guests should be trip insurance. But to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars every year, Airbnb just cancels bookings for almost any reason. Sometimes they even pay me and then just come back and take money away from me weeks later. It's out of control.
Guests who use airbnb are learning how to do it. Once they get thier first free cancellation, they learn how to set everything up for the next time.
Then what about these totally unreasonable refunds Life is not perfect. But again, somehow Airbnb thinks that nothing should ever go wrong in our homes. If an air conditioner stops working, that's part of life. So we as responsible hosts, address the issues immediatily and get the repair people there ASAP and fix the issue. That's how it works in any home. That's a reasonable situation in an hotel or vacation rental. But Airbnb will refund for anything. It is there stance that nothing should ever go wrong in any home. If a guest is without AC for a few hours and the home is still cool, they can easily get a full refund for thier trip. Infuriating. Guest are learning how to set up the airbnb thread to get their refunds. They arrive and start the complaints in the thread. It doesn't matter what the host does to address the issues, the guest always wins. Airbnb interrogates hosts, treating us like criminals, demanding we show evidence of everything. It's infuriating and very expensive to do business with Airbnb.
All that being said, 98% of my Airbnb guests are wonderful, love our properties and give us great reviews. But the others who know how to game the Airbnb system cost me thousands of dollars a year.
Hopefully professional property managers and homeowners will start to band together and demand change. We are not insurance companies. If Airbnb wants to offer thier guests 100% asssurance of a perfect stay or coverage for any "extenuating circumstance" then Airbnb should sell trip insurance.
