So, I'm a "guest" (used to host as well). And today was unpleasantly reminded at how completely unreliable the current Airbnb system is for long-term rentals.
A few months ago I booked a place for two months (nov-dec) in Cyprus. It was affordable and looked nice. The host had excellent reviews.
Today I was contacted by the host saying that I would need to pay the cost of electricity for those months "as stated in the home description".
The description was edited recently to contain said information, but it did not on the time of my booking (airbnb confirmed this). After reaching out to Airbnb to verify this, they took it upon themselves - sadly against my specific wishes - to contact the host about this matter. And the host told them that if I did not accept her conditions she would simply cancel the arrangement. Even if it would incur serious penalties to her. (loss of superhost status, bad review and having those dates blocked).
Airbnb could not do anything for me to guarantee the reliability of the listing, it seems. The penalties seem strong (Except for a meager 50 dollar fine..come on, that's not going to stop anyone when it comes to several months worth of renting) but only when we pretend Airbnb is the only rental platform. It isn't. VRBO and booking.com are other platforms where I indeed found my host also renting out her other places.
It made me feel extremely vulnerable - as you book tickets and activities and plan your life around being 100% sure that the home listing you booked will be available to you. If she cancels, I get my money back - but in no way does this mean I get a home back, as the prices for those dates now have doubled meanwhile. Worse, she can decide to cancel the listing on an even later date - up to 48 hours - without any significant penalty difference to her compared to doing it now, and with no added help or aid from Airbnb in finding a replacement.
Basically she can just list her appartment on VRBO or booking.com for the dates that I booked, get a lot more money for it possibly and decide - after the dates were sufficiently filled - to cancel it a week before I arrive.
The airbnb support lady was very kind and apologetic but in no way could tell me how I, the renter, would be protected or aided against this kind of blackmailing. I have to pay the electricity, or I lose the listing. Even though it's against Airbnb regulations and was not was agreed upon when I booked.
It seems a large, gaping hole in the Airbnb platform and would make me seriously reconsider booking long-term in the future. Despite having had exclusively positive experiences so far with them, over many years.
