New Co Host Regulations August 1

[Joey28]

I am a host of my own property and a co host for others and I've been searching daily for ideas and solutions to the butchering of the co host program beginning August 1

Here are a few problems that I haven't been able to find any reasonable solutions for...any ideas would be appreciated.

1. As a Co Host you now have to give your banking information as well as your taxpayer information (including SSN) to use the Split Payout. This seems like a bad idea when I'm trying to get new hosts on board as a client. I mean I trust the people I work with, but I certainly don't give them DOB, SSN, Address and Banking information. I have to trust current and new hosts with ALL this personal information. I also have to trust that they will put in the proper percentage and not change it. All the financial transparency has vanished and It feels like it is now something that requires a contract.

2. Without this financial transparency, I will have a hard time following along with what they're actually getting paid out by Airbnb and exactly what I should be expecting. Nightly rates change, discounts get applied for longer stays, Airbnb takes fees etc.

3. Airbnb used to pay me my percentage as well as my cleaning fee. Now if we use the Airbnb split payout method, Airbnb will pay me my percentage of their entire payout INCLUDING the cleaning fee. That means that without further accounting on their part, they would pay a portion of the cleaning fee through the automated Airbnb split payout method and then pay me the cleaning fee separately. Now, they've paid more than they should for cleaning.

4. I will be paying the cleaning fees in advance and asking for reimbursements often. Even if they give me a cleaning draw, I will have last minute bookings etc. 

I know that we can just get the basic algorythm and each do our own accounting, but neither one of us is an accountant. Moreover, adding that imexperienced work to my schedule would make me want to charge the hosts more and as a host I would want to pay less for all my extra time. Is everyone swallowing these pills or are we getting creative?? I have yet to read a positive point of view from these new changes. It literallly seems as though there is a 100% rate of stress or frustration with Airbnb users on the hosting side. 

I feel like they are going to let us fall apart to appreciate their accounting and then charge us for the service.

[Alexandra558]

HI , Joey. I think that all cohosts have the same issue. 

Cleaning fees are the problem.

Have you find any solution?

[Adam504]

My present solution pending a more detailed review of the tax implications, which may not be an issue, is below. My setup is: owner with cohost who takes a percentage of the booking and all of the cleaning fee.

- Step 1: continue paying cohosts at the same percentage I was before via the split payout option (this results in underpaying cohosts because they are only getting a percentage of the cleaning fee, rather than all of it)

- Step 2: pay the cohost separately (via external-to-airbnb payment) the entire cleaning fee. This results in overpaying for cleaning, because they were already paid a percentage of the cleaning fee in step 1.  I am considering this a small pay raise for them (which amounts to $15 per booking in our case.)

My concern is, the payout that we will distribute a percentage of to them is our post-taxes/fees payout, and I am unclear on how to compare it to the previous setup and rules on how Airbnb distributed the payout.  I suspect it will be the same.  I am not sure what assigning taxpay information to each payout method will do, and hope to figure it out in the next few weeks.

[Bohdan0]

My co-host quit on me abruptly after skipping a few cleanings. I am hopeful to recover the money from him. However, I cannot find the old menu for searching for a new co -host. Any suggestions?