Selling my Airbnb home

Selling my Airbnb home

We are selling our property and the new owners want to continue with Airbnb. I have confirmed bookings for later in the year which the new owners are most happy to accommodate, so there will be no need to cancel these bookings.  Do the new owners need to set up a whole new listing or can we make the changes on my current listing in regards to personal information and change of account details? 

Cheers

Franca

 

37 Replies 37

What you're describing is against Airbnb policies and will void your ability to claim for damages through them and will get your listing delisted.  Just because you can "get away with it" does not make it legal (like speeding, just because the car goes to 100 doesn't mean you legally can drive it that fast on the road).  Additionally, you cannot contract with a guest for services that you are not going to provide. Read the terms and conditions of your agreement with Airbnb.  

And, entire house listings have a major opportunity to change the most - the furniture, the furnishings, the appliances, the bedding, etc.... Once worked for a man who, during a fit of anger and disgust with his employees said, "I will paint this place black and put green lightbulbs in and kill this business because it belongs to me". Same thing can happen to any listing and it will be attributed to the original lister.... not some new lister added as a co-host who has access to the property and there is NO LEGAL RECOURSE for the original owner.  

@Alice-and-Jeff0.....neither @Marit Anne  or I are disagreeing with you but we are saying there are legal ways in the framework by working with ABB whereby the new purchaser can.....

Look guys, as I see it, here is the scenario. Someone has looked at @Franca And Anthony's property with an eye to purchase. One of the things that attracted the purchaser was the fact that this particular property has an income on the side....a ready made business, and the purchaser probably paid a premium for the property based on it's ability to produce that bit of income. Any business you purchase is going to have a bit of goodwill that has a dollar value. If you have a barn (as many hosts do) that you have converted at considerable expence to accommodation and you have a steadily booked calendar....... that is going to be reflected in the price you are going to require on the sale of that property. The purchaser does not want to start from scratch and throw aside the good work that @Franca And Anthony has done....In this instance they 'want' to build on it.

Of course there are legal aspects attached to host/co-host which would need to be settled! In the past 24 hours I have seen another post by a co-host asking how future hosting payments can be directed away from the host because they have parted company for one reason or another and the host has moved on and no longer has anything to do with the listing. There will always be that ball out of 'left field' to deal with.

But I would tend to lean with Marit Anne on this....ABB do not want to see a successful listing shut down to establish a totally unknown one, and if both parties get together with ABB, I am 100% certain a way could be worked out to transition the bricks and mortar of this listing to another host. Of course the reviews and the past history and personals remain with the seller but the purchaser gets to carry on the benefit of the sellers good work....which they have no doubt paid for.

 

I do agree with you totally that every booking needs to be informed that a change of ownership has taken place and the option given for relocation or cancellation from the date of handover!

Cheers....Rob

@Robin4 -  Yes, it has intrisic value to the new owner that could be reflected in the price.  It is, however, a 1099 contract endeavor.  If the small business was incorporated, the ownership of the "business" could be tranferred.  However, as a contract employee of Airbnb, it's not the same thing.  One contractor is hired, in this case @Franca-And-Anthony0,  to do a job.  That job means they provide the services that they say they will.  Right now, there is no relationship with Airbnb and the new owners.  That doesn't mean there won't be, but it is not necessarily automatic.  What if the new owners are on watch lists that Airbnb deem are not supporting their business model (like they are convicted child molesters).   That means after the close of the sale of the business with @Franca-And-Anthony0, there is a new contract that must be made with the new owners - if allowed.  It definitely helps that there are bookings in the future - what people call a "turn-key" operation - but you cannot contract for services with someone if you are not going to complete them - it's called fraud.  By all means, work together to get the listings rebooked with the new owners - copy and paste the text and use the same pictures - but there is a time of limbo - deals fall through on real estate all the time, there is no guarantee, until the contracts are signed and the paperwork is filed that the real estate holdings will transfer.  This is why Airbnb won't let 2 different people have listings for the same property.  Just proceed with caution, know what terms you are violating if you choose to do so, and be prepared for consequences if you should get caught.  

@Alice-and-Jeff0 Yeah your points are noted and of course correct.....wouldn't expect less from you!!

As a community we are trying to find ways to help these people with what they want to do. And just reading @David126's post I think he has hit the nail on the head and found the answer!

But this is what I love about you guys, I learn so many more obscure things from you every day.

Cheers....Rob

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

The system does not envisage this situation.

 

Ideal scenario would be if ABB transferred all your booking with your Guests agreement to aa new listing set up by the buyers.

 

Can be avoided, list in an entity name rather than as individual, so bank emali etc gets transferred with the sale.

 

If it is on the market just take short notice bookings after all you do not know what any buyer will want to do.

David
Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@David126......"Ideal scenario would be if ABB transferred all your booking with your Guests agreement to a new listing set up by the buyers." .......Yeah David perfect scenario, simple! Obviously some guests may wish to re-think continuing with an un-known host but that seems the most seemless way of transitioning. Once again. on the ball!

Cheers....Rob

Summer39
Level 2
Newport Beach, CA

What if you sell your home but the new owners want you to manage it for them?

Jane431
Level 2
Los Gatos, CA

What if the new owner does not want to rent it out?  Will ABB charge me for every cancellaton?  I have a dozen!

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Yes you would be liable @Jane431 .

 

If you know you are selling you should block your calendar so you can’t receive booking. 

Even if the new owner wants to set up their own STR booking you would need to work with Airbnb to transfer bookings should guests agree. 

I put my listing on "snooze" so not getting anymore requests but I have a dozen bookings going forward from Nov. to Oct. next year and new owners are not using for a rental.  My question is am I going to be charged for the cancelled reservations from payouts on my other listing?

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Charge you for something you no longer can physically do? And even if so, they will deducted it from what exactly, a future payment that will no longer take place? 

Well exactly except I do have another listing for which they could charge.   But this one is Hawaii and the quarantine just wiped us out financially with all the cancellations so decided to sell.  I assumed new owners would use as a rental but not the case.  Guess I have to delete my account completely and close my bank account.   I'm not going to pay them a thousand dollars!

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

You would be liable under the t&c’s you signed up to @Jane431 

 

Whether they would pursue you is another matter. 

please let your guests know ASAP so they can try and find alternative comparable properties 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Jane431 @Helen3 I thought sale of the property qualified under EC  to allow cancellations for free.

No because it’s not an exceptional i.e. unforseen circumstance. @Mike-And-Jane0 

 

Airbnb expect hosts looking to sell their place not to accept longer term bookings they may not be able to honour, when they intend to put their place up for sale. 

When I sold my place I only opened my calendar for three months, so I wouldn’t have to cancel any bookings.