@Kari13....Well there you go Kari, now you know what we as hosts have to put up with. Guests are the commodity that keeps the business thriving....hosts are the pain in the a*se that is required to keep those paying customers coming.
Reservations for blocked dates, the calendar unblocking dates you have blocked, poor contactability options unless you are a superhost, lack of any meaniful compensation through the host protection scheme or the reolution centre.....These are problems we hosts have had to deal with for the last two years and as the platform grows, we, the hosting community are finding more and more restrictions on the options we are allowed when dealing with strangers in what is our property.
The money side of things is possibly one of the better aspects of dealing with Airbnb! Hosts get charged a flat 3% with no annual, or listing fee, and guests will be charged between 8% and 16% per booking! From the hosting side, that's not bad, and Kari, it is as regular as clockwork...I never have to chase it. And from the guests side Airbnb are making less margin than your local supermarket does on any of the items they sell. And it is not neseccary for the guest to have anything to do with what the host charges....that's none of their business. You see your listing amount, and the guest sees the listed amount, that's fair! The other thing you have to realise is Airbnb in some juritictions are require to collect government taxes and local authority charges. Theese are fees that you never see but the guest ends up having to pay for them!
No matter what line of business you are in there is a cost involved. Kari I have noted on occasions I have been out to dine in America I will receive a bill with a suggested 'tipping' range from 20% to 30% for (in many instances) food I did not order and service I did not receive! It's the nature of doing business. We did a cruise from New York to Quebec and as we arrived at the ship terminal the passenger ahead of me went to put his cases on a trolley the shipping company had supplied for that purpose. A large guy in no sort of uniform gruffly told this passenger to leave his cases and bags on the pavement. The large guy then picked the cases up and threw them in the direction of the trolley....one of them didn't make it and he had to have another go at it! The large guy then stood there with his hand out and said to the passenger..."Well, we don't do this for nothin you know"!
All I will say to you is, hosting is one of the most rewarding things I have been introduced to in my life and Airbnb have been a major part of that reward. Sure, there will be the odd issue but, learn the rules regarding hosting..... contact us, keep up with current 'bugs' on the forum, keep that Airbnb phone number handy.....
+1-415-800-5959 (local San Francisco number)
or +1-855-424-7262 / 1-855-4-AIRBNB (toll-free)
When you prepared for any outcome nothing ever goes wrong Kari, when your not, nothing ever goes right! Good luck.
Cheers.....Rob
