New To Airbnb, About To Publish My Listing, But - Are Hosts As Unhappy As They Seem?

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

New To Airbnb, About To Publish My Listing, But - Are Hosts As Unhappy As They Seem?

Hi Everyone,

 

I am excited to be joining the Airbnb community. I spent several days getting my first home listing together and was just about to publish it but then decided to do some research on the community forums here to see what sorts of issues / challenges I might face as a new host, and as a host in general. It seems clear from reading the many posts from unhappy hosts that things were going along relatively well until 2015, when many changes occurred that seemed to favor guests and seemed unfair, unpalatable, or even intolerable to hosts sharing their spaces / rental properties on a short term basis - to the point where several hosts stated they were fed up, angry, have had enough, and are removing their listings all together from Airbnb. The main issues presented by host forum contributors that concern me are:

 

1) A buggy software system that causes hosts to receive double or triple bookings; when hosts try and cancel the later bookings they are 'penalized' by Airbnb for 'cancelling'.

 

2) Customer service seems impossible to reach. Emails are not responded to; a live human being is difficult to access. When one is reached (a miracle, it seems), the host allegedly hears vapid and meaningless responses such as, "Oh, I have never heard about that before. I'll talk to a manager about it and get back to you." And (you guessed it) the host never hears back from any support staff  of any kind at Airbnb.

 

3) When a guest damages property, claims are denied, even when the host follows the claims instructions down to the letter. I have only seen two cases on these forums where a claim was successfully and expediently resolved. The fact that the Host Protection Insurance policy itself is unavailable for hosts to review (or for most anyone to review, for that matter, although I have come across one insurance agent who has an actual copy of it - It is about 180 pages long, with a lot of exclusions, reportedly) does not add to my sense of confidence were an issue of damaged property to arise in relation to one of my Airbnb guests.

 

4) InstaBooking: Is this something a new host should avoid at first, even though it seems we are, in a sense, penalized for not signing up for this feature (listing not prominent in searches; harsher cancellation penalties, etc) as it could "overwhelm" us in relation to where we are as first-time hosts on the Airbnb learning curve? 

 

And so I am ultimately wondering, are there any happy hosts out there, including newer hosts that have listed properties since 2015? Am I likely to have a positive experience with Airbnb, if I do my best to follow all of the recommendations on how to offer a good housing experience for guests? Or is the host experience on Airbnb deteriorating to the point where new people like me should think twice before joining this particular sharing community? I really would love to meet people from all over the world, from all walks of life, as I cannot travel these days much for various reasons, and I value the 'sharing' mindset, so this is why I was hoping to find most of my guests through Airbnb (my listing is in a much-sought-after beach vacation rental area).

 

Thank you all so much in advance for any insights, experiences, or words of wisdom you may have for me!

 

Rebecca

64 Replies 64
Nancy67
Level 10
Charleston, SC

Rebecca:

 

 

Isn’t happiness what you make it?. From the looks of your profile, you, at least on paper look like a self-aware woman of strength and independence. You are living where you want to live, doing the things you want to do, being a friend to the animals and the earth. It seems as though you have already been proactive in building your own, personal happy factory?

 

I applaud your willingness to cast out a net and ask the community such a thought-provoking question., especially in light of the fact that you seem to have noticed so much disharmony. Pretty risky. (Ha)

 

If you are sure you understand the roles and duties required for being a host and can handle the hours, then outsource the parts of the job that will frustrate you, then my money is on you having a popular and busy space.

 

As an aside-- AirBNB has a separate section called “Experiences” You seem like such a talented and passionate woman, perhaps open that big fat happy bag of tricks you carry, dig around it for a minute, and come with something to offer as an “experience” to go with your lodging? Maybe it’s a 1 hour singing lesson per day? Horseback riding? Wine and cheese pairing class? Underwater basket weaving? Just a thought.

 

Don’t let the boards fool you—hosting like many jobs has its own joys, pitfalls and lingo. Much of what you see here is like meeting up with a co-worker after work for cocktails to bitch about the boss. They aren’t really going to quit—ok, well not ALL of those who threaten--It just feels good to let off some steam, or run to a safe place to be affirmed, get a question answered, tell a story, or get confirmation your world is shrinking and you might need some “me time.”

 

BTW, I have never, not once,  not been able to get ahold of phone support. (US Only—please don’t attack me) The AIrBNB phone support teams are amazing. They are there to solve problems and help you navigate through any issues that come up, like seasoned pros, I have never been left to swing in the wind. And when you move up to Super Host status, and I’m guessing it won’t be long—there is a designated team for you there as well.

You are going to be great!

 

@Nancy67 I am grateful and truly stunned that you took the time to read my entire profile so as to gain a sense of who I am; I have such a strong feeling that I could be very successful hosting via Airbnb, and for the reasons you state (and I hope that I do not come across as arrogant in saying this - I just know who I am). I did inquire online with Airbnb about offering an immersion experience with my horses at the nearby stables - not riding them, but grooming them, being with them, learning about them, in a contained round pen area (guests can also rent horses at these same stables to ride the Oregon Coast horse trail and also the dunes and beach) - They said they do not cover my area yet, but I don't see why I can't offer such an experience, provided my guests are willing to sign a form releasing me of liability should something untoward happen. Probably I would need to confer with a knowledgeable lawyer about this. It is also good to hear from so many respondents here in the U.S. that they CAN easily reach customer service at Airbnb, and MOST (not all) have had positive experiences. I really can't wait to get my listing up; I have decided to take better photos first (Airbnb does not have photographers for my area, but I just bought a wide angle lens for my camera) and then I am going to publish my listing. Please look me up if you are ever on the Oregon coast!

 

Appreciatively,


Rebecca

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Rebecca181

I have been active on this forum for the best part of two years now and this post of yours Rebecca is something different for a few reasons.

1/. And this is somewhat frivilous...I have never seen a post from a host who is not a host (as yet) gain such legs, gain so much comment.

2/. Generally popular threads will ramble off in diferent directions, but every bit of comment on this thread has been worthwhile and has kept to topic, and that is mainly due to you Rebecca! Every post you have responded to, and have given the impression you have learnt from.

3/. I have never seen a prospective host so keen to learn and genuinely prepare themselves for the days, weeks and months ahead.

 

I am absolutely sure you are going to be a wonderful host and are going to have a rich rewarding career in hosting because you are a good communicator and have done, and are doing what 90% of new hosts don't!

You are preparing yourself.....I don't need to wish you good luck Rebecca...... it will just follow you. you see.....

Cheers.....Rob

@Robin4 I have appreciated the comments you have made here on this thread - the humor, especially! I feel like I am watching some sort of satirical television show, the images you paint are so vivid and strong. These things you say about me / my post are embraced by me whole-heartedly, and much appreciated. Part of my profession as a psychotherapist and as a therapeutic life coach is to actively and consciously cultivate the art of communication - truly listening and hearing and responding to those I am engaging with - and I apply this skill / art to all areas of my life. It is a skill / art that most all of us can learn, and I am glad to hear from you that it is appreciated and that this has helped my post to stay 'on track' in general. I also like that I have met so many wonderful people / hosts as a direct result of my original post - people I know I can turn to should I run into some sort of snag or hitch that only another host (versus customer service) could truly understand. You will be one of those people, Robin! Perhaps one day we can meet. This is the best part of Airbnb - One really can make connections and friends all around the world. I love this aspect the most.

 

Best, 

Rebecca

 

 

Hi Rebecca,

welcome to the colorful world of airbnb, kudos for doing your homework, you're saving yourself tons of headaches down the road. by checking out this forum, with all it's horror stories, complaints and nightmare scenarios you've come to the perfect place to prepare yourself for hosting! honestly, nothing prepared me better than reading of all that can go wrong, especially when it comes to dealing with difficult/demanding/unable to be pleased guests or the hundreds of scams involving airbnb. so, dive in, you'll do great and the few guests that turn into instant friends are worth the couple of bad apples we'd rather forget. keep checking this forum for the latest glitches, scams or maybe even improvements and you're golden! best of luck and happy hosting!

@Sabine42 HA! Indeed, I am one of those people who tend to look at 'worst case scenarios' so as to imagine I am better prepared - which is sometimes the case, but not always. I am not up to date on the various Airbnb 'scams' - other than houses being listed that are not actually real listings and guests get robbed, basically. If there are more scams I should know about, or a forum section here that addresses them, feel free to point me in that direction. Of course, now I will have to google 'Airbnb' and 'scams' as well. Guess I know what I'll be doing tonight (sigh...).


Thank you for reply, it gave me a good laugh, which I sorely needed tonight.


Best,

Rebecca

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Rebecca181

Hey, don't look for the negatives Rebecca....be that glass half full person than the glass half empty one!

After a rainy start to the day this afternoon has turned out to be quite nice, about 28c no wind and we have a couple coming tonight who are having an anniversary. They are arriving in a vintage auto and this is a surprise for her.

I have decked out the rear garden with about 60 tea candles as well as all the normal lights.....

 IMG20170308222403 10.jpg

 

.........and I have made a cake. They are arriving in about an hour, will have cheese and drinks with us until it is time for them to go out for the dinner he has arranged. When they return the rear garden will be a mass of light and we will have the cake together...hopefully he will supply a bottle of Bubbles, I don't want to have to dig into Ade's supply...we don't earn enough to give away too much.

She will love the gesture and in all probability will shed a tear or two.

And tomorrow we will say what a wonderful concept Airbnb is and how things like this would not be dreamed of 20 years ago.

 

I said in another post to you Rebecca, this forum can be soul destroying, but it will only be that way if you continually look for demons that aren't there. Embrace what comes along....the nicest people in the world I have met through Airbnb!

Cheers.....Rob

Your yard looks GORGEOUS, @Robin4 - My yard at the beach house has a similar feel. I love the idea of tea lights and doing things up for a special occasion for guests, as appropriate. I imagine a lovely time was had by all. Do not confuse my willingness to look at the more unpleasant experiences hosts have had on Airbnb with my seeking out negativity, or being negative. Nothing could be further from the truth. I had no idea scams were going on at times within Airbnb (some very clever ones at that, from what I read), and @Sabine42's first response alerting me to this (albeit in a dry-witted manner) and her 2nd reponse with a list of recommended do's and dont's will serve me very well, I am sure, as I embark on this adventure of being an Airbnb host. For example, I am certain now that I will not use Instant Booking as a new host, but that I very well might, later down the road, when I have more experience. These were the sorts of things that I am learning due to my post. Sadly, some darker realities do exist in this world, and they do at times find their way into the Airbnb community by way of scams, bad behavior, etc. Forewarned is forearmed. I'd rather know that these things are a possibility, and do my best to avert them before they even occur via making wise choices from the get-go.  

 

Best,

Rebecca

@Sabine42 again - UGH - I went online and found other forums here discussing scams perpretrated on HOSTS to rob them blind, etc, as exampled, below. Is this becoming a more frequent occurrance? Is Airbnb addressing it? I realize you may not know the answers to these questions, but thought I'd ask, just the same...

 

-Rebecca

 

(Here's the SCAM report from another forum here): "Someone using a profile of a white mature English Men (Brian **) made a last minute booking For same day for only a night for 1 guest. After sending a few messages I did ask to do the payment and secure the booking. Booking was confirmed after 5 hours chatting. Time to meet at the property was around 8pm. At 9:15pm got a phone call (voice of a black men) telling me that he was Brian and than he could not pick the key as something came up, and he wanted to send his partner to pick it. I did ask for ID of the person going to collect the key. The men called Brian told me that it was not possible as his partner didn't has any. 10min later someone ringed the bell and was a young black lady asking for the keys. I did ask for ID and she refused to show any ID. So I did refuse to give the keys from my apartment. I did tried to contact AIRBNB and after 54 minutes waiting in the phone and nobody answered so I did call the police. I was told by them that there is people booking with fake profile in AIRBNB and other websites to got into properties to vandalise it (rob, party, destroy) the place and disappear next day. I tried to contact AIRBNB on the day of the situation (30/12/16) not luck (54 minutes and nobody answer the phone) on the 31/12/17 I did inform about the situation and still nobody got back to me with explanation about how those people use fake identity to book places. And also how it is possible that the situation it is well known by the police as going on for a while and AIRBNB is not warning us as a Host to take precautions about the situation.
Advice: ask for ID once your guest arrive and don't left any key with neighbours or in a look. (Police told me I was lucky as I was going to give the keys in person)."

@Rebecca181, yes, sounds about right. 

there are safeguards you can apply, all of which i recommend you start out with:

-do not use instant book until you've hosted a few guests, feel a little more comfortable and know how to 'read' inquiries and requests

-when getting requests/inquries from locals, ask as many questions as to why they want to stay with you until it makes sense, if it doesnt, decline

-never agree to accepting payment/emailing outside of airbnb

-limit hosting to short term, at least in the beginning, long term hosting is a whole new can of worms, different laws apply as well

-don't allow third party bookings, make sure the folks who book are the one's showing up

-the moment you feel uneasy about  a request/inquiry, decline it, for whatever reason!

 

i've been at this for a couple of years now with hundreds of guests coming through and only declined TWO inquries, one of them just didn't feel right (local) and the other one's tone was so rude from the get go, i wanted nothing to do with that person, let alone have them on my property.

 

with all this in mind, Rob is right, don't pay too much attention to the negatives, being aware and prepared is enough. Hosting is full of surprises and can be extrememly rewarding.

hope this helps a bit 🙂

 

@Sabine42 - This succinct list of do's and don'ts  helps A LOT. The fact is, I didn't even know scamming was going on until you mentioned it, and it is best that I know up front how to protect myself from it. I'll be sure to follow your wise and sensible recommendations that you make here. Thank you! -Rebecca

@Rebecca181@Sabine42

Hi Rebecca,

You may also wish to take note of 'behaviour attributes' of different social classes, ages,

places of origin and professions. Let me give some examples. I'm an academic - but have learned that many academics 

possess the least common sense regarding basic safety. Check gas, lights, heaters,etc. Admire business guests. Fast, organised,

generally reliable, punctual, no worries. Medical people. Careful, may be arrogant, opinionated, don't ignite them. Chinese in IT, often very very good. Taiwanese from the north, Taipei, excellent. Shanghai folks, amazingly good. From Singapore, a mixed bag,

and sometimes inclined to pocket items that shouldn't be pocketed - treating your place as they would a hotel (take the towels, the dressing gown, the plates, the cutlery, the hair dryer..) Facts of life, be warned, not discriminatory, but observant. Our ages?

Us old folks? Walkin' talkin' boozers. Profile the best, aim for the best. Cheers.

@Dunny0 You bring up a truly excellent point. Ironically, in a former life I was a University professor who taught classes on cross-cultural competence and diversity awareness / sensitivity. I am aware that Airbnb has been encouraging (demanding?) the embracing of 'diversity' by (primarily) hosts (or so it seems), and these examples you give are good reminders that guests are influenced by many factors and that it is up to us to decide what we are willing and able to embrace or deem intolerable / unacceptable. Thank you for this reminder - I got a lot of out of your reply.

 

Best,

Rebecca

@Rebecca181

Thank you Rebecca. You are most kind - and I bet you were an excellent professor!

I wrote that all in the name of safety. This hosting has opened my eyes. Ironically, and as any modern city

real estate manager will agree, male gay couples are the best of best tenants: clean, neat, sophisticated, fun.

Seems no one knows what to make of the out-of-nowhere antee-deescriminashun blitzkrieg campaign

that assaulted our senses a little while back. All image. No logic. Narrow vocabulary as if an advertiser or 

political speechwriter had crafted and honed the slogans - before thumping us all over the head again and again

and again like with a thick telephone directory. It was violent. My head was spinning. Last thing I expected -

and as our gay comedian friend said: "Oo. That's so 'yesterday.' Only a tight team of deeply insensitive wildly

out-of-touch whackos could have given birth to that monstrous mind-numbing Banshee scream of idealogy.

Idealogues. Not realists. Much prefer the hearts of children singing, "We are the world." Forgive my rant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You certainly have a way with words, @Dunny0! All right, I do confess, my dream is that my vacation suite becomes widely known throughout the gay community. Gay men I hung out with in the '80's in San Francisco during Castro St's hay-day (before AIDS hit and turned that area into a ghost town for awhile) made me the woman that I am today (wink), and most (not all) gay men will appreciate the little, subtle touches that will make my suite stand out (including unexpected amenities). Where's a good place to advertise my rental retreat internationally within the gay community, do you know?