Hosts beware! Your homes are not safe with Airbnb

[Jason843]

I am very sorry to all my past and upcoming guests.  I am leaving Airbnb.  I can longer trust my home with Airbnb.  I can no long afford to keep my home rented to Airbnb guests. 

In November I had a guest stay in my home.  I have very specific instructions about the trash removal and recycle.  It is posted on my listing, it is in every email I send, it is posted on signs in my home, and it is in the binder in my home.  These guests mixed all the trash and recycle.  This caused my property manager to spend a couple extra hours sorting through these guests garbage to get it bagged and the recycle sorted into the recycle bin so the trash company would take it all away. 

We charge $125 for a cleaning fee.  My property manager charged me an additional $200 for sorting and bagging the trash.  My instructions say that if this is not done correctly the guest will be charged.  I supplied Airbnb with the invoice from my property manager and pictures of the trash.  It was so clear that the guests didn't follow the instructions and as a result I was charged an additional $200 for their stay.

Airbnb reviewed the case.  They determined that my instructions are not their problem.  In Airbnb's good faith they decided to give me a $75 in resolving this issue.  Airbnb's stance is that this should fall under regular cleaning charges so they said that if the property manager charges me $200 and I charge the guest $125 I am only owed $75.  Their math is wrong.  $125 regular cleaning fee + $200 additional cleaning fee is $325 total. 

I 100% agree that the guest should be charged the $200 additional fee since they caused the issue.  Airbnb will never hold a guest accountable.  This is the mistake and why I can't trust my home to Airbnb.  My home is a second home.  Like most we are not a business.  We make no extra money on these Airbnb bookings.  The booking help offset some of the costs of owning a second home.   Every time a guest causes damage or additional service fee that comes right out of my pocket.  This is money that I would have reinvested in the home for a better place for guests to stay. 

We are the Airbnb face but how can we trust our homes to Airbnb if they won't support us.  If this continues Airbnb will go the way of Sears sooner than Sears did.  I am not listing my home on Airbnb until they change this policy of not supporting the hosts when guests cause damage or additional services.  I urge more hosts to do the same.  They will only make a change for us when there are enough hosts listing their homes some where else.  If they don't have hosts, they don't have a product.  Please join me in this movement if you care about your homes and the service you provide.  I want all my guests to feel like the host cares about the home I am providing to them.  I can't do that if I have to pay out of pocket.

I have print screened this post as I am sure Airbnb will take it down.

I would love to hear your opinions and your feedback.  And if you choose to stay with Airbnb, please protect your homes.

[Sarah977]

@Jason843  While you won't get any argument from me about Airbnb's poor treatment of hosts, the issue that leads you to throw in the towel with them is an odd hill to die on. 

Expecting guests to properly sort recycling according to the instructions is not something you can rely on and if they don't, most hosts would consider that the cost of doing business, like having to replace stained bedding and towels. If you aren't charging enough to cover a hundred bucks here and there, then you should up your nightly rate. 

And quite honestly, your property manager charging you an extra $200 to sort and bag the trash sounds exhorbitant. 

And Airbnb doesn't seem to care whether hosts pull out. There are far more listings than guests to fill them, and always more starry-eyed new hosts to take their place. Hosts who view Airbnb purely as a listing platform and money processor, and don't expect them to be much help with anything, instead realizing that they are basically on their own with their str business have far less issues than those who expect Airbnb to have their backs.

[Huma0]

@Jason843 

I agree with @Sarah977 . Airbnb will not necessarily back you up just because something is stated on your listing. $200 to sort trash, especially when the overall cleaning is only $125 sounds crazy to me.

I would never rely on guests to properly sort their trash and recycling. I do encourage them to, and many make an effort, but I usually assume that I'll have to do some of the sorting myself. Perhaps a lot of your guests are more careful because you specify that they will be charged but, is this really something that people want to be doing as part of their holiday?

A few years ago, I stayed with a group in an immaculate Airbnb. The only thing that we had to do cleaning wise while there or on check out was to take the trash outside to nearby community bins. This was obviously something important to the host (and I can understand why as this was in Athens where all toilet paper, feminine sanitary products etc. must go into the bins rather than toilet and it was hot as Hades) because it was the ONLY thing he asked us to do. 

However, several of my party moaned about this and couldn't be bothered. A couple (also Airbnb hosts) and I had to remind the other adults in the party that this was something we needed to do because it was requested by the host and surely we didn't want the friend who booked the stay to get a bad review? If there had been no hosts in the group, you can be sure the instructions would not have been followed.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  Some places in the USA have started imposing fines when recycling is mingled with trash, not sure if @Jason843  is in an area where that is the case.  Most of the time, unless the trash is exceptionally gross, we put on masks/gloves and go through and take out recycling when guests don't do it, which is maybe about 30-40% of the time.  Also, cleaning costs in the US seem to be much higher than almost anywhere else.  If I could find a cleaner who would do the cleaning for $75 or $80 I would definitely use cleaners at least some of the time, but here where we live the cost is closer to $150, which is too much to pass on to the guests.  But I do agree that expecting people on vacation who don't recycling at home to recycle in an airbnb is a losing proposition.  That said, Airbnb should enforce the fines on the listing when incontrovertible evidence is given, and they never do.

[Huma0]

@Mark116 

Technically, we can be fined here as well, but it has never happened so far. As a home host, it's not that difficult for me to stay more or less on top of things (although I have had a few guests do bizarre things as far as trash is concerned).

I appreciate that cleaning costs can vary from place to place. It just seems odd to me that someone would charge $125 for cleaning a whole unit and $200 for sorting some trash. I mean, how much trash are we talking about here? Sounds like someone on the make to me, or rather someone put out at having to unexpectedly put in more time than they had scheduled...

[Sarah977]

@Mark116  Oh yes, I know there are fines imposed for unsorted trash in many places. I wasn't suggesting that the trash didn't need to be sorted, nor that the host shouldn't leave recycling instructions, only that realistically, one has to assume that not all guests are going to comply, and chalk it up to the cost of doing business if they don't.

[Jason843]

 

 

[Jason843]

This is gross.  It is unplanned extra work that the property manager had to do.  The property manager had other homes to clean and get ready for guests.  He doesn't need to do this work to that the guests knew they should have done on their own.  I think $200 is not enough.  I would have charged a lot more if I had to do it.

Airbnb needs to step up and support the hosts. 

[Sarah977]

@Jason843  Of course it's a gross job. So is pulling guests' hair and soap scum out of the shower drains and dealing with bedding with blood and other bodily fluids on them. It's part and parcel of hosting.

Two garbage bins of stuff to sort? That looks like about 45 minutes work to me. I wish someone paid me $250/ hr. to deal with something just because it was "gross".

[Huma0]

@Jason843 

Not nice and I would have been pretty put out about it. However, I have dealt with worse and I would still never dream of charging $200...

[John5097]

@Jason843 I don't think your upcoming guest should be canceled and forced to rebook, disrupt their plans, over one guest not sorting out the trash. Even the full $200 cost is minor compared to you not honoring your end of an agreement with so many other guest. 

I have had similar issue with long term renter, so I agree in principal that it should be guest responsibility. But in your situation, it would make more sense to update your listing, and include in other things to note that they will be fined $200 if they don't separate trash from recyclables.  

I'm actually glad to read some of the comments about trash and recycling, but that's also one of the reasons I have short stays so guest can't make too much of a mess. We also have curb side recycling and guest usually make an effort to put some things in the recylcing bin that's both inside and outside the unit without any instructions. If not it only takes a few minutes to sort it out. Although sometimes trash is just rancid from rotting raw meat or diapers, but not very often and its part of it. And almost all of it is sent to landfill or burned as a fuel, in part because its contaminated with other trash, so kind of a tricky issue. 

Anyway I would at least honor your upcoming reservations. 

[John5097]

Include in the note above the trash and recycling that its a $200 fee for not separating as property manager would need to dig though all the trash, and host would fined by the city. Host can't expect Airbnb to pay $200 every time a guest doesn't sort recycling. $75 seems pretty generous. So if its something you are willing to cancel all upcoming reservations you should update all your signs and listing to specify actual $200 fee. If not honor your agreements and then move on to something else.   

[Mark116]

@John5097   I think he said  he already had the details on recycling and the fine in the listing and in the unit multiple places.  $200 may be exorbitant for sorting trash, but the fact remains, that hosts put all kinds of fines in the listing and Airbnb will never collect the fine unless the guest agrees, and same for the fake security deposit.

[John5097]

@Mark116my suggestion was to specifically include the amount of the fine, $200, or guest might ignore if they assume it’s $25.

Sorry but I’m not going to cancel all my guest because on guest didn’t follow rule in different state but go right ahead. 

[Jason843]

On my listing under additional house rules, in every email I send to a guest, laminated above the trash bin in the home, and in the home bidder.

Trash/Recycle Instructions - STRICTLY ENFORCED
The rubbish bins must be put out no earlier than the evening prior to collection and should be taken back to the bin area (side of home) on the evening of collection. Days of collection are posted in the villa guest book. Bins or litter should not be placed outside the property other for collection as above. Should this not be upheld, a cleaning fine of $100 will be charged to the guest. 3.Rubbish must be put out on each collection day to avoid excess rubbish. If excess rubbish bags are left, that do not fit in the rubbish bin a fine of $50.00/per bag will be charged to the guest. 4. STRICTLY ENFORCED all waste, garbage, and trash must be in trash bags. NO LOOSE waste, garbage and trash. If there is loose waste, garbage and trash there is a $100 fine. The bins are inspected after each guest leaves the property. Recycle – cleaned metals, paper/cardboard, glass and plastic must be placed in the recycle not in a trash bag. If there is trash bags, waste, garbage, and trash in the recycle there is a $100 fine.