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The Hidden Costs of Hospitality: When Airbnb Guests Damage your Property

The rise of the sharing economy has opened up exciting opportunities for homeowners to generate income by renting out their properties on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. However, beneath the allure of passive income lies a complex web of potential risks, particularly concerning property damage and the limitations of host protection programs.  

The Party’s Over: Accidental Damage and Guest Responsibility

One of the most common concerns for hosts is the risk of accidental damage caused by guests. While most guests treat rental properties with respect, there’s always the possibility of an accidental spill staining the carpet, a broken dish, or damage to furniture. More concerning are instances where guests throw unauthorized parties, leading to excessive noise, overcrowding, and a heightened risk of significant damage.  

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The Sting of Negative Reviews: How They Impact Airbnb & VRBO Hosts

In the bustling world of online vacation rentals, reputation is everything. Platforms like Airbnb and VRBO have revolutionized how we travel, offering unique accommodations and personalized experiences. But this convenience comes at a price for hosts: the ever-present scrutiny of online reviews. While positive reviews can boost bookings, negative reviews can cast a long shadow, impacting not only a host’s reputation but also their earnings.

The Power of Social Proof

In the digital age, potential guests rely heavily on “social proof” – the experiences of others – to make informed decisions. Reviews act as a powerful form of social proof, painting a picture of what to expect from a particular host and their property. Positive reviews build trust and attract bookings, while negative reviews can raise red flags and deter potential guests.

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Airbnb/VRBO Hosting: The 10 Top Risks of Hosting Full Time

Airbnb and VRBO have revolutionized the hospitality industry, offering travelers unique and affordable accommodations while empowering homeowners to monetize their unused spaces.

The allure of earning passive income and meeting people from around the world has led countless individuals to open their doors to strangers. However, amidst the glowing testimonials and five-star reviews, there lies a darker side to Airbnb hosting – a realm of risks and challenges that often go unaddressed.

In this blog post, we will delve into the potential pitfalls of Airbnb hosting, shedding light on the less glamorous aspects of sharing your home with paying guests and on the ten greatest risks.

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Guests Who Don’t Want to Leave!

This is basically what was going on 6 hours after check-out time! (This isn’t them and this isn’t the actual room, but this is what it felt like)!

Akar and Anupa were very nice people and we enjoyed meeting them and hosting them. It was their first time using Airbnb though, so they weren’t sure how everything worked.

If you allow late bag pickup after checkout just make sure they know exactly how you want it to work and everything should be fine. And make especially sure that they know when your checkout time is and if you expect them to honor it.

They didn’t pay attention to our instructions about late bag pickup and it turned into a problem for us in getting their room ready for the next guest. We not only have these instructions prominently posted on our listing, but we also email them a copy right after they make the reservation. Then a few days before check in we email a copy again. And the day before they check out we send them yet another email, this one focusing solely on the check-out procedures and times.

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New York City Cracking Down on Small Airbnbs

This article was originally published on QZ.com.

Shortly after Nan Doyle stepped out for brunch on Labor Day, three men with badges rang the bell to her apartment in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood.

Doyle’s Airbnb guest answered. He was staying with her in the three-story brownstone she bought with her husband in 1998. The badged men asked if they could speak with the owner and, when the guest said she was out, they asked whether he was renting the apartment. The man said yes, he and his family had booked it through Airbnb. The badged men then asked if they could enter to inspect the building’s sprinkler system, which they said might violate New York City’s building codes. When the Airbnb guest refused, they wrote out four civil summonses. Continue reading “New York City Cracking Down on Small Airbnbs”

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How a Simple Excel Spreadsheet Saved us from Chaos!

How a Simple Excel Spreadsheet Saved us from Chaos!

When we first started hosting with Airbnb several years ago, things were simple.  We rented just one room and we only booked about 50% of any particular month.  And almost everyone stayed at least a week so our months were generally spent hosting 2-4 separate guests.  Then we decided to put our other guestroom on Air and things got a little busier, but still manageable.

As Airbnb became more popular, we got busier.  We raised our prices and the long 1-2 week stays morphed into 2-4 day stays.  It seems at higher prices, people can’t afford to stay as long!  Continue reading “How a Simple Excel Spreadsheet Saved us from Chaos!”

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We Offered Our Garage… and then they expected us to…

parking violationWe live in a town just on the other side of the Hudson River from New York City – so 99% of our guests are people who are coming to visit New York but don’t want to pay $400 per night NYC hotel prices.  Can’t blame ’em!

Well, one of the problems being anywhere near any big city is parking.  New York is no exception, and we here just on the other side of Manhattan are no exception either.  Last year most of our guests were from overseas – Europe mostly.  But with the dollar so much stronger this year than last we’re getting more domestic guests than ever.  Because of that, we’re getting more and more people who are driving here.  Which is presenting a big of a problem for us and for them. Continue reading “We Offered Our Garage… and then they expected us to…”

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We Just Lost Superhost Status – What a Relief!

We knew it was coming, because our top-level rating had dropped below 80% for the first time ever!  We’ve been Superhosts for nearly two years and considering the run-down block we live on, it’s just a testament to the love and care my wife puts into keeping everything sparkling clean and wonderful for our guests.

Airbnb Superhost

We saw the rating dip just below 80% about a week before Airbnb would perform their next Superhost review, so we knew this was coming.  But suddenly we had such a sense of relief!  No more will we have to be so impeccably clean and buttoned up out of fear of losing the status.  We’ve already lost it. And now that we’ve lost it, we’re not even sure of its value.  We’ve already gotten two new reservations for January – the slowest month of the year – and a third serious inquiry for January as well.

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This Airbnb Guest Got an Immediate Rejection

Here’s a message we received when we first woke up this morning from a prospective Airbnb Guest:

Hey! I am a traveling model and Ill be in NYC the 14th through the 19th. Im interested in booking your room for the time but the thing is I get in super late (like 1-2 AM) the evening between the 14th/15th, and I have two male safety escorts who would be with me as well. I was wondering if it was still possible to book the room.

erica-airbnbDo you see anything wrong with that?  I probably wouldn’t have either if I hadn’t read numerous stories online recently of Airbnb hosts getting the surprise of their lives when they discover one of their guests is prostituting right in their own home!  Continue reading “This Airbnb Guest Got an Immediate Rejection”