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Experience from 2 years as an AirBnB host

For two years we have shared our apartment with guests from a variety of countries, and after over 100 guests, we are now retiring from AirBnB rental. We didn’t have 500 guests like Liz, but we were almost continuously “Superhost”, as the AirBnB landlords with the best ratings are called. Our experiences are not only interesting for prospective AirBnB landlords, but also for travelers who want to get on their landlords’ nerves as little as possible.

Most guests don’t read the description — and nothing else either

The most common question was when you can check in. It is very clear in our description on the AirBnB website, and the check-in times are also requested by AirBnB via form and can therefore always be found in the same section of AirBnB. Since we are both working, we were only able to offer check-in from 7 p.m. This was regularly a topic of discussion, as many guests wanted to check in earlier, had not read the text and then asked if they could at least put down their suitcases. No, because we are working and therefore not there, everything is in the description. No matter how explicitly I mentioned this in our description, it was not read.

Equally astonishing were the questions of where the apartment was or where you had to ring the bell. All this information can be found in the booking confirmation. Especially nice when the guests just ring the bell somewhere after midnight and wake up our neighbors with the little baby. In between, I went to sending the guests a description after booking, but this was not read either.

Questions as to whether you have to bring bed linen or towels were already clarified at AirBnB, at least here we were able to make guests happy. It’s just stupid if it says afterwards in the review that a TV was missing in the room… but it is also very clear in AirBnB that there is none. We’re not a damn hotel, but we had to swallow the worse rating for someone else not being able or willing to read.

Of standing peeing and one-night stands

After the first experiences, we had also noticed that we should at least set up a few “rules”. Unforgotten is the young man who wanted to bring a single guest to us and then had difficulties getting out of the apartment the next morning, i.e. somehow ended up in bed with the lady. It’s ok, it can happen, but somehow you would like to know who is staying in your own apartment.

We threw a doctor from Portugal out of his apartment because he refused to pee while sitting. It should be clear to everyone that you don’t put wet towels on upholstered furniture. At some point, the WLAN router reported that attempts had been made to access blocked sites without success (and no one wants pages blocked by the BPjM to be accessed from their own Internet connection, especially not in times of data retention). Over time, the experiences that we had put in writing and put on the chest of drawers in the room in a nice little manual with other tips for the area added up, together with the Wi-Fi password. The success rate was low (only the WIFI password was found). So we explained the rules at check-in every time. And even that has not always helped.

AirBnB landlords: work, a lot of work

After a few weeks we decided that we would no longer accept guests for just one night, 2 nights was now the minimum. It was just too much work and too much effort to coordinate it all. The bed linen had to be washed, the room and the bathrooms completely cleaned, which means washing, hanging, cleaning, etc. every day, and all this in the short time between coming home and guest check-in. For a while we had a domestic help who could take over between the checkout of one and the check-in of the other guests, but not always, and then you were faced with a problem. Although you can also automatically take a day off between two bookings, but especially if someone stays from Monday to Friday, then you don’t want to ruin the weekend “business” by only being able to rent again on Saturday. The weekend usually brings more money.

AirBnB now periodically points out that you could make more money if you allowed bookings for just one night. Unfortunately, you can’t turn off these notifications. Nor the hint that you would get more bookings if you released a certain weekend that we had booked for private guests, or that you should go down 5€ with the price to get even more bookings. AirBnB is an optimization machine, but not always to the advantage of the landlord. The dynamic pricing is nice, but in Hamburg it’s the case that there is a lull in winter and all the more busy in summer. It doesn’t make sense to rent out for less than €40 per night, the hourly wage is too low for that. Quite apart from that, there are also costs, electricity, water, and of course something breaks. And here we come to a big disadvantage: Most guests have a different relationship to the apartment than we do, here there is less consideration for white walls, wooden doors, toilet seats, etc. These damages are not insured, even if AirBnB communicates otherwise.

Instant bookings and declines

In addition to the logistical challenges, they are also busy arranging correspondence. Inquire. Preliminary questions. Sometimes there are several requests per hour. At some point we got away from instant booking, but even without this function you get enough requests. Of course, it’s nicer for the guests if they can simply book. But despite the requirement that a guest had to have a good rating to be able to book immediately, we just didn’t have a good feeling about the instant booking. After the experiences of the first few months, we took a closer look at who came to us, although that usually didn’t help much. But coordination was more difficult if, for example, someone wanted to book, but still needed information, and then in the meantime another booking request came for the same period that would have been less lucrative for us, but you can’t just refuse with AirBnB.

We have only rejected a few requests, no wonder, you always have to justify this in detail. When in doubt, we always assumed the positive. A little tip for all AirBnB travelers: A photo with feet on the table does not invite you to become the favorite of an AirBnB rental company. Writing only “Schlagermove” as a message in the booking request does not invite you to be accepted. A nicely written text is definitely helpful. A little more work for the guest, but with us a better feeling that you don’t get some asshole into the apartment.

Update: In July 2018 we offered another room for a weekend, which was immediately requested. Unfortunately, AirBnB no longer allows you to see travelers’ reviews unless you offer instant bookings. So you don’t know who you’re bringing in. This is blackmail, just so that AirBnB can push through the instant bookings.

_Nett also the new cancellation policy, which you can see in the picture on the left. For us, this new little trip to AirBnB meant that we will look around for alternatives. AirBnB will no longer be. _

Even more work: Life as a “hostel father”

Over time, you experience a lot with guests. As written, we had created a small manual on what you can experience in Hamburg, where there are nice cafes and restaurants, etc. In addition, we had provided city maps as well as everything you can forget on a trip, from earplugs to sunscreen to sleep masks. But much more exciting were the experiences for which you are not prepared: The bed cannot withstand certain movements :-), the visa for the connecting trip is invalid and everything is fully booked, “important” medication was forgotten at home, the power supply for the mobile phone explodes, the boyfriend does not come to visit as expected, you have just separated and have to look for your own place to stay, the stomach is spoiled, the keys were stolen, you were ripped off in the neighborhood, everything was really there… somehow we always found a solution, even if it was that someone slept on our sofa. We have seen ourselves as ambassadors of our city and our country, and we have tried to welcome everyone and be an example of good hospitality.

Unfortunately, this was sometimes exploited in such a way that the joy of doing good to others was endangered. For the very first guests, for example, we had pulled out a leg, we wanted to do everything right. They were AirBnB landlords themselves, but damaged something with us, were very demanding, did not stick to any agreement, and despite everything gave us only 4 points. That was not a good start. There was more than one guest, who made you think about whether you really want to continue.

Then there are guests who just came and went and hardly said a word. There is a training center around the corner from us, so we often had guests during the week who took part in a seminar there. Usually very nice flight attendants, but then also business people for whom there was probably no more hotel room and for whom our standard was too low.

Small tricks, big effect

During our own stay in an AirBnB, we found water and fruit in our room. Great idea, we copied it right away. Especially if you have a longer journey behind you, this is a great welcome. It costs little, but brings a lot, even if some guests don’t touch any of it (why not?). Then we started to put a small piece of organic chocolate on the pillow of the guests. Low investment, but also a gesture that was well received by most guests. For children, we have a Hamburg book for children to borrow. We keep things forgotten by guests such as shampoo etc for guests who have forgotten theirs. But we have also brought a shower gel to the Dockville.

Of course, we also want to earn money with the rental. A hotelier guest advised us to release the particularly attractive times (harbor birthday, New Year’s Eve, etc.) on AirBnB just before the deadline. That worked to some extent. Does it feel strange that we then earn 50% more per night through AirBnB’s dynamic pricing? Yes, something. But, honestly, even with 75€ per night for 2 people, our accommodation is not really expensive, especially with the location and the standard. On the other hand, there is the single mother, to whom we made a special offer so that she could afford to stay with us.

The other side: Incredibly great memories

Almost all bad experiences were torn out by really great guests, we are still in contact with some of them today, and above all we still miss our first long-term guests. It was a great time with them, like a good shared apartment where you got to know each other better. With some guests you went to the neighborhood, if I had time, there was also a guided tour of Altona or St. Pauli. Most of the guests were super grateful for it and had experienced something special. That was a great reward for us, and I wouldn’t want to miss these experiences. That’s exactly why I would do it again. But for now, let’s enjoy having our apartment to ourselves. And if we start renting again, it will no longer be with AirBnB.

Comments (since February 2020 the comment function has been removed from my blog):

Thomas says

  1. April 2018 at 08:01 I can only agree with the summary after two years of Airbnb hosting!!

Linda+Charly says

  1. May 2018 at 10:13 We agree unreservedly! We still have 2 confirmed bookings to survive in June and then we are very happy to have our house to ourselves again. What really annoys us is how obtrusive Airbnb can be – with really stupid hints.

Grote says

  1. June 2018 at 12:54 I can totally agree. in addition, I am still on the platforms Booking.com and Expedia, where it works better and is professional.

I would like to make a negative comment about Air BnB TODAY, I can submit documents as proof.

NO more AirBnB!!

AirBnB does not keep its liability guarantee promise and the supposedly secure verification of guests does not work.

I’m publishing this article because AirBnB has been approved by a guest who has completed a positive verification with their photo and identity documents of another person, although nothing fits here. Due to this verification, which is marked as secure, not only did I suffer great damage, but other landlords were also ripped off.

AirBnB advertises that it covers all damages with a kind of guarantee for landlords. To do this, I first reported the damage to AirBnB with a price estimate. After 3 weeks and a variety of correspondence, calls and attrition tactics by AirBnB, I was then reimbursed a small part of my estimated damage, but the damage actually submitted via receipts was rejected with the comment “we now distance ourselves from the conversation…”, according to the motto: Get along with what you have!

The fatal thing is that the fraudulent account is still active on the AirBnB platform despite repeated warnings to AirBnB, and complaints from aggrieved people who make their apartment or room available to others are now piling up.

I have sent 3 reminders and 2 registered letters to Ireland, with the request for a statement, reimbursement of my damage and a detailed documentation of the facts with a deadline. There has been no response from AirBnB to date. Even the threat to leave the portal as a landlord or the indication that a fraudster is up to mischief on the platform does not lead to any reaction.

Conclusion: AirBnB accepts that accommodation landlords will be harmed, as the verification procedure is knowingly not secure, but is advertised with 100% security. In addition, damage coverage is guaranteed, which is not adhered to and landlords are left alone, worn down and ultimately left with the damage.

Barbara Schäfer says

  1. June 2018 at 07:46 Even though I have also made the sometimes annoying experience that most guests simply do not read the description text, I have fortunately made almost exclusively positive and great experiences and experiences with guests. Especially from the exciting early days, the contacts have been maintained to this day and even long-standing friendships have developed. My problem is that I now feel annoyed by airbnb itself: with the standardized instructions to make the bed fresh and have fresh towels ready… Currently, despite Superhost status, I got the hint that I do not meet the minimum requirements and it is threatened that the ad will be removed if nothing changes. I had taken a four-month break because I just wanted to have the apartment to myself… the reviews of my guests certainly allow conclusions to be drawn about how much I care about the well-being of my guests. And I really find it quite time-consuming to always keep the apartment in a pikobello impeccable condition, even during the rental. But it also gives me a lot of pleasure to receive guests and I am still excited, nervous and excited before every new guest – everything works out, we are both satisfied and so on. For me, the guests are not the problem, so I took a look on the net for current events… Thank you very much for this report – I can only agree with many points.

Gottschalk says

  1. August 2018 at 21:25 Absolutely consistent, your report, even their employees agree with you that the conditions at AirBnB are unbearable for hosts, How can it be that a guest who breaks all the rules is still allowed to give out stars? He may be allowed to give a written review, you can comment on that, but in case of gross non-compliance with the rules formulated by the host by the guest….stars ! Indecent. If the guest does not comply with the rules formulated by the host, you will experience an almost endless correspondence through AirBnB. Requests for overnight stays for additional people and broken items must be made separately for the same guest. Correspondence in combination with numerous calls from AirBnB employees, who speak English with different accents and talent, although as hosts they allow “calls only in German” according to appropriate experience, queries and waiting loops and a constant request for compromises and concessions for the sake of hospitality. Who needs it …… will have to surrender to AirBnB’s attrition tactics as hosts… You can’t keep it up for long.

Fany says

  1. August 2018 at 10:54 I can only agree after a – fortunately very short – experience with airbnb. The ‘penalty’ of 50 dollars deduction on the next payout because of a cancellation (within 24 hours, because we need the apartment ourselves) is just outrageous. We immediately deactivated the ad again and are still fighting for the deletion of the account, which is denied on the grounds that there are still outstanding bookings ( complete nonsense, only one request and we have not confirmed it ). Requests cannot be refused, although it is assured and the deposit is not handed over (does not work at all). I can only advise against it.

Kurt Klawischnigg says

  1. September 2018 at 15:04 Only pee while sitting? Are you sure that you don’t have other problems than AirBnB…?

Tom Alby says

  1. September 2018 at 19:38 If it is a problem for you as a guest to comply with the fact that the host does not want to pee, then you have nothing to do with AirBnB and have to go to a hotel.

Stefanie K. says

  1. September 2018 at 16:52 I found this post and the comments and felt really “killed” after I blocked all free appointments of my room today and decided to NEVER rent out via Airbnb again after the one booking that was still open. So I wasn’t the only one to have had such strange experiences! We have rented out for over 1 1/2 years, in the beginning there were really some nice encounters and we had fun. But over time, the negative experiences have gotten out of hand. People who don’t read the description and then complain about what is clearly described there. People who don’t read the directions, drive up to the house (it’s forbidden, there’s also a sign and I always point it out), let the engine run for minutes in the residential area at night, ring the neighbors’ doorbell at night and ask where we live because they don’t read what we wrote to them. In other words, people who also cause us trouble with our neighbors. People who say they come at a certain time, but then don’t show up until midnight (last check in 21h), when we usually sleep for a long time, then have no understanding that we are just tired… People who leave the house in winter and leave a window wide open on the ground floor… People who can hardly say “hello” and “goodbye”, hide in the room and stream movies or make Skype calls for hours. People who complain that certain sites on the net are blocked with us. And people who have loud sex in the middle of the night and then take a shower around 3 a.m. – you can’t sleep in your own house anymore. Where has the consideration gone? Would any of them behave in the same way with friends? Unfortunately, there were more and more of the kind – and the nice ones became fewer. Why exactly, I don’t know. I have the feeling that people are no longer looking for private accommodation, but only a cheap hotel. They expect the hotel standard and are less and less considerate of the hosts and their living space. And they don’t care about the hosts as human beings… It’s a pity… Yes, and Airbnb is getting more and more annoying – rating only for instant booking, complaining when you reject guests without even checking why. We don’t reject anyone just like that, but always because something doesn’t fit (no profile picture, want to book for third parties, want to arrive in the middle of the night, want to come with children or pets (which we don’t allow because of our dogs), etc.). So we’re fed up with Airbnb. Too bad about the unused living space. But you don’t earn much with it anyway, and if you are constantly in trouble because Airbnb is now increasingly attracting a different guest clientele, it’s just not worth it… And whether another portal is and remains better? I don’t know. Our room now simply becomes a reading room for ourselves and friends and family who visit us…

Ralf Grasberger says

  1. October 2018 at 17:21 I have been offering apartments in Brazil for years, via Airbnb, but what I have experienced in the last 5 months is a pure disaster. Either some guests can’t read, or they expect to rent a castle for 20 euros. In this case, the customers from Germany can still be described as gold. However, what some of the tenants from America and Brazil have in terms of rent claims is boundless. The bottom line is that I can only advise against or even warn against Airbnb, as 80 percent of them are only so-called idiots.

Linda says

  1. November 2018 at 08:42 It is good to read that other landlords are also annoyed by the stupidity of some guests! I’ve been doing it for 2 years now and I’m thinking about whether I should give up the apartment because I’m totally annoyed. as I said, the guests do not read what they book and sometimes write up to 50 times and always pester me with the same questions, often until 01.00 in the night. And yet they stand in the neighbor’s front yard or ring the bell all over the house because they supposedly don’t know where to ring the bell. Although och always write all my names in every answer !!

Andreas says

  1. December 2018 at 17:55 Thank you for the insightful comments. We were determined to sign up for Airbnb because we have so much empty, unused living space. But now we will keep our hands off it.

Oliver says

  1. December 2018 at 15:37 Well, much of what is written here applies. BUT….

…. I compare it to road traffic, in which everyone, but really everyone, may/must participate.

As a rule, I get stinky when others don’t drive the way I expect, have learned, am used to, etc., etc.

Because in that second I forgot, purely emotionally, that my mother could be driving in front of me, a novice driver, someone from abroad, someone who had just been bullied by his boss, etc., etc.

We cannot guarantee that our guests behave according to our ideas.

It means making experiences, getting involved, learning, acting, improving, thinking outside the box, etc., etc.

If I am not able to do this, I do not belong in the Airbnb community or in traffic.

Oliver, Superhost Duisburg. For 12 months with a private room and an apartment.

I have 90% joy and fun with this business and I am ready to learn and accept defeats.

I usually love my guests and experiences.

There are assholes everywhere, even on the ISS and sometimes I’m one myself

Tom says

  1. December 2018 at 15:47 The comparison is already lame. The streets outside are public, my home is not. That’s where I determine the rules. And if you really mean that I have to put up with a guest peeing standing up, then you haven’t understood what it means to be a guest in the AirBnB universe

Oliver Says

  1. December 2018 at 15:53 Exactly, Tom, I’m hosting.

Don’t take life too seriously, no one will get out of here alive.

Tom says

  1. December 2018 at 16:10 Such answers are not really meaningful.

Read again what AirBnB tells guests: That they have to abide by the house rules. If it says that you are not allowed to smoke, then you don’t smoke. And you say now, oh, it doesn’t matter, don’t you take it too seriously? And if someone pees next to it while standing, then someone will clean it up? Sorry, I live there too. And the principle of AirBnB, in case you didn’t understand, is that you live in someone else’s home. I don’t know what your standard looks like, but nothing sticks next to the toilet with us, but we also don’t want to wipe after a guest who doesn’t want to follow the rules. If you don’t like the rules, you just don’t rent from us.

Maybe it’s also a question of standard. If you feel comfortable with a disgusting toilet, then you don’t need any rules and can look at it all quite calmly

Tom says

  1. December 2018 at 18:20 I have removed your last comment, and I will hand it over to my lawyer. It is a big misconception that you only have to grab an insult “in my opinion” in order not to be prosecuted.

Your name and IP address are stored so that you are not anonymous on the net, Oliver Unity Media, your provider, will receive a letter shortly.

Ingo Fischer says

  1. January 2019 at 23:53 Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for this experience report or the other experience reports in the comments! I was an Aibnb host for a year, most of which was a superhost, until Airbnb completely failed in a crisis situation with a recalcitrant guest (were not available and did not respond to numerous contact attempts) and finally, as a highlight, blocked my access from one day to the next – all pending bookings were cancelled by Airbnb and I had no more opportunity to to explain to the guests (some of whom would have been about to arrive) why.

So after Airbnb deleted my account, I don’t even have the opportunity to view the Airbnb payment confirmations as well as the fees charged for the mediation and the bank transfer – the Konzen did not even react to the request made almost a month ago to provide me with them. This is data that I urgently need for my tax return.

So my request: Who can tell me what amount/percentage Airbnb charges its hosts for the commission and what the additional transfer fees are? If I know this, I can reconstruct the invoice amounts based on the incoming payments. I am grateful for your help!

Dieter says

  1. January 2019 at 13:12 We are currently renting via FEWO. This used to work well, you could correspond with the potential guests and make a selection before confirmation. Guests are guests, there are such and others, as everywhere. With pre-selection, one could prevent the swamping. That is no longer possible, I am looking for a replacement. That’s why I’m reading along here. However, the tendency of all portals is to incapacitate the landlords in order to enforce direct booking and thus ensure the commission. They collect from both, tenant and landlord. It’s legitimate, but unpleasant for landlords. I would like to have a portal where I pay a proper price for my advertisements and which stays out of my other affairs. Does anyone know something like this?

Dieter

Inchen says

  1. February 2019 at 15:15 I have been an Airbnb landlord for 3 years and no longer want to stand idly by and watch the constant expropriation. I will now try several other portals in parallel and then write my experience

mavi says

  1. March 2019 at 12:15 Hello, we also like to be hosts and have almost a 95% positive hit rate with our guests. Only AirBnB is now interfering too much in our rental as an actual intermediary portal. We can also learn that despite the high effort we put in, the rules of the game are set by the AirBnb portal. If you don’t play along with them, then you will be counted. The turnover counts and not whether you have been a SUPERHOST since the first booking. AirBnB’s service fees are based on each point of revenue (including extras such as cleaning fees, provision of additional things or offers that are not directly related to the overnight stay in your living space, etc.) that you are supposed to include, otherwise you will be threatened with cancellation of the booking. And increase your occupancy! We have also found that you make a lot of effort with just one overnight stay and the low overnight price does not make up for it. Even with longer bookings, it’s just an extra income and nothing more. The replacement of missing items and items in need of repair is not uncommon, and the effort of cleaning should not be underestimated. New purchases due to wear and tear are necessary more quickly, renovations etc. pp… And always the concern whether everything will go well and the guest will be a pleasant person… It’s nice that there are the satisfied and appreciative guests with whom it is fun. That’s why we’re still at it! But still. It’s a pity that AirBnB is mutating into a promising and profit-greedy portal. That was probably not the point of the first hour. We will also look around for these experiences in other portals. Kind of a shame actually… But their own remarks are only reacted to with the well-known “threats” mentioned by the previous speakers.

Pasadelski says

  1. May 2019 at 01:35 Now it’s already the end of May 2019 and I would like to rent out my apartment in Bavaria via Airbnb. I am very much looking forward to it and hope that the platform has returned to normal and understood the criticism. Just in case I, contrary to my expectations, also have less good experiences: Does anyone know of alternative platforms where the landlord is taken more seriously?

Tom says

  1. May 2019 at 19:12 No, it has gotten worse. See the comments here, but also the communication from AirBnB itself. We have decided to no longer rent through AirBnB. In some comments here you can also see how some people think about other people’s property and house rules.

EG says

  1. June 2019 at 21:51 I came across this blog today (due to current events, had a real anger at a guest, who actually complained to airbnb about “cleaning issues” and wanted money back – I sent me the photos: on one photo a cardboard box (it’s for waste paper!), on another photo the toilet was photographed with toilet brooms, a cleaning agent – apparently they were not lined up). On arrival, I had to talk to him on the phone for about 20 minutes about how to get into the apartment – despite the detailed check-in section.) – I’ve had enough. Which alternative platforms are you considering?

Ralf Schubert says

  1. June 2019 at 11:38 I currently have the problem that a guest who has been booked for a longer period of time has stored food (dyed, hard-boiled Easter eggs) in the wardrobe together with his clothes in a plastic bag. There was a maggot outbreak, which I noticed when I wanted to take an airbed out of the closet for the family visit of the guest. The costs for the exterminator (insecticide use + basic cleaning) to just under 1000.00€ the replacement by the “full-bodied” host guarantee on the part of Airbnb is rejected. Justification:

All cases mentioned under Excluded Losses are excluded, even though the mention under “Excluded Losses” contains an opening clause. ———————————————————————-

“Covered Losses” means and is limited to direct physical loss or physical damage to a Host’s Covered Property caused by the Responsible Guest or an Invitee of the Responsible Guest during an Airbnb stay. Covered Losses do not include any losses or damage described under Excluded Losses below.

III. Limitations and Exclusions . . .

vi. damage caused by insects, animals or vermin (including pets); provided, that any physical damage resulting from any of the conditions listed above will be covered by the Airbnb Host Guarantee if not otherwise excluded under the Airbnb Host Guarantee.

Sincerely, Ralf Schubert

Ulrich says

  1. June 2019 at 13:03 Thank you very much for the descriptions. Actually, I wanted to try AirBnB as well. I’d better keep my hands off it now.

Tom Alby says

  1. June 2019 at 08:49 We no longer rent.

Heike says

  1. June 2019 at 21:10 all online booking portals annoy the landlords, because they have all made the increase in sales their highest goal and see this only by catching customers. Therefore, the customer is placed on a pedestal and the accommodation provider is allowed to fulfill his wishes. I still understand this with aibnb, because he demands the commission from the customer and not from the landlord. In addition, as a landlord, you still have the greatest rights and freedoms at airbnb. If you deal with the commercial giants of the industry (booking.com, fewo, expedia,), as I do, you actually still see yourself as a “partner” at airbnb, because you are allowed to rate guests yourself, which is not possible with the others – if there is a criticism, the review will not be published. Booking .com actually reads every review from the accommodation partner before it is approved. The customer, on the other hand, is allowed to evaluate as he wants without providing the slightest proof of this (“we do not prescribe anything to our customers”, although it is not their customers, but those of the landlords, because the customer does not pay a cent in commission). Twice I had to make the experience of a devastated apartment, to my letters to the booking agency there was not once an answer. In April, I received a booking for the past weekend. But the appointment had just been booked by another agency, so I immediately cancelled the booker. The value of the booking was about €145. The guest turned to booking.com, who wrote to me that they would now look for alternative accommodation for him, which I would have to pay for. I immediately replied that I would not pay anything, because the guest still had more than 2 months to look for a place to stay on his own and that no contract had been concluded here because I had immediately informed him that I would not be able to take him in. The day before yesterday I received the bill from booking.com: I should pay €785 for the complete stranger, because his accommodation had cost so much. The amount was deducted from the payout amount transferred once a month. My objection that I had objected and that the amount of almost €800 would not be in relation to my price was decided with the fact that it was terms and conditions and they had not found a cheaper offer. I could sue. For these portals, you are just the milking cow that stands in the barn and has to deliver milk. She is never asked, she has no say at all. Unfortunately, it is the case that you can no longer avoid the booking portals that have successfully wedged themselves between demander and provider., Without them you can no longer make it and that is bad for landlords.

Sabrina says

  1. August 2019 at 09:37 Hello Tom, it’s nice that you share your experiences here and also the others who have brought in their experiences here.

I myself have also been renting through Airbnb for a number of years and will continue to do so. But I would like to add something to all the reports:

  1. Everyone started renting her out for a reason, be it an apartment, house or room. Namely, to earn a little money on the side!!! And everyone went into it with the dollar signs in their eyes at the beginning and that’s okay.
  2. I am happy about everyone who has the courage to open up their private rooms and thus also a piece of themselves. Because that also shows strength and greatness to offer strangers a place to stay and to show them a piece of your life and share it with them.
  3. Positive of Airbnb: Processing of payment flawless, calendar management simple and simple, contact with guests anytime and anywhere (mobile phone, tablet, PC), listing creation made easy, many photos possible, contact with Airbnb quickly and much more.
  4. I’m sorry for the unpleasant experiences that you, Tom and some others have had, I was also allowed to make my experiences. Be it from reviews or sometimes small property damage. But my encounters with the people I met, whether only for short or longer stays, were so enriching that everything else outweighed it. And I’m still not a Superhost and that doesn’t matter. Yes, I also had guests who didn’t want personal contact, but only a place to sleep and that’s okay.
  5. I would like to encourage every person here to make their own experiences if they want to rent. And every Internet portal of rental has its positive and negative sides. But I can say my experience with most of the guests has been very positive.

Here are some tips as a hint that I can give along the way:

– Look exactly for how many nights (from 1 night or rather from 2 nights) you want to rent, due to the amount of work (cleaning, making beds, etc.) – Clarify the cancellation for yourself – many pictures speak for themselves – Be prepared for the fact that there will always be hints and suggestions from the Internet providers, but you can decide for yourself whether you accept them. – Look at the commission from the internet providers you have to pay – If you make your private rooms available, you have to expect certain noises at night (sex, showers, coming back late at night, etc.). I recommend offering a room that is not near your bedroom, so that you are not disturbed. – calculate that what will break – every person ticks differently and has a different mindfulness of things, no one is perfect!! – you get to know great people from different countries, friendships even develop, you share their joy and experiences in good conversations, you can learn something about yourself and grow beyond yourself.

I hope I was able to give a bit of hope, after all the experience reports of the others, that renting out is still worth it. And also has a lot of good things, because that has fallen by the wayside a bit.

We humans are as we are, each with our expectations and ideas and they can deviate from our principles. That should be clear to everyone.

Tom Alby says

  1. August 2019 at 11:42 Hallo Sabrina,

if you read my article carefully, you will see a lot of positives in the last paragraph. We are still in contact with some guests, and tangible friendships have developed, which we are still very happy about. But maybe it’s also due to our proximity to the Reeperbahn that not all experiences were nice

Klopfert says

  1. August 2019 at 13:17 I have rented out two apartments on Airbnb and will say goodbye now, massive problems with guests, verification was not right at all… I contacted Airbnb and many phone calls with Stephano from Airbnb, nothing came out of it, only empty promises… Apartment was damaged, there was smoking although a non-smoking apartment is a non-smoking apartment, chair, dishes broken and much more….. Locksmith had to come and I remain sitting at my expense, no one from Airbnb answers and does not call back…. Never again Airbnb

Caroline Alumasa says

  1. September 2019 at 18:37 Airbnb allows fraudulent listings of accommodations… I am the owner of properties listed on Airbnb since 2013. Now I found out that someone was using my photos from the internet to post a property on Airbnb. This is a clear attempt at fraud. I brought this to Airbnb’s attention. Unfortunately, Airbnb declines any support. This not only harms me as the owner of the “right” accommodation, but also potential customers. Airbnb thus allows customers to book a “wrong” accommodation and big disappointments, because customers will never see the accommodation they have booked. Airbnb refuses to take this fake property off their website, even though it is clearly a scam. I’m considering deleting my listings from the Airbnb portal.

Kerstin says

  1. October 2019 at 16:17 The expectations of the guests were really too much for me! 35 € for an overnight stay incl. bed linen, towels, soap, just everything, whole house, sparkling clean with garden and top modern. Can’t you just be grateful to live so beautifully and at a ridiculous price? I have already had complaints because there is no artisanal butcher in town, the others miss vegan restaurants and the third complain about missing shot glasses. I could write a book, maybe I’ll do it… I can only say, never again! Respect for everyone who has been doing this for years.

Astrid Bauer-Maschke says

  1. November 2019 at 21:51 Was 3 years as a hostess, also as a superhost. One negative review and you will be put under enormous pressure and bombarded with emails. I have also made the experience that the description is not really read. My house is in Italy and have attached the directions in Italian, German and English depending on nationality and specifically pointed out not to use GPS, so what, no one reads the instructions. Getting a negative rating for this is extremely hard. The pricing policy also really annoyed me, I offer the guest room with breakfast for 13 euros and am asked to lower the price so that I get more bookings. However, the summit was for me a guest, booked for three days, who gave a negative review because I only served an Italian breakfast with cappuccino and homemade cake and there was no orange juice and no variety, what do the guests expect for 13 euros? Service like in the Bayrischer Hof or in the Atlantis? I deleted my account, because I don’t need such experiences and I have private contact with many of my guests and they come to me and I to them. Unfortunately, the basic idea has been lost and commerce has found its way in.

Edith says

  1. December 2019 at 12:18 I also toyed with the idea of renting out my now almost empty house room by room. In a beautiful, elevated location overlooking the Rhine Valley, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Austria on Airbnb. I tried several times to contact Airbnb because I wanted to ask two more questions about the system.No answer.And after reading this page I don’t have any more.

Susanne Glotzbach says

  1. January 2020 at 09:45 I have now read through all your reports and can confirm some things. Also I was a superhost. I also didn’t let myself be pushed into anything by the mail, bombardments and requests. What I actually wanted to find out here was how you dealt with the change in the photo regulation. Until this change, I looked at the photo of the booking request, looked to see if this was a person I wanted to sleep here next door, and then decided whether I wanted the booking or not. (There has to be so much freedom in times when shared flats cast roommates for days.) Then this condition was changed by Airbnb. Now you could see who would come and go in your house AFTER booking. I contacted Airbnb to find out if I had misunderstood, but there was only a disdainful and concise answer that this is the case now. So: Unfortunately, one less nice room in a sought-after city.

PS : If you know of another, friendlier platform, please share it here.

Joachim von Kienitz says

  1. January 2020 at 01:54 Strangely enough, we only ever get reviews from AIRBNB according to the scheme: “Would have expected a luxury hotel for the price.” With the other two portals I always get only very positive reviews. Somehow, AIRBNB seems to attract the complainers. I don’t know why that is. It is normal that the guests do not read the house description. We have experienced this with all portals. However, you have to know that most guests have real difficulties with reading. Everyone can read somehow, but they have to decipher the words letter by letter. It is not without reason that Germany scores so poorly in the PISA test.