The Downsides to Hosting on Airbnb – The Darker Side of Airbnb
There’s no better way to earn or supplement your income through Airbnb; for example, some hosts in London can earn a median income of £3,800 in peak months like August.
However, we’ve been in the game long enough to know that being a host on Airbnb isn’t always a walk in the park – and even though the money is good, it’s not always rainbows and profits.
It’s not as simple as opening your home to others. Instead, you’ve entered the service and hospitality industry, where guests can be demanding, messy and sometimes damaging.
Not always rainbows and butterflies but a lot of compromises
With ten years in the industry, we’ve learned that whilst there’s good money to be made, renting out a holiday let, even if it’s just a room, requires a lot of varied skills as well as patience – and this is not something owners with a BnB dream tend to realise straight off the bat.
As a holiday let management company managing hundreds of short-let properties up and down the country, there’s no one better to reveal the hassles, the stresses, the downsides and what to look out for. This post aims to provide valuable lessons and insights for newbies thinking of hosting so they know what to expect when they enter this business.
The workload is very demanding
If you’re considering converting your home into an Airbnb, we advise not going alone. It can be good in the beginning to gauge the market.
However, after your first initial boost passes, competing in the market gets more difficult, and you might feel discouraged.
One key thing you need to know about going it alone is that managing a holiday rental is like a full-time job, and it’s not something hosts do well on the side.
Not all guests are friendly, respectable or quiet
Running a holiday let is just like running a hotel. You’ll get your share of great, polite and courteous renters who want to enjoy themselves without disrupting others – and these types of guests make hosting worth it.
However, you should also expect the kind of guests who love to complain and are never happy no matter the extra lengths you’ll go to. Plus, you’ll get the messy ones without concern about how much harder it will be to turn over the property later.
Any Airbnb host knows that guests like this aren’t rare. And any Airbnb host or landlord dealing with the occasional bad egg is just par for the course.
“I had a very nice couple staying in my home. Knowing they were coming for the parade, I kindly invited them to watch from our deck. First, they ask if they can bring additional people. I bit my tongue and said, “OK,” even though I felt like I gave them an inch and they were trying to take a foot. Next, I told them, “See you tomorrow!” And they said, “Oh… you’ll be there too?” Well, I kind of live there!!! Third, my partner and I went outside, and they completely ignored us… I had to ask if everything was okay even to get them to look at me… in my own home.” – SmallNSweet
Belongings and furniture do get damaged
“Last week, I had my first bad guests. They were pleasant people to interact with, but they did enough damage that I made zero money by accepting their booking. It could have been worse–if I had had another guest arriving the day they left, I would have been in a real pickle because I could never have gotten the house ready in time!” – Keugenia
If a guest has damaged your home or an item, you have 14 days to file a claim. First and foremost, document the damage with photos and speak to Airbnb as soon as possible; they’ll work with you to resolve the issue. It’s best to keep the communications at this stage through Airbnb and not with the guest to avoid getting into conflict. On top of this, Airbnb, in their Host Damage Protection Policy, urges hosts to gather photos, videos, estimates for repairs, cleaning and receipts.
Parties do happen (even if you ban them)
“My first awful guest. They threw a huge party and disregarded every rule I had. There was a trash can overflowing with empty bottles of hard liquor, they smoked, puked and someone either got punched or fell out of drunkenness on to their face so there was blood on towels, bed linens wall and shower.” – Wistletone
In 2022, Airbnb codified a party ban to support their neighbourhoods and communities and deter irresponsible guests from throwing unauthorised parties. Since its first temporary ban in 2020, the company reported a 44% year-over-year drop in the rate of party reports.
However, that doesn’t mean that guests won’t try and break the rules and throw a party – even amongst a small group of guests. But perhaps you can gain peace of mind that parties are prohibited – even including birthday parties and baby showers. And Airbnb even teamed up with Vrbo to stop repeat offenders from going from platform to platform.
Vetting your guests can help minimise disruption.
Bad reviews happen more regularly than you think
“I am absolutely heartbroken. I have received my first bad review ever, and it’s totally unwarranted. I never met these guests as they came in late without notifying us, so I had to prepare myself for my sister’s wedding, which they knew about! My partner, who is also a host and lives with me, met the guests, showing them around the apt, showing them maps etc, like we do to all our guests. These guests insulted me in the review, saying I only cared about going out to a party and didn’t welcome them. I actually did try to meet them after 15mins of them being in the apt, but they decided to go to bed, so of course, I didn’t want to disturb them.” – Sunshine1
You can go over and beyond for a guest and still get a bad review. Not everything will be up to their standard, and not everyone will express gratitude. Plus, realise that you’re human and sometimes mistakes happen – and it’s always best to address this issue head-on honestly.
Always deal with a negative review professionally, as it can make all the difference in convincing potential guests to book still.
Here’s how you can deal with negative reviews and increase five-star reviews.
