Avoiding AirBNB & VRBO Fees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No protection from scams/shit hosts that way. High risk.

I can tell you from personal experience that AirBnB and VRBO provide zero protection from scams/shit hosts. If you get scammed, they tell you to make a claim with your credit card company. You pay a ridiculous fee for the same service you would get from Craig's List.

Personally, I go through local rental companies, if at all possible. The fees are baked into the price, and the actually provide guarantees and service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

[Anonymous]

I have mixed feelings about AirBnB but I gratefully acknowledge that I was refunded 9 nights of Paris and Amsterdam stays that were supposed to happen in March 2020 during weeks after travel bans started to emerge. At the time I got my refund, VRBO was not offering that to their customers.

I like a lot of things about carefully chosen AirBnBs but there are frustrations. For example, in our London rental all the sheets were laundered in a very aggressively-floral-scented detergent. We could have rewashed them but didn't have time for that. And the owners were out of the country so we didn't want to bother them to find someone to deal with it. It took 3 days to settle down to a normal level of smell. And I don't have any known allergies or chemical sensitivity.

Household equipment can be a problem. We stayed at a nice flat in Edinburgh that was well lit during the day but the track lighting in several rooms had some burned out bulbs. Then 3 more went out during our stay, so we had to move some around. There was extra toilet paper in the supplies closet but no bulbs for these specialized lamps. Another bummer was getting an onsite French dishwasher with about 20 pounds of some kind of rinse aid but no detergent and no dishwashing liquid. It's annoying to not be able to use facilities as expected - to see at night, to cook, to wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No protection from scams/shit hosts that way. High risk.

Agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

The host pays a 3% fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

The renter can get travel insurance.

[Anonymous]

I am a host and have damage insurance that I use regularly rather than bother the guests for breaking a lamp, furniture, smoke treatment etc we have never charged a guest fees for anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used rentals when are kids were little and we wanted to put them down for naps and early bedtimes. But we’ve since stopped for 2 main reasons:

I don’t like the checkout “procedures” often required and I don’t like the cancellation policies. I also don’t want to be charged if they think a hand towel is missing or I put the stain on the couch that was already there. Now that my kids are older, hotels are much less stressful.

Except for the time our dog ate the owner's antique chair, we've never been charged for anything. Dozens of experiences. The cancellation policies vary by rental. Choose one you're comfortable with.

I've never seen any that have the 24-72 hour cancellation policies that hotels have. And I haven't been charged for anything either, but plenty of places have threatening messages about potential charges. And the varying degrees of chores on departure day. Plus like another PP we are deep into travel points now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

The host pays a 3% fee.

Which they pass along to the renter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

The renter can get travel insurance.

If I have to buy travel insurance to be protected from scams, I'll rent from someone who doesn't charge ridiculous fees that are supposed to pay for their (bogus) "Book With Confidence Guarantee."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This arrangement only benefits the renter. As a host I don't see why I would do this to save a 3% fee on my end. As a renter you have a 16% fee which goes to airbnb but has nothing to do with the host. And occupancy tax. Which, again, hosts have nothing to do with that.

Wouldn't it make sense then to split the total 19%? Then both parties have significant benefit.

Not really since maybe 8% only adds up to $50 and I have no protection.

The problem is that the renter pays the fees, and the protection is only for the owner.

The renter can get travel insurance.

If I have to buy travel insurance to be protected from scams, I'll rent from someone who doesn't charge ridiculous fees that are supposed to pay for their (bogus) "Book With Confidence Guarantee."

PP here -- FWIW, I spent tens of thousands of dollars a year on VRBO, was very good at reading reviews, etc, and had never made a complaint, or had a complaint made about me, until the time I cancelled a $20,000 reservation well within the cancellation window, and the owner ghosted me. I spent hours on the phone with VRBO, wrote a letter to their legal department, and got zip from them. They claimed to have no way of contacting the owner other than the number I already had that was never answered. They wouldn't even give me a form to make a claim. Luckily, I had screen shots of everything and filed an inch thick pile of paper with my credit card company and finally got a refund from them about six months later. I will never use VRBO again. Their deadbeat owner was worth more to them than the business of someone who spent tens of thousands a year on their platform.

In other words, their "guarantee" is worthless, and if I'm going to be on my own to document the deal and try to get a refund from the credit card company, I'll save the money on fees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used rentals when are kids were little and we wanted to put them down for naps and early bedtimes. But we’ve since stopped for 2 main reasons:

I don’t like the checkout “procedures” often required and I don’t like the cancellation policies. I also don’t want to be charged if they think a hand towel is missing or I put the stain on the couch that was already there. Now that my kids are older, hotels are much less stressful.

Except for the time our dog ate the owner's antique chair, we've never been charged for anything. Dozens of experiences. The cancellation policies vary by rental. Choose one you're comfortable with.

I've never seen any that have the 24-72 hour cancellation policies that hotels have. And I haven't been charged for anything either, but plenty of places have threatening messages about potential charges. And the varying degrees of chores on departure day. Plus like another PP we are deep into travel points now.

I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I have four Airbnb reservations on Portugal later this year. All with full refund if cancelled five or more days in advance, partial refund if cancelled day of.

I guess I feel like of I'm flying across an ocean for a vacation, I'm pretty confident my lodging needs aren't going to chant if less than five days out from the trip, or on most cases already on the trip.