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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Air bnb is over rated?

207 replies

jennymanara · 23/09/2019 12:54

We have stopped using air bnb unless it is literally just for a bed for 1 night. Because the standard is invariably poor, unless they are very expensive, or are already a proper bnb just advertising on air bnb.
I adopted a few years ago a policy of only staying with superhosts. But have decided to abandon even that after staying with a few that were fine, they had all 5 star reviews, but not as good as other places I had stayed for similar money in the same city.

I think when air bnb started there were genuinely real bargains for what you got. But this is no longer the case. Instead it is full if people who are renting at the going rate locally, but really have no idea how to be professional.

OP posts:
Dutch1e · 26/09/2019 18:14

Sounds like exactly the kind of bogus argument that Uber and other tech bro companies put forward when faced with responsibility - see Uber’s attempt to avoid classifying their drivers as employees, and therefore affording them legal protections

That's a pretty fair point. A lot of hosts feel like they crossed a line when they started getting involved in minor disputes.

Pasithea · 26/09/2019 18:21

Totally ruined our way of life and home comfort having one next door.

Original poster
jennymanara · 26/09/2019 18:23

Yes if they were simply a booking site, it would be book at your own risk. They are not.

OP posts:
Frannyhy · 27/09/2019 09:27

Hosts do have to report if they have smoke alarms. If guests check the property description they can find out if they are installed.

I’ve had an email a few days ago saying that airbnb hosts may have to register with local councils at some point in the future. That will mean boiler checking for the many who don’t do it already.

Single hosts will no longer be able to claim they are living alone to get 25% off their council tax.

Original poster
jennymanara · 27/09/2019 11:14

Yes they have to report if they have smoke alarms. It should insist that properties have smoke alarms. This is an incredibly basic health and safety measure.

OP posts:
AdobeWanKenobi · 27/09/2019 12:03

Attempted to use them once.

Booked an apartment near the Excel in London for an event just before it was announced.
Event was announced and my booking was cancelled under the guise of not being available that week after all. A week later the apartment reappeared and the price had tripled.

Kind of had the last laugh though as I had a look whilst we were down for the event and the apartment hadn't been rebooked and was available. Came to the conclusion if some of the hosts could be that fickle and bookings cancelled so easily I'd rather get a hotel.

PierreBezukov · 27/09/2019 12:31

We've only ever had good experiences with Airbnb.

We've stayed in penthouses with panoramic sea views, mountain lodges in Eastern Europe, characterful old apartments in Berlin, and a cute cottage in Stratford upon Avon. All well-researched and enjoyable in different ways.

No way would I swap those experiences for a bland hotel room.

CodenameVillanelle · 27/09/2019 12:57

Came to the conclusion if some of the hosts could be that fickle and bookings cancelled so easily I'd rather get a hotel.

They penalise hosts for cancelling. I had to cancel once and they charged me £70 and the penalty increases exponentially. It also removes superhost for a year. If you cancel 3 in a year they will remove your listing.

Frannyhy · 27/09/2019 14:20

Private landlords are legally required to get a Gas Safety Check done every year. As I have a gas cooker and gas fire I have these checked at the same time as the boiler service / check.

When I checked with the local council I was told that Airbnb landlords should be having these checks done. So I do.

Frannyhy · 27/09/2019 15:30

By the way I have to be honest and say the review system is a waste of time. In common with many other airbnb hosts, I will check to see the reviews that prospective guests have left previous hosts. Do I need to say more?

WatchingTheMoon · 27/09/2019 16:01

"characterful old apartments in Berlin"

Nice for you but it means the locals are unable to live in Berlin these days. Airbnb is pushing prices sky high there and it's destroying communities.

PierreBezukov · 27/09/2019 16:39

Nice for you but it means the locals are unable to live in Berlin these days.

Hmm

This was a lived-in apartment with family photos and knick knacks scattered around. The family were obviously renting it out to make some extra money, perhaps while they were on their own summer holiday or at their summer house, who knows.

WatchingTheMoon · 27/09/2019 21:04

pierre The point still stands. Supporting airbnb in certain communities is pretty unethical.

No need to Hmm me, you can just reply with words.

PierreBezukov · 27/09/2019 21:20

Unethical? Smile Tell that the family who put their home on for a couple of weeks in the summer to make some extra cash.

Shockers · 27/09/2019 21:21

@Frannyhy- so you wouldn’t accept someone who left poor reviews?

WatchingTheMoon · 27/09/2019 21:54

Pierre, I'd suggest doing some research into it. It's not about cases on an individual level but a wider one.

Frannyhy · 27/09/2019 22:46

@Shockers

No I won’t if it’s a habit. None of the hosts I am in contact with will.

Shockers · 27/09/2019 22:53

@Frannyhy- I don’t blame you. This is why I like Airbnb as a customer- I feel that there’s a mutual trust because of the review system.

Miracleon34thstreet · 28/09/2019 13:08

@Pasithea I agree with you and I'm sorry you've had the same experience. It's ruined my life, sense of community, value of my beautiful home, and left me scared for weekends due to parties.

I'm all for regulation on this one and a common sense approach. The government needs to set a proper framework for this and be able to enforce in cases like this.

Don't even get me started on the housing crisis in this country.

Sometimes I wish those who love Airbnb and the cheaper comparative prices so much could hear the other side of the story - particularly when they're dragging their cases into communal halls like mine at 4am to be reminded this is not a hotel; there are normal, tax paying people like myself trying to sleep and live in peace.

I should also add it is a breach of planning permission in Scotland to use properties without appropriate consents for this wholly commercial use, and I'm in process of six enforcement actions against fellow owners.

The stress is unreal. A relentless industry.

Frannyhy · 28/09/2019 14:02

Well they won’t be dragging cases into my property at 4am! Latest check in time at mine is by 8pm. Obviously people get delayed which I allow for.

I live here, and I ask my guests to quieten down from 10pm to 7am. I am very aware that the walls are thin. I have just had a guest from overseas who liked to have shouted conversations with her family at home, at any time. She was waking the neighbours on both sides up.

I spoke to her about it, and said I would ask her to leave if she couldn’t keep her volume down at night. Luckily for me she did. I don’t want to have to ask a guest to leave.

I have always told my neighbours that if any of my guests are a nuisance, all they have to do is talk to me.

CodenameVillanelle · 28/09/2019 14:08

Sometimes I wish those who love Airbnb and the cheaper comparative prices so much could hear the other side of the story - particularly when they're dragging their cases into communal halls like mine at 4am to be reminded this is not a hotel; there are normal, tax paying people like myself trying to sleep and live in peace.

Absolutely understand your point of view. However please also understand mine - Airbnb has allowed me to earn a second (modest) income to enable me to keep my home when I got divorced, since I get no maintenance. I use it exactly as it was designed to be used, and it's not really the fault of the platform that it has taken off the way it has.

Iflyaway · 28/09/2019 14:17

I agree most people who rent out through Airbnb are not professional, as in never having worked in the hospitality industry.

What's worse though is how they are ruining inner cities for the locals who can't afford normal rents.
Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Prague etc.

I did Airbnb once in my life, in USA with an American friend. Nice enough but still felt an "interloper" in someone else's (huge, of course, it's USA) house.

Give me booking dot com any day (i travel a lot).

Iflyaway · 28/09/2019 14:23

The government needs to set a proper framework for this and be able to enforce in cases like this.

They've tried this where I live. (Not UK). Airbnb don't take a blind bit of notice.
.

Oliversmumsarmy · 28/09/2019 14:44

Whilst Airbnb did start out as a sort of temporary house share type site now though you can rent a whole property for the night/week/fortnight etc and is no different to other holiday let websites.

I have seen the same properties on Booking.com and HomeAway etc.

I don’t see the difference between renting a property through Airbnb or renting the same property through booking.com.

In the UK btl landlords have been penalised in order to drive them out of business and a lot waited as a flood of BTL properties would come on the market driving down the property prices.

But instead landlords swapped their mortgage from a BTL property (where you cannot put your mortgage interest payments against tax) to a holiday let property (where you can put your mortgage interest payments against tax).

Can’t really comment on other countries but if you take for example Germany where renting a flat to live in, I always got the impression was very cheap and I doubt the landlord made much out of a rental property.

But then the landlords turn their places into holiday lets and are now getting much more income.

There is no incentive to go back to let long term