Airbnb been sold. Price rocketted!

[NavigatingAdolescence]

I’m furious. Had an Airbnb booked for August months ago. Owner has messaged tonight to say they have sold the property, it’s still an airbnb, asked me to cancel my booking and rebook.

Except the owners have it up for 2.5 times what I originally paid. Have asked them to honour the original booking price but no response as yet.

Fuming. Have I any recourse here? With such little notice other properties and hotels are ££££. There’s a reason I booked early! 😡

WTF was this email all about if they weren’t holding it for me?

@Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep

This isn't Airbnb issue this is one of those things when a property is sold. Very frustrating for you but why would the new owners fold the dates for you when offering you a lower rate when they can let them for more? You should have accepted it immediately I'm afraid as holidays are going crazy at the moment

They’ve let them at the same rate they offered me. And the above email implied they were held for me, no?

If it's a city, hotel might be cheaper?

why would the new owners hold the dates for you when offering you a lower rate when they can let them for more?

I completely agree with this. They’re running a business. However inconvenient this is your contract wasn’t with them, but with the previous owner, so really they had no commitment to you.

I’ve been somewhat surprised generally at people’s views regarding holiday cottage pricing this summer, given that this summers income is the first decent full season since summer 2019!

Pre-approval just means that you can book right away without having to have them approve it. I had two people try to book my house the other day, and I preapproved them both and one got there first. It doesn't mean that the booking has been held.

Pre approval doesn’t hold dates op. It just approves you to proceed with the booking.

However inconvenient this is your contract wasn’t with them, but with the previous owner, so really they had no commitment to you.

You don’t think morally they might have waited till the people who, through no fault of their own, had their pre-booked holiday at risk took 24 hours to decide if they could afford to pay more for it? I doubt they would have struggled to find new people if the answer had been no.

This happened to me in Spain. I ended up having to pay double elsewhere

@SpaceRaiders

Pre approval doesn’t hold dates op. It just approves you to proceed with the booking.

However, they could have held the dates. I told them I needed to speak with others and would get back to him today.

Previous owner’s message made it sound as though new owners were honouring bookings and I just needed to rebook it because it couldn’t be transferred. Then the price issue arose and now this.

He’s “seeing what he can do”.

@Constantcrayfish I don’t think you understand how the back end of platform works. Morals don’t come into it. As an operator you can negotiate back and forth with a potential guest over a number of days, holding the booking for them. Often what happens is they hedge their bets. The hold expires leaving you without a booking for those dates especially, if it’s last minute. Hence why majority of operators work on an initial pre-approval then first come first served basis.

Op knew prices have rocketed, there isn’t sufficient availability elsewhere, she had an opportunity to book with new owners with a discount but dithered. I don’t think that’s on the new owners, unfortunately that’s on op.

@MondayYogurt

I've had at least 3 airbnbs cancel on me last minute and now refuse to use them. The stress isn't worth it.

The company is also ethically suspect - paying off rape victims, avoiding paying tax, generally pushing local housing stock out of reach for local earners.

Hope you can get it honoured.

THIS. I no longer use AirBNB as I believe they'e a morally reprehensible company and the model itself exacerbates housing inequality worldwide.

I salute cities like Paris and Barcelona who have introduced laws to curb the numbers of homes offered for rent.

Op knew prices have rocketed, there isn’t sufficient availability elsewhere, she had an opportunity to book with new owners with a discount but dithered. I don’t think that’s on the new owners, unfortunately that’s on op.

I didn’t know prices had rocketed until 8:30pm last night when I got the message from the previous owner and tried to book on the new listing. They offered me the reduced but still increased price at 22:20 - too late for me to ring my OAP travelling companion to ask if that cost was okay, which I explained to them. The sent an email re pre-approval which I took as the booking being held until that time for me. Turns out that isn’t the case.

I’m really not sure what I’ve done wrong here.

This is happening a lot not just Airbnb other sites too. It's tough owners trying to claw back monies lost. Worrying about future bookings that will be cancelled if flights get going again . Many people have said that if they can go abroad they will do this

They’ve just cancelled the other booking and re-offered to me.

How can this be described as just one of those things?? The original owners should not have taken bookings if they intended to sell it. This is why air bNB is a very bad idea for anything other than a few days overnight in the UK. I would not use it for a holiday abroad or for anything important.

Actually I really feel for you op.....you have just been screwed by air bnb. imo air bnb is part of the housing crisis in the uk which is what I mean earlier but I posted too soon. hope you find something else

Op I do genuinely feel for you. However It pretty much common knowledge that prices increase the closer you leave it till departure. Wether you’re booking a 5 star AI in Barbados or a week in a caravan in Bognor Regis. I loathe Airbnb. But they’ve done nothing wrong here, nor have the new owners. But it seems it’s all been sorted for now anyway. Just be aware in future that pre approval means diddly squat unless payment has actually been made. And often you can amend a booking, change dates etc too after it’s been made.

Exactly @justasking111, that’s what I’m already hearing. Lots of holiday makers hedged their bets in the spring, cancellations are coming thick and fast in favour of Europe or even elsewhere in the UK. And it’s unlikely those late cancellations will be filled as people who weren’t able to get bookings earlier in the season have decided to stay at home.

We’ve been having problems with Airbnb for paphos for next year. Owners saying place is booked when website says it is free or tripling the price after you ask a question. I think it’s got so big it’s going the way of FB with not enough policing.

@NavigatingAdolescence

WTF was this email all about if they weren’t holding it for me?

Pre approval isn't holding

Problem solved then

@NavigatingAdolescence

Op knew prices have rocketed, there isn’t sufficient availability elsewhere, she had an opportunity to book with new owners with a discount but dithered. I don’t think that’s on the new owners, unfortunately that’s on op.

I didn’t know prices had rocketed until 8:30pm last night when I got the message from the previous owner and tried to book on the new listing. They offered me the reduced but still increased price at 22:20 - too late for me to ring my OAP travelling companion to ask if that cost was okay, which I explained to them. The sent an email re pre-approval which I took as the booking being held until that time for me. Turns out that isn’t the case.

I’m really not sure what I’ve done wrong here.

You didn't know that prices have rocketed for holidays all over the U.K.?

Glad they've reoffered it to you OP. I suggest you complete the booking ASAP even though it's a higher price, as it's still lower than everything else.

I didn’t need to know

tbh I would not be surprised if this hadn't actually been "sold"