Months ago Airbnb removed security deposits from our listings claiming that we didn’t need them because they had insurance that protected their hosts. Three different claims have resulted in absolutely nothing beyond wasting about 20 hours of my time. They are always waiting for another department to get it done and claim because they are a global company, things take a lot of time.
Hosts no longer have any control over anything. If you are pet friendly, you are inviting Noah’s Ark as they have no provision to limit breeds, age, quantity or anything. People actually think it’s okay to bring their nine cats and six puppies. If the tenant stays beyond their reservation and you ned the sheriff to remove them, good luck getting the extra days’ payment. It’s either their resolution, mediation or some other department that’s handling it.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the only answer is to add another 10% to my nightly rates on their site and make sure there’s a better deal for them on VRBO. VRBO isn’t perfect either but at least you’ve got a chance. Now that Airbnb is a public company we should all should all show up at shareholder meetings or call ins just to tell them how bad they really are.
I couldn’t agree more! I am requiring deposits for the reason stated above. I’ve had repeated issues and it’s virtually impossible to get money for any damage. Airbnb’s customer service is ridiculous. The deposits are difficult to collect, but even more difficult to return to the guests actually. I keep getting technical errors and have tried at least 20 times now to get support. Airbnb just keeps closing the tickets. I also charge a lot more per night on Airbnb than VRBO!