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The main risk with this is that the host cancels at the last minute. Happened to me twice for long term stays (e.g. cancelling 2 days before start date) and it

by agd 4y ago

The main risk with this is that the host cancels at the last minute. Happened to me twice for long term stays (e.g. cancelling 2 days before start date) and it can completely ruin your plans.

SemanticStrengh 4y ago
airbnb doesn't provide any guarantee mechanisms against this?
- atlasunshrugged 4y ago
  Not really other than if it's close enough to the checkin time once I've had them help me book a hotel and comp it but it's still a massive pain
  - acchow 4y ago
    > Not really ... > help me book a hotel and comp it If they comped it, that sounds very much like they helped you a lot. Not sure how anyone could describe this as "not really" helping?
    - atlasunshrugged 4y ago
      I meant not really mechanisms to stop it and it was once in several times of it happening to me. Other times they've just recommended other airbnbs that were far less of a fit instead
- agd 4y ago
  No. They may give you a voucher, however for us the voucher was only $100 (so far less than the additional cost of rebooking at the last minute) and secondly, the voucher had restrictions on which bookings you could use it on, and it expired within a month. I.e. It’s fairly useless.
  - chii 4y ago
    If the host cancels, you lose out the opportunity, but only get back what you've already deposited and a voucher (which doesn't cover the higher cost of a new booking!)? that sucks. I think a host should only be allowed to cancel if they offer another place with similar features (like room number, and location) for the same amount of time.
- baby 4y ago
  Happened to me once, booked a hilton and they reimbursed me
  - agd 4y ago
    How many days did they reimburse you for? The OP is talking about 29+ day stays. If your long term stay is cancelled a few days before it can be pretty much impossible to find an alternative. On both occasions that this has happened to me, Airbnb has offered only a $100 voucher. The reality is long term stay on Airbnb is a risky bet. Still often worth the risk, but something to be aware of.
    - baby 4y ago
      Ahh yeah it was only for a few days, and that’s when I was going to really cheap airbnbs like 6 years ago. Hasn’t happened since then and I use airbnb ALL the time (I do lots of 1-month stays as well). I would guess that the same can happen with all other alternatives. Perhaps not for a hotel but who would want to stay in a hotel for a month? (Also that would be a huge expense)
- dillondoyle 4y ago
  Nope. I got screwed bad over this. took my parents on a trip to london over NYE a few years ago. Had a pretty expensive AIRbnb rented. obviously nye is totally sold out. Including basically all hotels. They canceled a few hours before the flight. Luckily I found a hotel literally last couple rooms and very very expensive for what it was. I couldn't get airbnb to do shit besides give a refund for the airbnb reservation and I think maybe I got 250 or 500 or something negligible. They 'try' to find an alternative on the platform but wouldn't pay for my hotel (s now need 2 rooms). And since there are no airbnbs available... let alone in the city and similar. I have never stayed airbnb again only hotels. if they allow hosts to pull that crap they should pay for alternate hotel lodging.
  - johnfn 4y ago
    I had the exact same experience, and support literally did nothing for me. It was terrible, and I no longer use Airbnb as a result.
  - singron 4y ago
    Airlines can also do this. They just have to refund your ticket, but good luck buying a replacement same day.
    - londons_explore 4y ago
      It's worth knowing that most courts worldwide consider a ticket or reservation to be a binding agreement to provide the services, and to accept liability when the services cannot be provided. That means if they boot you from the flight or hotel room, they have to pay for your costs to find a replacement. Yes, many companies have terms that try to limit their liability, but those terms usually aren't enforceable.
    - theshrike79 4y ago
      This is actually a travelling hack. Airlines overbook and will try to get out of it by refunding your ticket. Refuse the refund. They'll up the price a few times. You can get up to an upgraded ticket on a later flight + hotel stay if the stars align.
- poisonarena 4y ago
  They KINDA do, but their support is so horrible and slow you have to book a hotel room for a few days or figure something out while you spend a few days working the details out
- madaxe_again 4y ago
  Yes, they do. Hosts are strongly disincentivised from cancelling on guests at any notice, for any reason. On the one occasion where the apartment I own and let on Airbnb was unavailable at short notice, as the boiler (new, recently serviced) failed spectacularly, I ensured the guests were in equivalent accommodation or better (ended up better, as the only thing I could find with a few hours notice was a nine bedroom house), as cancelling would mean losing my superhost status (only book with superhosts and you will more likely than not avoid the cancellation problem), and failing to provide an adequate service could result in a poor review, which again could not only cost me superhost, but also tank the business - negative reviews hugely impact your search ranking and conversion rate. So, while there isn’t a huge amount of recompense in the event it happens (I’ve been on the receiving end, literally arrived for them to tell me that sorry, they can’t do this week - it sucks), they do penalise hosts who do this, and will almost always take the side of the guest in any dispute.
EnKopVand 4y ago
That wouldn’t be the main risk in my country. It would be people using your home as a brothel and fucking everything up. If AirBnB can provide a way for that to not happen, or at least for it to stop within a few days with our strong renter-protection laws then they could basically replace every long term rental business in Denmark.

by agd 4y ago

The main risk with this is that the host cancels at the last minute. Happened to me twice for long term stays (e.g. cancelling 2 days before start date) and it can completely ruin your plans.

SemanticStrengh 4y ago

airbnb doesn't provide any guarantee mechanisms against this?

atlasunshrugged 4y ago
Not really other than if it's close enough to the checkin time once I've had them help me book a hotel and comp it but it's still a massive pain
- acchow 4y ago
  > Not really ... > help me book a hotel and comp it If they comped it, that sounds very much like they helped you a lot. Not sure how anyone could describe this as "not really" helping?
  - atlasunshrugged 4y ago
    I meant not really mechanisms to stop it and it was once in several times of it happening to me. Other times they've just recommended other airbnbs that were far less of a fit instead
agd 4y ago
No. They may give you a voucher, however for us the voucher was only $100 (so far less than the additional cost of rebooking at the last minute) and secondly, the voucher had restrictions on which bookings you could use it on, and it expired within a month. I.e. It’s fairly useless.
- chii 4y ago
  If the host cancels, you lose out the opportunity, but only get back what you've already deposited and a voucher (which doesn't cover the higher cost of a new booking!)? that sucks. I think a host should only be allowed to cancel if they offer another place with similar features (like room number, and location) for the same amount of time.
baby 4y ago
Happened to me once, booked a hilton and they reimbursed me
- agd 4y ago
  How many days did they reimburse you for? The OP is talking about 29+ day stays. If your long term stay is cancelled a few days before it can be pretty much impossible to find an alternative. On both occasions that this has happened to me, Airbnb has offered only a $100 voucher. The reality is long term stay on Airbnb is a risky bet. Still often worth the risk, but something to be aware of.
  - baby 4y ago
    Ahh yeah it was only for a few days, and that’s when I was going to really cheap airbnbs like 6 years ago. Hasn’t happened since then and I use airbnb ALL the time (I do lots of 1-month stays as well). I would guess that the same can happen with all other alternatives. Perhaps not for a hotel but who would want to stay in a hotel for a month? (Also that would be a huge expense)
dillondoyle 4y ago
Nope. I got screwed bad over this. took my parents on a trip to london over NYE a few years ago. Had a pretty expensive AIRbnb rented. obviously nye is totally sold out. Including basically all hotels. They canceled a few hours before the flight. Luckily I found a hotel literally last couple rooms and very very expensive for what it was. I couldn't get airbnb to do shit besides give a refund for the airbnb reservation and I think maybe I got 250 or 500 or something negligible. They 'try' to find an alternative on the platform but wouldn't pay for my hotel (s now need 2 rooms). And since there are no airbnbs available... let alone in the city and similar. I have never stayed airbnb again only hotels. if they allow hosts to pull that crap they should pay for alternate hotel lodging.
- johnfn 4y ago
  I had the exact same experience, and support literally did nothing for me. It was terrible, and I no longer use Airbnb as a result.
- singron 4y ago
  Airlines can also do this. They just have to refund your ticket, but good luck buying a replacement same day.
  - londons_explore 4y ago
    It's worth knowing that most courts worldwide consider a ticket or reservation to be a binding agreement to provide the services, and to accept liability when the services cannot be provided. That means if they boot you from the flight or hotel room, they have to pay for your costs to find a replacement. Yes, many companies have terms that try to limit their liability, but those terms usually aren't enforceable.
  - theshrike79 4y ago
    This is actually a travelling hack. Airlines overbook and will try to get out of it by refunding your ticket. Refuse the refund. They'll up the price a few times. You can get up to an upgraded ticket on a later flight + hotel stay if the stars align.
poisonarena 4y ago
They KINDA do, but their support is so horrible and slow you have to book a hotel room for a few days or figure something out while you spend a few days working the details out
madaxe_again 4y ago
Yes, they do. Hosts are strongly disincentivised from cancelling on guests at any notice, for any reason. On the one occasion where the apartment I own and let on Airbnb was unavailable at short notice, as the boiler (new, recently serviced) failed spectacularly, I ensured the guests were in equivalent accommodation or better (ended up better, as the only thing I could find with a few hours notice was a nine bedroom house), as cancelling would mean losing my superhost status (only book with superhosts and you will more likely than not avoid the cancellation problem), and failing to provide an adequate service could result in a poor review, which again could not only cost me superhost, but also tank the business - negative reviews hugely impact your search ranking and conversion rate. So, while there isn’t a huge amount of recompense in the event it happens (I’ve been on the receiving end, literally arrived for them to tell me that sorry, they can’t do this week - it sucks), they do penalise hosts who do this, and will almost always take the side of the guest in any dispute.

EnKopVand 4y ago

That wouldn’t be the main risk in my country. It would be people using your home as a brothel and fucking everything up. If AirBnB can provide a way for that to not happen, or at least for it to stop within a few days with our strong renter-protection laws then they could basically replace every long term rental business in Denmark.