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This seems to be as much a problem with eviction laws as with Airbnb. In Ohio, the eviction process isn't exactly landlord friendly, but it doesn't require a l

This seems to be as much a problem with eviction laws as with Airbnb. In Ohio, the eviction process isn't exactly landlord friendly, but it doesn't require a lawyer either. And in most cases, deadbeat tenants aren't going to show up at the court date anyhow - then it's trivial to get a ruling in your favor. You'll lose out on 60-90 days of rent, but if that bankrupts you, your margins are too tight. And Airbnb has, by far, returned me the highest margins I've ever gotten, so it's certainly worth the risk of squatters.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
> You'll lose out on 60-90 days of rent, but if that bankrupts you, your margins are too tight. And if the tenant trashes the place in the meantime? You're not out your margins, you're out actual damages that need to be repaired. Disclaimer: Was a landlord. Once.
- zo1 12y ago
  That's what insurance is for. And the court system so you can get the tenant to pay back damages. Either that, or filter your tenants a little better. Disclaimer: I know people that got burned by "tenants", and they're resolving it just fine through the legal system.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    Disclaimer: I, and others I know, have been burned by tenants as well. We attempted to resolve it through the legal system. If the tenants have no assets, and no income (which they did have at time of lease execution), you have little to no recourse. A judgement against a stone is useless.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
    - larrys 12y ago
      Did your property insurance cover the damage? I've had damage happen and my insurance, less dedictible, covered the damage from paint spilled on carpeting. (Got all new carpeting as a result).
    - zo1 12y ago
      "If the tenants have no assets, and no income" Well, a little bit of luck/intuition is required on that one prior to accepting them as tenant. Because, by the time you're trying to get what you're owed from them, it's too late. Also, another way around that (depending on your local laws) is to have an upfront 2/3 month deposit. That should more than cover any unpaid bills/damage/rent that you would be out. Not only that, but it filters out all the tenants that are unable to steadily pay for rent.
joe_the_user 12y ago
The main thing is that Airbnb offers a lot of people a way to become a landlord while not telegraphing to them the fact they are now in a business with risks and dangers as well as rewards.
- oldmanjay 12y ago
  Well you can't make people read too much during the sign up or they might abandon the process and ruin the metrics.
spiritplumber 12y ago
In San Antonio, TX I was surprised to find the shotgun-wielding landlady telling me to get out before midnight exactly the day before my rent was due... turns out she wanted to kick out a delinquent tenant in the unit with the same letter but one civic number over, but I can't blame her for taking direct action. Scared the piss out of me though! At least I got a free month out of it.
- bdcravens 12y ago
  Probably was an illegal eviction however, one that she could have received criminal charges for.
  - spiritplumber 12y ago
    Maybe (I don't know what TX law looks like) but that's not a lot of comfort once you've been shot.
- padobson 12y ago
  Probably the case of an illegal eviction. Other illegal evictions include: changing the locks, shutting of the utilities, blasting music outside the apartment at 3am.

toomuchtodo 12y ago

> You'll lose out on 60-90 days of rent, but if that bankrupts you, your margins are too tight. And if the tenant trashes the place in the meantime? You're not out your margins, you're out actual damages that need to be repaired. Disclaimer: Was a landlord. Once.

zo1 12y ago
That's what insurance is for. And the court system so you can get the tenant to pay back damages. Either that, or filter your tenants a little better. Disclaimer: I know people that got burned by "tenants", and they're resolving it just fine through the legal system.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  Disclaimer: I, and others I know, have been burned by tenants as well. We attempted to resolve it through the legal system. If the tenants have no assets, and no income (which they did have at time of lease execution), you have little to no recourse. A judgement against a stone is useless.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - larrys 12y ago
    Did your property insurance cover the damage? I've had damage happen and my insurance, less dedictible, covered the damage from paint spilled on carpeting. (Got all new carpeting as a result).
  - zo1 12y ago
    "If the tenants have no assets, and no income" Well, a little bit of luck/intuition is required on that one prior to accepting them as tenant. Because, by the time you're trying to get what you're owed from them, it's too late. Also, another way around that (depending on your local laws) is to have an upfront 2/3 month deposit. That should more than cover any unpaid bills/damage/rent that you would be out. Not only that, but it filters out all the tenants that are unable to steadily pay for rent.

joe_the_user 12y ago

The main thing is that Airbnb offers a lot of people a way to become a landlord while not telegraphing to them the fact they are now in a business with risks and dangers as well as rewards.

oldmanjay 12y ago
Well you can't make people read too much during the sign up or they might abandon the process and ruin the metrics.

spiritplumber 12y ago

In San Antonio, TX I was surprised to find the shotgun-wielding landlady telling me to get out before midnight exactly the day before my rent was due... turns out she wanted to kick out a delinquent tenant in the unit with the same letter but one civic number over, but I can't blame her for taking direct action. Scared the piss out of me though! At least I got a free month out of it.

bdcravens 12y ago
Probably was an illegal eviction however, one that she could have received criminal charges for.
- spiritplumber 12y ago
  Maybe (I don't know what TX law looks like) but that's not a lot of comfort once you've been shot.
padobson 12y ago
Probably the case of an illegal eviction. Other illegal evictions include: changing the locks, shutting of the utilities, blasting music outside the apartment at 3am.