Should We Use Airbnb? 8 Troubling Problems You Didn’t Know
What are the troubling, lesser-known problems with Airbnb and similar platforms? Here on my blog I always say, “As Invisible Tourists, we want to support locals of the places we visit, not make their lives more difficult.”
In recent years, the use of home-stay accommodation has exploded internationally. Sitting on the sidelines with one watchful eye monitoring this trend, as usual I decided to be a bit of a skeptic before jumping on the bandwagon and investigate the little-known facts about using a service like Airbnb for myself.
Despite its growing popularity there are some pretty troubling issues with Airbnb and their similar counterparts, leading many to ask if there are any ethical alternatives to Airbnb? Here I’ll reveal what it’s like to lift the lid on the hidden Pandora’s box of this craze – the results may surprise you, as they did me!
Yes, loads of people use Airbnb all the time without issues and that’s fine. Different people prioritise different things because there are different types of travellers. Many of my fellow travel bloggers could get you discounts on your first Airbnb booking and that’s fine, too.
In saying that, there is a time and a place for these services so I’d rather speak about the unpopular truths buried under the discount codes that are worth considering before booking a stay with a homestyle accommodation service like Airbnb.
NOTE: I first published this article in March 2018 and have updated it since to reflect more recent events. It was regarded as an unpopular opinion at the time. Be sure to read my concluding comments for my overall thoughts on short-term homestay services.
Airbnb problems: Important reasons to reconsider using these services
I can totally hear people questioning my logic… They’re thinking, “But, aren’t you all about travelling like a local and helping people learn how to not look like a tourist? Then what’s wrong with renting a local’s place on Airbnb? It’s harmless and it’s cheaper than hotels, right?”
Ermm, not exactly.
There’s a saying, “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it” so truth be told, I have stayed in an Airbnb before. I was with a group for a girls’ getaway and my friend had booked the accommodation on our group’s behalf.
The place was fine (although I prefer to have my own bed rather than share with a friend!) However due to the facts I discuss below, it just wasn’t for me and may not be for others as well.
Let’s start with a few questions:
- Do you value your precious travel time, hate inconveniences and prefer to play it safe with accommodation rather than put yourself in a position that could have been avoided when you travel?
- Do you also prefer to enjoying everything a city has to offer without feeling like you’re getting in the way of locals going about their daily lives?
If you answered yes to these questions, you’re likely to prefer hotels and other forms of traditional accommodation. If you answered no, the below facts may give you reason to reconsider using homestay accommodation services like Airbnb for your next trip.
While Airbnb’s slogan is “travel like a local,” there are some dark truths that actually make life more difficult for the locals they claim to support.
Let’s get into it!
1. Airbnb could be illegal in the city you’re visiting
This is a pretty surprising and very important point. Just because there are listings for a destination doesn’t mean the host and Airbnb are abiding by the local laws. For instance, here are some facts that might make us think twice about using Airbnb and similar services in the below major cities.
These are just a few examples and definitely not the only places where Airbnb is problematic. I highly advise doing some research into the destination if considering using Airbnb for accommodation:
Airbnb problems in New York City, United States
Did you know in 2014 that 72% of reservations made in New York City were illegal?
The New York state attorney general’s office released a report on Airbnb listings that revealed this unfortunate fact. Local laws in New York make it illegal to rent an entire apartment on Airbnb for less than 30 days, as this helps to keep the long-term supply of property available to locals. Despite this, New York City is one of Airbnb’s biggest markets where listings under 30 days are available to tourists.
“Airbnb consistently undermines the City’s efforts to preserve affordable housing, and regularly attempts to thwart regulations put in place to protect New York City residents.” ~ statement from NYC Council members Helen Rosenthal and Jumaane Williams.
Airbnb problems in Barcelona, Spain
What are the Airbnb in Spain problems? Almost half of holiday rentals in the country’s second-largest city of Barcelona are unlicensed according to the council, which makes them illegal.
In 2016 Barcelona fined Airbnb €600,000 for refusing to adhere to local laws by continuing to advertise unlicensed properties. As a result, Catalonia’s capital has a team of inspectors who wander the streets sniffing out illegal rentals using designated apps that cross-reference licences with advertised properties. This helps to identify illegal properties and gives authorities the power close down the premises, boot out occupants and fine the owner €60,000.
“Barcelona exists for its people. The priority is it’s a place to live.” ~ Janet Sanz, Barcelona Housing Councillor.
TIP: Read my crucial Barcelona travel tips to not look like a tourist when visiting.
Airbnb problems in Paris, France
In 2015, 44% of advertised properties on Airbnb were permanently available for rental, despite laws in France’s capital stating that holiday rentals are capped at only being available for 120 days of the year.
The survey that revealed this disturbing fact triggered raids across Paris and fines of up to €25,000 for hosts. However, the authorities are now looking to increase this fine to €100,000 like Berlin (see below). It is now necessary for hosts to obtain a registration number from the Town Hall so authorities can monitor the 120 day cap is not exceeded and so hosts cannot avoid paying taxes.
Airbnb problems in Mexico City, Mexico
Due to Mexico’s lax travel regulations during the pandemic, Mexico City saw an influx of remote workers (known as “digital nomads”) in addition to tourists.
This surge in visitor numbers in need of accommodation caused a 40% increase in rent prices in popular neighbourhoods, pushing out long-term locals and small businesses in favour of more profitable short-term Airbnb rentals.
It also caused a change in the social fabric of some communities, where trendy coffee shops popped up to cater to their new American or European guests.
Additionally, the local local government has recently signed an initiative with Airbnb to continue to boost remote worker numbers in the city, which in turn will add to the housing crisis.
Airbnb problems in Japan
The recent explosion of visitors to Japan looking to travel on the cheap meant Airbnb’s started popping up in unzoned areas to capitalise on the new demand.
Being an ultra-conservative country, locals filed an overwhelming number of “tourist pollution” complaints: unruly tourists coming and going at all hours, hosting noisy parties in otherwise quiet neighbourhoods and disrespecting local customs.
In June 2018 the Japanese government resorted to tackling illegal Airbnb and similar homestay accommodations across the country (known as “minpaku”) by requiring hosts in legally zoned areas to obtain a minpaku license, placing 180-day quotas on when properties can be available to rent and shutting down those who did not comply. This crackdown is said to have cost Airbnb $10 million.
READ MORE:
Crucial Paris Travel tips to Not look Like a Tourist
4 Days in Paris Itinerary: Complete Guide for First-Timers
Issues with Airbnb in Berlin, Germany
Germany’s capital got so tired of Airbnb creating a rental property shortage for locals they created a law entitled “Zweckentfremdungsverbot”…
A bit of a tongue-twister, right? Roughly translating to “Anti-Airbnb” this law bans short-term leasing of properties to tourists without a city permit. Hosts in Berlin can be fined up to €100,000 for disobeying this law and you could be left without accommodation if your host is busted.
Airbnb issues throughout Europe
In 2019, ten European cities banded together and sent a joint letter to the European Commission highlighting the flaws of services like Airbnb. Cities who suffered from “explosive growth” of short-term Airbnb listings – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Krakow, Munich, Paris, Valencia and Vienna – demanded the Commission address this issue during their next agenda.
Many Other Destinations: Illegal Subletting
Another disturbing trend with unregulated accommodation is illegal subletting. Did you know recent statistics in Australia revealed that 35% of Airbnb listings are by people who don’t even own the property, and do so without the knowledge of their landlord?
“Think of what you’d say to a neighbour if they were to ask who you are and why you’re staying there… Awkward.” ~ Alyse.
While tenants may not see an issue with secretly renting out their spare room on Airbnb for extra cash, there are risks involved for both the tenant and property owner. What the tenant fails realise is they could actually be in breach of their leasing agreement by having additional people reside in the property.
This leads to exceeding the number of people residing on the premises, handing out security keys without authorisation, no applicable insurance for issues related to subleasing, more issues regarding illegal subletting here. A tenant subletting without the permission of the property owner can result in eviction.
2. Airbnb can have negative impacts on locals’ quality of life
This is one of the lesser-known Airbnb problems. Tourists hiring a place on Airbnb to enjoy a “cheaper” holiday actually pushes rent prices up for locals who need to live in the city. Tourists are visitors competing with locals for accommodation. The only difference is locals need it long-term, but hosts can charge tourists more for short-term stays so this is way more appealing to some.
For instance in 2018 on the Spanish island of Palma de Mallorca, tourist lets sharply increased by 50% due to demand, which in turn lead to residential rents rising by 40%. This made housing unaffordable for most local residents and pushed them out. As a result the island voted to ban Airbnb listings to make housing affordable for residents who needed to live and work.
Making the conscious decision to save a few bucks on a trip should not come at the expense of an actual local’s way of life. As invisible tourists we want to support locals of the places we visit, not make their lives more difficult!
Residents are also concerned raised Airbnb complaints about the constant stream of different tourists bumping their luggage up and down stairs in apartment blocks as well as coming and going at all hours. For long-term residents it’s easy to empathise that all the thumping and noise is bound to get annoying.
As someone who lives in a city where over 200,000 properties sit vacant due to landlords not renting them to locals (or anyone at all), I’ve seen first-hand how this has negatively impacted the rental market by causing prices to skyrocket as long-term rentals for locals become scarce. It isn’t really fair (or arguably ethical) on the local population trying to get by.
It’s also becoming known that some Airbnb hosts are treating their rentals as businesses. Padlocks or combination touchpads on doors rather than keys, instructions stuck around the property and “No Smoking” signs are dead giveaways that the Airbnb is being treated as a permanent holiday rental, which I mentioned previously under point #1 is probably an illegal listing. What happened to just renting out a spare room?
3. Privacy is never guaranteed
So, your host has also allowed friends to crash at their place during a stay and failed to mention it at any point. This may put a damper on the romantic weekend away planned with a partner, as the intimate moments they were hoping for may not be so intimate after all!
Recently, some stories have emerged about Airbnb hosts using sneaky hidden cameras in the bedrooms of their rentals. If that oddly-placed object or random smoke alarm appears to have a little webcam lens on closer inspection, that thing could be hooked up to the internet and the host is watching guests’ every move.
This became such a huge problem for guests, in March 2024 it led Airbnb to announce the ban of indoor security cameras for properties listed on their platform. Airbnb hosts found violating this policy would be permanently removed.
Alternatively, in a hotel we aren’t going to be left surprised with an unexpected stranger when returning to our room after a long day of sight-seeing. The likelihood of being spied on in a hotel room is much less of a risk. A hotel doesn’t need to spy on guests because they have insurance cover. It’s never ok to film someone without their consent.
4. You’re at the complete mercy of the host
One of the common Airbnb host problems? Even if a room is showing available, the host has the right to change their mind and cancel a booking at a moment’s notice. Personally, I prefer to be prepared and organised, and being left in limbo a few days before a trip – with all other accommodation in the area being sold out – literally sounds like my idea of a nightmare.
In another example, imagine arriving at an Airbnb only to find two people already there hanging curtains, a TV left face-down on the lounge and a strong dog odour throughout. Animal fur, hair and dust were all over the house, it clearly hadn’t been cleaned in very long time, mouse droppings were in the kitchen and other accommodation options nearby were all sold out. Here’s how Airbnb treated these guests in this actual situation.
Airbnb have thousands of complaints about how they can’t really do anything to assist guests who are left stranded. In contrast, hotels have a lot to lose from this and will find guests a room or compensate somehow if they’ve taken their money.
Let’s not forget the potential issue of a host running late to meet a guest to exchange keys. This unaccounted-for delay could seriously affect the guest’s travel plans and may lead to missing a crucial flight or train to their next destination. With a hotel, checking in and out times are made clear. During that period there is always someone at the front desk when we need to leave, so it’s simple to plan our journeys.
There isn’t always time to wait around for someone to race from one side of the city to the other to collect keys!
With many Airbnbs, hosts require guests to do the washing up, take out the rubbish and may leave them with other obligations they need to fulfil before checking out. We do all that at home, sometimes it’s nice to forget about that during a holiday.
READ MORE:
How to NOT Look Like a Tourist in New York City
7 Completely Annoying Reasons Why Mykonos is Overrated
Tourist vs Traveller: Why Invisible Tourist (Not Invisible Traveller?)
5. Lack of safety and security regulations
Consistent standards and regulations are lacking across Airbnb rentals as they are basically private properties. Due to this hosts don’t have to follow the same strict regulations that hotels do like fire, security and safety. What fire and other types of hazards are there in a rental? Can we tell from the photos?
As mentioned earlier, illegal subletting sees a tenant distribute unauthorised copied keys to short-term visitors, resulting in unknown people in a residential block having access to building amenities. This can be a major security concern for other residents in the building who are there legally.
People who list on Airbnb also don’t have to pay for the same insurances that hotels do, therefore if anything were to happen Airbnb may not cover guests at all. This also includes theft of cash/valuables from the property, whether it was from the host, other guests or as a result of a break-in. Is there even a safe or secure place to store our valuables during your stay?
Additionally, some of the properties may not be very child friendly which is sometimes only possible to be discovered on arrival.
6. Bait and switch
This is one of the most annoying Airbnb problems. If you’re not familiar with this sneaky tactic, bait and switch refers to the generally illegal act of “baiting” a guest into paying for a rental that is substituted for an inferior one later down the track. The intent is never to provide the rental in the great location with amazing photos the guest paid for.
If a host is being a bit shady, they may contact the guest close to their arrival date to inform them of the change. As it’s so late-minute, the guest may be left with no other option but to accept the sub-standard accommodation they offer instead, sometimes even for more money! Know your rights if this happens to you.
You’re not obligated to accept their new offer. If your host is asking you to switch without officially changing the reservation on Airbnb, you’ll need to ask the host to cancel your reservation so you can get a full refund. If you have further issues, you’ll need to immediately call Airbnb so they can resolve the problem for you or find another place to stay, which may prove difficult if all other accommodation in the area is sold out at the time.
This fraudulent trend is becoming more and more common with Airbnb. Sure it’s also possible this can happen with smaller hotels as well, but is less likely as hotels have much more to lose by participating in this dirty practice.
You can read some Airbnb bait and switch stories here and here to give you an idea of what could happen.
7. There’s no reception, housekeeping or room service
While this may not be a deal-breaker for some, there are unseen benefits. Hotels employ dozens of locals to take care of things like housekeeping, reception, concierge services, kitchenhands and the like to keep the place running smoothly. To me, providing locals with jobs is quite important and staying in a hotel supports this cause.
Additionally, the lack of a reception area with an Airbnb means checking in and out with a host may not be flexible enough to suit a guest’s travel plans. I was unbelievably annoyed when arriving at what was listed as a hotel in Onomichi Japan with rooms only to discover it was an Airbnb…
There was nowhere to leave luggage, no one to help in an emergency (the phone number provided had no English speakers — which is fine, if I was expecting it), a combination lock on the door that other people could know…
This was several years after I had first written this article and I reserved it through booking.com. The listing was so deceptive it even fooled me, it never mentioned any of these things. I would never have booked it otherwise.
8. Do tourists really need an entire kitchen (and house)?
A lot of the time tourists don’t really need an entire house or apartment with a kitchen when they’re travelling short-term. Isn’t visiting a new place all about getting out there and experiencing local, authentic food? In turn this helps to support local jobs and businesses.
If not supporting locals in other ways through cultural experiences and spending, cooking some noodles in an Airbnb in an effort to save money doesn’t really help anyone. Hotels, aparthotels and other traditional forms of accommodation can also provide the basic amenities needed for a stay.
Additionally, booking an entire apartment or house on Airbnb means tourists could be inadvertently taking away long-term accommodation from a local. If the rental is being run as a business by a company who has multiple property listings, it’s usually wise to steer away from it as it goes against the original idea that Airbnb was founded on — a property owner renting out a spare room.
What a lack of tourism does to neighbourhoods overrun with Airbnb listings
Now for the hidden Airbnb controversy. As we all know, in 2020 tourism completely ground to a halt due to a global event that shall not be named. This helped to starkly amplify the issues caused by short-term rentals for even the most stubborn of deniers.
When it comes to the often unseen disadvantages of Airbnb, let’s examine the knock-on effects caused by the absence of tourism in destinations that had high percentages of unregulated accommodation listings.
Airbnb issues in Lisbon, Portugal
In the early months of 2020, there were 22,000 Airbnb listings in Lisbon. A sudden lack of tourists meant the majority of these sat empty for months.
Urban geographer Luís Mendes from Living in Lisbon stated, “[2020] has helped expose the negative aspects of Portugal’s recovery from the financial crisis, which was driven by real estate and tourism rather than a focus on the basic needs of local people.”
This excellent article about overtourism in Lisbon, Portugal highlights the need and urgency for sustainable cultural tourism if you’re interested in learning more about the topic. Unfortunately, this issue is not unique to Lisbon and is further proof of why being an invisible tourist whilst travelling is win-win for everyone.
Airbnb issues in Barcelona, Spain
Local authorities are seeking to repossess empty short-terms rentals. If vacant properties don’t re-enter the long-term rental market for local residents, new legislation allows authorities to purchase them outright at 50% of the market value.
The plan for seized properties is to be rented by the city as public and subsidised housing, while potentially fining the owners from €90,000- €900,000 for properties left vacant for 2 years.
Airbnb issues in Athens, Greece
According to local residents in Kaisariani, Athens, their neighbourhood actually became a “tourist hotbed” full of Airbnbs rather than a residential area.
Airbnb issues in Paris, France
As one of Airbnb’s top destinations globally, tourism to Paris took a huge hit. According to the Deputy Mayor of Paris, the city “needs to use the pandemic to address affordable housing and supply.
In the four central arrondissements of Paris, a quarter of all properties are now no longer homes but purely short-term rentals for tourists. As a result the city is planning to hold a referendum on the future of Airbnb listings.
Airbnb issues in Dublin, Ireland
One of my Ireland travel tips for tourists is to avoid unregulated accommodation such as Airbnb. Due to increased demand in short-term listings from tourists and limited supply, Dublin saw rents for local residents skyrocket and more than double from 2011 – 2019.
The sudden lack of tourists in 2020 meant 64% of short-term Airbnb listings in Dublin rushed to enter the long-term rental market instead. Great news for locals, at least!
Concluding why we should reconsider services like Airbnb
Sure, there certainly are benefits of using Airbnb if it’s done in an ethical and legal manner.
Thousands of travellers use the platform without ever having an issue. I’m not here to dispute that and I’m certainly not saying ALL hosts are bad – it’s neither fair nor accurate to paint everyone with the same brush. Besides, this opinion piece is not about that. It’s about questioning whether a service like this should be allowed to continue unregulated.
There is a time and a place for homestay accommodation. For instance, in rural areas where accommodation choices are slim services like Airbnb can actually help locals. In major cities where there already is plenty of regulated accommodation, whole property rentals by hosts listing multiple properties should be avoided in order to help preserve local life and their culture.
If short-term rentals have taught us anything, it’s now very clear that they create the likes of a horizontal hotel that spans the breadth of a city, pushing out local residents.
I do think that initially the idea of Airbnb was fantastic a few years ago, where hosts would share a room of their home with a visitor who wished to experience the city like a local. Unfortunately, there are always people looking to make a quick buck, exploit the system and ruin the experience for everyone.
On an interesting (and maybe ironic) note, in the summer of 2023 Airbnb launched a new “Airbnb Rooms” initiative. Deciding to get back to their founding roots, this service allows travellers to rent out spare rooms rather than whole properties to save money. Do you agree with their reasoning?
As someone who values time more than anything else when travelling, the explosion of illegal listings, risks and ethical issues associated with Airbnb and the like do not outweigh the benefits of staying in a hotel for me personally. Considering that a pair of YouTubers also pranked Airbnb by listing a dollhouse and made $3,000 worth of bookings, it really begs the question of how much listings are actually checked.
By ignoring local laws, causing negative impacts on locals’ quality of life and lack of consistent standards, I believe unregulated homestay accommodation is unethical and I’m sorry to say for these reasons cannot support it.
What are your thoughts on these Airbnb problems? Do you feel the same? Let me know in the comments below! If you found this article helpful or you learnt something new, please share it or take a look at my popular travel guides and itineraries and my book for more ways to help you NOT look like a tourist on your next trip.
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Until next time,
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Featured image & New York pin image credit: Unsplash
Paris pin image credit: Chris Karidis
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You cannot pay air bnb to take down negative reviews. You do not need camera footage to collect on an insurance claim that’s ridiculous. You don’t need video evidence to make a claim on stolen or damaged property in your own home so why someone would think that would be so in a business idk. If I were like “I got you on the secret footage I took!” I would immediately be shut down and banned and maybe arrested. A host can only cancel twice in a calendar year it has a hefty fine and the third time you are banned from the site. If someone were hosting and randomly let STRANGERS in to stay (which is just crazy), they would most likely be shut down. I do not like how you describe these issues like they are on going common practices among the air bnb community when really you are just describing isolated incidents with probably short lived hosts it’s very biased, unrealistic and lacks perspective. I don’t know how it is for the rest of the world but here in the U.S. I am happy to see people traveling. Not all people travel for pleasure either sometimes an air bnb is much more practical. I (I am a host) recently hosted a family of 8 in town for a funeral, they paid about half they would at a hotel and all had the choice to spread out or have meals at the table together etc. Cheap meals they cooked themselves. ALL of the poor experiences from my locals/neighbors (and even the ppl you describe in your write up) are from bad guests, not hosts (could be bad guest vetting too) but tbh most guests are great and better than LTR’s. Lastly, WHY would I leave money on the table for big time hotel chains when I can have some of that myself?
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Megan! I am also so glad to see people travelling again and understand not everyone travels for leisure.
When I lived in New Zealand I stayed in a serviced apartment so my visitors and I could share meals together if we weren’t dining out.
Megan K, There are obviously lots of different experiences across the world for both Airbnb hosts and guests – but I can’t comprehend how you can ignore so much of the accurate and deplorable issues that this article covers. You are just looking at it from your own point of view and don’t care about the extensive damage that this concept of renting out is creating for so many locals and people who are trapped in lower income brackets. It’s just disgusting that affordable housing is disappearing all over the developed world in the name of capitalist greed. I have just found out that the tenant in one of my UK properties has been Airbnb-ing my flat without my permission and, therefore illegally, for 18 months. That means my landlord’s insurance was invalid in that time and that is illegal for me. I have evicted the tenant in a city which has the least availability for rentals and he will get an honest/derogatory reference from me when he tries to rent again. Airbnb facilitates all this suffering for people. They are disgusting in their lack of due diligence plus everything else that Alyse points out in the article.
it is not her point of view – many other people happen to think the same way
Unfortunately running my properties as long term rentals was not viable as I was forced to leave my job due to the birth of my son who was born with a disability and he required my full time support. This coupled with the fact that landlords were losing more and more of their rights and my properties were negatively geared and I couldn’t possibly afford to keep them. The timing of both these problems coincided and I switched to Airbnb which I run as a business and not a charity – why should I. I worked very hard from a very young age I purchased my first property on my own and sacrificed a lot to do it. Switching to airbnb has meant I have been able to support my family and support my young son. I still employ local people to clean my properties and I offer a wonderful experience for my guests. I am hosting legally. Not once have I canceled on a guest before or make them pay for damage. I receive wonderful reviews. My experience from a hosting perspective has been wonderful. By hosting on Airbnb I have not taken anything from the local rental market, I was taking my houses off the market when I lost my rights as landlord anyway as so many other landlords have done. To say it’s irresponsible to book through Airbnb is ludicrous. I won’t waste too much of my time putting my point of view as you can’t argue with ignorance. Go buy a house and stop hating on Airbnb.
Thanks for your thoughts, Selena!
People running their Airbnbs as you are aren’t the problem 😉
To counter your concluding comments, being a homeowner makes one empathise more with people who are having unregulated accommodation ruin their neighbourhoods.
I Selena, I assume you live in Australia given mention of negative gearing.
It sounds like you are a good host however it is difficult if not impossible to know which hosts are following laws and guidelines the quality varies widely.
If your Airbnb was previously a long term rental that was easy to tenant then yes you are taking away a rental from someone who needs it, especially if it’s in an area with a housing shortage (which is most of Aus atm). I am a landlord myself of two properties rented on long term leases so I do understand your frustrations around long term renting however also recognise tenants don’t have a lot of rights here compared to other countries. We have a housing affordability problem that makes it hard for renters and property owners alike so I appreciate in your circumstances Airbnb is working for you & helping you cover costs, but please don’t try to invalidate peoples experiences or the truth of what’s happening. A lot needs to be done at policy level to fix Australia’s housing problems, Airbnb is a part of that problem. It’s not about doing away with it altogether but making it more fair for everyone.
“Please don’t try to invalidate peoples experiences or the truth of what is happening…. It’s not about doing away with it altogether but making it more fair for everyone.” Brilliantly said, Bec 🙌
Thanks Bec, you’ve neglected to recognise that as a home owner from the age of 23, it is not responsibility to provide long term rental properties to others. There is no long term rental shortage in my regional town, I don’t live onthe Gold Coast or similar where these issues are occurring. It is not a country wide problem. I pay my taxes, I don’t know why you think I should give more. I provide for my own family whom I am responsible for, I will not be guilted by anyone into providing for unrelated extras. A government public housing crisis is not an individual citizen’s responsibility. I am not taking away from the long term rental market. As mentioned previously when landlords lost their rights my decision was to either sell or Airbnb, I wasn’t keen on long term anymore due to lack of rights and affordability as I was forced to quit my job due to my son and my properties being negitively geared…as previously mentioned. I disagree with the ‘making it fair for everyone’, I recall at 23 many of my friends were traveling the world, partying etc, making their own choices as I made mine. I never complained that it wasn’t fair, everyone makes their own choices in life and just because someone sacrifices early on shouldn’t mean they should be penalized later in life for having foresight.
You need to get your facts straight, because Airbnb is not taking anything from locals or anyone.
If you really feel bad for locals who are being priced out of the market then talk to your local politician they need to sort out these issues.
You are also forgetting that if somebody can’t afford to live in a certain area then maybe they should MOVE to an area they can afford!
There have been housing issues even before Airbnb, it personally doesn’t matter to me, but I feel like everybody’s making excuses to find someone else to blame other than the city itself because all this starts in your city.
If I rent two rooms in my house, that’s not going to change or help anybody let’s be honest.
It’s a shame how people can get together just to blame and complain.
How about we actually find solutions?
Power1, As mentioned in my article and in numerous comments here over time, a local sharing a room or two in their house – provided they are not breaking any local laws – was never the issue this article was written to address.
Hello,
Our neighbourhood has been totally destroyed by an An unhosted and unmanaged AirBNB. So totally wrong. Considering we bought this property before this happened 3 years later. 14 years on we are now going through the stress of it all where had to complain to our Local Shire for the second time. Just a party house, people in our yard, banging on the door, mess from everything to wheelie bin to rubbish/scraps thrown over the fence. They had no approval at the time under our Shire Planning which has been done, but to no avail as owners do not live in this town.
We are totally disgusted with unmanaged and unhosted AirBNB.
So sorry to hear, Jan! That’s terrible.
Keep pushing! Maybe if you can get together with some other neighbours you may be able to get through to local council?
So typical of the owner to not even live nearby so they don’t have to deal with issues such as these 🙄
Wishing you the best of luck in this horrible situation and hope you can have it resolved.
One major problem we have in Canada and parts of the USA is that renters have so many “rights” and you can’t evict them even if they don’t pay you rent. Then you have to pay the electricity because it would be illegal to cancel. I won’t be renting to locals anytime soon. Collecting rents, damages to the property, and no controls over how many people stay are one big headache. I would rather do Airbnb for sure.
I appreciate your point of view, Al!
It’s certainly a sticky situation for everyone.
We’ve used airbnb for holidays without much thought for the consequences for locals having read your article I am sorry for that. It is obvious (or should have been), and we should have known better (but didn’t). Be that as it may, we’ve had a hard lesson which will reform us. A last minute change of plan when visiting Montreal led to cancelling a hotel stay and booking an airbnb place that had excellent reviews, clean, convenient, etc. etc. We found it was convenient all right, but also dirty, damp. and lacking adequate ventilation and natural light.
As we arrived too late to look for alternative accommodation we stayed the night – a mistake (try sleeping on a damp mattress) – but alerted the owner next day. She came to ‘negotiate’ but basically denied anything was amiss, despite the evidence of her own eyes (and the numerous photos we took to substantiate our complaint).
Airbnb accepted her version of events, despite the photographic evidence we submitted (We wonder whether they even looked at the photos.), and denied we had any case for even a partial refund. As a result, since we lack any means of legal redress, we are out of pocket several hundred pounds.
We won’t be using airbnb again, and would strongly advise anyone else to avoid them, take a bit more time and possibly spend a bit more and book through a responsible organisation.
Hi Dave,
I’m sorry to hear about your experience, that’s no good!
I wrote this article to raise awareness about the issues associated with unregulated homestay accommodation, so even if it’s helped one person reconsider using these kinds of services, it was worth it 😊
It’s a shame you had to have an awful experience, though. We live and learn I guess 😅
Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your experience!
A most recent issue we had as guests: after our departure, the host notified us that they had found a window blind partially damaged. We had not noticed it that but took ownership of the matter and immediately offered to remedy the situation.
The reason I am reporting this is that it turns out that AirBnb offers zero guest protections in what is a unilateral, non-transparent, not- equitable process.
Basically, the host can (and will) issue a refund request on the basis of a quote they themselves obtained, and where they are under no compulsion to prove that the refund request is proportionate to the damage, or that the replacement is of the same quality and materials of the alleged damaged ones. As far as you know, as guests you may be little by little helping the host to renovate the property to a higher standard.
Nor does AirBnb appear to follow up any requests to have these mattes independently assessed.
Lesson learned and AirBnb is now a thing of the past for us.
I’m sorry to hear that, JB.
I have been receiving a few private messages about this very thing happening to guests recently.
It’s wise to be aware!
I have a large historic ranch with freestanding apartments. As a senior short term rentals allow me to stay here and provide an opportunity for guests to interact with goats, alpaca, chickens and a horse. I have family visits so do not want long term rentals.
Airbnb allows me to share. However post-pandemic there are so many scammers, squatters, and grifters, short term is so much safer than lease or long term Rentals. This sort of reality is creating more short term payoff rather than trying to deal with an Uber tenant slanted legal culture. This reduces lease able rental pools. Rent control in this crazy inflation is also not tenable.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Linda!
I agree with you in your particular situation, short term rentals would be favourable. Sounds like you have plenty of room and can offer a unique experience for guests. The main problem is when unregulated accommodation is used in cities where there are already housing shortages in high-density areas. Those short-term rentals create many issues as I’ve addressed in the article. Thanks for your comment!
A major difference is that AirBnBs in cities are more likely than hotels in the same area to offer a pool and free self parking. If I’m already paying a lot for a rental car because I’m on a regional roadtrip, the last thing I want is paid hotel parking and the risk a valet dents it up. Sometimes I have the car for just a day here and there with mass transit stuff in between. Sometimes the car rates are much cheaper to consolidate the outdoor/out of town stuff and rent for a full week. Sometimes I can stitch together a one-way into the city and another when I’m ready to leave. Good parking on-site eliminates a bottleneck and increases flexibility.
This is such a great well thought article. So much of what has been said here rings true with me, and reading the comments it is clear there is a ground swell of negativity toward this peer to peer disruptive technology. I am trying to fight the corner for individual, community and society here in the UK, before it is too late. Developers and speculators are buying up property here left right and centre with the sole intention of letting as short term holiday lets, all without planning permission and regulation. In a typical seaside town holiday lets outnumber residential lets my around 30 to 1. 15 years ago (maybe eve 5) those properties would of been available for local residents to live. When you make this argument you just look like a NIMBY, and people will say, well look what it does for tourism. But close analysis is demonstrating to me that these peer to peer lets are not doing very much for tourism at all. Search Rightmove and see how many residential lets are available in your area, then search the holiday let portals and see how many private holiday lets there are, when the result shocks you make these numbers known to your local MPs and ask them what they plan to do about it. Regulation, Licensing and Taxation would be at the top of my list.
I have for just one week been working on my website Real Neighbours that tries to raise awareness of these issues.
Thanks for your comment, Tony UK!
I’m sorry to hear developers have been buying up properties in your residential neighbourhoods for the sole purpose of turning them into vacation rentals – this is not okay for locals trying to get by. Good on you for also trying to raise awareness to this issue!
Thankyou for this article Alyse. Airbnb’s are ruining our neighborhood. One host, who’s charging 800.00 a night is building another ADU and an in ground pool on his property in the hopes of getting 2,500 a night like the neighbor 4 doors down who also hosts an Airbnb. Nothing affordable about those prices unless 10 people come and share the cost which then is a crowd issue. The whole Airbnb thing has a sleazy/ greedy element to it now. No Thankyou. I’m going to share your article at our next community meeting.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Janet. I certainly agree with you about the crowd issue!
Here’s hoping your community can band together and minimise the disruption to your neighbourhood.
Thanks for a great, well-researched article. I’d like to add that Airbnb itself can also be a bit shady, as I’ve come to discover over the past 24 hours when our host cancelled at the last minute because his current guests have the virus and say they can’t leave. Airbnb told him they would rebook us in the same or better accommodations as their policy says, but I have now spoken to 9 different agents who have each told me a different lie to get me off the phone.
1. Irish said she would get me to someone who could help me.
2. John said he would get me to someone who could help me.
3. Harry said he would get me to someone who could help me.
4. Swati told me she could help me rebook if I agreed to let her start the cancellation process, which would initiate a refund. I told her I didn’t want a refund because we were supposed to check in soon and I needed new accommodations. She said I couldn’t be rebooked UNLESS I initiated the cancellation/refund process.
5. Vincent said I could no longer be rebooked because I had initiated the cancellation/refund process. I told him what Swati said, and he said his shift was ending and he would get me to someone who could help me.
6. Rachel said I had been issued a refund and a discount coupon that expires in less than a month (that doesn’t cover the gap in costs between our booking and a similar booking) and she thanked me and told me she was closing out the ticket. I told her not to close it. She called me and said if she closed the cancellation/refund ticket, she could “open a rebooking ticket” and get us taken care of. After I agreed, she sent a message saying she was now closing the conversation because I had gotten my refund. When I asked about rebooking, she said she was going off shift and someone else could help me.
7. Someone who did not give her name said that only Rachel could help me because she is my “dedicated account manager” who will be with my account until it is resolved, and that Rachel was still on shift and would call me soon. Rachel never called.
8. Sharisa either hung up on me or we were disconnected.
9. Lito said he would definitely be able to help me as soon as he reviewed all of the notes on my account and called me back. I told him no one ever calls me back. He said he would “100% call me back within an hour.” He did not call back. I finally went to bed after 14 hours of trying to get rebooked.
10. Rayne, the next morning, said thanks for letting her know about this shady host so they can stop things like this from happening again (I don’t think the host is shady–he has been calling on his end to help me, without any luck), and she said that because HE initiated the cancellation process, I could not be rebooked. I told her how Swati had told me the cancellation process was initiated. I said that I only wanted similar accommodations for the same price on the same dates, which is all I have ever requested. She said she understood and she saw a similar home so she needed to call the host to check availability. She promised she would message me and then call me to help me complete the rebooking. She then sent me five inexpensive listings about 10 miles from the beach that she said were “in my price range” and did not seem to recall anything else about our conversation. She is no longer replying to my messages.
I am now 22 hours into this nightmare, and about 24 hours from what was supposed to be our check-in time. At this point, I’m trying to figure out what to tell the kids, who are packed for the beach. I don’t think I’ll ever use Airbnb again, and I would certainly not rely on their Aircover policy or their virus-related extenuating circumstances policies.
Oh goodness, what a nightmare Heather! Sounds like not even the staff know the correct procedures!
Sorry this has happened to you.
The fact that a host can cancel at such short notice is one of the reasons I will never use Airbnb.
Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope you managed to find some alternative accommodation!
We’ve been trying to get our city to shut down the illegal AIRBnB on our street for a year. It is being sub-let by a pro, who has brought in a home furnishings rental company to stage the house. Then she quit paying for the furnishings rental. It took the furnishings rental company six months to get a judgement to remove their goods, while the tenant had no skin in the game. She brought in another home furnishings rental company to stage the house once again, for her illegal STVR business. The second home furnishings rental company continues to come by the house, presumably to try and retrieve their furnishings for non-payment. The tenant/sub-let-renter wasn’t paying her rent, when the homeowner/landlord finally caught up with her. She gave him a sob story, and he agreed she could continue the illegal sublet scheme, but owner upped her deposit. Owner in effect, gets a kickback now, for the illegal scheme. His tenant rarely visits the property, comes and goes in an Uber, so she can’t be tracked via her own vehicle license plate, car make and model. The tenant has retained a local business to run the rental, inspections, cleaning between tenants. It is unknown how many of these illegal (non-permitted in our city, outside of the district where the city permits STVRs) STVRs the tenant runs. The city refuses to enforce the Code violations, regarding not permitted, can’t be permitted due to the location. The constant parties, overflowing trash cans, transient guests is a real headache for our neighborhood. The past weekend it looked like a drug drop location, so many cars in and out. It has robbed our neighborhood of its local “flavor”. All our city cares about is that AIRBnB continues to collect and remit the taxes, much more than the homeowner’s taxes the city is also collecting. The illegal STVRs in our coastal tourist community have pushed home values artificially high, created a dire shortage of affordable homes for sale or rent. Senior citizens and families alike are finding we are being taxed out of our homes, by the artificially inflated housing investment market. As seniors in poor health, I’m not sure I can physically pull off another move to a lower taxed property. Our city’s homeless population is exploding, people are screaming at our government officials to do something to reclaim some housing for those living and working here. The officials are too caught up in all the extra revenue from the STVRs, and the artificially inflated home values, and the corresponding inflated property taxes.
You are spot-on to shine a light on the problem, though our community government seems to have abandoned its’ citizens for short term $$ greed.
Oh my gosh, what an absolute nightmare! I’m so sorry to hear all that.
The middle class always seems to feel the pinch in these situations 😞
Thank you very much for reading and for sharing your observations with this issue!
What really stinks, at least in our city, and I’m guessing a lot of other tourist destinations, is that our elected officials, which city hall in effect, reports to, created this situation. Code compliance will not issue citations. It took us a year here, to come to this realization, that our city loves the tourism dollars, does not care for the residents. So, those who are actually homeowners are facing inflated property taxes to the point those on fixed incomes can’t remain in their homes, can’t afford them. The residents of the poorest neighborhoods have been forced out, with nowhere to go. Investors are incentivized to buy up our city’s housing stock, by the ever-growing tourism focus. So, the city gets not only inflated property taxes. They now get the additional STVR taxes that AIRBnB and other sites collect and remit. Our grocery stores, pharmacies, etc, can’t even find people to come to work for them, because the poor pushed out of their homes are no longer within walking or bus transportation distance. Our pharmacies now have to close down for a lunch break, for the pharmacists, because they are so understaffed. City hall and our aldermen created this mess.
Now they want to remove the zoning laws, and allow ADUs free reign in our city, under the guise that it would help alleviate the unaffordable housing issue. So, a city that isn’t willing, or doesn’t have the manpower to cite the illegal AIRBnBs thinks the ADUs will police themselves?!
excellent article!!
I absoluutely loathe Airbnb!
I have watched it simply destroy the fabric of culture in places such as Zanzibar, Amsterdam and am currently witnessing how it is driving up rental prices on the west coast of Canada.
the whole company needs oversight.
It’s heartbreaking to witness, isn’t it?
Thanks so much for reading, tennikay!
I’d like to thank the writer. I would also like to ad that it would be nefarious people’s dream to have brief stays at multiple cities & locations. Airbnb has no background checks & it’s a very easy way for criminals to have a safe harbor. Imagine an affluent city with Airbnbs in a residential street. The host is responsible for the background checks but the host doesn’t have access to the people until they’re in person. This is something we’ll hear of later on. Also, it’s artificially driving up rental costs for organic residents causing homelessnesses & outside investors from outside the US are buying 800 houses a day to rent as Airbnb. It’s an invasion.
Hi Sandy, thanks for the thanks!
Do you happen to have a link to where you read overseas investors are buying 800 properties per day to rent as Airbnbs? That’s an insane number!
There are several false claims about Airbnb in your article:
As an Airbnb host I do allow guests to leave luggage after check out. Guests are certainly not required to do any cleaning and no, there is no “waiting for key exchanges” etc. Guests leave thier keys and go at their convenience. You have over reached into the area of the ridiculous to thoroughly malign Airbnb. However I think you must know that the situation is not that simple. There are many positive aspects to Airbnb. I am not in favor of the big investors buying up property for Airbnb rental h
owever home sharing is a good thing. Some people will always prefer hotels but there is no reason to completely lambast Airbnb and dump in alot of exaggerated negative aspects.
Thanks for sharing, Bronwyn – unfortunately not all hosts are created equal! As mentioned in the article, I am not anti-home sharing, as Airbnb was in its early days. I am anti unregulated accommodation because it has gotten out of hand. From hundreds of comments here, many guests tend to agree with my sentiments, so saying I have “exaggerated” negative aspects is subjective.
Sorry, as a traveler on a budget you are making claims about AIRBNB that I have never experienced and are very dismissive of what I am able to do financially. Yes, sometimes I need a kitchen to cook noodles in the room so I can do something else that day that is just as culturally immersive and financially supportive of the local residents. Although I appreciate many of the points you made, and you gave me some points to consider, the overall tone of the article is preachy and self-righteous. Glad you got so many positive reviews…but I guarantee there are many who read your article not commenting that share my views. In any event, I still enjoy some of your other articles and tips. Thanks.
Hi AJ,
I appreciate your comment and you make some fair points. If you’re doing something else “culturally immersive and financially supportive of the local residents” that’s wonderful and I fully respect that!
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, I did initially write this in 2018 and although I have made updates since, over time my writing style has changed.
I’ll take your thoughts about tone into consideration here, thanks for taking the time to read and comment 😊
I have just recently started the process of opening our home to Airbnb. My husband and I have recently retired and plan to travel, the Airbnb will provide extra income and our house will not be left empty. I’m making sure to file the proper paperwork to be legal and plan to run a ethical business as I have prior to retiring. I’m sure there are some Airbnb that are not playing by the rules but that is life. Last Spring my husband and I stayed at a the Omni Resort on Amelia Island this was our second stay there where first time my husband ordered the breakfast buffet for $29.00 that he didn’t enjoy. This time the hotel added a valet charged of $35.00 per day, Resort Service charge $35.00, Health and fitness HFC $20.00 total for 2 nights our bill was $1,149.00. So many hidden fees I’m sure they listed in fine print somewhere but certainly not discussed upfront. However our family together have use the services of Airbnb and have been completely satisfied. As you said not all Airbnb are run properly but the same can be said for large resorts.
I am happy to see your comment. As reading this article, which is well researched and thought out for other countries, I don’t thin it actually reflect the U.S. market. I greet every guest at check-in and after a 5-minute tour, I hand over the key and ask them to leave key on coffee table when they check out and to lock the bottom lock—a key is not needed. I also allow free early check-in if apt. is ready and also offer free late check-out if no guest is arriving next day. I offer luggage hold but it has never been requested because guests usually drive to my location. Also, as a host, I don’t charge a cleaning fee and I’m willing to bet my STR os cleaner than even the finest hotels. Why? Because I do wash my duvets, comforters, blankets, and pillows after every guest. And,the only thing I ask guest to do is to put their trash in the garbage bin that’s located outside their door. And to-date, I’ve been very fortunate that every guest has left my place tidy.
Pegram, thats great, its just a shame there are not more like yourself and some others.
You’re joking, right? Lately, there are booking that cost more than a good hotel. There’s often an expensive cleaning fee charge & in some places guests are asked to do actual cleaning even though they’re paying a cleaning fee.
Taken from Air BnB itself: Entire rental unit hosted by Olivier (Apartment 128 m2 with amazing view on Effeil tower) 6 guests2 bedrooms3 beds2 baths
Cost: $693 CAD X 5 nights ( I guess they refuse to rent out for any lesser amount of time)
Cleaning fee: $67 CAD (oooh a discount for sure) & look what we have here: Service fee $499 CAD
That’s utterly ridiculous!