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Here is a summary list of reasons why you should NOT use Airbnb. At the very least, be aware of these serious issues with the Airbnb service and consider other options including Airbnb Competitors.

If you are a potential Airbnb GUEST:

If any of your personal items, cash, or valuables are stolen (by the host, other guests, or burglars) you have no protection from Airbnb. If there is a foul odor, loud noises, or any other problems with your room that are not easily documented with photos, you are out of luck and your claim for a refund will be denied. If you rent a single room, there is no guarantee regarding how many people might be living in a given home/condo while you are there. If there is a shared bathroom, you might end up sharing it with 1 person, or 20. A “fully stocked kitchen” means very different things to different people. One pot, 2 dishes and a handful of silverware does not mean you can actually cook a meal there, yet this is not enough evidence to seek a claim for refund If you buy groceries and another guest or the host uses them or throws them away, you’re out of luck. If the host or another guest has a party every night, you will have to thoroughly document each incident with video recordings and time stamps to seek any sort of claim or refund. Even then, it will be a battle that may take weeks and you are unlikely to win. Airbnb charges you about 15% on top of what the host actually receives for your reservation (even more if you need to exchange currency). That means you COULD get your reservation for about 15% LESS if you booked directly with the host. If you have to cancel your reservation at the last minute, the host has the right to keep some or all of your money for your entire stay. You will not have any ability to write a review of your host if you cancel your reservation, even if you end up paying for your entire stay and the host double-books the rental space.

If you are a potential Airbnb HOST:

If your guests claim any sort of insect/pest/vermin problem, airbnb will instantly return 50% of your guests money for their entire reservation, even if it’s a year long reservation and the claim is false. This is a common scam tactic. If your guests steal your cash or other difficult-to-prove assets, airbnb will do nothing. If you make any claim regarding damage to reclaim part or all of the security deposit, airbnb will make your life a living hell by demanding receipts for your original purchase even if it’s furniture that you’ve owned for 20 years. If you don’t have receipts, you’re out of luck, and even if you do, it will take weeks or months to get any resolution. If you wait more than 24 hours to make a claim regarding damage from guests, your claim will be denied by default. Airbnb takes 3% of every reservation from you, but they also take about 15% from the guest! That means your guests are WILLING to pay 18% more than you’re actually receiving but you’re not getting any of that extra money. Airbnb also takes a very aggressive 3% Exchange Rate Fee for transactions not in USD, for a total of about 21% in fees taken off the top! Even if you use a Strict Cancellation Policy to protect yourself from flaky guests canceling their reservation at the last minute, Airbnb has the right to override that policy at any time and without warning or explanation and refund the guest the entire amount of their reservation, even if it’s less than 24 hours before the guest is scheduled to check in. The “1 million dollar host guarantee” is virtually impossible to actually claim. Don’t fall for this marketing ploy! Airbnb has been known to cancel and remove even long-term hosts listings without warning and without any explanation. This may cause you to lose communication with your current guests, and lose significant income for all upcoming reservations which are also instantly canceled.

Guests: Read the 10 most recent uncensored Airbnb stories from Hosts

Not Happy After Leaving Airbnb in an Hour It’s been a long time since my little family and I had gotten away. We chose a home in Lantana, FL through Airbnb to rent for the Labor Day Weekend. As soon as we got there, there was a very strong mold and mildew odor and of course my oldest daughter has allergies. That smell […] | |

Fleas, Cockroaches, and a Late Check-in These Airbnb hosts made us wait an hour and a half after our check-in time to actually let us check in. Our dog caught fleas and there were live cockroaches, dirty floors, and a slimy shower. The hosts actually admitted to all of this. They said we broke their blinds when we never touched them […] | |

Accused of Theft and Lying About Smells My wife and I rented an Airbnb e to celebrate our first anniversary. From day one it smelled like a dog kennel. The second day, we found one bed bug which the co-host implied that we could’ve been responsible for rather than just quietly making things right. She moved us to a different room that […] | |

Charged for Two Airbnb Stays in One Night The Airbnb unit we were staying in developed a water leak from the upstairs apartment. We called the host and tried to get in touch with Airbnb, but could reach neither. It was getting late and so we panicked and booked something else nearby. We drove over to the new booking and it was just […] | |

Airbnb Superhosts Receive no Help with Fraud Following the fraudulent use of our Home Sharing Certificate number by an unknown Airbnb host, the City of Los Angeles had Airbnb de-list out home for short-term rentals. The city investigated, and reissued our permit when they confirmed the fraud. They notified Airbnb we had been issued the new permit. We were informed that Airbnb […] | |

Horrible Guest Requested a Full Refund over a Lie On August 17, guests had to leave early due to their car breaking down, but they wanted a full refund. They took pictures of the tiled ceiling and plastic-steel windows frame. There was some black color, old sealer and dust. They said it was black mold and threatened me using rude words. I explained to […] | |

Frustrating Lack of Response from Airbnb I have really liked the Airbnb platform and had a great response so far with them. However, I now have a problem, finding it a little the opposite. I am getting quite frustrated with the lack of help from the Airbnb team in relation to a booking during the festive season that I feel needs […] | |

Damage Deposit and Support Ambassadors Support ambassadors are a joke. The only people they “support” is Airbnb, by inventing creative excuses for avoiding paying out money to aggrieved customers. We had guests from hell. Four couples arrived when our villa was booked for two. They hosted a pool party for 20 and checked out on time but remained by the […] | |

Five-Star Airbnb Host, Zero-Star Service I discovered in July that I was not getting paid for my reservations. I also discovered that Airbnb was paying some of my funds to a bonus bank account which listed my information. I had no knowledge of this and did not authorize it. It has been two months of almost weekly emails demanding to […] | |