- An Arizona homeowner who listed his home on Airbnb for three years is leaving the platform.
- She believes the company’s cancellation and refund policy favors guests.
- A short-term rental owner based near Phoenix explained why she’s only listing her home on Vrbo now.
An Arizona homeowner who rented out his home on Airbnb for three years said he left the platform in February because he thought the booking giant’s cancellation and refund policies were too favorable for guests.
Based in Scottsdale’s popular suburb of Phoenix, the owner said he currently accepts reservations only through Vrbo. (She previously listed properties on both platforms.)
As of January 2023, he has yet to apply for the $250 permit he needed to operate the short-term rental, so the homeowner, who requested anonymity, said the “stress isn’t worth it.” Told.
She has reservations for March and April, after which she plans to move back home as her home base.
The Arizona homeowner joins other short-term rental owners and managers in expressing their frustration with Airbnb as a booking platform. Airbnb is a more dominant platform than rivals such as his Vrbo and Booking.com, but hosts have so far boycotted the platform, citing policies that favor guests.
In December, Sarah and Tony Robinson, who own 22 active short-term rentals with $1.3 million in annual revenue, told Insider they want to reduce their reliance on Airbnb and encourage direct bookings to avoid fees. Rick Carlson, who owns four of his rental properties in the popular vacation spot Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, last summer put his property on hold for the long term, partly because he was exhausted by “ridiculous” guest demands. Or said they plan to switch to an annual rental property. .
Frustration with Airbnb stems from short-term rental owners facing more competition than ever before. “Airbnbust” has been described as a slowdown in bookings and revenue due to increased demand from travelers overwhelmed by oversupply. In 2022, his AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics site, posted a record number of listings in the U.S. (1.4 million nationwide) and warned hosts that occupancy will drop slightly in 2023.
The Arizona homeowner said the specter of slowing down also played a role in her decision to leave the platform.
“It’s not necessarily the profit-making cow it used to be,” she said.
Her journey with and without Airbnb
In March 2020, an Arizona homeowner planned to rent out a three-bedroom home in Scottsdale on Airbnb while traveling the world.
COVID-19 restrictions and family responsibilities kept her in Arizona, but the boom in domestic travel following the pandemic lockdown forced her to keep her home on Airbnb anyway to make a little extra money. became.
done. During our busy season, we were making $12,000 a month.
But now, she said, Airbnb’s refund and in-stay cancellation policies are keeping her off the platform.
One of her complaints is that Airbnb’s cancellation policy is too lax.Hosts can be selected from pre-selected Option list Designed by Airbnb from flexible to rigid. Currently, our strictest cancellation policy allows guests to cancel up to 14 days before her reservation and receive a 50% refund.
Homeowners in Arizona said they believe seven days’ notice is too short to properly rebook their properties.
vrbo offer stricter cancellation policyshe added, including options for reservations to be non-refundable or completely non-refundable if canceled within 60 days of the first day of booking.
Airbnb also offers non-refundable optionsbut the host can only provide it, not request it.
Arizona hosts also had issues with how Airbnb allowed guests to request refunds during their stay. Airbnbs official instructions To resolve the issue, please advise the guest to first send a message to the host through the platform. However, guests can request a full refund.
If the host does not respond to the initial request within an hour, Airbnb may step in and resolve the issue directly with the guest, according to policy.
Homeowners in Arizona put a lot of pressure on their hosts.
The “mental and emotional stress of being glued to my phone” was too much of a burden, she said, and she always feared Airbnb would make decisions she didn’t agree with and lose her income. added.