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Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

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Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#481

Post by scarface_74 »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #408
scarface_74 wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s a good thing that laws are being passed to make it mostly impossible for AirBnbs to be in residential areas and to make it easier for residents to find affordable houses instead of tourists

It'd be better if there was enough housing to support normal residential uses AND Airbnb, but it's easier to just blame Airbnb for problems.

Or you know, if you want short term rentals for tourists - build more hotels in commercial districts that are professionally managed.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#482

Post by redwall_hp »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #159
greedo wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like putting a bunch of bananas in your basket, thinking the display price ($10 of course) is the real price, only to find out at the checkout, that it's $10 per banana...

Fees are stated up front, and completely to be expected. I think getting shocked by cleaning fees is like getting shocked that there is a sales tax.. Every time you go to the store. Showing the total with cleaning fees at the end is inconvenient and user hostile, but in no way a "scam".

The US is an anomaly in drip-pricing sales tax at the register. It's normal for sales tax to be part of the list price. It's one of the things travelers to the US are frequently outraged by, as well as our "pint" glasses (16 oz) that are smaller than an imperial pint (20 oz) or metric equivalent.

As someone else in the thread pointed out, some locales do require that AirBNB and similar list prices with the fees included, and they comply in those regions. And not including tax is kind of a con when the rate can vary between states, cities and even parts of cities. Nobody can be expected to know the particulars everywhere they go, while businesses are legally required to know in order to collect.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#483

Post by ghaff »

MissTake wrote: post #395
klinquist wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a host. I charge a $200 cleaning fee and my cleaners charge me $250, so I lose money on cleaning. I ask guests to: * Strip the beds (otherwise, I find that people re-make beds and it's hard to tell if they have been slept in), * Load and start the dishwasher (the dishwasher takes 4 hrs, and the cleaners travel to my remote house, and I want to make sure they can finish in about that time) * Take the trash down to…

“ I ask guests to: * Strip the beds” “ But an unreasonable task is like strip the bed…” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, 2022 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/airbnb-ceo-guests-shouldnt-ha...

Whatever the CEO said and, much as I tend to not be in the have to deep clean the rental camp, strip the beds and throw the used towels in a pile falls in the pretty reasonable category for me even if I don't do it in a hotel.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#484

Post by coin »

scarface_74 wrote: post #344
casenmgreen wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a digital nomad. One luggage, no permanent home, been fifteen years. I used to use AirBnB all the time. They gradually become more and more, well, "large company". Governments gradually made AirBnB illegal or effectively illegal, largely or wholly killing off AirBnB in given cities, or countries. For example, it used to be about impossible to get into Amsterdam, because of rent control and renting regulations; no…

I think it’s a good thing that laws are being passed to make it mostly impossible for AirBnbs to be in residential areas and to make it easier for residents to find affordable houses instead of tourists

Why are residents more deserving than tourists?

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#485

Post by matt-attack »

_yb2s wrote: post #102
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cleaning fees aren't a "scam" - most property owners really do need to pay someone to clean the property at the end of a stay. But, as another commenter said, they can be used as a way to encourage longer stays, as with most places you only pay a single cleaning fee regardless of the length of your stay. But, again, it's just a fact that these rentals are usually just cleaned between guests (as opposed to a hotel whe…

It's a scam when the cleaning fee is as much as the advertised nightly rate, and they require me to clean everything still.

I suspect you’re not vacuuming, cleaning toilets, cleaning shower, washing bedding, folding and stocking bath towels, putting bedding on and making beds, tiding sofas and kitchens, restocking TP, paper towels, and other consumables.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#486

Post by scarface_74 »

coin wrote: post #484
scarface_74 wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s a good thing that laws are being passed to make it mostly impossible for AirBnbs to be in residential areas and to make it easier for residents to find affordable houses instead of tourists

Why are residents more deserving than tourists?

Really? Because people need a place to live. If you haven’t seen it yourself, there is a worldwide epidemic of people who are addicted to needing shelter for survival.

Tourist can go to these things called “hotels”

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#487

Post by jvvw »

mholt wrote: post #22

I'm worried this ban will only affect honest hosts. Anyway, what Airbnb should really ban is hosts charging a mandatory cleaning fee when also requiring their guests to do the cleaning. We just stayed at one this weekend, and like almost all our previous bookings, the host asked us to: - Take off all bedding and towels and start a load of laundry - Do all the dishes and start the dishwasher (but required to hand-wash…

Is this partly about norms I'm different countries?

If I were renting a holiday cottage in the UK (airbnb or otherwise), I'd expect to do the washing up and take our rubbish, and possibly strip the beds. I wouldn't expect to clean ovens or put laundry on.

Staying in Finland recently we had to make our beds at the start - no idea if that is normal there but wouldn't expect that in the UK unless you were at a youth hostel.

I assuming the cleaning feel covers mopping, hoovering, cleaning bathrooms, making up beds with fresh laundry. Some places do feel like they overcharge nonetheless for the number of hours required and I presume that it is more an overhead person stay charged to discourage short stays.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#488

Post by jvvw »

happymellon wrote: post #451
endisneigh wrote: post #17

In my experience Airbnb isn’t even cheaper, just has more “interesting” housing available. Back to the topic - removing listings isn’t a sufficient enough punishment imho. And how would you even prove it from the guests side? Take a picture I suppose? But how do you stop bad actors? Not sure what the correct solution is. Someone who wants to spy can purchase a spy camera which is very abundant these days.

> In my experience Airbnb isn’t even cheaper, just has more “interesting” housing available. For me it has absolutely nothing to do with being cheaper, but simply hotels generally don't cater for families. I have an under 10, and either I go to bed by 9 because that's when they want to go to bed, or I make the stay up and we all have a really shitty time as they are too exhausted to enjoy it. Two rooms with an adjoin…

Likewise. It's also really useful having some self-catering facilities with children and other self-catering options are often unavailable totally or only in week blocks outside Airbnb in many places. Plus the cost is often the same or less than two hotel rooms.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#489

Post by closeparen »

klausa wrote: post #414
TulliusCicero wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Suite hotels have all that except maybe the washing machine and are often pretty comparable in price to "regular" hotel rooms. I have not found this to be the case at all. Getting a suite with a kitchen usually involves paying a large premium to a regular hotel room.

They don't mean upgrading to a suite at a "regular" hotel; there are chains specializing in renting out "home-style" rooms ("extended-stay" is the industry term, I believe), and I've seen them referred to suite hotels sometimes. The biggest chains have these sub-brands in the space, based off three minutes of googling/wikiing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_Inn_by_Marriott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stayb…

I've never seen an extended-stay hotel in a neighborhood that I would visit for leisure. They're usually in pretty ugly, utilitarian spots - off a cloverleaf or behind a strip mall - serving business travelers.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#490

Post by legendofbrando »

mholt wrote: post #22

I'm worried this ban will only affect honest hosts. Anyway, what Airbnb should really ban is hosts charging a mandatory cleaning fee when also requiring their guests to do the cleaning. We just stayed at one this weekend, and like almost all our previous bookings, the host asked us to: - Take off all bedding and towels and start a load of laundry - Do all the dishes and start the dishwasher (but required to hand-wash…

Don’t do the cleaning and leave a medium review that politely says you were not informed of cleaning policy beforehand. Host has no way to penalize you (outside of a bad review) and you can respond to their review (if they criticize you) saying you were not informed at booking. Keep your review and response cordial and any future host evaluating you will assume that the past host was weird. There’s no way anyone can verify the claim by the other host that they articulated the cleaning policies.
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