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Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

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Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#91

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

sneak wrote: post #30
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…

If you’re paying the cleaning fee anyway, why would you do any of that stuff?

Have you watched Black Mirror's "Nosedive"?

There is a rating system for guests, and losing "social credit" will make using the platform harder.

This implied threat makes people "behave", with both benefits (the worst actors will be filtered out and can't repeatedly impose the cost of their actions on society) and drawbacks (feeling pressured to always give 120%, fear of bad ratings, getting excluded through no fault of your own if you just get unlucky).

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#92

Post by jlarocco »

Delumine wrote: post #3
giantg2 wrote: post #2

Typical BS reasoning. The hidden cameras are already against policy. Do they really think expanding the policy to all indoor cameras is going to stop those actions? If anything, people looking to protect their property will now have more incentive to place hidden cameras if there are no options for allowable ones.

It feels to me that AirBNB hosts are an entitled group of people. They want all the benefits of renting out their place (in most cases, it goes against the original intent of renting a spare room, or family home), but want to make the experience less than ideal for customers. There's a multitude of rules, chores, invasions of privacy (Cameras, decibel monitors, et al). These are supposed to be vacations, not a walkin…

We already have a solution, and they're called hotels.

Society forgot why hotels were created, so now we're re-learning it via AirBnB.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#93

Post by zeroonetwothree »

digging wrote: post #12

Making small changes to policy like this will continue to have no effect on the negative externalities of AirBNB rentals. Will this improve guest privacy? No, hidden cameras are too difficult to detect and too easy to install. Will this prevent AirBNBs becoming party houses/apartments in residential areas? No, obviously not, since that's apparently already banned. Will this collect commercial taxes from investment pr…

Hidden cameras aren’t as useful if the host can’t take any obvious action from it. So it does have an effect

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#94

Post by ezfe »

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…

I always refuse to do everything except load and start dishwashers, if I filled it, take the trash out. I have 15 reviews, ALL positive.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#95

Post by throwway120385 »

cratermoon wrote: post #82
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…

> 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. I'm willing to pay a cleaning fee (though really it should be rolled into the cost of the stay) but not also be required to do the cleaning myself.

If you rent an apartment in my neck of the woods, then this is exactly what the law is. If your landlord charges a cleaning fee you can feel free to let them clean it up at the end of the rental period.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#96

Post by htrp »

Scoundreller wrote: post #56
neom wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had this happen in Seoul, the host messages me and asked me to not leave the AC on when I went out (it was a 10-minute walk down to the corner store) - I was a little confused how they knew I'd left it on, so I purposefully left it on and went out, sure enough I got a message as soon as I left. I messaged back and said it wasn't on, and they said they had a camera and could see it's on. I contacted Airbnb and they…

Had an airbnb that locked out its thermostat within a range outside our preferences. Nothing an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel on top of said thermostat couldn’t resolve.

Out of the box solutions ftw

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#97

Post by s1artibartfast »

idiotsecant wrote: post #81
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…

No, scam is the right word. It could pretty easily be rolled into the advertised nightly rate.

I get an itemized bill from the grocery store, but that doesn't make it a scam.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#98

Post by kube-system »

bombcar wrote: post #33
vundercind wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airbnbs are amazing for: - Group get-aways where the point is being together at the place, not seeing the sights of whatever area you’re in. - Families traveling, especially when not staying in a city core - Trial runs at living in a place - Areas poorly served by decent hotels They’re bad for lots of other scenarios. [edit] oh and the less time you’re staying the worse they tend to be—stuff like cleaning fees and ha…

I've often felt a bunch of the "love" for AirBNB comes from people who didn't realize that you could do short-term rentals of entire properties before it hit the market (and where you'd go for those).

Vacation style rentals are generally crappy properties, whether on Airbnb or otherwise.

I think Airbnb has become worse as these types of properties have become common on the platform. The best experiences on Airbnb are, and have always been, people's personally owned homes.

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#99

Post by lupusreal »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #80
lupusreal wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried to hire a cleaning person recently? $200 will get a small apartment cleaned, maybe. For a thorough cleaning of a modest house prepare to pay 2-3x that at least.

$600 for a house is far beyond typical prices

If it just needs a sweep, or if some party animal trashed it?

Re: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras

#100

Post by mcculley »

I feel like a grumpy old guy every time I read about AirbedAndBreakfast, because that is how it was initially pitched on this site. If people would just keep thinking of it as a way to get an airbed and sleep on someone’s floor, they would have appropriate expectations.

I’ve never used the service, because I prefer real beds cleaned as required by the local health department.

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