My family and several others in our group recently had to evacuate a house on an island in Florida due to Hurricane Isaias, five nights into our seven night stay. Legally, we were not allowed to stay any longer. Also legally, the host cannot rent the property when an evacuation order is in effect.

Silly me, I assumed briefly that our host would be a decent person and refund us the two nights we were unable to stay. She refused, pointing out that our rental agreement did not obligate her to refund us anything in any scenario for any reason, adding that we should have bought travel insurance. This person is a parasite. Everything wrong with people who use property as investment vehicles wrapped up into a single individual. No soul, no decency, just driven by profit and shielded by legalese.

I was relieved to later read about the Major Disruptive Events policy (for which my situation clearly applied, i.e., government-mandated evacuations) ​but after lengthy back and forth with Airbnb customer service reps, they essentially said that this person's rental agreement prevented Airbnb from providing any actionable relief. Basically, they admitted their MDE policy has no teeth. "We cannot force the host to refund you."

It isn't like the host lost two days being unable to rent her property. She insisted on charging me for days she wouldn't have been able to rent anyway. The plain language word for that is -- say it with me -- stealing. Theft. This person is a thief.

I think this host is actually a sewer rat come to life, gleefully hoarding money she did not earn nor provide services for, because her rat-like contract language technically entitles her to be one.

I looked it up, and this particular area has been subject to a mandatory evacuation order for a total of 12 of the past 6,570 days (or 18 years.) My host would rather *steal* money from vacationing families than deal with the 0.0018% possibility that a hurricane temporarily prevents her from enriching herself.

This parasitic entity masquerading as a friendly facilitator of "5-star experiences" is the embodiment of amoral real estate baronry hiding behind legalese.

Rant over!

We stayed at a VERY expensive place in Spit. Family of 6. We are two retirees and our grown kids with partners.

The description was accurate in terms of views, location and space (I am not going to link it, but it's easy enough to find). 5 stars for those elements. There were decent beds, and it was clean and looked nice at first glance. At the very obvious second glance, there were so many visible signs of non-maintenance.

-*badly* soiled sofas with rips and beer stains. It seems the place is a party pad. That's great if you want to sit on gross stains on the sofa, but for the exorbitant amount of money, I expected LUXURY, as advertised.

-scuff marks all over the walls.

-bashed up corners of walls.

- rotting wooden windows, several of which didn't open properly.

- bottles, trash bags, cigarette smoke in the dark and dingy hall.

- I asked if there were extra pillows (because there was literally one per person) and the owner said "use the pillows off the sofa." I am not putting my face on beer stained throw pillows.

- Bar music vibrating up through the walls on Saturday night (there is a fancy bar/club next door), even though it's on the top floor of the building. Thank goodness we only had to endure that for one of our three nights. I didn't see the music mentioned in any reviews, which sucks.

I didn't want money back. I didn't see a reason to immediately submit photos of the clear lack of maintenance to Airbnb because the place was habitable. Seems that was my mistake, because then the owner wouldn't be able to come back and say we caused damage.

Why didn't I leave a review? Because of this sub. Because I read more than once that if I posted a truthful review, the owner might retaliate by claiming I caused damage. Because people here say "leave 5 stars, it really harms the owner to leave less." If I left anything more than 3 stars, I am being dishonest to potential guests. I am not leaving 5 stars for beer stains and literally many hundreds of euros per night (Over 500). I expected it to be amazing, and it was not. I guess I am the fool because I paid for the view, which I got.

In hindsight, it's now clear why the place wasn't listed anywhere but Airbnb. Airbnb reviews are meaningless. No one dares write the truth. In fact, I read here that if a property gets an aggregate of anything less than 4.3, it is removed from the site. I always read as many reviews as I can, so I generally know if a place is near a road, or a market, or if the church bells ring (which the reviews of this placed mentioned, but at least I knew about it beforehand.) I can live with church bells, but not beer stains. Just so shabby. The host doesn't care at all. Do better Airbnb!

I have 2 guests who thought their reservation was October 15–17, but they actually booked October 14–16. The booking account still hasn't opened any messages since October 8 (the day they made the reservation) and hasn't checked them since, even though I've sent several messages, including check-in instructions, Wi-Fi details, etc., the day before the reservation started, and the house guide on the morning of check-in. Now, this morning, they contacted me through another account by making a booking inquiry, saying they were on their way and needed the check-in code (which is automatically provided by Airbnb and is usually related to the booker's phone number). They claimed I hadn't sent it yet. then I informed them that their checkout is actually tomorrow, and now they're asking for a refund due to a "lack of communication on your behalf" (referring to me), despite not having opened any of my messages.

They've yet to respond for several hours now. anyone experience something like this before? first for me, Airbnb support seemed really confused as well.

Recently I stayed in an Airbnb. It was in Spain. During my stay, I used the washing machine and mid-usage, the washing machine had a malfunction and broke down. My host during my stay mentioned that he will take care of it later. I am now back in my country of residence but I was approached by the host via the app asking to pay for the repairs. They are asking for 100 EUR, which is outrageous.

How can I deny this claim?

So i found a condo i wanted to rent in huahin Thailand for 5 days. The advertised price was 7800 baht for 5 nights. I went ahead to reserve it and clicked reserve and saw a price of 11800 baht. I thought ok, it will go to a confirmation page showing that price and discount to 7800. No, it went straight to deduct the full 11800. I tried another one earlier who also cancelled but the app made me message the host first who said they couldn't accommodate us and no payment was deducted. I have only used the app a couple of times.

I immediately message the host who says sorry, it is less than 30 days booking you need to cancel your booking. The law is that condos cannot be rented for less than 30 days to protect the hotel industry here. I did read that condo is hotel managed so thought it was ok. The host claimed to not know this condition which is impossible. She never answered about the price discrepancy.

Luckily, at this point i read airbnb's refund policy and saw that if I was the one to cancel (as the host requested) I would only be due a partial refund, less than 50%! They recommend to asked the host to cancel and i would get a full refund.

I told her in no uncertain terms that she must cancel and she did. I am waiting for my refund.

If i had cancelled would the host have gotten the other 50% unrefunded money? It seems like a scam:

- claims can only rent for 30 days

- says nothing about it on the listing

- mugs book and pay less than 30 days get told to refund

- someone keeps 50% If the host gets it it is a good little scam

- i could have read it wrong.

I feel like reporting the host just for the fact it wasn't the listed price. That is false advertising.

Review was 'Very cold and strange person avoid at all costs'

I have stayed in nearly 100 apartments over the last 10 years and this is the only bad review I have got and it is an attack on my personality, is this usual or common? Airbnb will not remove it.

I’m currently in South Korea on holiday and have spent way too much time dealing with Airbnb instead of actually enjoying my trip.

I booked a place, clicked confirm and pay once, but somehow ended up with three separate bookings for the same property, dates and guests.

All three confirmation emails arrived within a minute (12:46–12:47). Airbnb even sent me a duplicate booking warning at 12:46, but another booking still went through at 12:47.

Airbnb keeps insisting I made three separate bookings, without really addressing the evidence I’ve provided.

The host requested cancellation of the two extra bookings, but I’m still fighting to get my AUD $1,772 back.

I also raised disputes with PayPal. One was denied because they said the transaction was only charged once, which isn’t even what I’m disputing. The other is still under review, and I’ve now involved my bank.

Honestly, it’s exhausting having to explain the same thing over and over while on holiday.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Did you manage to get your money back?

A friend booked an Airbnb in California, and the host showed up late at night without warning. Some things were said that made her feel uncomfortable enough to pack up and leave immediately. She’s physically fine but pretty shaken. Airbnb refunded her stay, and that’s all that’s happened so far. Is that really the end of it?

She’s staying at a hotel for now and wants to know if she has any other options. She asked me not to share the details, so I’m keeping this vague.

TL;DR: First time using Airbnb. I paid $1,700 for a pet friendly beach stay for my mom’s 70th birthday, including a $300 pet fee for our two small dogs. I specifically skipped properties that disclosed no pets or pets couldn’t be on furniture/beds because our dogs sleep with us. This listing had a detailed pet policy but never mentioned that restriction. The handbook provided after booking says “no pets on any furniture/beds” and the AC must stay between 70–75°, neither of which were disclosed before booking. We check in today, so I asked if I could bring my own linens and completely cover the beds, and the host agreed, which I appreciate. But now I’m bringing bedding, blankets and fans to make the stay work. Had I known these restrictions beforehand, I wouldn’t have booked it. Am I unreasonable for feeling blindsided, or are these rules that should have been disclosed before booking? Help with options, suggestions, advice. Thanks.

Location: florida

Full Story: Hi y’all. So I booked a pet friendly Airbnb as a surprise for my mom’s 70th birthday. It’s about $1,700 total, including a $300 pet fee for our two small dogs. When I was searching, I specifically skipped properties that either didn’t allow pets or said pets were allowed but couldn’t be on the furniture/beds. Our dogs sleep with us, so I knew those properties wouldn’t work for us. The Airbnb listing for the property I booked had a pretty detailed pet policy. It listed the pet fees, number and size of dogs allowed, housebreaking requirements, additional cleaning fees for pet messes/stains/shedding on linens, leash rules, etc. Nowhere did it say pets weren’t allowed on furniture or beds. We check in today, and this is a surprise trip my mom is incredibly excited about. When I finally sat down to read through the house handbook, I got to the house rules and saw in bold: “There are no pets allowed on any furniture or beds.” The handbook also says the AC has to stay between 70 and 75 degrees, which was not disclosed in the listing either. I’ve slept in a very cold room since I was a kid, so that actually matters to me when choosing somewhere to stay.

Had I known either of these restrictions before booking, especially the pet restriction, I honestly would have chosen a different property. At that point I was freaking out trying to figure out what to do without ruining my mom’s surprise the day before the trip. I messaged the host and asked if I could bring my own linens and blankets and completely cover the beds so the dogs could sleep with us. She agreed, and I genuinely appreciate her working with me. She’s actually been pretty nice but now I’m packing my own bedding, blankets and fans to make the stay work, and the more I think about it, the more frustrated I am. I paid $1,700, including $300 specifically for the dogs, and I feel like I’m finding out important conditions after I’ve already committed to the reservation.

This is also my first Airbnb stay, so maybe there’s something about Airbnb etiquette or expectations that I don’t understand.

I’d genuinely like your perspective:

1. Am I being unreasonable for feeling blindsided/frustrated by this?
   
2. Would you consider “no pets on furniture or beds” and a 70 to 75 degree thermostat restriction rules that should be disclosed in the listing before a guest books?
   
3. Is it normal for additional restrictions like these to first appear in a house handbook provided after booking?
   
4. If this had happened to you, what did you do, what are the options?

I’m not upset that the host has rules. It’s her property, and I completely understand that. My issue is that if I had known the rules before booking, I wouldn’t have booked the property.
Any advice is appreciated.

I remember there being more search options, like OMG or amazing pool. That's what I am looking for. An extravagant luxury pool with waterfalls and maybe a spa cave.....

Using the luxe button only gives me two options. Without luxe I am looking through hundreds of options. Each has to be opened to see if the pool is heated and fancy. It's a huge chore.

Do you have any advice when searching for something specific?

I wish we could enter search words. Like...massage chair!

Some of us are looking for an experience.

Thanks!

Basically as the title says. Our group stayed at an airbnb last weekend. The host left me (my reservation) a positive review saying "X's group was great." These are important to me as I frequently use Airbnb for large groups which many hosts are wary about, but the reviews let them know our group causes no issues.

I left a review (4 star) because of incomplete check in instructions, broken appliances in the kitchen (nonworking freezer & ice machine, can opener broken and cut a guest, Glad lid to pot that was cracked, etc minor things) and mentioned the fact the twin beds were quite uncomfortable and not fit for adults, so keep that in mind when booking (listing says specifically sleeps 10 so I thought it's good info to read in a review- I would have loved to know that when booking and no reviews had mentioned that at this point, and we had adults who picked couches over the twin beds and so they didn't feel it was worth the price). I still said if they fix/replace those items and people know it should really only be sleeps 6, I'd still recommend it (hence 4 stars).

Less than 10 minutes after leaving this review, the host deleted their review of me as it was "inaccurate". This is clearly retaliatory as I didn't leave a 5 star review of them because the only thing that changed was the fact they read my 4 star review. How does airBNB allow this? Support is saying they can't put the positive review of my group back up on my profile and I can't edit to add to my review that this is how the host reacts to anything less than 5 stars.

Doesn't this defeat the entire point of having reviews both ways and the reviews be anonymous until both sides posted? Is this the host being petty over 4 stars? Am I missing something here because I don't understand how this would be allowed or okay. Ultimately I have multiple positive "great group" reviews on my profile so it shouldn't affect my ability to continue to book airbnb, but dang what a weird experience.

I don’t know how to proceed.

I booked an Airbnb this past weekend with no reviews, but I felt comfortable because the company had over 6,000 reviews, mostly 5 stars. When we arrived, there were some major issues. It was a great location and clean, but they advertised a lot more than what was there. They also didn’t have basic things, such as a shower curtain or linens for the pull out bed they know we were using (we had to confirm the number of guests multiple times).

We contacted them that night to let them know the WiFi didn’t work, that we wanted a shower curtain, and that there was no hand or body soap in the bathroom as advertised. We also let them know there were no linens for the pull out bed. They were responsive, but clearly all AI responses.

The next day none of their maintenance team showed up, and we were told housekeeping was on the way but hours later had not received our linens. We also noticed there was no microwave or dishwasher as advertised, and there were no handles on any of the cabinets or drawers in the whole place. There were also some other falsely advertised things we pointed out. Again, all apologies but no action.

The next day they reached out via text (not the Airbnb site) to offer us 20% off our stay. I politely declined and said that 20% was not enough to cover nights of sleeping without linens and having to buy our own. They said their housekeeper was in a car accident the night before and that’s why we didn’t have linens.

When we left I messaged saying I would be requesting a full refund and that I was upset at the lack of action. They said they’d forward our request to their team. Didn’t hear anything for over a day so I opened a case with Airbnb.

Airbnb reached out to them, they said they’d refund us 20%. I again declined and said we were requesting a full refund. They declined, so we were refunded 20%. After more back and forth with Airbnb, they agreed we deserved more and Airbnb refunded us more themselves.

I then left a one star, but pretty positive review. I pointed out the issues and said I was disappointed, but also said it had great potential and could be improved to be a great place.

Of course, today they reach out saying they had planned to reach out today but we had already left a negative review, and are now trying to fight with us to change our review. They sent pictures of the newly installed shower curtain and handles to prove that there was change. After back and forth multiple times, they keep insisting I change it. How should I handle this? Should I report it to Airbnb?

When I came back from work to the Airbnb, I found these two roaches in the bathroom (photos in the comments). I am not sure if I should plan to leave tomorrow and look for another place, or just toughen it out and stay. I have this place (basement bnb in Washington, DC) booked until the end of month.

I’m staying in an Airbnb for a week. When I got here the garbage was full and only one toilet tissue available that was half used. Kitchen wasnt as clean because other guest stay there as well. When I entered the kitchen one night I seen a roach took a picture messaged the host about what to do with the garbage and how I seen a roach. I sent it to them and was blatantly ignored no response and it’s been over 24hours. I’m actually very upset about it because I could’ve easily called Airbnb and got a refund but I wanted them to come to me with a solution and they said nothing. In this scenario what would you do ????

I recently booked an Airbnb for Monday through Friday and ended up leaving after the first night because of a pretty concerning safety incident. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or has advice on how to handle Airbnb Support.

I was staying at the property alone when two people (a man and a woman) entered the Airbnb using the door's access code. They successfully unlocked and fully opened the door while I was inside. I was standing right there when they entered, and they seemed surprised to see me.

They apologized and told me the host had sent them to check on the property. Apparently, one of them was a cleaner, but I had received absolutely no notice that anyone would be coming, let alone entering the property during my reservation.

What concerned me most was that these people had a working access code to the Airbnb while I was staying there. There was also no peephole on the door, so I couldn't even see who was outside.

As a woman traveling alone, I felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that other people could access the property without my knowledge or permission. I decided to leave that evening because I no longer felt safe staying there.

I immediately contacted Airbnb Support, reported the incident, and requested a full refund. I paid approximately $330 for the reservation.

After their investigation, Airbnb informed me that they had taken "appropriate action" regarding the safety incident but would only refund me $171.95 for the unused nights. They're now closing the case.

My issue is that I didn't leave because I changed my mind or wanted to cancel my trip. I left because two strangers were able to unlock and enter my accommodation without any prior notice or consent.

I understand they're refunding the nights I didn't use, but I feel like that completely overlooks the reason I had to leave in the first place.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Will I be able to receive a full refund?

Host just called and said she’s putting us in a different unit due to damage in the one we are supposed to be in. There is not a full kitchen in this unit like the other, and we have a cooler full of food to cook. We paid almost $200 (high for this area) because it had a full kitchen. We have no where else to go. What do we do?

My family and I are traveling to Mexico (total of 14, some elderly) and the Airbnb we booked was a completely fraudulent post, and it was completely disgusting to the point where no one felt comfortable even sitting or laying the furniture. Airbnb has been so slow to respond or fix this issue. My family has basically been homeless and on the street for 12 hours in a foreign country and they’re just giving us the run around, giving us mixed messaging or just straight up ignoring our messages. Anyone else have an experience like this? My family is exhausted, demoralized and stressed on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

I’m going to visit my sister with my parents and staying at an Air BnB at the local beach since there’s not room at her place for 5 extra people. The plan was my sister would come by with her twins for an afternoon so we could all go to the beach together. She’s never met my baby and I’ve never met hers, so we were all super excited that the first time the babies would see each other was at the beach.

I was reading over the house rules that the host sent me just now and it says no one is allowed on the premises other than people on the lease? It was not listed that way when I rented it, I would never have chosen the house if it had been. When I tried to contact them they didn’t even reply to my question other than by copying and pasting the rule back to me.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to put their mind at ease? My sister offered to send them a copy of her driver’s license so they could background check her or whatever, but I didn’t know if there was something else I could try? It’s such bullshit. I totally get not wanting parties, but to say I can’t have a guest for three daytime hours one day out of my week+ long stay is insane.

Edited to add: crazy the number of people who… think I would book there again? Based on this month later message from host. I do know how private property works, it’s more the fact that someone can be that childish about their business over honest feedback. Carry on though

Can they do that? He sent me a very detailed and butthurt response to my PRIVATE, not even public, feedback on his BNB. My main issue was with cleanliness, due to the towels and washcloths being full of someone else’s hair, which I discovered after I had showered. I let him know that in the feedback that that was my only issue. The feedback was also given on September 19 or 20th, and he just responded today.

He proceeded to respond with letting me know that we’ll never be allowed back with him since he’s so imperfect and he needs perfect Airbnb ratings to support his daughter. He then proceeded to block myself and my husband, who was responding to him. I didn’t see this until a little bit later so I didn’t get a chance to talk to him directly or defend our feedback.

But since he specifically cited us not giving him five stars as the reason he doesn’t want us back, I’m pretty shocked to say the least. Not that there was really a chance we would’ve used him again, because we’re local and we did a staycation. But now we definitely would look elsewhere.

I am staying only 4 nights in Madrid, Spain. After accepting my Airbnb booking, the host sent me a lease contract to sign outside of Airbnb. I read the contract and it seems standard, but im wondering if that’s normal..Should I refuse to sign it? It’s only a 4 night stay.

I just searched for a 2 bedroom unit. The description starts, "...to our 2 bedroom..." then the 3rd paragraph says that I only have access to one bedroom and that the 2nd bedroom is reserved and not part of the booking. Is this normal?

My husband and I will be opening our first airbnb in December. Trying to decide whether to protect the mattress with a waterproof breathable cover. For the hosts out there - do you recommend it?

hello, i have an upcoming trip to new jersey in november.

i already booked my airbnb, but did it under the reserve now and pay later, i was wondering how i could split my payments up after that cause it only gives me an option to pay the whole cost up front .

I’m currently staying at a lovely AirBnB in France and had a serious issue last night.

We are staying in a flat in a quiet residential building. When we got back last night, the front door to the building would not open. While the key fob was lighting up as “green,” the door would not budge. It was stuck shut. We sent messages to the host; no response. It was after midnight and he was probably asleep, but it just then dawned on me that we had no way of contacting the host in the case of an emergency - something you don’t necessarily think of until you need it.

We tried everything. Being after midnight, there was no foot traffic from neighbors, so we walked all around the building looking for an alternative entrance. There wasn’t one. We tried calling every single phone number on the building call box. Nobody answered. We asked for advice at the hotel next door. No help. We hit that fob 100 times and kept jiggling the door, but nothing worked.

Interestingly, the neighboring block of flats - part of the same building but a separate tower with its own entrance - had its front doors propped open with handwritten signs saying the entry system was not working. I’m thinking this may be a known problem in these towers of flats.

Finally, out of desperation, I had my partner put the key fob on the pad and I kicked the door as hard as I could. Mind you, this was a 100 year old glass inlaid door that I was horrified of breaking, but it worked: we got in. The old door is likely warped.

In the morning, the host responded and was apologetic, but refused my ask for a phone number in case of an emergency. He said he’s not available after hours and the flats have no caretaker or security guard, so sorry, but you’re out of luck if there’s a problem during the night. When I pushed back, he said we should call the “French 911” and maybe the police or fire department could help, which is a ridiculous suggestion.

I cannot explain how much stress and fear this situation caused us. Kicking in a door is not the right solution, and I think it’s wholly unreasonable to not give your guests any emergency contact. There’s plenty of issues that can happen in the middle of the night and need immediate help that the police or fire department can’t help with: broken pipes, flooding due to appliances, doors falling off, keys getting stuck in the door lock. Believe me, as a landlord, I’ve seen it all, and while middle of the night phone calls from tenants suck, it’s part of the business.

I am genuinely seeking feedback: is my request for an emergency contact number reasonable? I’ve never given a bad review to a host before, but his indifference and refusal to provide a phone number after an actual incident has left a really bad taste in my mouth. Thanks in advance for your advice.