r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 7h ago

Society New Airbnb rules ban hosts from making guests wash dishes, do laundry & other checkout chores

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-airbnb-rules-ban-hosts-from-making-guests-wash-dishes-do-laundry-other-checkout-chores-3420832/
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u/opermonkey 7h ago

AirBNB was neat when it started, "hey, my family have a cabin near the mountain, gives us a bit of money to stay there when we aren't using it" (which a friend of mine does, they still don't make profit) but quickly turned into greedy fucks being greedy.

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u/Klutzy-Football-205 7h ago

This sums up pretty much all of the *-sharing services.

It was neat when it was "I'm already going to the airport Wed @ noon, give me a bit of money and I'll get you there too!" These companies take an outsized portion of the proceeds and take 0% of the liability.

Too little, too late, AirBnB. They were silent for YEARS over these complaints. Let me guess, their bottom line got affected so it is finally time to act?

Even if a hotel is more expensive, I know what I'm getting, have genuine recourse options and am incredibly consistent experience if you stick with the same chain.

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u/opermonkey 7h ago

It's a trend in pretty much every business. Let's milk any trend we can for as much as we can as fast as we can.

Investors used to look at future gains now they just want immediate billions.

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u/xombae 3h ago

Enshitification

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u/StopReadingMyUser 4h ago

"y have slow money when can have fast money?"

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u/janderson75 6m ago

RIP BioWare (off subject til you said this, lol)

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u/stevedore2024 7h ago

The whole point of the gig economy was to shift all the costly complexity and overhead to little part-timers. Insurance, you're on your own. Repairs, you're on your own. Certification is irrelevant, restrictions are irrelevant, regulation is irrelevant, medallions (taxi licenses) are irrelevant, just break all the norms that have been instituted for the old generation of industry by charging less at first, then raise the prices so the profits flow to the centralized corpo-lords and not the gig workers left holding the bag. And then the public will get even more angry when the gig workers strike back and demand more, but the corpo-lords have already vested and moved onto the next thing they can ruin.

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u/nulla-nomen-eius 3h ago

profits flow to the centralized corpo-lords and not the gig workers left holding the bag

I honestly cannot understand the financials for Door Dash.

I ordered something today, I paid about $6 more than I would if I went there myself (without tip). I add a $5 tip to a $20 meal which is probably generous I think? How much would that driver receive if I hadn't added the $5? I don't think restaurants are doing heavy discounting for Door Dash, so I'd guess all their margin and payment to their gig driver is within the $6-8 on my $20 meal... so as the driver you have to get to the location, which might take you 10+ minutes and several miles... you have to park... you have to go in... you often have to wait for the food... then you drive another 10+ minutes and several miles to drop the food off which may take time if the orderer isn't watching/waiting. So you spend at least 20-25 minutes on this effort and you made what? $3-4? Even if you add $5 tip that's $8-9... you complete 2-3 of these in an hour and best case you're getting $16-27 for that hour, but you're also paying for fuel and consuming your vehicle... it just doesn't seem like a worthwhile thing unless every delivery is the ideal, which I'm sure they are not.

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u/Sexual_Congressman 2h ago

Doordash doesn't have "tips", the thing the app calls a tip is actually a bribe, since the driver can see it before they get your stuff and you can't take it back. In certain places, you won't get your order unless you offer the maximum bribe. Also, people who do it regularly aren't taking orders from some place they don't know on the other side of town to some other place 10 miles away.

The 20 or so doordash orders I've made were all fulfilled by someone who was already within half a mile of the source.

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u/nohandsfootball 47m ago

Ideally they're batching order deliveries, which would 2x-3x that per trip, maybe more depending on the restaurant / area. The drivers who come to my building often come with deliveries for others inside the building, But I live in an SF high rise, so the economics here are probably a bit different than more spread out areas.

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u/Alkein 5h ago

And if the hotel is overbooked and accidentally booked your room to someone else who got there first? they are pretty good for getting you set up in the next closest hotel that works for you (even outside their own chain/company). From what i've heard of airbnb, it can be quite a nightmare to get things sorted if something similar happens there.

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u/radda 5h ago

It sums up anything

Nintendo made a card game for kids about collecting and battling with little monsters and a bunch of fucking assholes turned it into an "investment"

Capitalism is a disease

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u/Akussa 5h ago

What's going to end up happening with this change is they'll just tack on a cleaning fee (or larger cleaning fee if they already do one). AirBNB and other similar services are just not worth it anymore.

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u/Crayshack 5h ago

When I have a problem with a hotel, I can complain to corporate and get something done. But usually I can just walk right up to the front desk and say, "I have X problem," and they fix it right then.

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u/ThxRedditSyncVanced 1h ago

Yea that last bit is a big thing.

Every year I like to go to GenCon. And every year someone has their Airbnb host see the prices of last minute hotels, and cancel on them to relist at a higher price, leaving people scrambling and either paying through the nose or now staying like 45 minutes by car away.

The times a hotel has cancelled on someone there last minute, they're putting them up for the night at somewhere nearby.

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u/GameFreak4321 28m ago

When I first heard "rideshare app" what I pictured was "find somebody who both lives near you and works near you to carpool with" and it would've had a chat and a system for sendjng your share of the gas money.

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u/dogsbestfriend77 4h ago

Bruh I had an AirBNB where I was visiting an Xbox friend who’s GF didn’t trust new people and she wanted me to get a BNB, first night together she trusts me, I ask the Host if I can get a refund since I’d be sleeping at their place for the week, and the host said “I can’t refund the booking costs since you already paid but I can refund the cleaning fee”. Like bruh I know it’d be hard to book new people, but, if that was a hotel, I’d have all my money back, no issue. Spent $600 on nothing

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u/JollyGreenGigantor 7h ago

People used to rent their guest bedrooms, carriage houses, and in-law suites too. It was a fun way to travel and get local recommendations. Big step above couch surfing and significantly cheaper than hotels.

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u/zenith_hs 7h ago edited 7h ago

Yeah, this is how i remember it when it was awesome. Now its just a private (and corporate) alternative of booking

Edit: type now instead of not

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u/DataDude00 5h ago

Crazy how many professional landlords exist in many locales now because of AirBNB

When searching some popular beachfront / cottage areas around me is it common to see the same 4-5 hosts listed as owners of dozens of properties in the area

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u/Cowboywizzard 7h ago

I would use Airbnb still if it was cheaper than hotels, but anymore it’s like three times the cost, and then they want you to do the fucking laundry. No thanks.

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u/Somanylyingliars 55m ago

My area has had multiple deaths robberies in AirBnBs. Nope. Give me security of a hotel, rhank you.

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u/Blametheorangejuice 7h ago

There’s a dude that I work with who is slightly disabled. Lives on his own in a house that is too big for him. He has, over the years, converted a lot of his home into separate walk-in spaces so he can rent them out via AirBnB. He apparently makes a good amount of income doing it. I don’t get how he can be comfortable with basically strangers being one locked door away from your own stuff, but whatever that works, I guess.

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u/Tweegyjambo 7h ago

All the strangers in the world are one locked door are away from my stuff. It's my front door.

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u/dashingdrew 7h ago

Yeah but exterior doors are usually a lot sturdier than interior doors

Its surprisingly easy to punch through most interior doors.

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u/rabbijuan 7h ago

The standard security measures of a standard home really only keep out people that don’t want inside your home. If someone really wants in your things they’ll get in without much issue.

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u/Hans_Olo_1023 6h ago

Right. People forget that windows are a thing. You don't need to be a lock picking rogue to B&E. If someone REALLY wants inside my house, there are plenty of rocks right outside in my garden that will create an entrance in about 0.5 seconds.

The thing that's preventing this is social convention.

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u/jimbo831 6h ago

The thing that's preventing this is social convention.

And the risk of going to prison.

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u/colonel_bob 3m ago

And the risk of going to prison.

That's part of the social convention

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u/JezSq 7h ago

“Hello, it’s lock picking lawyer…”

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u/Ok_Two_2604 7h ago

It’s a deterrent, not a prevention. And the guy might have put thicker doors inside. You aren’t required to use the paper mache doors, they are just cheaper.

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u/Haurassaurus 7h ago

Believe it or not, you can replace your interior door with an exterior door. It's not against the rules.

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u/dashingdrew 7h ago

Believe it or not, the cheapest ones are usually the most common

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u/resttheweight 7h ago edited 7h ago

It’s also relatively easy to break through windows. Measures taken to keep people out of your house provide more comfort than actual protection or security. They’re just deterrents.

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u/jimbo831 6h ago

Do you know how easy it is to break a window? If someone really wants inside your house, they're going to get inside your house. The fact that they're staying in a separated section of your house isn't going to make that more likely.

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u/Blametheorangejuice 7h ago

Of course. But there’s not someone a few inches from my front door 24/7.

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u/Hans_Olo_1023 6h ago

Apartment complexes? Townhomes? Condos? There are lots of perfectly normal situations where people live in close proximity to strangers who walk right by their front door on a daily basis.

Not to mention hotels and motels, sometimes you'll even end up in a suite with a shared doorway to the next room.

My point is: you're describing a situation that literally hundreds of millions of people live in every day. It's not at all unusual.

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u/Blametheorangejuice 6h ago

Perhaps I should clarify. I am thinking particularly about his situation. If someone wanted to murder him or steal his stuff he would be unable to do anything about it because of his physical condition.

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u/NukeAllTheThings 6h ago

He would be unable to do anything anyway. If somebody wanted to do those things its probably not going to be somebody who leaves a trail by renting from him.

If anything, having people in close proximity makes it more likely for him to get help than less.

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u/Blametheorangejuice 5h ago

I guess I shouldn’t worry about the randos in the home, then.

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u/roxictoxy 4h ago

Yeah probably not

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u/Orleanian 5h ago

There absolutely is, lol.

What are you, some sort of cornfield layabout?

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u/SocialismIsStupid 7h ago

I mean that’s basically every apartment so…

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u/saera-targaryen 6h ago

Yeah i remember me and my boyfriend at the time having a staycation in LA by renting a room in a nice house with a nice backyard and just chilling in the hot tub with the other guests. It was such a good time. 

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u/chmilz 5h ago

That's what it started as. Then it was used to "disrupt" hotels (read: undercut them by not paying taxes).

I suspect it also fucked up the hotel market, too. With families staying at AirBnB's, hotels might not have good data on where to have inventory suitable for families. We prefer hotels, but it can be hard to find units suitable for a family of 5 or 6 with a kitchenette and pool.

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u/AmyInCO 5h ago

I just said almost the same thing because I didn't see your comment until now. I loved meeting the owners and getting recommendations and sometimes even company for dinner.

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u/Fuck_your_coupons 4h ago

I stayed in an Airbnb in 2019 in Boston that had a great host. He was living there, gave me space and gave me local knowledge of the area. Now you go to an empty house that costs more than a hotel room and they have a list of chores.

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u/CipherWeaver 7h ago

Airbnb is now entirely small time landowners leveraging their property for revenue without tenant protections. It has ruined the property market in almost every city in the world it operates in. It is a cancer on society unless you are a billionaire and you want to buy houses all over the world to live in a few weeks a year. 

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u/chuck17031 7h ago

Yeah, it definitely sucks. The type of condos being built in certain areas are being built solely for short-term rental properties. Even if you wanted to live in it full time, they’re built with little to no storage space and as fast as possible using the cheapest possible materials. Where I live, 80% of the homes are empty for 8 months or more out of the year and we have people who are homeless because they can’t afford rental prices. It’s absolutely insane.

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u/big_trike 39m ago

Apparently ski towns are so bad now that they struggle to find anyone willing to work in schools or hotels because they can’t afford to live nearby.

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u/chuck17031 35m ago

This is absolutely true. Town councils in ski towns are passing policies to help cover housing for teachers because they can’t afford to live. As far as the hotels, most people I know that work in the hospitality industry work for the resort and get housing through the resort otherwise they wouldn’t work in those industries. The rest have a bunch of roommates to live. It’s tough if you don’t have a job outside those industries.

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u/MoJoichiban 7h ago

Couple plots near my apt got bought recently. Noticed it’s being turned into a big house in front with about 6 small studio units in the back as a large separate building. My guess is they’re going to AirBnB those units to offset the mansion they’re building.

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u/Somanylyingliars 57m ago

Wonder how they managed to pull that over the city. We're I you. I would make inquired to city ASAP w photos in hand to boot. If not you'll live in an apt like environment instead of a house block.

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u/aurortonks 5h ago

My apartment complex just cancelled their agreement contract with Airbnb which allowed people to rent units specifically for doing 3rd party short term rentals.

They cancelled the agreement because Airbnb guests were loud at all hours, trashed the pool multiple times, pooped in the cabana, and generated a ton of complaints from regular tenants.

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u/Geogian 7h ago

Yeah! My wife and I were hosted by someone who barely spent any time at home and had a spare bedroom and bathroom. It was cheap for us and some extra cash for him. Plus someone might as well make use of the space.

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u/kitsunewarlock 4h ago

I remember when this shit started on Craigslist and it was literally "give me a couch for a night and I'll give you $50".

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u/mycoruby 4h ago

Yeah I remember using Craig’s list years ago and had great success with places.

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u/AmyInCO 5h ago

I stayed in random rooms in people's houses when the AirBnB/couch surfing thing just started. It was neat. You met people and talked to them. It really was just guest rooms and spare bedrooms. You never knew what could happen. People would take you to their favorite places, sit and talk to you over coffee.

Even later, it was nice to have a home base with a kitchen and separate bedrooms. when I traveled with my 3 young children.

Now it just sucks and the prices are ridiculous.

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u/zardozLateFee 5h ago

Remember when you actually knew the people? It was all social network based. Now it's a AI profile photo that's a front for a real estate company with 65 units.

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u/JimiusRostock 5h ago

Enshittification at work. People smelled money and AirBnB was eager enough to play along.

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u/Fuck_your_coupons 4h ago

I remember booking an Airbnb years ago for like $50 a night I think near a smaller national park. Now the listings are like twice to triple that amount. Airbnb was only good when it's the cheapest option in the area.

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u/opermonkey 1h ago

it's also destroying the housing market in many cities. companies are buying properties and then using air B n b to circumvent hospitality laws.

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u/scarletnightingale 3h ago

My parents had a coworker that would do this way back in the day, they had a cabin in the mountains and would rent it out to coworkers here and there so they could make a little money when they weren't using it. It didn't come with cleaning fees or a million rules, basically just leave it neat and make sure to leave the water so the pipes wouldn't freeze. We got to go up to the mountains in the snow multiple times when I was a kid. That kind of stuff is ruined now.

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u/opermonkey 2h ago

everything seems to be ruined with greed.

really bums me out.

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u/rolfraikou 2h ago

I miss those days and that trip to Joshua Tree I got out of it. It was the same sort of thing, that was actually their own vacation home, so they started renting it out. Price was fair, place was small, but close to the entrance to the park. No special rules beyond not damaging things and not leaving it a total mess.

Now the price for one night in a similar place is like half a month's rent. Yeah, I'll drive very far to avoid a price like that. Then having to worry about hidden fees and weird rules. Not worth the hassle.

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u/Shad0wF0x 5h ago

Yeah back in 2010 we rented a few rooms to stay in someone's house to go snowboarding in Vermont. It was nice and we had breakfast and coffee with them and talked about stuff. Now as for the last Airbnb we went to in 2024, it looked like a flipped house so while it initially looked nice there were a issues that showed lack of thought into ergonomics. Like someone obviously didn't live there.

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u/shinbreaker 3h ago

Yeah my uncle and his boyfriend used to AirBnB the extra room they have and it would be a little extra money per month and a guest to entertain which they were fine with.

But man, some hosts just dont make sense. If you're including a cleaning fee and literallly a cleaning person is ready to come in, why do I have to take out the trash? This happened at one place near a mountain and the trash had to be dumped like five minutes away. Shit doesn't make sense.

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u/blahblehblueoooo 2h ago

I think I had a stroke reading your first sentence.

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u/opermonkey 1h ago

hopefully it was fatal.

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u/badpebble 1h ago

They don't even provide breakfast.

ITS IN THE FUCKING TITLE.

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u/opermonkey 27m ago

might as well be a chair lunch dinner, cuz you're not sleeping in the chair.