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/aurortonks 5h ago

There's a known group of hosts in the area I'm in that post really amazing properties at very desirable locations. The prices are always reasonable, but not super cheap so there's no suspicion. However, once you've made it to the area and are going to check in, they suddenly have a 'maintenance emergency' and need to move you to another of their properties, not always nearby either. One that's way less nice, in a shitty or dangerous neighborhood, and has not been cleaned or maintained to acceptable rental levels.

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u/innermongoose69 4h ago

These are on Booking.com too. Happened to me two years ago with a vacation apartment in Germany. Just hours before arrival I got a message that the booked apartment wasn’t yet available and they had to put us in another one across town.

Then we were able to go to the original one a couple days later and it was a dump. Cracked window glass, reeked of cigarette smoke bad enough to trigger asthma, and the wifi was too slow to watch a single Netflix episode. We ended up getting another place and requesting a refund. To Booking’s credit, they did mediate with the host and we agreed to a half refund. We decided to take that deal and cut our losses instead of keep fighting.

Sometimes I look at the reviews for that place just to see if they’re still pulling the same crap. One review from this summer showed the exact same cracked window in a picture. They haven’t even fixed it.

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u/Algebrace 0m ago

I check down at the bottom of the listing. There's usually an advisory (forget the exact wording) that indicates it's an AirBnB or something like that.

Had no idea the first time, booked a hotel at Phan Thiet, came there and was told it was the building next door and it was room that was filled with ants and we had to join the wechat group to ask for help with the toilet.

Horror show.

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u/blankest 8m ago

Ah yes. Travel to a foreign country...to watch fucking Netflix. JFC.

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u/improbablywronghere 4h ago

Just happened to my in laws in San Francisco

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u/lefthandedchurro 4h ago

Oh dang. I had this happen to me like 3 years ago and I guess I got had. They said a flood happened and the unit had to be switched to some random place further away. I felt bad for the owners!!

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u/bunnyguts 3h ago

We had one of these but it was in reverse.

We turned up to the dodgiest of all apartment buildings in a scary neighbourhood and they saw my little family with little kids and moved us down the road to the slightly less dodgy, well secured, more central location.

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u/Max_Thunder 1h ago

How do they avoid it being reflected in their reviews?

I usually book Airbnbs when in Caribbeans, many countries have few hotels and most people rent apartments and I prefer vetted hosts over random people on Facebook groups.