For many travelers, Airbnb was once a beloved alternative to hostels and hotels. Staying in an actual home or apartment can be so much cozier than a generic hotel room, and it can allow visitors a more authentic experience in a city. But some Airbnb hosts have let the power of this trend go to their heads, and over the years they've began implementing excessive rules, over the top upcharges and exorbitant cleaning fees.
One TikToker has recently called out his money-hungry host online, breaking down the massive list of rules she sent him, so keep reading to learn all about this nightmare Airbnb experience and find an interview between the guest and Bored Panda.
TikTokers have been discussing how the era of Airbnb popularity might be coming to an end
We are in an era right now where hotels are making a comeback and Airbnbs are starting to flop.
Image credits: doveslayer89
So one man joined the conversation by detailing his recent horror story with a host
Image credits: doveslayer89
"And not all of them are that nice. Some of them are crazy hosts, like this particular lady who sent me a DM two weeks before my check-in with all of her extra rules and extra charges."
"On her extra rules it was $50 a minute for late checkout. Mind you, she had it listed for $25 an hour. Airbnb did reach out to her and she did say it was $50 a minute. If you had guests or visitors come, say you have a friend come over, you know you're hanging out, she's going to charge you $50 per guest. If you wear your shoes or sandals in her house - it's $50 per guest per day. If you wear your shoes in her house - she's gonna charge you $50. When I went, I was going with eleven people. That had been 550 bucks and we went for two days. That would have been $1100. Just for wearing shoes in the house.
Again, she had a 3 beer maximum. If you drink 3 beers, every additional beer over the three was $20 a bottle. So if you drink a 6 pack, she's going to charge you an extra 60 bucks for that six pack.
Another one, if you lost your remote control, she was going to charge you 100 bucks. If you lost one of her cooking utensils, it was 50. Or a knife - it was $500. So if you lost silverware, dining set, cooking utensils - $50 per item. I could have probably bought her a whole brand new knife set and utensil set for 50 bucks, let alone $500 for a knife."
She sent the guest an incredibly long list of house rules and upcharges as the date of his booking approached
Image credits: thelivephotos (not the actual photo)
"And these are just some of the charges she had. She had other ones, like if you have more than two bags of trash, she was going to charge you $2000 for that trash. If for any reason you broke a TV, it was $5000. Mind you, the TV she had was maybe $600 at most at Sam's. Not saying I was gonna go in and break it, but to know she's going to charge someone $5000 for a broken TV?
Not all are as nice as this one lady who provides drinks and beverages for her guests, some are just crazy and just trying to make a quick buck and charge you for any and everything under the sun. I understand cleaning fees. I understand noise fees. But $1000 for a noise complaint each time? Oh my gosh, somebody ought to be in trouble. So just make sure you read the house rules and you don't let someone do this to you. They send you this two weeks before on Airbnb DMs and try to get you. I was lucky enough to contact Airbnb. They contacted her. I was able to cancel my full stay and get a full refund for this stay."
You can see the full video breaking down the rules he received right here
Some viewers were skeptical of the situation, so the guest later shared another video showing the exact listing
Image credits: doveslayer89
Chances are, you’ve heard of Airbnb. In fact, it’s pretty likely that you’ve used the booking service. But depending on the experiences you’ve had staying in Airbnbs, you might love or hate the platform. Airbnb’s been around since 2007, and there are currently 6.6 million active listings on the site. There are over 4 million hosts around the world, and you can find an Airbnb to stay in in over 220 countries and regions. In theory, Airbnb is a lovely, cozy alternative to staying in a sterile and bland hotel room. Sometimes, it’s even less expensive, as you’re paying an individual host rather than a large corporate hotel. However, over the years, Airbnb has become notorious for having greedy hosts and exorbitant fees.
The advertised prices on the site don’t usually mean much because there are always additional taxes, cleaning fees, upcharges for more individuals staying in the same space, etc. That studio that’s listed as $75 a night can easily turn into a $300 stay for two evenings. Guests must agree to their hosts’ rules, which often include doing some of the cleaning before checking out, bringing their own sheets and towels, and taking care of any trash and recycling they accumulated during their stay. Airbnbs were once the trendiest way to travel, but nowadays, especially with content like this video circulating the internet, many people are reverting back to traditional hotels.
Image credits: wikipedia.or (not the actual photo)
To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the guest, James, on TikTok, and he was kind enough to have a chat with us. First, we wanted to know what James’ previous experiences with Airbnb had been like. “I have never had an issue with Airbnb before or an issue with rules like this,” he told Bored Panda, going on to note that he alternates between staying in Airbnbs and hotels, depending on which is priced more reasonably. “This particular time, I was going out of town with family, and we needed a large house to hold 11,” James added.
We were also curious if James managed to book another place in time for this stay, after canceling his Airbnb. “Due to the time restriction and having a large party, I ended up having to move to a different platform,” he told Bored Panda, explaining that he booked a VRBO “which had its own headaches with a double booking.”
Next, we wanted to know what would make for a pleasant Airbnb stay, in James’ opinion. “A reasonable stay is making the guest feel like they are at home or a friend's house,” he shared. “I never travel and plan to destroy property. I normally go just to have somewhere to sleep and feel safe. I do like how some provide coffee and small snacks,” James added. “But to send me a DM of house rules and charges 2 weeks before I arrive is kind of outrageous.”
“[The rules] should have been listed at first,” he continued. “This lady was just all over the place. $50/min for late check out, but it was listed for $25/hr. Her shoe policy would have cost me $1,100 for 2 days, and we had to wear her slippers. I don’t know about you, but I do not like to wear other people's shoes. The trash was 2 free bags; anything more was $2,000 a bag. [She also] put a max on how much you could drink and to charge for more than the 3 beer limit per bottle.”
Image credits: Andrea Davis (not the actual photo)
“My girlfriend even stated she had to have cameras in the house. Plus, in one of the photos you can see a camera inside,” James added, noting that the 56th photo of 135 shows a camera that is not plugged in and photo 49 features what appears to be an Echo. “The listing did state she had 6 outdoor cameras. Nothing was listed for inside.”
But this experience with an unreasonable host did not turn ruin Airbnb for James forever. “I am very careful and tend to read all the rules and regulations before I book,” he told Bored Panda, noting that he has another trip planned in May to stay in an Airbnb in Houston. “I know yesterday she updated her prices (I have a video I’ll post later), and as of this morning, she removed all of the prices,” James added, reiterating that he would have never booked this stay if these rules had been clearly listed from the beginning.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments, pandas. Do you enjoy staying in Airbnbs when you travel, or are you a loyal hotel-booker? Let us know what you think, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing why Airbnbs aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, we recommend reading this story next.
Viewers have called out the host for her unreasonable rules, with some noting that they've had enough of Airbnb
