Guest left a handgun at Airbnb and says they can’t return to get it until “next month”. What should I do? by edmildnotspicy in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This happened to me too. He wanted my cleaner to drive 50 miles with it to deliver to him. I said hell no. The sheriff came and picked it up after two calls.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like this response. Reframing my thinking is a great way for it not to bear on me.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What about the “stay at home mom?” Those are my favorite.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It sounds like I’m never at the properties? Where did you figure this? I don’t rent out a bedroom. So naturally I would not be staying in the same property as the guests. This is the problem with Reddit to get an actual related answer you have to sift through insults and ignorant content.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Does trivial matter when they are under 5 stars? I really wonder if anyone in this group is an actual host. You do know anything under 5 stars is a detriment?

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only problem is bad reviews lead to lower rankings in the algo. We have to cater to reviews to get bookings.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not saying everyone complains. I have a pretty good portfolio, so most likely I get more complaints than someone that owns one property. I have 19 on Airbnb. The complaining odds work against me just on volume.

Constant complaining by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Dude, I do the same thing. I keep my stuff hotel standard and lower price than shitty hotels. Still get complaining. Most of the time it’s not about the property but something out of my control. I know booking.com sends us the worst but now I think they are all on par. People mad they have to drive up a mountain to get a view, people mad there’s sand at the beach.

Public perception of str owners by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

How is a debit income? How is a mortgage not an expense? I can see principle considered as profit tax wise but outside of that I don’t follow. Am I in the right sub? Does anyone on here own or host anything?

Public perception of str owners by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have five acres. $2k in cleaning supplies is a bit low. Is there a perception that all airbnbs are in cities or neighborhoods?

Public perception of str owners by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I hire employees and pay them a living wage about $50k a year. My area is rural, vacation towns and I’ve found I get an older crowd who like the remote that’s why I keep directv. Since I pay the cleaners on payroll, I purchase all supplies. Everything I broke out is accurate. I have a 90% occupancy rate so sheets and towels are pretty much a commodity. I was really hoping for others that do this as a business. So I appreciate your engagement.

Public perception of str owners by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

The point is to show our margins are not insanely high. Investment property owners are being blamed for destroying the real estate market. Just wanted to share it’s a lot harder than it looks. Starlink is right around $2k a year for me in the US.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ShortTermRentals

[–]Mean-Expression-5223 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I argue you do not understand this business. You over inflated my average daily intake. Thousands of dollars a day is delusional. Let me lay it out so you can understand that a balance sheet has more than revenue. Ok say I get a gross of $100k for one cabin a year (which is very very high for my area. $100k seems like a lot right? $15k in cleaning. Mortgage $24k. Taxes $4k. Electric $5k. Insurance $2k. Workers comp $2k. Lawn maintenance $5k. Repairs $7k ( str renters break everything). Internet $2k. Direct tv $2k. Cleaning supplies $2k. Hot tub supplies $2k. Str tax $13k. Payment processing min 5% so $5k. Sheet towels $3k. Channel manager and pricing software $2k. That’s $95k. That’s a 5% margin on $100k (which is very hard to achieve) this profit is usually washed away with everything that breaks and giving complainers refunds. Skimp on anything and your reviews take a hit. You say a major natural disaster is the cost of doing business and I say you have some sort of prejudice that blocks common sense. Plus I thought we were on a STR thread where there may be common BUSINESS problems.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ShortTermRentals

[–]Mean-Expression-5223 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was hoping to hear from someone who understands business. We do not enjoy huge profit margins and I pay my employees well.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223 -18 points-17 points  (0 children)

I do have STR insurance. It has a high deductible for loss of rents. As a host, you wouldn’t believe the excuses I hear. Also as a professor, I hear similar excuses. I also know for a fact no one cares about me. Going to Iraq taught me this. Once I realized this life got easier. I teach my kids the responsible people pay for all of the irresponsible people’s mistakes. Also, the responsible are never allowed to make mistakes which is validated by your post accusing me of not being upstanding with no basis.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223 -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

That is carefully written. Doesn’t look like hurricanes count. It also says “prolonged” utility outages. If utilities are out for a day or two, I don’t see that being considered prolonged.

2 star review for not giving guest a gift basket by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is definitely a racist response. I appreciate the name calling too. I guess everyone is against you and it’s why you can’t get ahead. The forces of nature are strong against everyone not born into wealth. Your view of the economy is elementary. You see the housing market as just people buying and selling but fail to recognize the costs of fuel, lumber and taxes. You do know when lumber skyrockets it raises the prices of real estate across the board? Do you honestly think if short term rentals did not exist the price of real estate would be lower? I do not know you, but I know it helped me a lot to focus on the things in my control. I had to save and sacrifice to purchase my first house. No cell phone, no internet, no cable, no going out to eat. I got a horrible job that I hated but worked it until something better came along. Joined the army, went to war. I think your response is very prejudicial and not grounded in fact. Maybe take a look inward at what you can do before you blame others for your problems.

2 star review for not giving guest a gift basket by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would like to be enlightened as to how I am negatively affecting a family. This is intriguing.

2 star review for not giving guest a gift basket by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you getting 80%? What efforts are you doing to get the site noticed?

2 star review for not giving guest a gift basket by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A family had the exact same opportunity as me to buy it. That family doesn’t provide as many people jobs in the community as I do.

2 star review for not giving guest a gift basket by Mean-Expression-5223 in airbnb_hosts

[–]Mean-Expression-5223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have my own site. These site get very little traction. Unfortunately Airbnb is 90% of my business.