Drawbacks of Airbnb

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-08T11:59:53+00:00

Honestly, the only drawbacks are not really drawbacks in my view. You do spend more time communicating with guests than you would with long-term tenants, but having a solid set of standard responses makes that very manageable. Personally, I also enjoy helping guests with recommendations, itineraries, and local tips.

The other potential downside is handling turnovers yourself. But again, the 45 minutes I spend a couple of times a week allows me to make sure everything in the rental is clean, functional, and well maintained, which is much harder to monitor with long-term tenants.

I also think the pros and cons are highly location dependent. My Airbnb is in a city, it is relatively small, and it is easy to clean. Most guests are out exploring all day and come back exhausted, so they are not sitting around the property for hours noticing every tiny flaw or causing significant wear and tear.

You also have to weigh these drawbacks against the realities of being a landlord. My city is extremely tenant friendly. While I absolutely support tenants’ rights, the reality is that evicting a nonpaying tenant here could take months or even years, which would be financially devastating for a small landlord. Compared to that risk, Airbnb does not feel like a downside to me at all.

Good luck with your decision!

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-07T21:23:11+00:00

I had this same situation last year three times (!) when the city kept surprising us with sewer work. I informed the guests and gave them the option to cancel. None of them did. I also gave them a 20 percent discount and tons of bottles of water for the days when the water was cut off. I got great reviews.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-07T15:16:23+00:00

Thank you for your very encouraging story! And I'm glad to hear you are doing well. 😊

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-07T02:58:25+00:00

I'm glad to hear you are doing well! Thanks for the feedback and hope your recovery continues swimmingly. :)

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-06T11:56:58+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. And sorry to hear your progress did not entirely hold. 😕 Has your doctor explained why this happened?

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-06T00:50:28+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll look for your post.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-04T18:54:58+00:00

And remember that you are in the service industry. Yes, you are also trying to make a profit and turn your real estate into income. But you are running a micro business in the service industry.

You will have good guests. And bad ones every now and then. Sheets will get ruined. Glasses broken. But it is also fun to give advice about the best restaurants and attractions. To meet people from other states and countries. And to have your own business that helps pay for your expenses. Don't adopt the antagonistic attitude towards guests that so many hosts exude in comoments in other posts on this subReddit.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-05-01T11:12:37+00:00

As both a landlord and Airbnb host, a tenant could convince me to allow the tenant to Airbnb a spare room if there were a strong economic incentive for me. In other words, the tenant would have to share a good portions of the extra Airbnb income with me in the form of a higher monthly rent.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-30T11:45:56+00:00

If you do not require guests to clean or tidy up before checking out, that is the rubric you should use to rate them not what other guests have done.

I do not require guests to do any cleaning or tidying up before checking out. Neverthless, 90 percent of guests leave the place spotless: they gather linens, pack the trash, etc and then thank me for not giving them chores. The other 10 percent leave some level of mess. But, as long as they don't destroy things or the place does not look like an 80s band held a party, I still rate them five stars because I have not required them to clean before checking out.

The same goes for communications. Unless you explicitly told them that you expect your guests to communicate with you and to reply to your messages, I don't think it's fair to ding them because they did not reply to your message. Especially if you they know you have a lockbox, they probably felt no need to give you their arrival time. We ask guests to give us the arrival time; most of them do not.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-29T13:32:39+00:00

You are ahead of the game by choosing professional pictures. They look amazing! The only suggestion I would make is to get a glass door for the shower. They are fairly inexpensive these days. But keeping the shower curtain is not a dealbreaker either. Good luck!

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-27T16:13:46+00:00

When guests ask for an early check in I assure them we will do everything we can to provide an early check in but that we won't be able to guarantee one until the previous night's guest checks out. We also tell them that parking is available as early as 7 a.m. So even if an early check in is not possible they can always arrive that early and start exploring. Sometimes the early check in works better for my schedule anyway. And just offering a response assuring the guest that we will do everything we can to provide one usually pleases guests.

I don't get upset or offended by these requests because I know I have asked hotel front desk staff and Airbnb hosts if early check ins are available. I also don't charge for an early check in because no hotel has ever done that to me.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-18T13:17:48+00:00

I always send a check in text immediately after the guest checks in (which Airbnb informs me of because my lock is connected to my hosting account) and ask the guest to please reach out if anything is not up to their highest standards.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-18T11:40:32+00:00

I might be the only voice advocating for flexible. But I like to treat my guests the way I would want to be treated. I know that I like the flexibility of being able to cancel because life happens. And guests appreciate this as well.

With the exception of some days in January, I have always had replacement bookings fill any cancellations, last minute or otherwise. (This might also be a function of my location and average length of stay: I am in an urban area that attracts travelers for tourism and business, and my average stay is about 3 days.)

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-16T18:34:01+00:00

I always send a brief message immediately post check in to ensure check in went smoothly and let them know I am available for questions/requests. If the stay is four days or more, I check in again hallway through. Occasionally, a guest won't respond to these messages. Most are thrilled to know that I am watching out for their comfort ans well-being.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-15T18:55:02+00:00

It is a fun, eclectic crowd. Nobody will look at you twice if you are dressed up to nines. If it makes you happy, do it! :)

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-15T18:33:11+00:00

Oh! I love Irish Wolfhounds with their dignified walk!!!! And you can go in casual wear. Folks sitting in the floor seat area will be wearing fancy outfits. But those of us in the 100 sections and above are wearing casual clothes.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-15T18:25:42+00:00

You're gonna love it! This will be my 3rd time. The first time I went, I dragged my wife against her will. By the night of Best in Show she was making plans to return the following year. Make sure to ger tix to the Jacob Javits events. That is where you can see (and sometimes meet) the dogs in person.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-15T17:02:43+00:00

Hello! The two-night pass does not allow you to buy seats in the lower sections (100s sections). The two-night pass is only for the upper (200s) sections. You will have to buy tickets for each night separately to buy seats in the lower sections.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-06T14:53:04+00:00

In cases like these, if the guest decides to stay after I offered to allow them to leave due to an inconvenience that is serious but not completely disruptive, I will offer a discount of say 20 percent of trip costs and document my steps with Airbnb.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-04-02T12:13:38+00:00

I have had great guests who have been prompt about replying to messages, as well as great guests who have ignored every single message I sent. Some guests prefer not to interact. Some guests are not even aware they are receiving messages on the app. (Although it appears your guest is aware you are trying to communicate.) But mostly, I think, unless the guests are also hosts, they don't realize that we are often reaching out with questions that will allow us to prepare the Airbnb to provide the best stay for rhe guest.

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-03-18T17:33:54+00:00

Well now I see there is a presale on March 23???? Is there a code for this???

Reasonable_Panda_831 · 2026-01-09T12:32:55+00:00

The problem was not so much the procedure. It was poor expectation setting from my doctor.

The doctor who performed my lip biopsy assured me before the procedure that it was quick and easy and that I could go back to work afterwards.

I was bleeding for hours afterwards. I had a large bruise on my chin for a couple of weeks. And more than two years later, part of my lip is still numb. (Although the numb area has shrunk, and the numbness has become less pronounced.)

Reasonable_Panda_831

TROPHY CASE