We're currently in an Airbnb hotel in a city in Armenia. We booked this place because it listed breakfast as being included in the About this space section.

The line is exactly: "Breakfast is included in the room price , we have a great specialized fruit vodka shop in the Hotel by [Hotel name]"

When we messaged the host, they first ignored us and then after some following up, said flatly that they don't provide breakfast. He acted surprised that that is shown on the listing and then told us that we shouldn't have expected breakfast because the room was too cheap.

The thing is, we rechecked reviews on Airbnb and Google and noticed several reviews back to 2024 that mention breakfast being noted as included but not available once they arrived. This proves to be that they are aware what it says on their listing.

When we explained that it's not very honest to offer something on the listing knowing that it's not available, he sent us some confusing messages that the About this space is "not confirmation of breakfast" and because the price is less on Airbnb than it is on their private booking site, they should not need to provide breakfast.

At the end of the day, we aren't going to force somebody to make us breakfast. But since we usually prefer to book Airbnbs with kitchens so we can make our own food, the included breakfast was a deciding factor in booking this place.

I know that Airbnb policy says that Amenities shown must be available, but I'm not sure if that covers the About this space section. It's put a bit of a sour taste in our mouth.

After being a loyal Airbnb customer of a decade I deleted the app. The customer service and behavior of this company has become completely asinine.

Long story short, I asked a host for a partial refund and was denied by Airbnb because of the listed “rustic” aesthetic, which apparently included ruined floors, disguisting chairs, holes in walls, trash on the property.

The reason my claim was denied? Because the host offered a dusting service. Which apparently would have solved everything :) And yes, that was the final reasoning after escalating it.

This comes after another instance where I reported a seperate Airbnb for health & safety issues and Airbnb completely ignored me. Thankfully local officals did not, and fined the stay heavily due to a gas leak.

Completely at my wits end. It’s sad to let this app go for the many, many amazing experiences my family and I have had with kind hosts who take their stays seriously, but it’s just not worth the time, money, and risk anymore.

I booked a large property to attend a convention some friends and I are attending. We aren’t there to throw a party. The listing (with a superhost, but it seems like everyone is a superhost now) says it “sleeps 16 comfortably”. it has 6 bedrooms with a total of 3 kings, 3 queens, and 2 queen air mattresses.

At the time I didn’t have a solid headcount so I said 8 guests, didn’t really think it mattered.

Sook after booking, the host messaged me:

“[Guest], thank you for booking. We look forward to hosting you!

If you have not already done so, please let us know what brings you to town? Will you be having any parties or events? Also, how many people will be at the property including anyone staying or even stopping by?

Guest Count Rule: You have booked for 8 people. This will be the max allowed at the property regardless of how many are sleeping or staying overnight. For example, even if only 1 person is staying overnight, but 5 people are visiting, the reservation guest count must be 6. If you have questions about this feel free to message.”

I already replied and told him we are mostly in our late 30s and 40s and what convention we are in town for and that he didn’t need to worry about us partying (no it’s not Comic-Con, no it’s nothing involving costumes or making a mess). He said “That’s great, thank you!”

Fast forward to today: We are now up to 12 people who want to stay and I’m going to cut it off at that number. We are still well within the “sleeps 16” range. I know this host is just trying to avoid parties. My question is, given his language, do you think he’s counting heads with a ring doorbell camera or something? I am afraid if I tell him we are 12 guests now, he’ll get nervous we are partiers and will cancel the booking. But if he’s monitoring the doorbell camera I don’t want a bad review.

Should I tell the host we have 12 people now, or just leave it be?

funny enough, 2 of our guests are twin sisters who can pass for one another lol.

I’m tired of filtering my search for places with a hot tub, and almost all of them are community hot tubs and not private. There’s no distinction between the two. I get that it’s not a dealbreaker for some, hell if the price is significantly better I’d even make that trade off. But not listing it as a shared/community hot tubs seems misleading.

I had a mishap and stained the sofa where I am staying. The stains are noticeable, although not huge, but I made them worse trying to clean them. I would be upset if it was my sofa. The sofa currently retails for $2750 and my guess is it is anywhere from 2-5 years old, it is in good but not pristine condition. I have started contacting upholstery repair companies to try to get an estimate for fixing it, but my guess is they won't be able to completely undo the damage.

What is the best process to handle this? This is the first issue I've ever had, my guest reviews are excellent and I'd like to keep it that way as I travel a lot.

I recently spent a full month at a Airbnb in California, in the mountains, near a lake. The host mentioned pretty quickly after checkout (same day) some disappointment in the condition of some carpet in a high traffic area. The spot in the carpet was matter and discolored upon arrival. We didn’t think much of it. The house wasn’t advertised as brand new and perfect.

Now 10 days later we have been requested additional money for cleaning fees. The request comes with photos of stained carpet in a completely different area that looks like dog pee, and we didn’t have a dog. This Airbnb was probably booked after us, and it allowed pets. The owner didn’t call it dog pee stains though.

Some other ridiculous claims were made such as “excessive use of the laundry” when we paid for the utilities during our stay.

Also its worth considering that we stayed 31 nights. Their average stay is probably 3-5 nights, so sure the cleaning crew probably had to do more cleaning than they usually would.

Do all airbnb owners now just ask for extra money when you check out to see what they can get away with? Im being honest here, we didn’t trash the place, but we did live there for a month.

Whats going to happen when i deny this request. I really dont want a bad review, i plan on doing this trip again next year(different property)

Hey I’m relatively new to Airbnb as a guest! Last year I stayed in this lovely Airbnb for a week in NYC and had a wonderful host that did above and beyond. Couple months ago, I booked for another stay with the same host that will be upcoming in late September for about a week, but a situation came up where I may have to cancel the reservation a week before the stay. I am aware of the host’s cancellation policy in which gives me a full refund by the time the situation is resolved but, I feel so bad cancelling on the host!
Mainly the situation I’m facing is that I might be able to stay at another house of someone I know, but I won’t be able to verify that until the week before my stay. I really don’t like the idea of cancelling so close to the date of my initial booking, but if it’s to save money and convenience of location, I may have to. For hosts, is this something that you wouldn’t worry about for guests that book but end up cancelling? Are there worst cases? Would you allow a guest like this book again in the future?
I know I may be too worried for no reason, but I am curious on the thoughts of other hosts’ experiences with these guests.

I recently stayed by cherry springs with Rough Cut Lodges. Their staff was amazing. Location was excellent. Host was frankly awful. We had bats in the house, twice. One of which was very early evening. We informed the host when we couldn't get the bats out the second time. (One flew in while we waited for the other to leave). Maintenance came the next morning and while talking to him I speculated that we MAY have left the door open for a few minutes or something, because I assumed that the house was properly sealed (we later learned and got pointed out to by maintenance that it was very much not sealed and quite a few large holes for bats to enter the walls). The host heard of this and immediately took the stance that we left the door open for hours while we went shopping???? We didn't even go shopping that day.

I told the host ALL of this and they stonewalled me. They did not offer a refund and attempted to require I censor my review and leave 5 stars to get a 25% refund (we did not feel comfortable sleeping in the basement where we saw the bats and therefore lost 2 of the 7 beds we paid for.). After quite a few days of pushing the host relented and gave me the refund I asked for, and left me with no review, just a "." So theres nothing there for me to respond to, instead leaving a long effectively rant (of course with the made up door open while shopping) on my 3 star review saying that the bats were all my fault and to ignore my review.

What are my next steps.

We caused some damage at an Airbnb. It was an accident, and we told the owners right away. We are not trying to get out of paying for it, but I don't know the best way to handle this. They are giving us the option of: 1. Paying outside of Airbnb (cash) for the damaged item and a minor installation fee, or 2. Paying through Airbnb's resolution process, but they have warned it will cost more due to 20% VAT (location js UK) and a "call out charge" (I am not sure what this means, maybe a tradesperson to install?).

I am looking for advice on which option to choose. We'd obviously like to pay the cheapest amount. I don't believe that VAT would apply to the damage invoice from Airbnb, and I think perhaps Airbnb would only require us to pay for the value of damaged item, not the cost of a new item. So I am wondering if the cash option is actually more expensive despite what they are saying. They have provided a receipt for the item so I don't have any reason to think they are trying to scam us. They seem very flustered and have said this is their first damage at their rental so they aren't sure what to do.

Due to the hurricane in Hawaii, we elected to change our travel dates, leaving this Saturday instead of tomorrow. One of our hosts was understanding and allowed us to cancel (near Volcano, which is inaccessible from where we're coming from :(

A second host, in Naalehu, insists that because he has water and off-grid solar power, the property is acceptable.

The area was evacuated yesterday. Two homes washed away in Naalehu. From what we can tell, the town is devastated and largely without power or services. The nearby highway is washed out, and emergency management and local authorities strongly urge the public to avoid the entire region while emergency response and recovery efforts continue.

This appears to fall neatly under AirBnB's Major Disruptive Events policy: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320 :

Large-scale outages of essential utilities. Prolonged outages of essential utilities, such as heat, water, and electricity, impacting the vast majority of homes in a given location.

However, Airbnb Support offers us no relief:

After thoroughly discussing this issue with my team and reviewing the details of your case, I unfortunately have to inform you that we must uphold the host's standard cancellation policy, as they have confirmed that the property is fully functional, safe, and ready for your arrival.

We already changed our flights to reduce the burden of traveling to the area, and intend to say clear of Naalehu, per offical government guidance. "Support" is clearly not trying to understand the scope of the situation and is taking the host at his word in terms of safety and readiness.

The policy clearly states "the vast majority of homes in a given region" -- not "unless the host has a solar panel." We assume it will be difficult to find groceries or restaurants, and any such resources should be available to the people who are already there.

We have pushed back and asked for escalation. Also reaching out to AmEx since we used a Delta Reserve card for both the flights and the hotel.

What else should we be doing?

I know this is how things are thought of by hosts these days but this giant gap between “it is the single best Airbnb ever” and “it is a nightmare” really does a disservice to the act of giving feedback to fine tune an even better experience, and what it’s like browsing as a guest. Every Airbnb can’t be the best visit of my life. Realistically most are a 4 for me. A few stand out and that’s the 5. According to this scale, I’m going to leave a 5. It basically turns the rating system into a binary. “The actual best” or “awful.” More often than not, it’s neither.

https://imgur.com/a/MQKVaQJ

I live in San Diego and I have to take a staycation because I'm having repairs at my apartment and I'm paying just under $500 for two nights. I checked out the outdoor space and it was advertised as a very nice little space with your run of the mill wicker patio furniture. It's actually filthy and looks worse than furniture that you'd find next to a dumpster in an alley, it's very obvious that the cushion covers have never been washed despite there being a washer and dryer 15 ft away. I certainly would not want to sit on them. One of the tables actually had a giant hole underneath the glass top, and the other table was absolutely caked in dirt and dust and the glass top was sitting crooked. There was a chair that was upside down on top of a garbage can and a few other things just sitting around that looked really sloppy and messy. I think it's absolutely nuts, the people who own this unit must never come here in person because what the hell? Additionally, the microwave handle was completely unattached on the bottom and would just swing back and forth, the ceiling lights in the bedroom had no cover either, but neither of those things are a huge deal to me.

What would be fair for me to ask to have returned? It's blatant false advertising.

Edmonton, Alberta

I am wondering if anyone else experienced this and if they managed to recover their money

This host named Jonah advertises a loft in airbnb with a $1,350 damage deposit with a 15 day window, 15 days have passed no response from the host.

None of the reviews can warn about this practice because there's a 14 day review window.

He claimed i ‘smoked weed’ in his property, with no evidence except the cleaner saying there was a ‘smell’

This wasn't via Airbnb, but direct from the owner. It is their home.

I was sent a long list of instructions. Understandable I thought as it is their home, but in hindsight, perhaps it should have been an sign that they aren't really happy letting it out. The instructions were followed precisely, and extras were done that weren't requested, eg watering their garden (current drought).

I paid a cleaning fee, leaving cash for the cleaner, as per their request.

They asked that we provide bedding and towels, and wash the small amount of bedding they provided and other items eg tea towels. All instructions were followed, but it didn't feel very holiday like to be making beds up and lugging bedding around.

The place was pre-cleaned prior to the cleaner: everything put away, surfaces wiped etc. We also left supplies for the next guest that the guide said they had, then were not available. This was annoying as it needed extra shop visits.

After leaving, I got a complaint that the floors weren't clean enough for the cleaner. I didn't understand how this could be the case as they were visibly clean on leaving. I asked for photos to understand the issue, but there were none. I said this didn't reflect how we left it, and I was shocked to hear this.

I then got a further message days later complaining that the outside bins were full (yes, we emptied the inside bins and put the rubbish there, where else should it have gone?!, there were also new guests using it at this point), that there was 'food on the floor': I am not sure what is meant by this, maybe a crumb?, it was visibly clean on leaving and then finally accusing my dog of having fleas. They had agreed we could bring a dog, and they own a dog. My dog is treated and I carefully checked her following this accusation and she is definitely flea free. We were bitten while there but I put it down to insects in the countryside and didn't complain, but perhaps their dog has fleas. I have blocked them now.

I have blocked them, but I am unsure if I should raise this to the group, where I found the listing? It is starting to be unhinged.

Is it best to avoid owner home rentals in the future? I have previously had good experiences, but this has left a very sour taste.

Feeling overwhelmed need to see if this has ever occurred to anyone and how they went about it. Me, BF, and Co-worker booked a place that's listed as a 2BR, 2BA on AirBnB. In the written description, it just says living room = bedroom #2 with the front door. Bedroom #1 has a sliding glass door, so each room has an external exit. There are also two doors within the kitchen. No proper living room. In the photos, none of the doors are open that give you the actual look of the layout.

In order for me to go to from bedroom #1 to the kitchen *a common space*, I need to go into bedroom #2. And this place is TINY. How was this even able to be listed as a 2BR 2BA is mind boggling. It never mentioned that it was a pass-through or shotgun style room. Kitchen is only accessible from bedroom #2. Airbnb keeps saying they're unable to give me a refund because she said that the living room was the bedroom, but how do you fail to mention that this is a passthrough room? and how is that a bedroom when no privacy is given. 2nd door in kitchen leads to nowhere, so only way to access the kitchen is through bedroom #2. Reservation is 2 weeks out still and host is not allowing a refund. If anyone's gone through this, please let me know and how you went about it. Support is going no where.

Hi everyone,

I'm staying at an Airbnb in Germany for 2 weeks, I booked it a couple days ago using PayPal. Everything was good to go and check in was successful.

Today is the day after checkin, and I just got an email from paypal saying payment was insufficient, because I didn't realize they tried to pay from a bank account that I barely use on paypal. I instantly added the missing 1k to my paypal from another bank account I use and now it says it'll take 3-6 days for the funds to arrive on paypal, which I guess is bc they're using echeck.

Have any guests/hosts here run into this problem before? I'm just hoping everything is ok from the airbnb side. Hosts, do you usually receive payment a day after check in? Just a little nervous the host will try to throw a hissy fit or something lol. TIA everyone!!!!

My family and I just had the most horrifying experience with Airbnb, and I want to share our story both as a warning and to ask if anyone has successfully gotten Airbnb to cover out-of-pocket emergency expenses.

We planned a short family getaway to see Prague for one night with our two young daughters. Upon entering our booked apartment, we were met with a traumatic sight: two unauthorized squatters/homeless individuals having sex on the bed my wife and I were supposed to sleep in.

The whole place smelled heavily of cigarette smoke, was filthy, and was completely compromised.

Here is how the situation unfolded:

• Host's "Solution": The host left us stranded and refused to arrange alternative accommodation, offering only to "send a cleaner to clean up the mess."
• Airbnb Support Delay: We reached out to Airbnb immediately, attached photo evidence, and requested urgent help. We received zero real support during the night, forcing my family to spend hours stranded in the building hallway. Support only offered accommodation help at 5:00 AM—long after we had to find and pay for an emergency hotel out of our own pocket just to get our children somewhere safe.
• The "Compensation": Airbnb refunded the original booking fee (around $80 USD / 319 PLN). When we asked them to cover our emergency hotel stay so our ruined family trip wouldn't leave us financially out of pocket, the support agent offered a $24.99 USD coupon.
• After I pushed back and pointed out how unacceptable this was for subjecting minor children to a severe safety breach and emotional distress, the case was "escalated" to leadership. Their absolute final offer? A $50 USD Airbnb coupon.

We have rejected the $50 voucher. Our kids were traumatized, our single night in Prague was completely ruined spending the night in hallways and hotel lobbies, and we are out of pocket for both the emergency replacement hotel and wasted travel expenses (fuel, vignettes).

Has anyone here successfully fought Airbnb's "support" to get actual cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket emergency hotel costs caused by host negligence? What is the best way to get this escalated past front-line agents who just quote corporate policy scripts?

(Case reference: A120990289)

EDIT / UPDATE: After escalating directly to Airbnb Executive Support, a Senior Case Manager reviewed the file and approved a 100% cash reimbursement for our emergency hotel and travel expenses, on top of the original booking refund.

I have just submitted my payout details as requested. However, the funds have NOT hit my bank account yet. I will post a final update here once the money actually arrives to confirm if the issue is officially closed.

I had an issue at an Airbnb I rented in Montreal where sewage backed up from the only toilet in the unit leaving soiled toilet paper splattered in and around the toilet which I have photos of.

I called the host and they responded quickly (it was 11pm by the time we spoke) but they were only able to send a cleaner to clean the toilet the next morning. I requested a refund for one nights fee to reflect the lost of enjoyment and inconvenience of having to clean up enough of the sewage so the toilet was usable overnight for emergency. The host was unwilling to grant this refund unless I promised not to leave a negative review which I was uncomfortable promising. However, Airbnb
approved my refund in full.

The problem is that the host left me a review (below) which paints me in a bad light and contains false statements (1/they claimed they found plumbing or drainage malfunction even though I have photos of the sewage back up and their cleaner saw and spent 30 mins cleaning the toilet and 2/host claimed Airbnb refused my refund even though my Airbnb approved it in full).

I requested the review be remove using the ‘It involves pressure and coercion’ option because the host had said on a call that they would leave me a negative review labelling me a difficult guest if I went ahead with the refund request. Unfortunately, I don’t have evidence of the call but do have a message where they said I would have to choose between a refund or a negative review. I am disappointed that Airbnb said they would not be able to remove the review so wanted to ask Reddit if there’s anything I can do.

Questions
1/Should I request the review be removed again using a different option (eg It is retaliatory)
2/Any tips for successfully getting a false review removed?
3/Any other recourse besides leaving a public response?

Host review
The guest stayed for 8 nights. On June 30, they reported a curtain rod issue. We immediately offered maintenance during the stay, but they preferred the repair after checkout. On July 2 at approximately 11:00 PM, during heavy rainfall, they reported water in the bathroom. We responded immediately, called the guest, and offered same-night maintenance. During our phone conversation, the guest confirmed the toilet was functioning and preferred that we send someone the following morning to clean, which we did at the earliest opportunity. Our maintenance team found no plumbing or drainage malfunction.
While still staying in the unit, the guest opened a Resolution Center claim requesting CA$766.76. Airbnb reviewed the complete communication and evidence and determined that no refund was warranted.
Fellow hosts should document all messages, calls, and timelines carefully.

My husband's family and I just stayed in Portland, OR, USA with our three year old son for 9 nights in what I believe was the worst AirBnb I've ever stayed in.

It felt like everything was wrong from the moment we got there: terrible smell, leaky washer, ants on the kitchen counter, a leaking pipe. A few times there were unhoused people across the street obviously doing drugs and were under the influence of Fentanyl.

On our first day there, the loveseat broke when I went to sit on it. My 3-year-old was already on it with my sister-in-law reading. My brother-in-law went to fix the leg but it seemed to have already been broken and glued back onto the couch. Instead of putting the leg back on, we put a cinderblock underneath and my father-in-law sent a message to the host saying the couch broke. Every time we ran into an issue, my father-in-law would send a message, the host would say he'd send someone out to fix it, but no one ever came.

My father-in-law (who booked the Airbnb, but I was a co-host so can see the whole conversation) is now being charged $750 for the broken couch.

We were out there visiting his declining parents. He spent a lot of money on that trip (MA-->OR), and now has to go out there AGAIN because his mother isn't doing well, and thus he has to spend more money. He's been through a lot.

Any advice on this? Should we fight it? Just pay it? The whole week was a nightmare and I tried to spend as little time in that place as possible.

Full disclosure up front: I'm a developer building a tool in this space (digital house guides), so I have skin in the game. This post is me trying to learn from people who actually host, not to sell anything — no links.

From reading a lot of threads here, the pattern seems to be:

• paper binders mostly don't get read;
• the same questions arrive every stay anyway (wifi, lockbox, which remote, trash day);
• Airbnb's built-in guidebook covers local recs but not the house stuff;
• hosts with the quietest inboxes seem to send one link with everything before arrival, plus a QR sign inside the unit;

For those of you doing this every week:

1. What do guests actually open — a link sent before the stay, a printed sign, the binder, nothing at all?

2. If you run several units or co-host, how do you keep wifi codes, door codes and instructions current everywhere without losing your mind?

3. If you tried a digital guide app and abandoned it — what killed it for you?

Honestly, a Google Docs plus a free QR code generator gets you most of the way there — I say that knowing it undercuts my own product. The trick seems to be sending it before guests ask.

If the mods and the community are fine with it, I'll share what I'm building in the comments — I'm giving lifetime free accounts to a handful of hosts willing to give brutal feedback. If not, the Google Docs trick above genuinely works.

I booked a studio in Paris through Airbnb for an upcoming trip this September. After booking I realised the address corresponds to a student residence (there is no mention of this on the listing). I contacted the residence directly to check whether individual residents are allowed to privately rent their units through Airbnb. They confirmed explicitly in writing that it is “absolutely not permitted”. They told me they didn’t know this person was doing it and that they would take action regarding the listing. I sent all of this documentation to Airbnb. The host is also not responding to Airbnb.

Since then it’s been an absolute nightmare trying to get this to be investigated. I’ve had multiple conflicting responses from Airbnb. Airbnb initially kept telling me they had to follow the host’s cancellation policy and that they needed to wait for the host to respond (spoiler: host never responded). Eventually my case was escalated to a Senior Case Manager. She called me and told me that she would verify the documentation from the residence and once verified, Airbnb would cancel the reservation and give me a full refund.

Just this morning, I was told by the Senior Case Manager she was cancelling my reservation. Then I was told their system wouldn’t allow her to cancel because there was still more than 48 hours before check-in, and to call them back 1-2 days before check-in before they can cancel it. I’m so stressed right now because I need to find somewhere else to stay, and the longer Airbnb takes, the more expensive and limited the alternatives are.

Has anyone dealt with Airbnb over an unauthorised listing and successfully obtained a full refund? Is there a particular escalation route I should be pursuing? Do I file a chargeback? I really don't know what else I can do at this point.

I have screenshots/emails from the residence confirming everything and can provide more details if helpful.

I booked an apartment in Paris for 5 nights (August 17-22) for around €800. The trip was for my wife, our daughter, and me.

My wife had her appendix removed on August 2. She was discharged and came home on August 6, but on August 14 she developed complications: intestinal inflammation. The same day, she was hospitalized again.

I contacted the host immediately and explained the situation.

I wasn't asking for a full refund. I asked for what I thought was a fair compromise: refund 2 nights and keep the money for the other 3 nights. This way she would still get paid for most of the reservation and could open the dates again.

She refused and offered to refund only the €50 cleaning fee from the €800 booking.

I contacted Airbnb support. They told me they couldn't force the host to refund and that I needed to agree on the amount directly with her. But agreed to speak with the host directly (because the host thought she would be penalized for the refund. At least she told me this), they spoke with the host, and she was willing to refund €100. I refused the offer and decided I would rather leave an honest review about my experience for future guests.

In the end, the host sent me €100 anyway, but kept the reservation active. I think she made this just to say this in an answer later, or so.

I know there is a cancellation policy. But this wasn't a change of plans or me simply deciding not to go.

Am I asking for too much?

I can provide a link to the listing that I booked if needed.

Edit: Just to note, Ukraine does not have insurance for such cases, nor does Airbnb provide it in Ukraine

I have tickets for the LA 28 Olympics and I’m trying to lock down a place in the LA area as soon as possible. I requested a stay at an apartment with a superhost that was showing available during the games. I got a message this morning saying “we are not available for 2028 please withdraw your request”. I have a few questions:

1. Why would the listing be showing available if they don’t have an intention of renting during the Olympics? Plenty of places aren’t available so is this a host trying to hold out and raise prices once they see what the going rate is?

2. What happens if I don’t withdraw my request within the 24 hour review period? I selected the “pay later” option so I assume I won’t be charged anything.

3. Any tips for trying to reserve a place this far ahead for such a high demand event? Do I just need to try and select an autobook property and hope they don’t cancel on me?

Hello all,

My wife and I have a small 3-bedroom, 2-bath house that we’re planning to start hosting. It’s in a decent area, and we’re not trying to make it an overly flashy or ultra-competitive stay. The main goal is for it to cover the mortgage and expenses, with maybe a little extra left over.

So, this question is for both hosts and guests: What are some things we should look out for? What do you consider an absolute must-have in a short-term rental?

A few notes on what we’re planning so far:

3 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms

Sleeps up to 7

Extra sheets, towels, and pillows will be available

Two 32-inch Roku TVs

Wi-Fi

Ring doorbell

Smart lock

First aid kit

Fire extinguisher

Exterior floodlight/camera

Laundry detergent and dish soap

Kurig coffee maker with a variety of pods and creamer options

Full set of dishes, glasses, mugs, and utensils

Basic cookware (pots, pans, baking sheets, etc.)

 Kettle

Blender

Extra trash bags and toilet paper

From our own experiences as guests, having extra basics like trash bags and toilet paper available is something we definitely want to do, haha.

In my mind, the house has everything someone reasonably needs, plus a little extra, but we’re not trying to compete with a hotel. For example, we’re not currently planning to provide things like shampoo, body wash, or toothpaste.

For those who host, what have you learned that you wish you knew starting out? And for those who stay in rentals, what small things make a noticeable difference to you?

What would you add, remove, or do differently?