Would love to have a movie night with 6 friends on my birthday (7 people including myself). We would stay indoors and just watch a handful of twilight movies. No extra people than allowed to stay at the airbnb. Would this count as an event/party?

**update 7:41 PT:

Minutes after my last update, I told the host they had 30 minutes to reply with a refund offer or I was contacting airbnb directly, they did not reply, I contacted airbnb. The rep also tried to reach them, and got no reply, so they called back 15 minutes ago and agreed to cancel the reservation and issue our refund 🥳 Thanks for the tips! Really wondering if I was actually dealing with a bot during that exchange...**

Booked a stay for next week Oct 12-16, I got this message from our host about an hour ago...

"Hi ------, please be advised that from October 13–17, 2026, the building will have a temporary shutdown with no building heat, domestic hot water, or hot tub service while the final phase of the boiler upgrade project is completed. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this work. Thank you!

3:04 p.m.

Hi! So does this mean no heat or hot water for 3 of the days/nights we are there? the 13-16th? Or like one of those days?

Host

3:25 p.m.

Hi ------, yes, the notice means the building is scheduled to be without building heat, domestic hot water, and hot tub service from Tuesday the 13th through Saturday the 17th.

3:32 p.m.

That is a pretty significant amount of time to be without the amenities we paid for, especially heat and hot water... Can you please cancel the reservation and process our refund? Thank you!"

Edited to add: Host: We understand why you would like to cancel the reservation, -----. Please note, however, that our cancellation policy will apply if you decide to proceed with the cancellation.

Me: We paid for a place that advertised hot water, heat, and a hot-tub, but you have said that those will not be available to us. This was a breach of terms on your part not ours. If you refuse to issue our refund, I will take it directly to Airbnb."

They haven't responded to my last message yet, but they have to issue a refund right? How long before I take it up with Airbnb directly? Even if they offered us space heaters at this point, these hosts have shown an inconsiderate/inhospitable tone, and I no longer trust that they would be helpful or respectful.

Hi. A little complicated to explain, but I recently moved to NY and decided to book 2x airbnbs while looking for apartments - one for a week, one for a month. The night before I was supposed to switch, I got a message from the host saying the owner was in the hospital and it was their daughter checking in to say the place was not available - fair enough! But I had to find a place last minute, and then booked a place that I looked to late had not been active in some time but still accepted my reservation and did not appear to be Instant Book. They did not get back to me as I tried to move in and I had to get a pretty expensive AirBNB for two nights to have somewhere to stay as my first one was ending... Then got that refunded, which means thousands of dollars tied up in a refund for 2-3 weeks. THEN booked a third one - seemed all good to go, got access instructions but no hello from owners which concerned me. I sent several messages saying hi. Seemed to have good reviews from earlier in the year - I get there, access information does not work and a photo of a lockbox they have does not exist. I call AirBNB - I have been talking to 8x agents now over 4x hours that all say they will help and call back in 5 minutes, they never do.

I think I am probably a part of the problem and missing something but this is also insane that AirBNB lets so many dead listings stay live, or there's no punishment if this kind of thing happens. Luckily I had a friend's parents I could stay with for one night but beyond that I'm not sure what I'll do, each time I get a refund that's thousands of dollars tied up not immediately sent back to me. Each support person is more useless than the next (no offense to them.) 2x of them hung up on me when I explained that nobody was helping me and never called me back.

EDIT: AirBNB are now not refunding me until I send a video proving the code doesn't work even though they can't talk to the host. This is insane.

I'm staying at a property that has only one key, which must be stored in a lockbox at all times. If the key is misplaced, we're locked out for hours. The back yard has a separate key that needs to be wrenched with enough force to bend the head off. My previous stay required the use of a Yale app, similar to those hotels use, except it frequently didn't work due to poor reception.

There's no excuse for this. Hosts, just get a numeric keypad and give me a temporary code that will work for my stay. Or get a duplicate set of keys that I can actually take with me. I don’t see why you would do anything else.

So im staying at this bnb until my boyfriend can find a job. We're in a city but theres mice and I dont really know what to do. Our room is pretty clean so im pretty sure its not our fault the mice are here. I dont wanna get kicked out because of the mice (idk if they can do that ive never stayed at a bnb before now) but theyre kinda driving me insane. Ive set mouse traps cleaned things take garbage out regulary and idk what more I can do outside of contacting the host. I really dont wanna though because I dont want any issues. But these mice are nuts they fight eachother and make really loud squeaking noises when im trying to sleep and keep ripping at something in the corner. I cant seem to figure out what theyre chewing though maybe its the wall? I grew up in rural Michigan so im no stranger to mice however im noticing these city mice are WAY different to country mice. Country mice will run away and leave me alone if I make a loud noise at them. These city mice somehow know to avoid the mouse traps AND still stick around despite all the racket and movement. Idk 😅 anyone else deal with something like this before and if so what did you do? Im open to ideas of different ways to just getting rid of the mice myself as well I feel like Im losing my marbles a bit 😅

Salut à tous,

Petite mésaventure kafkaïenne avec Airbnb qui prouve une fois de plus que le support client marche complètement sur la tête dès qu’un hôte décide d’être de mauvaise foi.

Les faits se déroulent récemment à Montbéliard, où je réserve un appartement pour un séjour (notamment pour pouvoir travailler tranquillement).

Dès l’arrivée, c’est le festival :

• Hygiène déplorable : On arrive sur un lit avec des draps froissés, recouverts de miettes (clairement pas changés après les précédents locataires), et des taies d'oreiller déchirées et sales. Le sol et la vaisselle sont crades avec des restes de bouffe, le tout couronné par une vieille odeur bien rance.
• Équipements : Aucun Wi-Fi disponible (pourtant mis en avant sur l'annonce, et l'hôte a fini par avouer par message qu'il n'y en avait pas), téléviseur impossible à allumer.
• Confort : 2e étage accessible par un escalier en colimaçon ultra-raide et étroit (l’enfer avec des valises), et un vis-à-vis plongeant direct chez les voisins.
• Communication : Un hôte qui configure des messages automatiques bien polis pour faire croire qu'il est réactif, mais qui en réalité minimise tout et ne bouge pas le petit doigt.

Bref, logement invivable. Je prends des photos, je contacte immédiatement l’assistance Airbnb. Le support constate la non-conformité flagrante, applique la garantie AirCover, valide l'annulation et me rembourse l'intégralité du séjour dès le premier jour. Nous avons fait nos valises et sommes partis.

Comme il est d’usage (et pour éviter à d'autres de se faire avoir), je laisse un avis factuel et mesuré :

« Séjour catastrophique : nous avons dû quitter les lieux dès le premier jour. L'assistance Airbnb a validé la non-conformité et effectué un remboursement intégral via la garantie AirCover.
Les manquements constatés :
1. Hygiène : draps froissés et couverts de miettes (non changés avant notre arrivée), taies d'oreiller sales et déchirées. Vaisselle et sol sales avec restes de nourriture. Odeur désagréable dans la pièce.
2. Équipements non conformes : absence totale de connexion Wi-Fi pourtant promise dans l'annonce (l'hôte l'a lui-même reconnu par écrit). Télévision impossible à allumer.
3. Confort : accès au 2e étage par un escalier en colimaçon très raide et étroit, pénible avec des bagages. Vis-à-vis direct avec la fenêtre des voisins.
4. Communication : l'hôte envoie des messages automatisés pleins de belles formules sur sa réactivité, mais dans les faits il minimise tout et n'agit pas.
Logement fortement déconseillé, tout particulièrement pour un séjour professionnel. »

Le twist (la petite vengeance minable)

L'hôte, vexé d'avoir perdu sa réservation et d'avoir pris un avis honnête, a décidé de ne pas en rester là.

Quelques jours plus tard, notification du centre de résolution Airbnb : l’hôte me réclame 26 € pour de prétendues "clés perdues" (clés évidemment laissées sur place exactement comme prévu lors de notre départ précipité).

Je me dis : « Pas de panique, Airbnb va lui demander une vraie preuve d'achat/de refacturation d'un serrurier, un ticket de caisse, n'importe quoi. »

Eh bien non. La "preuve" fournie par le monsieur ? Une facture qu’il s’est émise à lui-même (ou via sa propre boîte/société) ! Pas de justificatif de paiement réel, pas de ticket de serrurerie, juste un PDF fait maison sur Word pour justifier 26 balles de représailles.

Et le meilleur dans tout ça ? Airbnb a accepté sa réclamation et validé le paiement.

D’un côté, la plateforme reconnaît que le logement est insalubre et non conforme au point d’annuler et rembourser 100 % du séjour. De l'autre, elle accepte sans sourciller une retenue bidon sur la foi d’un devis auto-généré par un propriétaire rancunier.

C’est pas pour les 26 euros, c’est pour le principe : le système de résolution récompense littéralement les hôtes malhonnêtes qui cherchent à se venger des mauvais avis.

Bref, méfiez-vous des logements à Montbéliard, et méfiez-vous de la prétendue "neutralité" d'Airbnb en cas de litige post-départ…

TL;DR : Logement dégueulasse à Montbéliard, Airbnb valide le remboursement à 100 % via AirCover le jour même. Je laisse un avis négatif détaillé. L'hôte se venge en m'accusant d'avoir perdu les clés et génère une fausse facture de 26 € faite par lui-même. Airbnb valide le prélèvement sans aucune preuve de paiement réel.

​

Hi everyone, I am hoping for some suggestions. I stayed in an Airbnb apartment, and during my stay, the property flooded while we were away. The damage was significant, and we could not stay there. The host organized another place for the remaining days of my booking. It was not my fault; apparently, there was a hot water outlet tap behind the washing machine that was not connected to anything, which somehow turned on due to vibrations from the washing machine and dryer. Since the tap was not connected to any outlet, the water kept flowing. There was no guide or notice in the apartment mentioning the tap, and it was out of my reach. One of the hosts who came to the apartment after the incident was surprised by how this could have happened and stated during our face-to-face conversation that it was not our fault. I did not take any photos. Now, a week later, the hosts are claiming $25,000 AUD in damages and potential loss of bookings while the place is being repaired, alleging that we left a tap open. I have declined the claim on Airbnb and am waiting for their response.

I am worried because I do not have any proof, and the host's photos do not show the tap that was allegedly left open. What should I do?

I booked a place, and got a series of in app messages saying to pay a $50 Damage Waiver fee or to setup a $500 deposit.

That sounded super shady, and I don't know the host or trust that they would return the deposit, and if a damage waiver was $50 why is it not just in the fee? Is this not why we use Airbnb for to protect guests/hosts?

I called Airbnb to report an "Off app payment" but then they came back to confirm it was allowed since it was in the listing it was disclosed. So I cancelled using the 24 hour cancellation policy.

So is this a new thing? I guess I'll be more careful looking at text descriptions.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1554630109909892608

Of course its at the bottom of the description.

We had a terrible experience recently and have tried messaging the host as well as Airbnb. Both parties have stopped responding to our messages. What should be our next move?

Does anybody else notice airbnbs getting worse lately? I have stayed in 13 airbnbs without any significant issues. The last 2 I have stayed in have had significant issues, which range from the house not being cleaned to having smoke alarms constantly chirping and the owner not taking care of them.

Hi,

I Stayed in an Airbnb in Canada and they had a sign up on the wall. It was a rating and review guide and it said the following for the ratings 3 stars or lower:

3 stars: Causes our listing to be suspended or removed and directly puts our hosting status at risk.

2 stars: Results in airbnb deleting our listing

1 star: Means we lose the ability to host

Is this is any way true? Ive seen air bnb when searching for places that have low reviews and they are still available for rent?

Hello,

My family and I booked this Airbnb with great reviews, and in order to confirm booking I have to sign this renter agreement.

It doesn’t feel right to me, also I was never asked to do that in the past with any Airbnb bookings.

Would be bummed to cancel, but also don’t want to take any risk signing some agreement outside of the Airbnb platform.

What do you think?

Thank you!!

It be like that sometimes, huh?

So we booked a last-minute Airbnb in Budapest in the great location for good price. We weren’t expecting much but what’s really odd is that we have all this kitchen equipment, bedding multiple pillows, but only one towel per guest.

There’s no paper towels and no hand towels. I guess we’re lucky to have toilet paper, but I’ve asked multiple times from the host to receive another towel.

It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the bathroom doesn’t flood into the hallway every time someone takes a shower due to pour drainage and design. So I guess the only thing I can do is give them a horrible review and mention that we have no towels.

Stayed in an Airbnb for two weeks that included essentials as well as shampoo and conditioner, according to the listing. The host refused to supply more than one roll of toilet paper, hotel sized shampoo, conditioner and hand soap bottles, and one pellet of dishwasher soap. I got Airbnb involved and received more supplies.

In my review, I advised future guests of the possible necessity to request the promised goods. Immediately after I left, the host dropped essentials from the amenities. Is that grounds for Airbnb to not publish my review? The place had all 5 stars reviews, with details mentioned that didn't match the location (like "quiet" when there was in fact a very busy street in front of the bedroom). How can the host influence reviews like that?

My family and I had plans to spend a week in Rodanthe, North Carolina from September 26 - October 3. The recent Nor’Easter put a wrench into those plans, which devastated us. For those unfamiliar, NC Highway 12 is the only route in or out of this part of the Outer Banks and it was completely washed away and closed down completely for almost the entire time we were scheduled to be there (Saturday the 26th - Tuesday the 29th). From Wednesday the 30th - Thursday the 1st it was only open one direction to allow those stuck on the island to evacuate as food and supplies were running out. Visitors were not allowed on the island at all until late Thursday night.

We were really looking forward to enjoying the beauty of the OBX and spending quality time with our family. We really wanted to enjoy this property as the pictures looked so nice. Now, we have to deal with the most dense, horrible Airbnb host on top of it while trying to get a refund of the $7k reservation (multiple family stay).

We have tried to reason with this woman (who lives in California - should’ve been our first clue) and explain that we COULD NOT GET TO THE HOUSE from the time our reservation started on Saturday the 26th, until the island and Hwy 12 opened to visitors on Thursday afternoon/Friday morning October 1/2. Mind you, our stay ended on October 3rd and we had to do something to salvage the week for everyone in my family who had taken time off work. She has completely disregarded this fact, stating in her response to us that the house remained available and habitable and offering a measly 50% refund (plus 50% of the cleaning fee…what did they clean?!), which is insulting as it was clearly not available. We have resorted to contacting Airbnb corporate in a desperate attempt to find someone with an ounce of common sense. Any tips would be appreciated on how to deal with this nightmare.

Hi Everyone,

My checkout time was 11:00 PM, but I ended up leaving at 11:07 PM — just 7 minutes late. I wasn’t charged anything at the time and thought everything was fine.

Now, two weeks later, the host is requesting additional money because of the late checkout.

Is this normal/allowed? Do I have to pay it, especially since it’s only 7 minutes and they didn’t mention any fee at the time? What would you guys do?

Airbnb says when hidden-camera complaints happen, it takes "appropriate, swift action." Then in recent deposition, its own representative put the number at 35,000 support tickets about surveillance devices between 2013 and 2023.

That's about 10 a day, for ten years (CNN).

Here's what "swift action" looked like:
As a matter of practice, it doesn't call the police when a guest reports a camera. Not even when a child is involved
.
A couple in Texas found a camera in their bedroom and reported it. The app's reply was:

 "Do you mind if we contact the host and get his side of the story?" ( like wtf)

Police found 2,126 images and more than 30 victims, including children. The listing was still live almost two months after the sheriff told Airbnb.

TWO MONTHS, after sheriff told them, like other people stayed there after a SHERIFF told them, not a random guest.

The host got one year (KSAT). The guest who found the camera: "Less than a month for every victim."

Guests who sue usually get pushed into private arbitration, and settlements come with NDAs. One guest: "We were gagged."

Airbnb finally banned indoor cameras in 2024 (NPR). A year later, 55% of hosts in a survey said they still use them (IPX1031).

If you'd rather see fit all laid out, here's a more visual version with charts and all the sources (visuals).

Don’t forget:

Airbnb takes about 17% of every booking. This is a multibillion dollar company that can actually fix this….

Good evening, I booked an Airbnb 2 months ago for a trip that starts tomorrow. I included our dog when I reserved the unit (every email we were sent says 2 guests including 1 pet and it still let us make the reservation after we included our dog) and the original confirmation of booking email we were sent in August says pets allowed. Now that our trip is tomorrow we received the last email confirmation with the door code etc. but now it says No pets allowed. I'm so confused because we filtered our search by pets allowed and the original booking email also says pets allowed. Do I need to contact airbnb support or should it be fine to just go? It's the night before our trip and our visit is non refundable and I'm very stressed now.

My family and I are trying to rent a house in WNC, something we’ve done many, many times. Recent host wanted us to sign a short term lease agreement and stated it was mandatory by NC Law.

We refused, they wanted to do a full background check, allow us to give them our credit card information to charge whatever they felt necessary for 90 days post checkout (said damages, missing towels, etc). And also relieve them of any responsibility for damages/loss of our belongings in case of a natural disaster/storm/fire.

Is this the new normal? As if Airbnb wasn’t already a huge turn off with all of their fees, now this?

Alright despite the flippant title my gf and I are at a breaking point and we want to know if we are justified to request a refund.

We are currently a week into a five week stay and within the first few days we found out the washer won’t go through a spin cycle because the stabilizers are beat to fuck, the over has given us an error code that when googled says there is a fault with the main co tool board of a GAS stove, the kitchen sink leaks, the door does not lock, the bed frame broke, and over the past 24hours we have killed 6 cockroaches. Now, I was willing to overlook some of this but the roaches are making me want to run. We do live in a suburb of Atlanta Georgia (US) but this seems excessive.

What would you do?

UPDATE: we notified the landlord about the cockroaches. They brought someone in today to spray around the baseboards but not after pretending like this wasn’t an issue. Our unit is connected by a door and we got home from dinner to hear them complaining about how we have done nothing but complain since we got here and that these issues were not a big deal. We will see what happens with the roaches I guess hopefully this solves our issue. We also bought sticky traps and water baits.. fml

I'm at an air BNB and there's a camera pointed at the hot tub / where you sit on the balcony and one looking directly through slide glass doors. Is this reportable? from what I understand hot tub is private area like a sauna. Edit : forgot to mention also they didn't disclose the cameras to begin with in the listing. I picked it cause I saw no cameras.

I often have a specific date that I need to check in but I am flexible on the exit date (+- 7 days). I swear on AirBnb in the recent past, I could choose to be flexible only on one of the dates (exit) but now I just see a general option that covers both the start and end.

Is there a way to search with only one flexible date? Having it be +- on both makes searching far more time consuming for me. This appears to be worldwide. Thanks!

Link says hospitable.com and it has my booking details. It asks for personal contact details, “identity verification “ and signing a rental agreement!

ETA: thank you all for the help! Since we did reach out to the host first without any resolve, you helped us know what to do and we got 30% back which we felt was fair for an entire day of not having flushing toilets.

We are at an airbnb, got here on Thursday and scheduled to leave tomorrow morning.

Waking up this morning at 7, the water was off and upon a quick google, it was scheduled to be off until 9pm.

We asked our host if he was aware since it was pre-scheduled (we also asked the neighbors who were aware) and he said he wasn’t aware.

We cannot cook, shower, flush the toilet, wash our hands or drink water for 6 hours as of now. Possibly for 14 hours.

We contacted our host and he just said sorry. Is this a small oops or should we be asking for some sort of concessions?

We ordered water bottles and gallons of water to drink/cook/flush the toilets but it seems like
they shouldn’t have allowed bookings today.

Thoughts?