All Forum Posts by: Tim V.

I recently purchased a raw data sent and due to a few bugs in their system I was sent both the "airbnb only" dataset as as well as the "Airbnb + HA" dataset. There are obviously a large number of properties that are listed on both Airbnb and HA, and these properties we're included in both data sets. I was surprised and disappointed to see that all of the numbers for these properties (occupancy, average daily rate, etc.) were identical in both datasets. After a long back and forth with their customer service agents the conclusion was that including HA data really just means "including properties that are only listed on HA and not on Airbnb" 

I was further frustrated as the price quoted for the same zip code increased notably after the inclusion of the HA properties, but in this particular market those additional properties didn't provide any useful data.

As a numbers guy I still find their raw data sets to be quite useful, their wording just feels disingenuous to me.  There is an important distinction here that accuracy of dual listed properties has not changed, it's only an increase in the number of properties provided in the dataset. This is a big win for some markets, but not much of a change for others.

What would the charge back be for? Currently the only thing they've paid for is two nights of accommodation which they received. Any additional charges that I request have to go through the resolution center where Airbnb makes the final judgement. I only get additional money for a pet clean up if either the guest or Airbnb agrees with the charges.

I have video evidence of them entering and leaving with a dog in tow, as well as pictures of urine on the floor and dog hair in the bathroom.  There isn't a lot of room for argument.

@Michael Greenberg - Thanks for sharing. It certainly seems like Airbnb has been and will continue to be on my side.

@John Underwood - There was dog hair found in a few locations throughout the apartment and the cleaners spent a few extra hours cleaning at my request.

@Matt K. - Seems the worst they can do is a 1-star review which I am prepared for

@Thomas S. - I agree

@Julie McCoy - Thanks the input, getting rid of all of the hair and dander was the important to me

@Tim Schroeder- Good idea to get them to leave a review first. 

Really appreciate all of the replies here. I have to say I'm surprised at how many people would not do anything in this situation, but it's been good perspective for me all the same. 

As a frequent customer of Airbnb on the guest side, I would be pretty disappointed if I stayed at a "pet-free" listing and arrived to an apartment that had dog hair anywhere in the apartment. 

I'm going to take a few more days to think about it, I've been in contact with Airbnb and the window to open a claim in the resolution center is quite long.

 I believe Airbnb allows you to set up a deposit, but in my experience it's very rarely used. As such, I don't have a deposit for this stay.

I do feel justified in charging more than the few additional cleaning hours, but what does that look like? $100? $300? $500?

No, we have a pretty strict no pet policy. It's listed multiple places in the description and is in the disclosures the guest agrees to before confirming.

Thanks for the input, @Russell Brazil. Generally I agree with you; with honest tenants or situations where I'm at fault I go above and beyond to make sure the guest is satisfied. In this situation the guests brazen dishonesty that really has me more riled up than usual so your point is well taken. 

I have a solid enough history that a single one-star review won't ruin my superhost status or make much of a difference in the overall average, and I feel like a well written response to a potential bad review might be enough for potential future guests to ignore it. 

Hey Everyone, I've been successfully self-managing a full time STR in the in-law unit of my San Francisco home for a few years now. I have been able to avoid trouble tenants in the past through the normal mechanisms, but had my first real problem guest this week.

I'll save you the gory details, but essentially the tenant showed up with a dog, lied about taking it to a pet hotel, and kept it in the unit while they were inside. I believed them when they said they took it to a pet hotel and didn't realize that they kept the dog until I did my post checkout inspection and found a puddle of urine. Closer inspection of an outdoor security footage (from a disclosed camera) shows that they were hiding the dog in a jacket as they came and went. They only stayed for two nights.

How much would you charge for this? The reservation was through Airbnb, and Airbnb has been involved from the moment I realized that they have a dog, so given the evidence they should be on my side. There is no real damage to speak of just some additional cleaning time that I will be billed for.

I was invited to join the pilot program in San Francisco about 1 year ago. I went through the entire verification and validation process and in the end opted to not participate despite "qualifying".

Ultimately, I'm happy with my current returns and I'm concerned with the additional expectations of guests searching the "plus" platform. 

I'm currently filling the budget traveler niche (both tourists and business travelers) and I do a good job of setting expectations before guests arrive to ensure everyone has a good experience. My concern is that the "plus" signifier will raise expectations beyond what my neighborhood can provide.

I definitely see value in the program helping if you're in an over saturated market, but @Luke Carl is right. It's 5* or nothing for Airbnb and heightened expectations make that a more difficult goal to achieve. 

Had another structural engineer cancel on me today. I definitely seem to be in the wrong line of work...

After talking it over with a few more people, I'm going to forego the engineered solution and the grant money, and just hire a handyman to bolt and brace. I might end up doing it myself so if anyone has good literature on installing anchor bolts please send it my way. In the end I don't think the added benefit of the additional shear way justifies $20k additional dollars. Hopefully I don't come to regret this decision in the future :)

This makes sense, thanks for the clarification. I've managed to get a hold of two more engineers who are accepting new work and will hopefully get one out so I can pick their brain a bit. Will keep everyone posted.