Airbnb Something Went Wrong Try Your Dates Again
"As Invisible Tourists, nosotros desire to back up locals of the places we visit, not make their lives more difficult." ~ Alyse.
In contempo years, the utilize of Airbnb and other abode-stay accommodation has exploded internationally. Sitting on the sidelines with one watchful eye monitoring this trend, as usual I decided to be a flake of a skeptic before jumping on the bandwagon and investigate the footling-known facts about using a service like Airbnb for myself.
Despite its growing popularity at that place are some pretty troubling bug with Airbnb and similar counterparts, leading many to ask if there are any ethical alternatives to Airbnb? Here I'll reveal what it's similar to elevator the lid on the hidden Pandora's box of this craze – the results may surprise you, every bit they did me!
Yes, loads of people use Airbnb all the time without issues and that'due south fine. Unlike people prioritise dissimilar things because there are different types of travellers. Many of my beau travel bloggers could get you lot discounts on your start Airbnb booking and that's fine, likewise.
In saying that, there is a time and a place for these services and so I'd rather speak about the unpopular truths that seem to become cached nether the discount codes that are worth because before yous volume a stay with a homestyle accommodation service like Airbnb.
NOTE: I offset published this article in March 2022 and have updated it since to reverberate more contempo events. Be certain to read my last comments for my overall thoughts on short-term homestay services.
This guide to Airbnb bug will cover:
- 8 important reasons to reconsider using services like Airbnb
- What a lack of tourism does to neighbourhoods overrun with Airbnb listings
- Are there any sustainable & ethical alternatives to Airbnb?
- Concluding whether you should utilize services similar Airbnb
This article forms part of my top strategies for to how to be a responsible a tourist, detailing effective tips towards ethical tourism to benefit visitors and locals akin. It also features in my #ane Amazon New Release volume, which outlines my blueprint for what we tin do as tourists to enrich our travel experiences and avoid contributing to bug acquired by overtourism.
Important reasons to reconsider using services like Airbnb
I can totally hear yous questioning my logic… You're thinking, "Only, aren't you all nearly travelling like a local and helping people learn how to not look like a tourist? So what's wrong with renting a local's place on Airbnb? Information technology's harmless and it's cheaper than hotels, right?"
Ermm, wrong.
There'due south a saying, "Don't knock information technology 'til y'all've tried information technology" and then truth exist told, I have stayed in an Airbnb before. I was with a group for a girls' getaway and my friend had booked the adaptation on our group'southward behalf.
The place was fine (although I prefer to take my own bed rather than share with a friend!) Despite this and combining it with the facts I hash out below, it merely wasn't for me and may non be for you as well.
To clarify, in this opinion piece I'm not referring to traditional Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodations. These are completely fine as they are regulated and in areas zoned for tourists. I've stayed in many throughout the U.k., Europe, New Zealand & Japan and fully support these businesses.
Let'due south start with me asking you a few questions:
- Do you value your precious travel time, hate inconveniences and prefer to play it rubber with accommodation rather than put yourself in a position that could have been avoided when you travel?
- Exercise you also prefer to enjoying everything a city has to offer without feeling like you're getting in the way of locals going well-nigh their daily lives?
If you answered yes to these questions, yous're likely to prefer hotels anyway so this mail service will probably confirm why you don't similar Airbnb either. If yous answered no, the below facts may convince yous why yous should reconsider using a service like Airbnb for your adjacent trip.
While Airbnb's slogan is "travel like a local", in that location are some dark truths that really brand life more than hard for the locals they claim to support.
Let'due south get into it!
1. Airbnb could be illegal in the metropolis yous're visiting
This is a pretty surprising and very important point. Merely because there are listings for your destination doesn't mean the host and Airbnb are abiding by the local laws. For instance, here are some facts that might make you think twice most using Airbnb and similar services in the beneath major cities.
These are simply a few examples and definitely non the only places where Airbnb is problematic. I highly suggest doing some research into your destination if you lot are considering using Airbnb for your adaptation:
Airbnb issues in New York City, United States
Did you lot know in 2022 that 72% of reservations made in New York City were illegal?
The New York state chaser full general'south office released a report on Airbnb listings that revealed this unfortunate fact. Local laws in New York make it illegal to hire an entire apartment on Airbnb for less than thirty days, as this helps to keep the long-term supply of belongings available to locals. Despite this, New York City is one of Airbnb'southward biggest markets where listings under xxx days are available to tourists.
"Airbnb consistently undermines the City'south efforts to preserve affordable housing, and regularly attempts to thwart regulations put in place to protect New York City residents." ~ statement from NYC Council members Helen Rosenthal and Jumaane Williams.
Airbnb problems in Barcelona, Spain
Virtually one-half of holiday rentals in Spain's 2nd-largest city are unlicensed according to the council, which makes them illegal.
In 2022 Barcelona fined Airbnb €600,000 for refusing to adhere to local laws past standing to annunciate unlicensed properties. As a issue, Catalonia's capital has a team of inspectors who wander the streets sniffing out illegal rentals using designated apps that cantankerous-reference licences with advertised backdrop. This helps to place illegal properties and gives regime the power shut down the premises, kick out occupants and fine the possessor €lx,000.
"Barcelona exists for its people. The priority is information technology's a place to live." ~ Janet Sanz, Barcelona Housing Councillor.
TIP: Read my crucial Barcelona travel tips to not look similar a tourist when visiting.
Airbnb issues in Paris, France
In 2015, 44% of advertised properties on Airbnb were permanently bachelor for rental, despite laws in France's uppercase stating that holiday rentals are capped at only being available for 120 days of the year.
The survey that revealed this agonizing fact triggered raids across Paris and fines of upwardly to €25,000 for hosts. However, the authorities are now looking to increase this fine to €100,000 like Berlin (encounter beneath). Information technology is now necessary for hosts to obtain a registration number from the Boondocks Hall so authorities can monitor the 120 day cap is not exceeded and then hosts cannot avoid paying taxes.
Airbnb problems in Japan
The contempo explosion of visitors to Japan looking to travel on the cheap meant Airbnb's started popping up in unzoned areas to capitalise on the new need.
Being an ultra-conservative country, locals filed an overwhelming number of "tourist pollution" complaints: unruly tourists coming and going at all hours, hosting noisy parties in otherwise quiet neighbourhoods and disrespecting local customs.
In June 2022 the Japanese government resorted to tackling illegal Airbnb and similar homestay accommodations across the state (known equally "minpaku") by requiring hosts in legally zoned areas to obtain a minpaku license, placing 180-day quotas on when properties can be available to hire and shutting down those who did non comply. This crackdown is said to have cost Airbnb $10 1000000.
Issues with Airbnb in Berlin, Germany
Germany'due south capital got so tired of Airbnb creating a rental property shortage for locals they created a police force entitled "Zweckentfremdungsverbot"…
What a mouthful, correct! Roughly translating to "Anti-Airbnb" this law bans short-term leasing of properties to tourists without a city permit. Hosts in Berlin can be fined up to €100,000 for disobeying this constabulary and y'all could be left without accommodation if your host is busted.
Airbnb issues throughout Europe
In 2019, ten European cities banded together and sent a joint alphabetic character to the European Commission highlighting the flaws of services like Airbnb. Cities who suffered from "explosive growth" of short-term Airbnb listings – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Krakow, Munich, Paris, Valencia and Vienna – demanded the Committee address this issue during their next calendar.
Many Other Destinations: Illegal Subletting
Another disturbing tendency with Airbnb is illegal subletting. Did you know recent statistics in Australia revealed that 35% of Airbnb listings are by people who don't even own the property, and do so without the noesis of their landlord?
"Think of what you'd say to a neighbor if they were to ask who you are and why you're staying at that place… Awkward." ~ Alyse.
While tenants may not see an issue with secretly renting out their spare room on Airbnb for actress greenbacks, there are risks involved for both the tenant and property owner. What the tenant fails realise is they could actually exist in breach of their leasing agreement by having additional people reside in the holding.
This leads to exceeding the number of people residing on the premises, handing out security keys without potency, no applicable insurance for issues related to subleasing, more than bug regarding illegal subletting here. A tenant subletting without the permission of the holding owner tin can result in eviction.
2. Airbnb can have negative impacts on locals' quality of life
Tourists hiring a identify on Airbnb to relish a "cheaper" holiday actually pushes rent prices up for locals who demand to alive in the city. Tourists are visitors competing with locals for adaptation. The just difference is locals demand it long-term, simply hosts tin can accuse tourists more for brusque-term stays and then this is way more than appealing to some.
For example in 2022 on the Castilian isle of Palma de Mallorca, tourist lets sharply increased by 50% due to need, which in plough lead to residential rents rising past 40%. This made housing unaffordable for virtually local residents and pushed them out. As a upshot t he island voted to ban Airbnb listings to make housing affordable for residents who needed to alive and piece of work.
Making the conscious decision to salvage a few bucks for a trip of your choice should not come at the expense of an actual local'southward way of life. Equally invisible tourists we want to support locals of the places we visit, not brand their lives more difficult!
Residents are likewise concerned and complain to Airbnb well-nigh the constant stream of different tourists bumping their luggage up and down stairs in flat blocks as well as coming and going at all hours. For long-term residents it's easy to empathise that all the thumping and racket is leap to get annoying.
Every bit someone who lives in a city where over 200,000 backdrop sit vacant due to landlords not renting them to locals (or anyone at all), I've seen first-hand how this has negatively impacted the rental market by causing prices to skyrocket as long-term rentals for locals go scarce. Information technology isn't really fair (or ethical) on the local population trying to get by.
It's likewise condign known that some Airbnb hosts are treating their rentals every bit businesses. Padlocks or combination touchpads on doors rather than keys, instructions stuck around the belongings and "No Smoking" signs are dead giveaways that the Airbnb is being treated equally a permanent holiday rental, which I mentioned previously nether betoken #1 is probably an illegal listing. What happened to just renting out a spare room?
iii. At that place'southward no reception, housekeeping or room service
Before you dismiss me as a full snob, hear me out! Hotels employ dozens of locals to take intendance of things like housekeeping, reception, concierge services, kitchenhands and the like to keep the place running smoothly. To me, providing locals with jobs is quite important and staying in a hotel supports this cause.
Additionally, the lack of a reception area with an Airbnb means checking in and out with your host may not exist flexible enough to suit your travel plans, as I'll expand on in point #four below.
Another downside is there's no place to leave your luggage after checking out, either! The pocket-size conveniences that come with hotels are quite convenient, aren't they?
4. Y'all're at the complete mercy of your host
Even if a room is showing available, the host has the right to alter their heed and cancel your booking at a moment'southward discover. If you're like me and adopt to be prepared and organised, being left in limbo a few days before a trip – and all other adaptation in the area being sold out – literally sounds like my idea of a nightmare.
In another example, imagine arriving at your Airbnb only to find two people already there hanging curtains, a Television left face-down on the lounge and a strong dog odour throughout. Beast fur, hair and dust were all over the house, it clearly hadn't been cleaned in very long fourth dimension, mouse droppings were in the kitchen and other accommodation options nearby were all sold out. Hither's how Airbnb treated these guests in this actual situation.
Airbnb have thousands of complaints about how they tin can't really practise anything to assist guests who are left stranded. In contrast, hotels have a lot to lose from this and will observe you a room or compensate you lot somehow if they've taken your money.
Permit's not forget the potential issue of your host running belatedly to encounter y'all to exchange keys. This unaccounted-for delay could seriously affect your travel plans and may lead to y'all missing a crucial flying or train to your adjacent destination. With a hotel, checking in and out times are made clear and during that period there is e'er someone in that location when you need to leave so it's simple to plan your journeys.
There isn't e'er time to wait around for someone to race from one side of the urban center to the other to collect keys!
Personally, I like to sleep in for as long equally possible before having to become upward and ready whilst I'grand on holiday. With many Airbnbs hosts require you to do the washing up, take out the rubbish and may leave yous with other obligations you need to fulfil before you get out. I do all that at habitation and would rather forget about that during a holiday – thankfully a hotel will accept your back hither so y'all can spend more time out exploring.
v. Do tourists really need an entire kitchen (and house)?
A lot of the time tourists don't actually need an entire house or flat with a kitchen when they're travelling short-term. To me, visiting a new place is all well-nigh getting out there and office of this is experiencing local, authentic nutrient.
In plough this helps to support local jobs and businesses. Cooking some noodles in an Airbnb in an effort to save money does not. Sorry, but it's true! Hotels do a proficient enough job of providing the basic amenities needed for a stay.
Additionally, booking an entire apartment or business firm on Airbnb means tourists could exist inadvertently taking away long-term adaptation from a local. If the rental is being run as a business past a company who has multiple property listings, it'southward usually wise to steer away from it every bit information technology goes confronting the original idea that Airbnb was founded on – a property owner renting out a spare room.
half-dozen. Privacy is never guaranteed
And so, your Airbnb host has also allowed friends to crash at their identify during your stay and failed to mention it at any point. This may put a damper on the romantic weekend away you lot had planned with your partner equally the intimate moments y'all were hoping for may not be so intimate after all!
Recently, some stories take emerged most Airbnb hosts using sneaky hidden cameras in the bedrooms of their rentals. If that oddly-placed object or random smoke alarm appears to have a lilliputian webcam lens on closer inspection, you can be sure that thing is hooked up to the internet and the host is watching your every motion.
Alternatively, in a hotel you're never going to be left surprised with an unexpected stranger when you lot come up back to your room after a long day of sight-seeing and the likelihood of beingness spied on in your room is almost non-existent. A hotel doesn't need to spy on you lot because they have insurance embrace. It'due south never ok to film someone without their consent.
vii. Lack of safety and security regulations
Consistent standards and regulations are lacking across Airbnb rentals as they are basically private properties. Due to this hosts don't have to follow the same strict regulations that hotels exercise like fire, security and safety. What fire and other types of hazards are at that place in your rental? Can you tell from the photos?
Equally mentioned earlier, illegal subletting sees a tenant distribute unauthorised copied keys to curt-term visitors, resulting in unknown people in a residential block having admission to building civilities. This can be a major security concern for other residents in the edifice who are there legally.
People who list on Airbnb also don't accept to pay for the same insurances that hotels practice, therefore if annihilation were to happen Airbnb may non comprehend y'all at all. This besides includes theft of your greenbacks/valuables from the property, whether information technology was from the host, other guests or as a result of a burglary. Is there even a rubber or secure place to shop your valuables during your stay?
Additionally, some of the backdrop may not be very child friendly which is sometimes only possible to be discovered on arrival.
8. Bait and switch
If you're not familiar with this sneaky tactic, bait and switch refers to the generally illegal act of "baiting" a guest into paying for a rental that is substituted for an inferior one later downwardly the track. The intent is never to provide you the rental in the dandy location with amazing photos y'all paid for.
If your host is being a bit shady, they may contact you shut to your arrival date to inform you of the change so you're made to think you're left with no other option simply to accept the sub-standard adaptation they offering instead, sometimes even for more money! Know your rights if this happens to y'all.
You're non obligated to accept their new offer. If your host is request you to switch without officially changing the reservation on Airbnb, you'll need to ask the host to cancel your reservation so y'all can get a full refund. If you have further issues, you'll need to immediately call Airbnb so they can resolve the trouble for you or find another place to stay, which may evidence hard if all other accommodation in the expanse is sold out at the time.
This fraudulent trend is condign more than and more than common with Airbnb. Sure it's also possible this can happen with smaller hotels as well, only is less likely as hotels have much more to lose by participating in this dirty exercise.
You lot tin can read some Airbnb allurement and switch stories here and hither to give you an idea of what could happen.
What a lack of tourism does to neighbourhoods overrun with Airbnb listings
Every bit we all know, in 2022 tourism completely ground to a halt due to a global issue that shall not exist named. This helped to starkly amplify the issues caused past short-term rentals for fifty-fifty the nearly stubborn of deniers.
Let's examine the knock-on effects caused by the absence of tourism in destinations that had high percentages of Airbnb listings.
Airbnb problems in Lisbon, Portugal
In the early months of 2020, there were 22,000 Airbnb listings in Lisbon. A sudden lack of tourists meant the bulk of these sat empty for months.
Urban geographer Luís Mendes from Living in Lisbon stated, "[2020] has helped betrayal the negative aspects of Portugal'due south recovery from the financial crunch, which was driven by existent estate and tourism rather than a focus on the basic needs of local people."
This excellent article most overtourism in Lisbon, Portugal highlights the demand and urgency for sustainable cultural tourism if you're interested in learning more about the topic. Unfortunately, this upshot is not unique to Lisbon and is farther proof of why being an invisible tourist whilst travelling is win-win for everyone.
Airbnb problems in Barcelona, Spain
Local authorities are seeking to repossess empty short-terms rentals. If vacant backdrop don't re-enter the long-term rental market for local residents, new legislation allows regime to purchase them outright at 50% of the market value.
The plan for seized properties is to be rented by the city every bit public and subsidised housing, while potentially fining the owners from € xc,000- € 900,000 for properties left vacant for ii years.
Airbnb bug in Athens, Greece
Co-ordinate to local residents in Kaisariani, Athens, their neighbourhood really became a "tourist hotbed" total of Airbnbs rather than a residential surface area.
Airbnb issues in Paris, France
Equally 1 of Airbnb'southward top destinations globally, tourism to Paris took a huge hit. According to the Deputy Mayor of Paris, the urban center "needs to use the pandemic to address affordable housing and supply.
In the four fundamental arrondissements of Paris, a quarter of all properties are now no longer homes simply purely short-term rentals for tourists." As a result the urban center is planning to concur a referendum on the futurity of Airbnb listings.
Airbnb issues in Dublin, Republic of ireland
One of my Ireland travel tips for tourists is to avoid Airbnb. Due to increased demand in short-term listings from tourists and limited supply, Dublin saw rents for local residents skyrocket and more than double from 2011 – 2019. The sudden lack of tourists in 2022 meant 64% of short-term Airbnb listings in Dublin rushed to enter the long-term rental marketplace instead. Great news for locals, at least!
Are there any sustainable & ethical alternatives to Airbnb?
Now we've examined all the issues with unregulated homestay accommodation services, it begs the question – are there any ethical alternatives to Airbnb? The answer is yeah! There are sustainable services that tin be used to assistance avoid contributing to overtourism issues. All it takes is a look back to the time earlier the sharing economic system took off!
Read my detailed guide to upstanding alternatives to Airbnb for responsible tourists that actually benefit locals, rather than leaving their neighbourhoods empty shells of their sometime selves.
Concluding why you should reconsider services like Airbnb
Certain, there certainly are benefits of using Airbnb if it's done in an ethical and legal style.
Thousands of travellers use the platform without ever having an issue. I'thou non going to dispute that and I'm certainly non saying ALL hosts are bad – it's neither fair nor accurate to pigment everyone with the same brush. Besides, this opinion piece is not nearly that. It's about questioning whether a service similar this should be immune to continue unregulated.
There is a time and a place for homestay accommodation. For case, in rural areas where accommodation choices are slim services similar Airbnb tin can really help locals. In major cities where at that place already is enough of regulated accommodation, whole holding rentals by hosts listing multiple backdrop should be avoided in order to help preserve local life and their civilisation.
If brusk-term rentals have taught usa annihilation, it'south now very clear that they create the likes of a horizontal hotel that spans the breadth of a city, pushing out local residents.
I practice think that initially the idea of Airbnb was fantastic a few years ago, where hosts would share a room of their home with a visitor who wished to experience the urban center like a local. Unfortunately, at that place are e'er people looking to make a quick buck, exploit the system and ruin the experience for everyone.
As someone who values time more than anything else when travelling, the explosion of illegal listings, risks and upstanding bug associated with Airbnb and the like practise not outweigh the benefits of staying in a hotel for me. Considering that a pair of YouTubers also pranked Airbnb by listing a dollhouse and fabricated $3,000 worth of bookings, it actually begs the question of how much listings are actually checked.
By ignoring local laws, causing negative impacts on locals' quality of life and lack of consequent standards, I believe unregulated homestay accommodation is unethical and I'm deplorable to say for these reasons cannot support it.
What are your thoughts? Do you experience the same? Let me know in the comments below! If y'all found this commodity helpful or you lot learnt something new, please share it or take a expect at my popular travel guides and itineraries and my book for more ways to help yous Not look like a tourist on your next trip.
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Until next time,
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Paris pin paradigm credit: Chris Karidis
Airbnb logo used under Wikimedia Commons
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Source: https://www.theinvisibletourist.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-airbnb-issues-you-didnt-know/
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