Troubles grow for some Airbnb hosts

Disgruntled Airbnb guests are taking to Twitter and TikTok to vent about everything from cleaning fees to misleading listings. But they aren't the only ones with complaints.

Airbnb hosts themselves have become increasingly disillusioned with the platform and its disrespectful guests.

"I went to the apartment to check what was going on, and I was in shock to discover that the tenants were still in the apartment," one host wrote recently on the website AirbnbHell. "They immediately called the police on me and I was kicked out of my own apartment by a team of the police — a complete shock."

A 2021 report from Bloomberg detailed how Airbnb's secretive crisis team spends millions of dollars to cover up crimes and other publicity nightmares in its listings. And the platform recently launched "anti-party technology" in an effort to defray hosts' frustrations with large, destructive gatherings.

These issues raise the question: Is Airbnb itself the problem — or are the guests?

In May, Airbnb launched a new "AirCover" protection plan for guests and hosts. It promises quick reimbursement for hosts and up to $1 million in damage protection. And while many hosts consider this policy generous, it still comes with plenty of gray areas.

Emily Muskin Rathner, a digital marketing professional living in Cleveland, began renting her house on Airbnb in August 2021. She says that hosting has been a pleasant and profitable enterprise overall, but a few guests have caused major problems, including a family that rented the house this June.

Muskin Rathner received reimbursement from Airbnb for most of her claims.

The early days of short-term vacation rentals offered hosts a simple proposition: Rent your home and earn some extra money.

But cities such as Denver and Portland, Ore., have been cracking down on unlicensed short-term rentals, levying fines against hosts and requiring expensive permits. These policies allow local governments to collect taxes and regulate problematic behavior, but they add one more layer of complexity for hosts, many of whom have little experience in hospitality.

Furthermore, many local governments place the burden of tax collection on hosts, not Airbnb. As a result, hosts must not only act as full-time customer service agents and hospitality experts, but also navigate local regulations and master convoluted taxation laws.

The romantic notion of home sharing as a means for homeowners to pay their mortgages has given way to management companies inserting themselves and aiming to maximize profits. And small-time hosts can't keep up with these corporate competitors.