r/FuckAirbnb

**i booked a reservation in queens ny for june 5th 2026 - Feb 5th 2027. Upon initially booking , the app crashes and doesn’t allow me to complete my payment causing me to make a brand new account so the booking payment could go through. Cool. This issue with. the App continues and I effectively communicate between the host. and airbnb about the App crashing. Eventually the host reaches out to me to request payment offf the airbnb app , through zelle/cash. And literally tells me to CANNCELL MY RESERVATION. I agree, because it was a hassle. (this is before knowing that the host was actively violating policy). Days later, August 17th 2026. The Host contacts me and tells me he needs us out by September 1st because he had family coming from Bangladesh on September 3rd. Which of course was ludicrous because. he was only giving me and my husband. 2 weeks to find a place. IN NEW. YORK CITY. We stress to him that this was too short notice and he then changes his mind and says we can leave on the 17th of September ….. I thought he had family coming on the 3rd?**

Anyways , I contact AirBnB and request help relocating and or compensation for my stay from August 17th to september 17. They actively spent days running circles around what I was saying and Just focused on the fact that the cancellation was made. on my end. When I have literal proof of my Host INSISTING. I cancel. This Company and Host have completeley left me stranded in a very impossible state. I AM FURIOUS.

Our host requested $350 AUD after checkout for "smoke odor and extra cleaning," but the math and claims kept shifting:

The listing explicitly stated "Smoking permitted" with zero mention of "outdoors only" on the house rules or inside the house.

The request was submitted at 2:54 PM (under 5 hours post-10 AM checkout) claiming 5+ hours of extra work. In messages, he changed it to 7 hours of his own personal labor at $50/hr. He then said it is for today and tomorrow's cleaning.

When asked for an itemized breakdown or third-party cleaning receipts so I could assign the different fees to the different people (smokers/non smokers, person who spilt water on the carpet) he refused and got angry and I started to get really suspicious.

He then claimed we stole a large outdoor couch cushion and 2 cushions from inside. We flew in with minimal carry-on luggage—it’s physically impossible for us to have packed anything that is bulky.

The place wasn't pristine when we got there—one of us actually stepped on a piece of glass near the dining table upon arrival.

I declined the $350 request through the Resolution Centre, explained the situation in my private note to Airbnb, and the request was marked "closed" by Airbnb a minute later. I do not want to argue with the host.

Since I'm new to the platform, is it normal for hosts to try to charge $50/hr for their own personal labor without third-party receipts? Did I handle this the right way by declining? It all seems sketchy to me especially after him claiming we stole cushions.

For two months in the summer, I rented a two-bedroom apartment in Rome with air conditioning (an air conditioning system, a wall-mounted air conditioner, as pictured in the main photo, plus a portable air conditioner and a fan. All of this was listed in the description). When I called the landlord to inquire about appliances like a vacuum cleaner (I wanted to bring my own if the apartment didn't have one), the first thing she asked me was, "Did you see that this is an open-plan space?" No, I didn't. Then, after looking more closely, I saw at the end of the description that it was an open-plan space. I asked about the air conditioners casually, just out of the blue (Rome gets very hot in the summer), and the landlord told me the air conditioner in the photo was broken; the apartment only had a fan.
Then came lengthy phone calls and emails with customer support. The result: out of €1,695, they withheld €630. This owner's listing hasn't been updated: it still says 2 bedrooms and 4 types of air conditioners.

P.S. I didn't even move into this apartment. I rented an apartment on Booking.com for twice the price. My family consists of a child and a mother with hypertension. So, we weren't planning on sleeping in one room; we wanted two bedrooms, as stated in the property's main information. Regarding air conditioning: it's impossible for my family to live in Rome without one. Portable, budget air conditioners are very weak and limited in power. I believe I have the right to pay for what is stated in the description and not to pay for something I haven't been warned about in advance.

P. s. S. Update: This was my first booking on this site. At first, I genuinely believed I'd made a mistake about the two-bedroom option, as I couldn't find the description when I booked (I later found it and took a screenshot). After learning about the lack of air conditioning, I reduced my stay to one month. The new check-out date was inconvenient for the host, so she offered to cancel the reservation. I happily agreed. In my naivety, I offered to split the fee (she was worried about the fee). After that, she became brazen and started demanding in a conversation on the Airbnb website that I pay her €400 "for the risk if she doesn't find a tenant." Otherwise, she wouldn't cancel the reservation, and I would lose the entire amount or be forced to live in the apartment for a month.

This subreddit is about the whole AirBnb problem, the hosts, the speculation, and how they make it difficult for local residents to buy or simply rent where they live, maintain their quality of life and the overall state of the buildings they live in while some parasites own apartments they never set a foot into. This is beyond Airbnb as a company and can also stretch to Booking, Agoda, etc.

This subreddit is also about how Airbnb as a company and how they support predatory policies for real estate, tourism, or simply support people like Trump or settlers in Palestinian land.

If you are a host, please consider selling your houses to actual residents so they can live here, and get a real job.

Thank you for your understanding.

We have an insane neighbor. When I say insane, he has been arrested for setting a car on his lawn on fire and it exploding, has gotten a DUI after driving like a maniac in our neighborhood and the main road, and verbally and physically assaulting various neighbors when under the influence. There’s over 10 kids in our small 8 house cul-de-sac road and has harassed everyone who lives here by either showing up at our homes absolutely hammared or dumping trash on our lawns. Basically a menace and a problematic drunk. We have now found out that he’s renting out a tent on his property and rooms in his house. $29/night is welcoming the kind of people who you’d expect. They’re dumping trash, driving erratically, entering properties that aren’t associated with the rental, etc. ANY suggestions are welcomed, we have contacted the town and local officials as well as air bnb and have basically been told there’s not much that can be done☹️

Hi everyone!

I finishing a week long stay in a 6BR house.

The house is advertised as hosting up to 14 people ( extra cot and baby bed).

House looked great, so did the reviews.

We arrived and the dishwasher was still running (fair enough and not an issue as the hosts let us in an hour earlier)

Since then it’s been absolute chaos: the dishwasher didn’t work or function properly for the first 4 days (imagine the dishes for 13 people) : it would drain while open and empty, it would fill with water and leak all over the kitchen floor. Absolute mayhem with that many people in the house.

Hosts seemed genuinely concerned d by message and on the phone , they sent a “repairman” who fixed part of the issue (screwed the appliance to the wall) but it still filled with water when we did the fishers. The repairman told us that this was happening on every rental, that he keeps telling the host to change the appliance but to no avail.

Then there’s the “well equipped” kitchen.
2 Salad bowls, one kitchen knife, two kitchen towels, no can opener, no cheese grater etc… every kitchen item is the cheapest that could be find at ikea (I’m on holidays not hosting a cooking show so I don’t care if it’s ugly I just want to be able to cook and feed the group). I raised the issue they said to go to ikea and complete what was missing and they would reimburse us. I did , not my idea of a relaxing holiday but …

We also had railing issues (inside and outside) posing a safety risk to both adults and more importantly the kids.

The AC in my bedroom is leaking water , it drowned by shoes. The repair guys fixed it but it’s leaking again.

We paid around 6k for the week and it’s honestly been miserable.

The add pictures were extremely misleading, I understand staging pics but the outside patio furniture ended being the ones we needed to bring inside to have dinner as the are not enough chairs.

I’m a bit fuming but I’ve stayed cordial and nice in all my interactions and documented everything on the app chat with the host.

If you read this far: what can I expect in terms of checkout and review process?

My family and I recently took a trip to Orlando to do the usual tourist stuff because apparently my kids are finally at the perfect age to enjoy everything Orlando has to offer, including draining my bank account.

We booked what looked like a nice Airbnb. The property had great reviews, a pool, and was relatively close to the theme parks. Based on the listing and reviews, it seemed like a solid choice.

As ee drove into the area, we started noticing businesses along the main road with bars over the windows and doors, security fences, and a lot of people hanging around on corners and near convenience stores.

Once we got into the actual neighborhood. Houses were in rough shape. Yards had junk everywhere. There were broken-down cars in driveways and parked along the street. It was immediately clear that the area was very different from what we had pictured when booking the property.

We pulled into the Airbnb, looked around for about 15 minutes, and decided we weren't comfortable staying there with our kids. So we backed out and drove across town toward the resort areas to find somewhere else to stay.

Over the next three days, I went back and forth with Airbnb and the host. I was eventually able to get about half of my money back, but I still ended up roughly $1,000 out of pocket, plus several hours of time dealing with the situation.

I'm curious, when you book a trip, do you research the surrounding neighborhood before booking?

This guys is not going to make the same mistake twice.

I am hoping this stays anonymous. I really need some help/advice bc I am simply lost on what to do I have been subjected to such insane anxiety inducing scenarios I cannot even believe this is my life right now. Basically, I live in New York and I was so lucky enough to land a job three months post graduation from my masters degree and worked my ass off to save money since I was in middle school to be able to come live in the city as it has been my dream to pursue living there and work in the field I chose.

That being said, I worked so hard to get where I am today and I’ve been dealt a really crappy situation. My job is only temporary, so it required me to be working for only around three to four months in one place. It certainly doesn’t pay enough for living lavishly, far from it, but I found a lovely temporary spot in Brooklyn.

I reserved the Airbnb for temp housing two months in advance and was approved no issues. The day before my move in was supposed to happen, I get a notification that Airbnb support cancelled my housing due to a safety concern. I thought, that’s crazy okay it’s for my safety I can work with them to find somewhere else/a solution. No. Airbnb support refused to refund me until 15 business days later so my first month‘s rent was gone. What was the crazy part? There was no safety issue. The host owned another property in Connecticut whose house flooded due to heavy torrents of rain (thanks climate change) and had to evacuate the residents the week prior! So there was no safety with the place in Brooklyn at all and the host had tenants whose contracts were instantly violated due to Airbnb’s customer support mixing up the houses. When I spoke with the representative, they confirmed it verbally that they had it mixed up and the host was correct in it was safe. I thought okay whatever, I’ll just rebook same host no issue. But the support agent informed me that if I tried to rebook, the automation system would auto reject my application and basically “eat” another month’s rent for the next 15 business days! So I would’ve been out of double the rent!!!

My first day of work at this new job was the following Monday (I was supposed to move in on a Friday for extra wiggle room for moving stuff <im a big planner>) and realized I had nowhere to live bc of airbnb’s mistake. I asked them for assistance in finding somewhere else and for possibly helping me get my money back quicker bc as a recent grad, the amount of money I paid upfront was absolutely nothing to sneeze at. They refused and had me on hold on and off, hanging up on me constantly, all day long. By the time it was 1 am, I knew it was too late. (btw I was notified at 9 am of the cancellation) I would be homeless. I begged the place I was currently staying at (student housing) to allow me to stay two extra nights so I could figure it out and they charged me $300 and told me I had to check out before noon of the move out date (impossible for me because that day just so happened to land on my first day of work at my new job).

I was told by customer support the next day that I would be compensated $100 in a voucher toward the next place that could only be used one time on a new reservation and could not be used if the place was already booked (so it couldn’t go toward anything reserved). I finally found a place to live on the Saturday. It was $1k more per month but I was desperate and willing to pay my entire new month’s rent with my job and sacrifice eating/not using the subway for a while. Whatever, I’d crunch the numbers to find a way. The host approves me and then asks me to switch the dates for the reservation because she couldn’t get cleaners on the weekend. okay cool, I’ll pay for one extra night again at my current place. Then 24 hours goes by. No response. No approval. My coupon? Gone. The host? Never heard from again. And to top it all off? The host owned most of the housing in the city.

so I get back online with the support team. I’m on the phone with them for two hours. They finally talk to me like I’m a human being. I’m typically an incredibly nonchalant, calm person who hears out others first (people pleaser in all honesty). The support pretends not to hear me any time I bring up having an issue with not finding a place to live again. My friend, who only listened to thirty min of this whole charade, made me mute and yelled at me for not standing up for myself and being pissed off at the guy actively pretending like he couldn’t hear me, but that’s just not something in the moment that I had in me emotionally to do. I was calm as I unmuted, and my friend grabbed my phone and screamed at the guy for me. Seconds later the manager was talking to me and saying I could get a $395 voucher instead and helped me find this new place way farther of a commute, but better priced than the extra $1k place (still worse pricing than og place). I booked it instantly and realized that with Airbnb booking fees, it actually only took off half of their hidden fees that they couldn’t removed entirely on top of me paying the rent but whatever. I took it. The host approved. I was finally in the clear right?

wrong. The day of my move was right after my first day. I was so stressed I couldnt sleep properly and only got around four hours. I still didnmy absolute best and made it through the day. I packed all of my things and moved it all downstairs to make it easier on the moving guys helping me. Turns out they had hidden fees and a $120 move turned into a $250 move. They looked me dead in the eye and said meet you there. I was in disbelief, I was not informed anywhere that I would have to meet them there! I thought I could ride with them especially since it was so expensive! So he waved to me goodbye and drove off with all my things. I booked it for the subway and transferred twice. Somehow by sheer luck, and a shit ton of sprinting, I made it there within seconds that they did. I get up to my new apartment.

They charge me a late fee for having to move my things right after my first day of work. Fine whatever. I have a hard time paying it and Airbnb cancels all of my payments. What???? I am on with support again. I call my bank, it’s not them. I talk to the agent until finally finds the problem. Of fuckinf course it was their fault again. The movers break my bin. Whatever. The room is waaaaay tinier than anticipated or pictured. I actually barely fit all my things in (there’s no walking room at all). And the rooms??? Pigsty in the kitchen. absolutely filthy. They have policies, very strict mind you, about the state all residents have to leave the place in. It is so disgusting there’s a rancid smell. My assigned section of the fridge is filled with moldy, rotting foods left by previous tenants. No pantry space. it’s violating every single kitchen policy the host implemented.

I cry. I sit in my room alone and cry from the stress . the crying makes me thirsty. I go to the kitchen sink and there. Skittering around are three cockroaches. I scream. I book it to my room and start sobbing again. I have dealt in the past with god awful roommates, theft, breaking and entering, etc. but cockroaches?????? I dry heave. I have nothing in my system to throw up because oh yeah I don’t have any money for food. I spent it all on a place with cockroaches and filth and mess and stench. I took photos and sent them to the host asking him to please fix it. He doesnt respond. I contact customer support. Guess who’s suddenly a ghost now??? So here I am now. Crying in my room. Alone. Terrified beyond belief that a roach is going to find its way into my bed while I sleep. That it’s going to get into my room and my things. I can’t take it anymore I’m so exhausted and mentally drained and cant stop crying. What do I do??? I know I should go back and take pics of the cockroaches but every time I step toward the door I cannot stop shaking violently and crying. I have severe trauma from cockroaches from when I was a kid and I’m trying to get the courage but I simply cannot go back out there. Please some advice or legal advice on what I can do?? I have pics of the kitchen policy mess violations. What even can I do. I am so tired of being shit on.