Airbnb Removed The Fee Structure They Forced On Us Late 2025

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Airbnb Removed The Fee Structure They Forced On Us Late 2025

Josh Ball
Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 215 posts · 149 votes

It appears Airbnb has rolled back their service fee structure that charged the hosts 15.5%. Using PMS you now have the option to go back to the split fee (3% with additional charged to guest).

Just an fyi.

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Ian Tyndall
Investor · VA AZ, SC · Member since 2017 · 173 posts · 172 votes
6mo

April Fools Day?

I haven’t seen this

2Reply
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  • Lisa Graesser
    Rental Property Investor · The Villages, FL · Member since 2017 · 341 posts · 398 votes
    6mo

    Good to hear, I don't use a PMS so had never had the 15% increase, but I had heard rumors that everyone would be set at the 15% increase at some point. I had called airbnb in December and asked if my lisitings would be changed to the new structure and they said no, but I know how things can change at anytime.

    1Reply
  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    6mo

    I guess thats good news for Airbnb uses?

    I get so few bookings from Airbnb it doesn't move the needle for me and I'm not integrated either.

    1Reply
  • Ken Boone
    Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6mo
    Quote from @Josh Ball:

    It appears Airbnb has rolled back their service fee structure that charged the hosts 15.5%. Using PMS you now have the option to go back to the split fee (3% with additional charged to guest).

    Just an fyi.


     Hey Josh. Can you post your source for this? This is huge if true. Once I made the change on my airbnb listings, my airbnb bookings dropped significantly. Fortunately VRBO just went full on for me when that happened and VRBO (which used to be my primary, but in the last few years fell behind my AirBnb bookings) is now the OTA that is giving me the most bookings.

    It is no surprise that it dropped because not everyone made adjustments for it. Don't know the real numbers but I saw a post that said something like only 28% of folks made an adjustment. That means the rest of the folks just took a huge pay decrease, and now look more competitive price wise and most of these folks don't even know they are losing an additional 15%

    I am fortunate that VRBO bookings immediately took over as my AirBnb bookings dropped off for sure.

    1Reply
    • Josh Ball
      OP
      Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 215 posts · 149 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Josh Ball:

      It appears Airbnb has rolled back their service fee structure that charged the hosts 15.5%. Using PMS you now have the option to go back to the split fee (3% with additional charged to guest).

      Just an fyi.


       Hey Josh. Can you post your source for this? This is huge if true. Once I made the change on my airbnb listings, my airbnb bookings dropped significantly. Fortunately VRBO just went full on for me when that happened and VRBO (which used to be my primary, but in the last few years fell behind my AirBnb bookings) is now the OTA that is giving me the most bookings.

      It is no surprise that it dropped because not everyone made adjustments for it. Don't know the real numbers but I saw a post that said something like only 28% of folks made an adjustment. That means the rest of the folks just took a huge pay decrease, and now look more competitive price wise and most of these folks don't even know they are losing an additional 15%

      I am fortunate that VRBO bookings immediately took over as my AirBnb bookings dropped off for sure.


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      0Reply
  • Ian Tyndall
    Investor · VA AZ, SC · Member since 2017 · 173 posts · 172 votes
    6mo

    April Fools Day?

    I haven’t seen this

    2Reply
    • Josh Ball
      OP
      Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 215 posts · 149 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      2Reply
    • Ken Boone
      Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Josh Ball:
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      I guess I need to call Airbnb and see what their plans are with this. 

      0Reply
    • Trent Reeve
      Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 716 posts · 645 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Josh Ball:
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      I guess I need to call Airbnb and see what their plans are with this. 


       i doubt the average person you can get on the phone is going to know the broader plans. but if you hear something, please share

      0Reply
    • Ken Boone
      Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Trent Reeve:
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Josh Ball:
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      I guess I need to call Airbnb and see what their plans are with this. 


       i doubt the average person you can get on the phone is going to know the broader plans. but if you hear something, please share


      This is what Kenny Bedwell (owner of STR Insights) shared on FB:

      "AIRBNB HOSTS - READ THIS!I’m sure you’ve been hearing the news and buzz around Airbnb quietly bringing back the split fee model where guests pay the majority of their fees.But what no one actually called Airbnb about it.We did…..Airbnb told us it is back only TEMPORARILY!They are reinstating the single host fee on June 22 (my birthday)!!!!They are playing the whole switch-a-roo. Steal back summer bookings from VRBO then switch everyone back to single fee.What does this mean for you:1. Mark June 22 in your calendars2. Remove your mark ups in your PMS if you are switching to split fees3. Make sure your pricing accurately reflects your changes.****We do NOT know if this impacts your ranking in the algorithm by switching to split fees. No one knows because it just came out yesterday. Beware of rumors and speculation. Trust the data.Sound off in the comments"

      0Reply
    • Trent Reeve
      Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 716 posts · 645 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Trent Reeve:
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Josh Ball:
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      I guess I need to call Airbnb and see what their plans are with this. 


       i doubt the average person you can get on the phone is going to know the broader plans. but if you hear something, please share


      This is what Kenny Bedwell (owner of STR Insights) shared on FB:

      "AIRBNB HOSTS - READ THIS!I’m sure you’ve been hearing the news and buzz around Airbnb quietly bringing back the split fee model where guests pay the majority of their fees.But what no one actually called Airbnb about it.We did…..Airbnb told us it is back only TEMPORARILY!They are reinstating the single host fee on June 22 (my birthday)!!!!They are playing the whole switch-a-roo. Steal back summer bookings from VRBO then switch everyone back to single fee.What does this mean for you:1. Mark June 22 in your calendars2. Remove your mark ups in your PMS if you are switching to split fees3. Make sure your pricing accurately reflects your changes.****We do NOT know if this impacts your ranking in the algorithm by switching to split fees. No one knows because it just came out yesterday. Beware of rumors and speculation. Trust the data.Sound off in the comments"


       I will just keep everything as it is

      0Reply
    • Ken Boone
      Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Trent Reeve:
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Trent Reeve:
      Quote from @Ken Boone:
      Quote from @Josh Ball:
      Quote from @Ian Tyndall:

      April Fools Day?

      I haven’t seen this


      Go to your service fee options. It not shows both options again & just displays single fee as "recommended". No longer forces you to that option when using PMS.

      I guess I need to call Airbnb and see what their plans are with this. 


       i doubt the average person you can get on the phone is going to know the broader plans. but if you hear something, please share


      This is what Kenny Bedwell (owner of STR Insights) shared on FB:

      "AIRBNB HOSTS - READ THIS!I’m sure you’ve been hearing the news and buzz around Airbnb quietly bringing back the split fee model where guests pay the majority of their fees.But what no one actually called Airbnb about it.We did…..Airbnb told us it is back only TEMPORARILY!They are reinstating the single host fee on June 22 (my birthday)!!!!They are playing the whole switch-a-roo. Steal back summer bookings from VRBO then switch everyone back to single fee.What does this mean for you:1. Mark June 22 in your calendars2. Remove your mark ups in your PMS if you are switching to split fees3. Make sure your pricing accurately reflects your changes.****We do NOT know if this impacts your ranking in the algorithm by switching to split fees. No one knows because it just came out yesterday. Beware of rumors and speculation. Trust the data.Sound off in the comments"


       I will just keep everything as it is


       I changed mine back. The problem is not that the guest pays the same fee. The problem is that when it was implemented a lot of AirBnb hosts that are not in the loop didn't do anything. Which means their STRs are now 15.5% lower than everyone that made the change. They are losing that money of course. I saw same stats that only like 30% of all AirBnb hosts offset their costs in the nightly rate (dunno if it was true, saw it on the Internet). So depending on the market you could have gotten completely priced out.

      Glad it didn't impact you. After the change my AirBnb bookings dropped off the cliff. Fortunately VRBO picked up the slack immediately. 90% of my bookings shifted to VRBO since the change so I just flipped back to split fee. We will see what happens.

      0Reply
  • John RacinePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Casselberry, FL · Member since 2008 · 117 posts · 67 votes
    6mo

    I'm not seeing anything on that. I will say the Fee Change did not effect us. I have passed the fee on to the guests and am still seeing occupancy north of 88% every month so far.

    0Reply
  • Rafael RodriguezBusiness Member
    Member since 2025 · 10 posts · 3 votes
    6mo

    This would be good news for hosts that use a PMS.  

    0Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6mo

    Im not really seeing a difference after the first week or two of the change.  We increased our rates to match and the guest paid the same as they did before, just 1 less line item on the bill.

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    0Reply
    • Trent Reeve
      Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 716 posts · 645 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Andrew Steffens:

      Im not really seeing a difference after the first week or two of the change.  We increased our rates to match and the guest paid the same as they did before, just 1 less line item on the bill.


       same with us. ABB booking didnt slow down, it surprisingly increased from previous years. As long as people werent over increasing their rates, the guests paid about the same and dont see the ABB fee on their side.

      0Reply
  • Mark Simpson
    Specialist · Member since 2022 · 33 posts · 32 votes
    6mo
    1Reply
  • Patricia Andriolo-Bull
    Member since 2022 · 529 posts · 413 votes
    6mo

    I don't see this as an option.  Maybe they removed it already?

    0Reply
    • Josh Ball
      OP
      Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 215 posts · 149 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

      I don't see this as an option.  Maybe they removed it already?


       Yes, it appears to be gone now. Sounds like it was a glitch with an update they pushed through. False alarm.

      0Reply
  • Stephen Geluz
    New to Real Estate · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2023 · 83 posts · 29 votes
    6mo

    That’s actually a pretty big update if it sticks. Feels like a lot of people just accepted the 15.5% hit and moved on.

    0Reply
  • Ken Boone
    Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6mo

    Well I just got an AirBnb booking this afternoon and it showing host fee is 3%. I just checked my airbnb settings and I still see it. This screenshot is at 11:05pm tonight.

    0Reply
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