All Forum Posts by: Collin Hays

We are trending down for April.  Way too early to tell about later months.

How about this for a new wrinkle?  We had a guest today book one of our properties via VRBO, and then cancelled an hour later citing Coronavirus.  We refunded since it was not only an hour old reservation. After we did, THE EXACT SAME GUEST booked another cabin we manage that was cheaper.

Of course, the guest had no way of knowing it was the same mgr for both properties. 

Airbnb is totally hosing the homeowners.  Meanwhile they are denying paying claims for the same situation for guests who purchased trip insurance from Airbnb.   

Airbnb is going to lose a lot of STRs over this deal. I am glad I’m not on their platform.  I had been considering it, but they have owners by the nut sack and are tightening the clamps.

They are being charitable with the homeowner’s money; with theirs not so much.

I’m glad to share my experience but I have no idea how to do a blog.

Wow!  I just got in from helping my neighbor Jack off his horse and this has turned into quite a debate!

There again, we are back to picking sides based on “who” presumably can afford a loss, reserves that “you owners” should have, and insurance owners should have.  

“Who” can most easily absorb a financial hit is purely subjective and isn’t relevant.

Home owners certainly “should” have reserves for financial catastrophes like ones that I have endured.  

Homeowners CAN buy business interruption insurance and in fact most have this in their policy.  “Fear of travel” is most certainly NOT a covered peril.

However, guests CAN purchase trip interruption insurance and in fact are promoted to do so by Airbnb and VRBO.  These companies have made $ millions in profit off of these policies.  However, most of the claims currently being filed by vacationers due to fear of travel due to CV are NOT being paid by these companies.  

It is disgusting that Airbnb is arbitrarily taking from owners to refund some of these guests while they are SIMULTANEOUSLY DENYING refunds filed under the insurance that Airbnb sold to the vacationer.

It’s apparently all on the greedy rich homeowner. 

Yes, we had insurance.  But in a natural disaster, you need to take what it normally costs to rebuild a home and double it.  Labor shortages and price gouging rule the day.  Also, we lost two full years of income.

It was a financial blood bath for us.

It was very painful financially.  We spent our entire college savings accounts and cashed in some retirement to get it done.  When guests feel that I’m greedy not to refund a last minute cancellation, I want to ask “where were you will I was living through 18 months of hell to get this thing rebuilt”?  

We had to raid college and retirement accounts to get it rebuilt, and lost 2 years of revenue.