Customers complain those hidden Airbnb fees are adding up

TAMPA, Fla. - As travel begins to ramp up again, many people are choosing to book their vacation stays with Airbnb. However, there is a growing concern over how much they’re being charged as customers are now complaining that their grand total is much more than expected.  

Many Airbnb customers have said that the cleaning fee and extra charges are to blame.

Travelers have taken to social media to voice their concerns, stating that the cleaning fees, along with the rules for some of the listings on the site, are simply excessive.  

Many renters are making sure that their frustrations don’t go unnoticed. One Twitter post garnered over 200,000 likes and thousands of comments after someone tweeted "we gotta stop Airbnb" along with a screenshot of a breakdown for a two-night stay. The image showed the rental itself only cost $198, but the cleaning fees and service charges added in an extra $413. 

Airbnb does allow its hosts to set its own cleaning fees based on what’s necessary for their rental. Some hosts have said with the added protocols for keeping rentals clean during the pandemic, sometimes those high cleaning fees are necessary. Other hosts hire outside companies to clean their properties, and that can run up a costly bill.  

Airbnb did clarify that they set their own service fee and taxes due to the location of the rental, adding that the host does not see any of that money.

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However, the rental site has heard the concerns. They plan to review their fees and put out some recommendations for travelers by December.