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[NSW] Airbnb Hosts Offering Free Accommodation for Flood Victims

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A great initiative. Please stay safe, and enjoy :)

Source: Yahoo! News

If you have been impacted by the floods, you can get free accommodation with Airbnb hosts until April 8. To apply, you'll need an Airbnb account and once you're logged in, you'll be asked a few questions about how you have been impacted. Airbnb will review the responses and then get back to people typically within 24 hours. Once Airbnb approves you, then you will be able to see the places you can stay at for free. Once you find a place that seems suitable for you, you can reach out to the host.

Referral Links

Airbnb Host: random (154)

Referrers get ~$1068 . Referees get ~$59.

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closed Comments

  • +1

    does the host still get paid?

    • +1

      I assume Airbnb are bearing the cost.

      • +1

        definitely a rare thing for Airbnb if true

      • +35

        Pretty sure they did this for bushfires. I was a host at the time and they wanted hosts to offer accommodation for free… Yet they got the praise.

        Edit: actually clicked the link and hosts have to offer their place up for free, so Airbnb doing (profanity) all here.

        • +2

          Gees that would be a scum move by the billion dollar Airbnb in my opinion.

          I'm sick of corporate vultures. Do they even pay tax here?

          How is it fair to make the local person cough out while they get the headlines?

          Negative so people are at least aware of your comment.

          • +4

            @arcticmonkey: At the time, I would have considered it if Airbnb weren't such assholes when you had issues with a guest. They would always side with the guest for damage etc, leaving the host out of pocket. Their $1 million guarantee wasn't worth the pixels its printed on.

            They couldn't care for their hosts..they make their money from the guests. Bit like uber.

            End rant.

            Anyway it's great that people give their place up for people affected for free. Just hope they have good guests

            • +8

              @lockmc: It's great that people are giving their place for free. It's ridiculous if AirBnb is benefitting through the headlines and not contributing anything to the hosts.

              People siding with billion dollar corporates is why they think they can do it. Probably the same people who put Morrison in.

              • +1
              • -8

                @arcticmonkey: They're contributing their app which they normally charge for via a cut of the fees.

                They don't own houses. Why would you expect them to pay landlord's?

                • +13

                  @[Deactivated]: Because airbnb is earning millions from the app while hosts have struggled through the last 12 months due to covid.

                  When uber eats offers "free delivery", they dont stop paying the delivery guys. They pay for the delivery out of their own profits. Why shouldnt airbnb do the same?

                  • -2

                    @ialam99: That's some strange alternative facts when actually Airbnb lost hundreds of millions last year. They're a tech company who is still in their aggressive expansion without having fully monetized.
                    https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/16/21570416/airbnb-coronavi…

                    Why Airbnb? Why are you expecting air bnb to cover landlord costs? Why not Cadbury, or any other random corporation that doesn't own renal properties. What's the difference? NVIDIA actually made a killing through covid, why aren't you begging NVIDIA to pay landlord's?

                    Btw Uber eats free deliveries are predatory and no sustainable. There are no Uber profits. They're loosing billions with the aim to kill off local competitors because they don't as much funding behind them as Uber. End game is to establish a monopoly and then actually monetize.

                    • -1

                      @[Deactivated]: I don't see any headlines from NVIDIA bragging about doing something good for society and then shifting the buck onto others.

                      • +2

                        @arcticmonkey: Airbnb is giving it's service for free to people affected.

                        It's service isn't to provide houses, it's service is to link landlord's and customers

                        It shouldn't be expected to provide houses like like how you're not expecting Uber to provide houses.

                        • -2

                          @[Deactivated]: I hope you are getting paid by AirBnb for your staunch defence.

                          Surely you're not going into battle for a foreign multinational for free?

                          Does 94 indicate your birth year?

                        • +1

                          @[Deactivated]: All your points are on-par and make complete sense. Only those who have never run a business before would disagree and down-vote you.

                          It's a luxury to stand on the moral high ground. Quick to criticize, but would never actually do.

  • -4

    Wow, do good and good will follow you, Good Karmas coming Airbnb's way,

  • +26

    Hmmm so actual home owners are the ones offering their house up for free and Airbnb are taking all the credit

    • -3

      Airbnb don't own houses? They own an app that puts owners into contact with customers, that's all. They charge for that normally with fee's. They're offering their side for free and encouraging home owners to do the same.
      It's a good use of an existing system to help find the supply to need demand in a crisis.

      You can't expect Airbnb to carry the entire load of accommodation issues caused by the floods themselves, that's ridiculous. That's the government's job, not a private American company.

      • +5

        Don’t know why his post has 10 upvotes and yours has none. You made some good points.

    • -3

      Airbnb is simply offering a service - a method for home owners to connect with those in need. What credit are they taking exactly?

    • What kind of neg is that, you don't think it's a good deal, or you've got beef with Airbnb?

    • Airbnb still has the skin in the game. In case of accidental damage, The Host Guarantee will reimburse every host for property damages up to $1,000,000.

      • +4

        That is worthless. They never pay anything when guests damage your place.

        • +4

          Was a host. Can confirm.

          • @lockmc:

            The Host Guarantee will reimburse every host for property damages up to $1,000,000

            So, these are just empty words?

            • +1

              @DoctorCalculon: Pretty much. From what I've read, some people have had some payouts but they pull every trick in the book to not pay it.

    • +2

      Yes the floods happened because Gladys left the kitchen tap on

    • +2

      I'm sorry that the past three years have totally defined our current environment.

      You know what? I don't think the environment gives a shit about our political cycle.

  • +26

    Title should be changed to "Airbnb Hosts Offering Free Accommodation For Flood Victims"

    • +14

      I agree. My original title was

      [NSW] Hosts Offer Free Accommodation to Flood Victims via Airbnb

      If you look at the revisions, you’ll see it was changed by a moderator. I’ve now reverted to your suggestion. Hopefully they won’t change it back :)

      • +2

        Great stuff, thanks TA!

  • +4

    Good initiative and obviously it's voluntary to rent your place out for free, but would it have been too much for Airbnb to provide a small gesture of thank you.

    It could even just be 0% host fee charges for a month. That's not much to ask.

    • +7

      Yeah they could have done atleast something, rather than taking the credit for the generosity of the hosts

  • +2

    AirBNB head office are being stingy scumbags, for not giving away free Hosting to these hosts, who voluntarily open their hearts and homes to flood victims.

    I expected more from AirBNB, even despite their own COVID losses (people didn't travel nor use AirBNB much during the past year).

    Don't expect much from AirBNB HQ, you wont get disappointed.

  • +9

    Airbnb suck. I have a house in Port Mac that was flooded and had to cancel bookings. They said sorry to hear, but we going to charge you a penalty until you provide proof with photos, quotes or receipts for repairs and timeline to relist on Airbnb. This is after they sent me an email warning me of flood situation on NSW mid north coast. I told them I can't even get to the property and to escalate to management, to which they said they had and still had to provide the above or penalties would continue to stand.

    • +2

      Disgusting. The person was probably writing from the Netherlands or Ireland or some tax haven.

      • +2

        Nope. Wages there are too high. The only thing in the Netherlands and Ireland is a company.
        A lot of companies have their email support in countries like the Philippines.

  • TBH the government is the one who should take care of the victims, it's naturally their responsibility

    • +1

      In a perfect world, yes.

      However, looking after flood victims generates no money at all for the politicians, so there is no point for them to do it.

      Even our SES is mostly powered by volunteers…

  • +1

    Kudos to any Airbnb host who participates in this to provide assistance to those in need. F Airbnb for not providing any funding into this. Understand they’re just a platform and don’t own the actual properties but they’re still a company that generates enough revenue to somewhat subsidise the costs or at least some.

    • +2

      They are an American company donating something (their service which involves support staff, developers, server costs, etc), compared to the vast majority of Australian companies donating nothing. They don't have to donate anything. I'm not sure why you're telling them to get f'kd.

  • +1

    I put my Melb CBD Airbnb up for free during the bushfires before Airbnb had a review process for free disaster accommodation. I had one lady request a week so she could do a Yoga program who was not even in a bush fire area, someone just planning a trip to Melbourne and it was pretty much an endless flow from people with no shame. I took my property off for free after that. I was so peeved. I'm glad Airbnb actually do something and review them now.

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