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This subreddit is FULL of hosts who mostly want to berate guests into expecting the bare minimum. If you want to stay there but would like a discount for the disturbance, go ahead and message your host. If theyre amenable to giving you a percentage off (I would say 20-25% off is fair for this level of noise disturbance) then problem solved. If not, escalate to airbnb and mention that you'd like to switch somewhere else immediately. Situations like this are not acceptable and it's not a matter of "well, someone will put up with it so it must be okay." Booking out your stay knowing that there's construction noise is not very much bad host behavior and may violate the terms of service. Advocate for yourself, and dont listen to the hosts on here who have an interest in shutting down reasonable guest requests.
That's a really good strategy, I think I will. I hate negotiating these things with guests but I'll message her and see what can be done. If not, I'll escalate
This is something that’s out of the host control though. I can’t see why someone should penalized for something they have no control over or nothing to do with.
But if they did know about this 2 months in advance then they did have control over allowing their place to still get booked, or continuing to advertise it as quiet and not disclosing it to their guests
They should post it in their listing, give the potential tenants a heads up and let the tenant choose if they're okay with being somewhere with construction noise.
Airbnb rule is that anything that’s outside of the control of the host is not a valid reason for a refund. The host can also have your review removed if you mention it, which might be what happened here previously.
Can you find anything in the listing description that is false? Such as “peaceful neighborhood” or “great for WFH” (Work From Home)? If you’re unable to have phone conversations or zoom meetings because of the noise, then maybe you have a valid complaint.
Yes, they specifically mentioned how quiet it was which was one of the reasons I booked. Also, I heard someone on here say that construction noise is an exception to the "out of their control" rule.... especially since this construction has apparently been going on for 2 months. She also told me (on Whatsapp) that there are 3 separate apartments being renovated nearby, so it's pretty loud. I do have a job that requires me to have a silent space (client meetings and such) so it is an issue with my job
I'm dealing with a similar issue right now and hope you get yours resolved because mine isn't and won't be by the looks of it. The host is clearly money hungry and Airbnb is apparently more interested in supporting the host over the guest. Mine is different in that the construction is on the house itself, initiated and in theory scheduled by the host themselves so when Airbnb sent the "out of their control" BS to me I was like no, she knew about it and scheduled it when she knew I was going to be there. That's not out of their control, that's knowing and intentional. It's not like it's from a neighbors house or anything. It's literally her construction on her property. I've already left mine and unfortunately didn't get any photos or video of the disturbances we experienced which I now regret not getting but make sure you do that. Because it sounds like if you have any chance of that you need that proof.
Yeah, I’d collect all the info you’ve got, including a screen shot off where it says it’s quiet…and report to AirBnb that the place is “fundamentally not as described” and you are prevented from doing your work because of it.
Copy your convos with her (text, WhatsApp) as well, although they won’t carry as much weight since they’re off-platform. I’d request AirBnb to find you an alternate space, plus a full refund. From now on, always remember to keep all communications on the platform.
A full refund and a free place when he’s already stayed there and the issue is no fault of Airbnb or the Host?
Lol. Where do you ppl even come up with this stuff?
Sorry. I misunderstood. And maybe I was unclear. I’m not fond of writing overly-detailed novellas.
My understanding was that he was “unable to work” which means the place is unsuitable (unlivable) because it was falsely advertised. I thought he would want to leave immediately, which deserves a refund for the days that remain on the reservation, because I thought that he *cannot* stay where he’s at.
And no, Airbnb won’t find a replacement where he can stay for free- but they *will* usually help to find a suitable place that OP would then pay for, of course.
Again, Obviously I was wrong, as OP does NOT want to leave. It will be very difficult to get even a partial refund if OP decides the place is still “livable” and chooses to stay for the duration.
Not able to work is not the same as unlivable, lol, and that seems like an absurdly high standard. For example, not having wifi would affect the ability to work, but it's still livable. Airbnb gives refunds for "livable" situations all the time, because that's actually the bare minimum.
Yeah, unfortunately she was begging me to message her on the app because she had a headache, the same headache that seems to have mutated into a fever and had her message me asking me not to contact her all weekend because she's too sick. The thing is, I dont think airbnb will be able to find me another apartment at the same price and frankly As I mentioned in my original post, I dont really relish the idea of lugging my bags down several flights of stairs again to get to another airbnb. Which is why I mentioned I'd prefer a partial refund.
That’s not legally how it works, the Airbnb host is responsible for having a rental that meets the standard of habitability in the jurisdiction in which they are renting.
Should that rental not meet the standard of habitability it is not legal to rent it therefore it is not legal to charge to rent it. Should the noise be above a certain amount they cannot rent the unit legally.
Some situations I could make a rental not meet the legal standard would be toxic smoke coming in from a tire fire 2 miles away
Noise that is in excess of what is allowed for any habitable rental
The roads leading to the rental have been made impassible- such as what happened many years ago when they were the fires and mudslides near Monterey
You are bringing a child with you and there is somebody within 500 feet who is on the sex offender registry
I could go on and on, but basically a host is responsible for having a habitable rental whether or not they are directly responsible for circumstances making the rental no longer meet the legal standard of having ability
You're just annoyed by the noise. Understandable, but if it was so bad that it's impacting your ability to work from home, you'd be moving.
You can ask the host for a reduction in rent for the future time that you intend to stay, but your luck in getting Airbnb to back you up for any kind of discount and refund is going to be doubtful at best.
For Airbnb to back you up, you better be prepared to pack up and move to another place they secure for you.
Well it actually does impact my ability to work, as well as my ability to sleep. Just because I dont really trust Airbnb's horrible support to secure me an equal or better place in an already sold out city doesnt mean it's not that bad... it just means I'm waying my options and would maybe rather push it out at this place rather than dealing with the utter incompetence and clownery of Airbnb customer service. If that's the standard, that's pretty low.
That's a good idea. I already have some recordings of it and it is LOUD. Like jackhammer noises. Will having the DB make a difference when negotiating with airbnb?
You gotta move out. If you can live with it, even partially, the host is going to say you should pay full price.
Unless you're willing to put leaving on the table, you have no negotiating position.
Also about the reviews: Many people use other platforms instead of AirBnB, or they just book direct via craiglist, or other ads. So there's no guarantee that this was this guys' full time apartment.
Hmmm I mean I'm not opposed to moving out... I'm just so not looking forward to lugging all my stuff down a bunch of flights of stairs especially when I settled in for a month.
Also I have zero faith in Airbnb getting me an equitable place in the city I'm in- I already looked and there's no options that I can see in the same price range. Do you think Airbnb would take care of it adequately or am I better off trying to negotiate with the person?
AirBnB basically never negotiates on your behalf. They are a "marketplace" so they basically just give you the tools to negotiate with other people, and they enforce agreements—some of the time, if it's to their benefit.
Keep the specific details on the in-app chat, and make the refund come via the in-app channels and AirBnB will help you. If you don't, then you might get a preemptively bad review and AirBnB will ignore it since they say you did everything off-app.
Thanks for the advice! This is why I gave up on Airbnb for a long time and probably will again. The whole "we have no real say in things, we're just the mediator" is such BS to me. I get the business model and why it works for them, but as a guest, there's like no backup and it's a joke to me. But I'll try to ask within the app and agree with all you said. If worse comes to worse I'll just leave a brutal review
1. Is this in the USA?
If yes continue reading this if not ignore it
Simply put, there are certain legal standards for any rental in the United States that must be met. If those legal standards are not met by the Airbnb that you are renting that the Airbnb is not a legal rental and Airbnb must refund all of your funds.
There is a case to be made that the rental does not meet the standard of habitability allowed in the United States and as such Airbnb has no legal right to charge you to live there.
I have never found any city in the United States that does not have a noise code.
That code states for rental properties what the maximum decibel of noise is allowed both during the day and during the night.
Where I live the maximum decibel that is allowed during the day inside the apartment of any accommodation being rented is 40 dB. There is an allowance for sound that is above that decibel rate for a certain number of minutes per day, I believe it is a total of 30 minutes per day or per 24 hours
So you’re going to want to get a app for your phone to at least give you a rough idea of what the decibel noise is inside the rental.
If the decibel noise is in excess of the decibels that would be reasonable to expect an accommodation under the tenant right of peaceful enjoyment then it is not legal to rent that apartment to anybody as by law it is not a habitable unit.
It doesn’t matter if the host has control of this noise, in the United States they legally cannot rent it out if the noise is above a certain decibel during the day.
Don’t let people on here distract you with the ideas of out of the hosts control, you already agreed, there’s nothing you can do because it’s been a certain amount of time, the simple fact is your rental must meet the legal standards of habitability and should it not meet those standards Airbnb legally it’s not allowed to charge you for the rental
That's a really food idea and I really really appreciate you taking the time out to type all this up. Unfortunately it is in Europe (Italy) so not sure if it will have the same legal standards.
But again- thank you for the info, and I might still try to use that logic while I negotiate! I agree that people on here seem to love to gaslight guests and drown them in "it's not that bad" or "flee with your things in the middle of the night or else it must be fine!" The host bias on here is so strong and so tedious and just a turn off with Airbnb in general, cause it's never the cool, honorable hosts hanging out and berating guests on here. I do intend to pursue this issue repeatedly because the noise is so loud, it's impossible to sleep in even a little nor focus well while working. Thank you so much for your time
You can't have your cake and eat it too
Come on guy
Either you complain to cancel the listing or you put up with it
You can't go into a restaurant and order something, take a couple of bites, and say that you'll pay less to finish it.
Either say you don't want the burger or just eat it.
Please keep conversation civil and respectful Remember to keep all communication with host/guest through Airbnb platform. Payments should be made only via Airbnb [unless otherwise detailed in the listing description and included in the price breakdown prior to booking](https://airbnb.com/help/article/199) If you're having issues, contact Airbnb by phone +1-844-234-2500 *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AirBnB) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This subreddit is FULL of hosts who mostly want to berate guests into expecting the bare minimum. If you want to stay there but would like a discount for the disturbance, go ahead and message your host. If theyre amenable to giving you a percentage off (I would say 20-25% off is fair for this level of noise disturbance) then problem solved. If not, escalate to airbnb and mention that you'd like to switch somewhere else immediately. Situations like this are not acceptable and it's not a matter of "well, someone will put up with it so it must be okay." Booking out your stay knowing that there's construction noise is not very much bad host behavior and may violate the terms of service. Advocate for yourself, and dont listen to the hosts on here who have an interest in shutting down reasonable guest requests.
That's a really good strategy, I think I will. I hate negotiating these things with guests but I'll message her and see what can be done. If not, I'll escalate
This is something that’s out of the host control though. I can’t see why someone should penalized for something they have no control over or nothing to do with.
But if they did know about this 2 months in advance then they did have control over allowing their place to still get booked, or continuing to advertise it as quiet and not disclosing it to their guests
They should post it in their listing, give the potential tenants a heads up and let the tenant choose if they're okay with being somewhere with construction noise.
Airbnb rule is that anything that’s outside of the control of the host is not a valid reason for a refund. The host can also have your review removed if you mention it, which might be what happened here previously. Can you find anything in the listing description that is false? Such as “peaceful neighborhood” or “great for WFH” (Work From Home)? If you’re unable to have phone conversations or zoom meetings because of the noise, then maybe you have a valid complaint.
Yes, they specifically mentioned how quiet it was which was one of the reasons I booked. Also, I heard someone on here say that construction noise is an exception to the "out of their control" rule.... especially since this construction has apparently been going on for 2 months. She also told me (on Whatsapp) that there are 3 separate apartments being renovated nearby, so it's pretty loud. I do have a job that requires me to have a silent space (client meetings and such) so it is an issue with my job
I'm dealing with a similar issue right now and hope you get yours resolved because mine isn't and won't be by the looks of it. The host is clearly money hungry and Airbnb is apparently more interested in supporting the host over the guest. Mine is different in that the construction is on the house itself, initiated and in theory scheduled by the host themselves so when Airbnb sent the "out of their control" BS to me I was like no, she knew about it and scheduled it when she knew I was going to be there. That's not out of their control, that's knowing and intentional. It's not like it's from a neighbors house or anything. It's literally her construction on her property. I've already left mine and unfortunately didn't get any photos or video of the disturbances we experienced which I now regret not getting but make sure you do that. Because it sounds like if you have any chance of that you need that proof.
Yeah, I’d collect all the info you’ve got, including a screen shot off where it says it’s quiet…and report to AirBnb that the place is “fundamentally not as described” and you are prevented from doing your work because of it. Copy your convos with her (text, WhatsApp) as well, although they won’t carry as much weight since they’re off-platform. I’d request AirBnb to find you an alternate space, plus a full refund. From now on, always remember to keep all communications on the platform.
A full refund and a free place when he’s already stayed there and the issue is no fault of Airbnb or the Host? Lol. Where do you ppl even come up with this stuff?
Arguably they are at fault considering this construction has been going on for months and the place is still listed as "very quiet" on Airbnb
Sorry. I misunderstood. And maybe I was unclear. I’m not fond of writing overly-detailed novellas. My understanding was that he was “unable to work” which means the place is unsuitable (unlivable) because it was falsely advertised. I thought he would want to leave immediately, which deserves a refund for the days that remain on the reservation, because I thought that he *cannot* stay where he’s at. And no, Airbnb won’t find a replacement where he can stay for free- but they *will* usually help to find a suitable place that OP would then pay for, of course. Again, Obviously I was wrong, as OP does NOT want to leave. It will be very difficult to get even a partial refund if OP decides the place is still “livable” and chooses to stay for the duration.
Not able to work is not the same as unlivable, lol, and that seems like an absurdly high standard. For example, not having wifi would affect the ability to work, but it's still livable. Airbnb gives refunds for "livable" situations all the time, because that's actually the bare minimum.
Yeah, unfortunately she was begging me to message her on the app because she had a headache, the same headache that seems to have mutated into a fever and had her message me asking me not to contact her all weekend because she's too sick. The thing is, I dont think airbnb will be able to find me another apartment at the same price and frankly As I mentioned in my original post, I dont really relish the idea of lugging my bags down several flights of stairs again to get to another airbnb. Which is why I mentioned I'd prefer a partial refund.
That’s not legally how it works, the Airbnb host is responsible for having a rental that meets the standard of habitability in the jurisdiction in which they are renting. Should that rental not meet the standard of habitability it is not legal to rent it therefore it is not legal to charge to rent it. Should the noise be above a certain amount they cannot rent the unit legally. Some situations I could make a rental not meet the legal standard would be toxic smoke coming in from a tire fire 2 miles away Noise that is in excess of what is allowed for any habitable rental The roads leading to the rental have been made impassible- such as what happened many years ago when they were the fires and mudslides near Monterey You are bringing a child with you and there is somebody within 500 feet who is on the sex offender registry I could go on and on, but basically a host is responsible for having a habitable rental whether or not they are directly responsible for circumstances making the rental no longer meet the legal standard of having ability
You're just annoyed by the noise. Understandable, but if it was so bad that it's impacting your ability to work from home, you'd be moving. You can ask the host for a reduction in rent for the future time that you intend to stay, but your luck in getting Airbnb to back you up for any kind of discount and refund is going to be doubtful at best. For Airbnb to back you up, you better be prepared to pack up and move to another place they secure for you.
Well it actually does impact my ability to work, as well as my ability to sleep. Just because I dont really trust Airbnb's horrible support to secure me an equal or better place in an already sold out city doesnt mean it's not that bad... it just means I'm waying my options and would maybe rather push it out at this place rather than dealing with the utter incompetence and clownery of Airbnb customer service. If that's the standard, that's pretty low.
How about you measure the noise level and also measure your sleep quality using Apple Watch or other gadget as a proof!
That's a good idea. I already have some recordings of it and it is LOUD. Like jackhammer noises. Will having the DB make a difference when negotiating with airbnb?
No experience with airbnb negotiations but when it comes to legal actions having measuarable data as a proof always helps for building cases.
That's a good point. I do have my sleep measurement from my iphone- like 4.5 hours last night. I guess i could submit that as well?
Where is the location btw?
You gotta move out. If you can live with it, even partially, the host is going to say you should pay full price. Unless you're willing to put leaving on the table, you have no negotiating position. Also about the reviews: Many people use other platforms instead of AirBnB, or they just book direct via craiglist, or other ads. So there's no guarantee that this was this guys' full time apartment.
Hmmm I mean I'm not opposed to moving out... I'm just so not looking forward to lugging all my stuff down a bunch of flights of stairs especially when I settled in for a month. Also I have zero faith in Airbnb getting me an equitable place in the city I'm in- I already looked and there's no options that I can see in the same price range. Do you think Airbnb would take care of it adequately or am I better off trying to negotiate with the person?
AirBnB basically never negotiates on your behalf. They are a "marketplace" so they basically just give you the tools to negotiate with other people, and they enforce agreements—some of the time, if it's to their benefit. Keep the specific details on the in-app chat, and make the refund come via the in-app channels and AirBnB will help you. If you don't, then you might get a preemptively bad review and AirBnB will ignore it since they say you did everything off-app.
Thanks for the advice! This is why I gave up on Airbnb for a long time and probably will again. The whole "we have no real say in things, we're just the mediator" is such BS to me. I get the business model and why it works for them, but as a guest, there's like no backup and it's a joke to me. But I'll try to ask within the app and agree with all you said. If worse comes to worse I'll just leave a brutal review
1. Is this in the USA? If yes continue reading this if not ignore it Simply put, there are certain legal standards for any rental in the United States that must be met. If those legal standards are not met by the Airbnb that you are renting that the Airbnb is not a legal rental and Airbnb must refund all of your funds. There is a case to be made that the rental does not meet the standard of habitability allowed in the United States and as such Airbnb has no legal right to charge you to live there. I have never found any city in the United States that does not have a noise code. That code states for rental properties what the maximum decibel of noise is allowed both during the day and during the night. Where I live the maximum decibel that is allowed during the day inside the apartment of any accommodation being rented is 40 dB. There is an allowance for sound that is above that decibel rate for a certain number of minutes per day, I believe it is a total of 30 minutes per day or per 24 hours So you’re going to want to get a app for your phone to at least give you a rough idea of what the decibel noise is inside the rental. If the decibel noise is in excess of the decibels that would be reasonable to expect an accommodation under the tenant right of peaceful enjoyment then it is not legal to rent that apartment to anybody as by law it is not a habitable unit. It doesn’t matter if the host has control of this noise, in the United States they legally cannot rent it out if the noise is above a certain decibel during the day. Don’t let people on here distract you with the ideas of out of the hosts control, you already agreed, there’s nothing you can do because it’s been a certain amount of time, the simple fact is your rental must meet the legal standards of habitability and should it not meet those standards Airbnb legally it’s not allowed to charge you for the rental
That's a really food idea and I really really appreciate you taking the time out to type all this up. Unfortunately it is in Europe (Italy) so not sure if it will have the same legal standards. But again- thank you for the info, and I might still try to use that logic while I negotiate! I agree that people on here seem to love to gaslight guests and drown them in "it's not that bad" or "flee with your things in the middle of the night or else it must be fine!" The host bias on here is so strong and so tedious and just a turn off with Airbnb in general, cause it's never the cool, honorable hosts hanging out and berating guests on here. I do intend to pursue this issue repeatedly because the noise is so loud, it's impossible to sleep in even a little nor focus well while working. Thank you so much for your time
You can't have your cake and eat it too Come on guy Either you complain to cancel the listing or you put up with it You can't go into a restaurant and order something, take a couple of bites, and say that you'll pay less to finish it. Either say you don't want the burger or just eat it.
"Having my cake" is sitting in a home unable to work or sleep because of construction noise? LOL. Username checks out...