25

So I am renting a stay through AirBnB in a room (everything else shared with the host) and I have been told shortly before check-in that I am only allowed to use the kitchen for certain breakfast meals and in a particular time frame.

Thank goodness I got over my jetlag already, but I am still not thrilled about not being able to cook a warm meal for myself for lunch and dinner and had I known earlier it might have been a no-go for me (kinda late now).

My question is, would it be against AirBnB's rules and could/should I do something in this situation? (Other than trying to talk to the host first whether I can get an exemption.)

I mean it's a full kitchen (not a kitchenette) and in the description it's written that it has a "kitchen for creating your own breakfast" but it does not state what the kitchen is not for and when not to use. Just telling me shortly before check-in seems somehow antisocial to me and I feel a bit misled but I guess I would be told that it's my fault for not reading the description more closely (including what it does not explicitly state).

/edit: House rules are rather short: "No parties, schoolies, pets or smoking please. Leave your shoes at the door."

phk
  • 353
  • 3
  • 8
  • 9
    What did AirBnB say when you contacted them to ask? – mlc Nov 06 '23 at 05:33
  • 1
    @mlc I did not yet. I want to meet the host and discuss this in person first. Haven't seen the host yet. – phk Nov 06 '23 at 10:30
  • 2
    Where in the world are you? Is it possible they eat different breakfast than you do and are mot used to cooking breakfast? – Bernhard Döbler Nov 06 '23 at 12:17
  • 2
    It’s worth noting that your window to make complaints to Airbnb with regards to a listing not matching the description ends 24 hours after check in. – Jacob Horbulyk Nov 06 '23 at 17:12
  • 8
    You are a guest in another person's house. I would suggest that be your first consideration, and that if you wanted unfettered use of a particular house, you could have booked an entire place. Chances are good that this stipulation is in the "house rules". –  Nov 06 '23 at 18:41
  • 9
    @user27701 OP is also a customer who paid for a service. Hosts should write clear rules for that service. Kitchens typically are not only for breakfast: if a kitchen is only for breakfast, then it should be stated clearly. If the host wanted unfettered use of their house, then they can simply choose not to rent it. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 06 '23 at 23:16
  • 1
    @FranckDernoncourt I agree that's a strange rule, however, unless this is a new host, I have strong bets it is in the house rules, which are accessible before booking. As a guest, I would say deal with it and let the review reflect the oddity of the request. I've marked down reviews for weird things like this. But when you are sharing the home of someone else, "guest" takes on a different perspective. The guest's respect to the host is a pivotal part of the "home share" ideal, which is something Airbnb has lost sight of in recent years. –  Nov 06 '23 at 23:47
  • @user27701 Agreed, it all depends on how clear the house rules are. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 06 '23 at 23:48
  • 4
    @user27701 It makes sense seeing it from the host's perspective, and the host probably had a bad experience before. I totally get it, but I would probably not have booked this place had I known or realized it earlier. Telling me that late is what I consider to be a nasty move. I have now decided to deal with it and perhaps mention it in my factual review for future guests. – phk Nov 07 '23 at 02:35
  • Yes, definitely let it show in your review. It is an odd request, regardless of reason. –  Nov 07 '23 at 03:10
  • 1
    ‘Description’ and ‘house rules’ are *not synonymous. What do the house rules say about use of the kitchen? – Traveller Nov 07 '23 at 11:05
  • 1
    @FranckDernoncourt The OP makes no mention of the house rules in the question. Chances are the host did include this restriction in the house rules but the OP focused on the property description and did not read the rules or misinterpreted them. – Traveller Nov 07 '23 at 11:17
  • 3
    I can't believe I'm the first person to point out that the BnB in AirBnB stands for "Bed and Breakfast". – The Betpet Nov 07 '23 at 15:11
  • @Traveller I considered the house rules to be part of the description, and no, not included in there either. – phk Nov 09 '23 at 11:16
  • 2
    Apart from anything else, when people have breakfast is very variable, especially if jet-lagged or if you've got to catch a flight (even at home: anything between 4am and 9am for me in the last year, 8am to 10:30 am for my daughter). Without actual numerical times published in advance you ought to have very strong grounds for complaint. – Chris H - UK Nov 09 '23 at 14:48

1 Answers1

23

Hosts are allowed to define their own rules. From https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2894:

In addition to standard house rules covered in these ground rules, Hosts can also add a written set of additional rules to their listing page. If a guest violates any of these additional rules, Hosts can reach out to customer support to help with the appropriate next steps.

If a rule is not mentioned in their listing page, one can contact the customer support to complain. I'd guess that the customer support will try to judge what rules are reasonable. I agree that if a listing advertises a kitchen but fails to mention some significant usage restriction, then it is misleading. However, since you wrote "in the description it's written that it's a kitchen for breakfast", then I think you won't go far with the customer service.

Franck Dernoncourt
  • 57,214
  • 30
  • 185
  • 366
  • 47
    I would still press the issue unless the listing clearly stated what kinds of restrictions on kitchen use apply. A listing that says "a kitchen for breakfast" reads more like an advertisement (i.e. "there's a kitchen, which is a great feature of this place because you could save money by using it for breakfast") or perhaps a description ("it's a small kitchen of the sort mainly suitable for cooking breakfast") rather than a house rule ("you may not use the kitchen except in this very specific way.") – Zach Lipton Nov 06 '23 at 05:52
  • 1
    @ZachLipton True, I missed that part. Up to the OP how much they want to push on it, e.g. contacting the customer service or simply using the kitchen whenever they want and have the host take care of contacting the customer service if that's a big issue for them. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 06 '23 at 05:56
  • 3
    At the very least you can probably request a price reduction – Tobias Kienzler Nov 06 '23 at 12:57
  • 1
    @Tobias Kienzler Based on the information in the OP’s question it’s not clear to me that the OP has any grounds to request a price reduction. ‘Listing description’ and ‘house rules’ are not synonymous. The former is akin to an advert, while the latter sets expectations/limits that guests need to agree to in order to book. The OP’s question mentions the former but not the latter and implies they did not read the fine detail closely (or at all) before booking. – Traveller Nov 07 '23 at 11:13
  • @Traveller True, it depends on the details in the agreement. But requesting a price reduction is always an option in such a case, just whether it gets granted might be uncertain.. – Tobias Kienzler Nov 09 '23 at 20:42