23/10/2026
Well, the Airbnb house rule changes that are all over the media since yesterday, have certainly turned into a talking point haven't they?! Yet the 18.6% commission guests pay isn't as widely known.
I'm not that worried by the house rule changes. We have two small places, lovely and thoughtful guests and I clean them myself. I personally sit in the "99% of guests are clean, tidy and respectful" camp, and I do feel like part of what guests pay me to do is to clean it for them. It is extremely rare that The Hutch or The Burrow are left messy.
What is probably not as well understood in a guest booking via Airbnb, is that they pay 18.6% commission (15.5% + VAT). That is a chunky amount to pay on your holiday. I do love Airbnb and have been using it since we started 9 years ago, it is where the bulk of our bookings derive from.
But from a customer service point of view, I just wanted to let you all know if you do a little bit of legwork and research, you can probably book direct with the place you would like to book and save. Don't expect the full 18.6% to be passed onto you but from our perspective we tend to share the saving with the guest. Win win. Plus there will be a holiday let owner doing a little happy dance when you book direct. 😍
