Most people think that, when they rent out an Airbnb, they’re entitled to do basically anything they want—within reason and legality—in the space.
However, Airbnb hosts often have a wide variety of rules that they expect guests to follow, and sometimes, they might go to extreme lengths to ensure those rules are followed.
Some of these rules are both common and understandable. For example, many rentals stipulate that they can’t be used for parties. However, some leave renters scratching their heads.
An alleged Airbnb host on TikTok says that his guests used his rental property in a way he didn’t expect. As a result, he planned to charge them more for it. Here’s why commenters aren’t on board.
What Did These Guests Do in This Airbnb?
The account of TikTok user @crazybnbstories is full of, as his name would imply, “crazy” stories from his claimed experience running several rental properties. As he posts frequently with such stories, many commenters aren’t sure if the tales he’s telling are true.
Still, they often generate discussion about the ethics of Airbnb and guest-host relations. Recently, a video of his ignited a firestorm in the comments section of the video.
In short, the TikToker claimed that he discovered that guests held a wedding in his house—and now, he wants to charge them more.
“The extra fee is because I host weddings, but they’re a separate booking from a normal stay,” he explains. “For a normal stay, maybe it’s four to ten people—pretty simple, easy on the property, maintenance, and cleanup.”
“However, with a wedding, there are at least 20 people, often 40 to 80 or even 100, and that creates a lot more wear and tear on the sewer, water, electricity, floors, and more trash, enough to fill a small dumpster,” he continues.
Will it cost more to clean?
As a result of having this many people in his property, the TikToker says his cleaner will have to put in more hours than expected, leading to higher costs. He notes that he only became aware of the wedding because his neighbor informed him that it happened.
“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news and tell the guests they owe me $20,000. That’s extreme. But, I also don’t want to cancel their wedding, so I’m trying to come up with a fair number for everyone,” he details. “Usually, the event space alone, with a tent, runs $5,000 to $8,000 depending on the package. It’s clearly stated everywhere that it’s an additional option, and most people book it a year or so in advance.”
Commenters Don’t Like It
In the comments section, users accused the host of not being practical but instead simply attempting to get more money from his guests.
“So they rented your AirBNB and had a wedding but because you didn’t profit off of their wedding, you are choosing to make up bogus charges to recoup money you aren’t owed because they were smarter than you? Is it in the rental agreement on what they can and cant do?” asked a user.
“People don’t tell others about wedding because everyone comes up with random costs to abuse of the situation,” added another.
“Microweddings with 20-40 people are literally no different than a family reunion which people rent houses for all the time,” noted a third.
“This is why I no longer use Airbnb. These hosts,” declared a further TikToker.
The Host Responds
In a follow-up video, the alleged host responded to commenters and detailed what he says he ended up doing.
“The number one issue was wear and tear,” he starts. “There is extra wear and tear, extra electricity use, and extra strain on the sewer. For clarification, it’s a private septic system, so you’re talking about ten times the amount going into it. My estimate was that there were between 55 and 75 people, with 25 to 30 cars.”
“The extra electricity adds up too,” he continues. “They’re using speakers, heating food, and running the hot water heater constantly for handwashing. If you can’t see that costs more, that’s beyond me.”
Furthermore, he says his “biggest” concern is not these costs, but liability.
“I need to know if there’s an event so I can make sure I have the correct permits and licensing, which I renew yearly,” he shares. “If I didn’t have them, it would cost me money and could leave me uninsured.”
He also reiterates that he must now pay his cleaner for additional work.
“In the end, I’m not charging them full price because I didn’t have to bring in my wedding planner or set up logistics,” he explains. “They’ll pay a couple of fees: my cleaner gets an extra $750 for two full extra days of cleaning, and there’s a flat $750 fee for extra utilities and wear and tear on the septic, floors, and walls.”
Can You Host a Wedding in an Airbnb?
Is it possible? Yes, and many have done it. Is it recommended? That’s a bit of a different story.
If one is open and upfront with their host about their plans to have a wedding on the premises, it might not be a problem, especially for larger spaces that are used to hosting events. However, they may expect to pay higher costs due to wear-and-tear and, of course, the dreaded “wedding tax.”
Doing this without telling your host can lead to problems. Airbnb explicitly bans most parties—so if your wedding gets out of hand, you might get kicked off the platform.
Furthermore, in addition to the permitting concerns mentioned by the TikToker, users on a Reddit thread on the topic noted that hosts can cancel last minute or even while you’re already there if they find out you’re violating the rules, which would really put a damper on your wedding.
Users Are Divided
In the comments section of the update, some users were swayed by the TikToker’s argument, while others remained firm in their position that the people should not have been charged.
“This comment section is insane! You can’t just rent a house for an overnight stay and throw a wedding! It seems like they must have broken all of your rules,” wrote a user. “It seems like your response is really generous. They were really sneaky and that’s not OK.”
“If someone stays at the house and invites a judge over and elopes in your living room, is that an upcharge?” questioned another.
“I dont really get how people were confused by this,” wrote a further TikToker. “Like of course they should pay more! a small house gathering of 5 ppl is way different than 75 people house party.”
@crazybnbstories They’re lucky I didn’t have a guest checking in the next day or else I would’ve had to cancel on them.
♬ original sound – crazybnbstories
Airbnb responds
In an email, an Airbnb spokesperson shared the following: “The original creator of this video has made numerous unproven claims about Airbnb guests and stays in the past and, as with previous claims, we’ve found no evidence to validate this recent story.”
The Mary Sue reached out to @crazybnbstories via TikTok direct message.
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