‘People want top tier stuff for pennies’: Florida Airbnb host gets complaint from tenant. Then he puts them in their place

Let’s face it. Airbnb has had a rough few years in the reputation department. Criticized for driving up rent prices and having hosts curate guest experiences from hell, anti-Airbnb sentiment has long been on the rise.

But one demographic often dodges criticism in conversations about Airbnb: Terrible guests.

One Airbnb owner has taken to TikTok to air his complaints about this very topic, and his video is sparking a ton of discussion on the platform.

Should Airbnb Guests lower their expectations?

On Jan. 28, realtor and Airbnb owner Tucker Lecaroz (@tuckerlecaroz on TikTok) posted this video, which has 1,700 views and counting. In it, he prompts his viewers to share their expectations for Airbnbs in general.

“When you book an Airbnb, I would love to know what your expectation is,” Lecaroz begins in his video. “Because I host a bunch in the area, and I’m getting lit up like a Christmas tree with all these people complaining about small stuff.”

Lecaroz then details the type of complaints he’s been receiving about a property he says is old but clean and well-maintained. He shares renters have been expressing grievances over things “like dings and dents in the trim or, like, the couches.”

“And it’s like, hey, dude, you’re renting a used house or condo,” Lecaroz says, appealing to his audience. “This thing was built in 1980. Yeah, the building’s gonna look old. What do you want me to do about it?
And the whole reason you’re here is for the area, right?”

Lecaroz expresses understanding for people searching for a specific aesthetic, but maintains renters need to ground themselves somewhat.

“I get it, you want the place to look nice,” he says. “We just redid the floors here, doing our best, but … I don’t understand why anybody would complain about this place.”

Lecaroz then, after stepping aside to reveal a neat-looking apartment to his viewers, flips the camera to share the view from the property’s balcony. The camera pans over a beachside view, several stories up, featuring white sands and teal water.

“Look at this view,” Lecaroz says, continuing to pan over a long balcony before taking his viewers back into the interior of the property. “And yeah, like sure, is the countertop old? Yeah, this thing was built in, like, ’85. But the floors are new.”

Lecaroz concludes with one final plea to his viewers.

“Can we just realign our expectations and just be a little nicer?” he asks. “Tired of it. Cut it out.”

@tuckerlecaroz PSA to all my future tenants. Patience is running thin ? #swfl #bonitasprings #airbnbhost ♬ original sound – Tucker Lecaroz

What are Airbnb renters’ general expectations?

There were definitely some common threads in the expectations outlined by folks in Lecaroz’s comments section. Multiple people cited standards around cleaning and cleanliness as their primary concern.

“Cleanliness,” wrote one commenter simply. “Cleanliness. It doesn’t have to be new, it has to be well kept and clean.”

Lecaroz agreed with the necessity of this standard, calling it the “number 1 goal.”

“I agree,” he replied in a comment. “Some people don’t have that mentality tho … Sometimes people think old is dirty and it’s not always the case.”

Many commenters also pointed to cleaning standards for guests specifically, calling them “out of hand.”

“There should be the option of either I pay a cleaning fee or I clean,” one viewer wrote. “But the fact that there’s a cleaning fee and I have to clean is an automatic no from me.”

“I don’t want to have to clean everything before I leave and get charged a cleaning fee, too,” another echoed. “In most cases I can rent a hotel room for less.”

“Why am I paying a $160+ cleaning fee but also leaving with a full to-do list?” complained one comment. “Taking out all the trash, unloading the dishwasher, wiping things down… if there’s a cleaning fee, shouldn’t the cleaning crew take care of that? It’s all gotten so out of hand. What used to be a simple, convenient, and cheaper option than hotels just isn’t anymore.”

Most of the other comments centered on false advertising. Multiple viewers reported having had to deal with pictures that in no way matched the actual Airbnb upon arrival.

“The ‘cute tropical cottage’ I booked was a converted backyard shed with roaches and black mold,” commented one viewer. “I want honesty and accurately portrayed listings.”

“I want the pictures of the house to represent the house,” wrote another. “Not the pictures of when you bought it new 9 years ago. This is the sole reason I’ve stopped booking … I can’t fairly pick between 2 places if the photos aren’t up-to-date.”

To what standards does Airbnb hold its hosts?

According to Airbnb’s community policy, “ground rules for home hosts” include standards for “listing accuracy” and “listing cleanliness.”

Under the former, Airbnb states hosts must make sure their listings “accurately describe … and reflect” the home itself, as well as “features and amenities that will be available at the listing from check-in to checkout.” According to these guidelines, “photos and description on the listing page should accurately represent the space provided,” with AI being banned from being “used to edit flaws, hide damage, add amenities or attributes that are not part of a listing, or otherwise misrepresent the listing.”

In terms of the latter, Airbnb’s guidelines also hold hosts to a strict standard of cleanliness. The company states that “all listings should be clean and free of health hazards before guest check-in” and that “hosts should provide listings that meet a high standard of cleanliness.” Guidelines also enforce host cleaning between every stay.

Lecaroz responded to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via email and had no comment to add. The Mary Sue has also reached out to Airbnb via email for additional comment.

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