TikTok is abuzz after user Charles (@charles_engle) noted a fee on a rental property.
While the listed price per night is only $48, the total for two nights came out to $200, according to a screen featured in the video. The price breakdown on the screen shows that $23 was added for taxes, $21 for a “service fee,” and $60 for a “property fee.”
While Charles claims in the video he is viewing a listing on Airbnb, he is actually browsing the site Expedia. Airbnb’s website offers a list of fees that may be added to a customer’s bill, including cleaning fees, service fees, and an extra guest fee. A “property fee” is not among them, according to the site.
Expedia’s website does not offer an explanation of its “property fee.”
Still, Charles posted a video of this discovery on TikTok and falsely cited Airbnb instead of Expedia.
“What the hell is a property fee?” Charles asks in the video. “What does that mean? You’re charging me to be at your property? You’re already charging me to be at your property! What do you want—to put a chimney fee, to put a kitchen fee, to put a door fee? What?”
The video quickly accumulated almost 50,000 views, inspiring users to vent their frustrations about additional, unexpected fees being tacked onto rentals and related services.
“Air fee,” one user joked.
“Lmao and it’s more than the whole night,” another pointed out.
Others offered potential explanations as to why these fees are added on.
“Its so they can make their rental fee cheap and make back what they want in fees,” one user speculated.
“Basically a hidden fee so that… theirs are in the low price search results,” another TikToker agreed.
Expedia did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via email. Charles declined to comment.
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