Improvements to guest reviews, house rules, cancellations & more in the latest Host Update

[Airbnb]

*Post shared October, 20th

In the latest Host Update, Catherine Powell shares how Airbnb is addressing your top concerns from the past few months and provides detailed answers to several direct questions from hosts. Thanks to host feedback voiced in workshops and here in the Community Center, there are several features being put into action. 

*To add or change subtitles to the video, hover over the video and click on the little 'Settings' wheel in the bottom right corner. Then select your language. 

Airbnb is improving the guest review process to make it feel more fair. This includes rewriting the majority of review questions that guests answer after a stay. For example, instead of asking guests if the description of a listing was inaccurate, we’re now asking if it was accurate instead. These changes will help guests leave reviews that feel more impartial and truly reflect the quality of your hospitality. 

Unauthorized parties are another top host concern, and we’re launching several new features to help protect you against them. For example, by the end of this month you’ll be able to immediately cancel a reservation without contacting support if you have valid reason to believe it will lead to a party. As long as your reason is upheld by our review team, you won’t receive financial penalties or have your Superhost status affected. 

When our team reviews a cancellation, they’ll search for evidence of a potential party from message threads or previous guest reviews. As always, these cancellations must adhere to Airbnb’s nondiscrimination policy and we’ll carefully monitor them for unfair treatment that violates that policy.

Many hosts have also asked that house rules be more prominent on listing pages so guests can both read and understand them before booking. By next month, your house rules will be visible in four different places when a guest books a stay:

1. Key house rules—like not allowing smoking or pets—will be visible at the top of your listing page so that they’re more prominent as guests search
2. All the house rules you’ve listed, including important safety disclosures, will be visible in the details of your listing page
3. House rules will be displayed again on the booking confirmation page to help better ensure that guests understand and agree to them before completing a reservation
4. They’ll also be included in the booking confirmation email to remind guests of your expectations before they arrive
   
   

All house rules must be in line with Airbnb’s policies and terms—including our terms of service and nondiscrimination policy.

To read a full overview of all the updates being put into place, visit this Resource Center article. As always, thank you for sharing the topics that matter to you and providing feedback that helps elevate the hosting community. Please let us know what you’d like us to cover in future Host Updates with Catherine.

[Michael5313]

@@Catherine-powell I couldn’t agree more with what this host @Kim932  is saying. They are spot on. We are both hosts that have been with airbnb over 10 years. The customer support has gotten really terrible recently to help the hosts handle situations. This is very important and key to the future success of airbnb to keep growing at such a rapid growth. 

@Airbnb 

[Brian883]

I also agree with Kim. I have had only a couple of things broken and I feel I have to go through hoops to retrieve compensation. Getting ahold of customer support is beyond comprehension for a company this size! Issues between guest and host should be addressed immediately! I haven't got that kind of time or do I have the patience to deal with customer support that after awhile get back to you and THEN can't help you directly! They intern pass you off to higher authorities in the Airbnb chain that get back to you in a few days! Something needs to improve in this area for all our peace of minds!!

[Kim932]

When our guests book directly through our own platform, they know they will have a sizable damage deposit hold placed on their credit card 48 hours prior to arrival.  They know, after signing our rules forms, that breaking rules will cause them to lose part of their damage deposit hold.  As a result, it is extremely rare that we have any problems from guests that book directly with us.  Word has gotten out that no damage deposit is taken when you book through AirBnB, so there are MANY bad actors that have started booking.  They know they can just cancel their credit card they paid with, and AirBnB will take not further steps.  I don't understand why AirBnB continues with the attitude that "their" guests no how to behave.  They do NOT know how to behave, and if they don't have the ability to provide a damage deposit, they probably are not the type of individual that needs to be booking a person's private home.

[Louise0]

Same issues down here.   I've been hosting for 6 years and, whilst I've had the occasional vile guest, it was rare.  However, since May 2020 the quality of guests has markedly deteriorated and the problems they have created for me are legion. Out of 8 groups of guests there would be only 2 (maybe 3 at a pinch) whom I'd welcome back.    

It's all very well for Airbnb to allow us to cancel without penalty to US guests we suspect of planning to party.  However, there is a penalty, in that we are left with a last minute vacancy and no income.   For many hosts this would be a powerful incentive to ignore their suspicions and  allow the reservation to proceed with fingers crossed.  

If Airbnb was truly serious about reining in guests' bad behaviours they would allow the transgressing guest to feel the pain, i.e. in instances where the host can prove beyond any doubt that the guest had broken or intended to immediately break a major house rule (eg parties, children, smoking, pets, extreme early arrival) then the guest's licence to occupy the property should be immediately revoked and no refund given.   This is fair and reasonable and mirrors the policy of other commercial accommodation providers. 

When (as happened to me in July) a guest pulls up and starts unloading a sound system with huge speakers out of his car and when reminded (for the umpteenth time) that parties are not allowed claims "oh, don't worry, it's not a party, just a few of us having a catch up"... I should be able to order the guest off the property and still get paid.  Unfortunately, under Airbnb's current policy,  the best I can do is tell him to leave and receive not one cent  in compensation for the direct expenses already incurred in prepping the place or the income foregone. 

This isn't fair, and when the guest knows that the worst that can happen is eviction with a full refund, then it's no wonder they continue to risk it.  In fact, this creates a perverse incentive for bad behaviour.  All a guest has to do to get a full refund outside the agreed cancellation policy is create the impression that they intend holding a party; so the host cancels and the guest gets their money back!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Louise0 

".. in instances where the host can prove beyond any doubt that the guest had broken or intended to immediately break a major house rule (eg parties, children, smoking, pets, extreme early arrival) then the guest's licence to occupy the property should be immediately revoked and no refund given......"

Bravo! I agree 100%

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Kim932, @Michael5313, @Brian883,  

Thank you for sharing your experience here.

The Support levels are something we have been working hard to improve, and we should see the fruits of this labor soon. Kim,I have heard several hosts mention the security deposit, and this is something I am actively looking into, so I look forward to sharing more. Thanks again for your feedback.

Best, Catherine

[Kim932]

Hi @Catherine-Powell!

Thank you for responding.  I know all of us are going through a lot right now due to the virus.  I also understand that the drop in revenue has had a direct impact on the ability for AirBnB to maintain their previous standards since losing so many employees.  I would like to see a couple of things happen as quickly as possible.  

1.  I would like an account manager again.  I do not want to waste hours and hours of time dealing with the general line.  I don't have just one property, I have over 50!  So, the cumulative effect on having to reach out over and over on various issues from various properties is a nightmare that I can barely keep up with!  I would like to see ONE account manager that handles everything for property managers that comes up. If we are a super host, there should be minimal explanation needed from us.  The proof is in the pictures and documentation.

2.  I would like to see damage deposits implemented immediately, and this does not need to be just for damaged items.  It absolutely must include the breakage of rules by a guest whether or not there is any damage from breaking this rule.  Owners and property managers should have the right to set a damage deposit at the amount they deem fair.  If a guest doesn't like it, thy can book something different.  If they book directly on our platform, we take a sizable damage deposit hold, and we release it once the property is inspected.  If AirBnB decides to implement damage deposits, it must be done in a way that owners/managers have control over setting the amount.

3.  If a guest is caught in the act, or about to start one, they need to be evicted with NO refund. End of discussion!

[Catherine935]

If a Host has uploaded a rental agreement, then the guest needs to agree to those rules.  Guests who hold parties and damage a host's home should be asked to vacate, pay for damages and not be issued a refund from the guest.  This situation is happening a lot and Hosts should not be left out of pocket.  so much stress and loss of income.  Why can't Airbnb automatically rule in favour of the Host and not give a guest a refund?

[Brian883]

I agree with Kim again! The host should have an innocent to proven guilty persona with the Airbnb platform. It is our sweat and blood that goes into this! Our concerns should have more weight and prompter conclusions so the Airbnb ship sails in calmer waters!

[Patti-And-Marty0]

I agree, Catherine. I had a guest violate several house rules, and the law (drug use and did not self isolate as required). Guest got refund because Airbnb enforced my cancellation policy and the other facts did not matter. House Rules should be respected by Airbnb and automatically no refund to guest.

[Brian883]

Hi Catherine!

My name is Brian, an experienced host. The way I handle potential party instant book reservations is that I don't allow bookings from the guest that is booking the reservation and lives inside 1/2 hour away. If they are 30-45 min away they have to pass a phone screening with me to reassure my concerns or I will cancel that reservation. One other aspect to this is that if someone in their group lives in the previous parameters I mentioned the guest that booked will have to satisfy me with their intentions before I am committed to that booking! It works. I have had no complaints from any neighbors or the authorities.   

[Brian883]

Hi Catherine!

I want to touch base on the house rules. I have in the additional rules section that I charge $15/pet/booking. The problem is that I have to reach out to collect that. Right now I get them to etransfer that money. 95% of my guests either never read it or didn't know how to pay it. Some guests might get a little annoyed thinking the cleaning fee covers it. If Airbnb could incorporate those charges in their software it would make customer/host interactions a lot smoother so good reviews keep flowing. If I feel that a customer is getting slightly annoyed then I just tell them not to worry about it because they might not have seen it. Could you include this fee in the cleaning fee section of the app? Hopefully this can be of use to you and the community! 

[Austin30]

Yes absolutely!  Tons of hosts have been begging airbnb to do this for a long time.  I can only assume they must have some reason for ignoring us that doesn't make sense to me.  

[Karin1555]

You are not telling us in your improvements what Airbnb will do in case of a party even if all these precautions are in place- it sure did not make a difference to our guest! Our home was used for just that in September. The guest booked for 3 people over a weekend and they had at least 30 people coming and going- all on camera. They brought in food, chairs, coolers beforehand and we contacted the guest right away, making the rules very clear: ONLY 3 guests are registered and no entertaining!  This is all in writing between our conversations. We contacted Airbnb as well and asked what to do. They said contact the guest. We did this again, but no reply from the guest. The party happened nevertheless. We filed a police report and were left with a house that took 15 hours of cleaning, had to replace items that broke or stolen.  We wanted to cancel reservation, but since they already checked in it was not possible. We have yet to get any help from Airbnb, even so we submitted evidence in camera recordings, pictures, statements for extra guest charges and a cleaning bill. We cancelled future reservations to all guests that just booked over a weekend and got those dates blocked from Airbnb, due to our cancellation. The guest that held the party only responded to us that "that we (host), can't control other peoples actions". It is almost impossible to reach someone from Airbnb and we have been forwarded to so many different departments via messaging, that we have lost an overview of what is going on. We clearly did our part as a host, providing a wonderful home with very clear rules, and feel like we have a right to get our money back for the extra cleaning cost, the damage and the stolen items. What I am missing in the improvement written above is what actions are taken on behalf of the hosts, after the fact? What can we expect? It feels to us that Airbnb is simply acting as a booking platform but provides no responsibility or payout in case of an issue caused by the guest. So what good does it do if we as a  hosts come up with security deposits and rules, if they are ignored by the guest and the guest is getting a slap on the finger with a bad review or maybe getting blocked? They are getting away with it and are simply creating a new account. For us as hosts with a beautiful home, we need better support from Airbnb, or we won't be able to continue with Airbnb as our booking platform.    

[Katie]

Hi @Karin1555, welcome to the Community Center, and I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've had with this booking. I have just received an update on your case, so I will send you a DM with more details.