Introducing new COVID-19 safety requirements, updated guest standards, and more in the latest Host Update

[Airbnb]

In the latest Host Update, Catherine Powell discusses quality hosting, updates to guest standards, and new COVID-19 safety requirements for members of the Airbnb community. 

Last year, in an effort to hold guests accountable for their actions during a stay, we announced new guest reliability standards. Since then, roughly 100,000 guest accounts that violated these policies and standards have been suspended or removed. In response to ongoing host feedback, we’re adding five new criteria to our guest reliability standards to address late checkouts, unauthorized pets, removal of approved security devices, and other issues. 

Between now and the end of the year, we’ll be investing in improvements to our systems and processes. These efforts will help us in making progress to ensure consistent enforcement, quicker response times, and higher overall accountability with guests.

As the heart of the Airbnb community, we know you work incredibly hard to provide the highest level of hospitality for your guests. When travelers have a bad experience with a host on Airbnb, it affects hosts’ reputations in their local communities and governments—and hurts our community as a whole. We’ve noticed recently that a group of listings didn’t live up to our expectations for quality. So just as we are removing guests to help protect the Airbnb community, we’ve decided to suspend or remove listings that have a consistent pattern of serious issues or that have regularly received low review ratings and failed to meet guest expectations.

In most cases, hosts with affected listings have already been notified and there is an appeals process in place to help address concerns. To learn more about these updates and how they may impact you as a host, watch the full Host Update. 

To help keep our community safe and trusted, starting October 12, hosts of stays will be asked to commit to a five-step enhanced cleaning process. Hosts will be required to attest to the protocol by November 20. If you’ve already attested, you’ll simply need to follow a quick prompt to agree to wear a mask and practice social distancing. New hosts will also need to commit to the safety practices. According to internal Airbnb data, listings enrolled in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol are some of the most popular listings and have three times more bookings on average than listings that were not enrolled in the protocol.

We know health and safety has been top of mind for both hosts and guests alike, and we will continue to try and ensure standards are being met. As always, thank you for sharing the topics that matter to you. Please let us know what you’d like us to cover in future Host Updates with Catherine. 

To read a full overview of the video, visit this Resource Center article.

[Kat162]

Thanks for clarifying @Katie and putting it here in clear sight.
Like many non-USA hosts, we'll continue to follow our regions guidelines, protocol and restrictions.

[Jenny371]

@Catherine-Powell I'm also from NZ and we always maintain a tidy home. We have no community covid cases currently, if we do we follow our governments protocols which are very robust. 
These rules do not take into account each countries situation and we are not the same as the USA and should not be treated the same.
This is over the top and ridiculous 

[Marg11]

Oh well, we may have to leave Airbnb despite being constant Super Hosts with 95% occupancy and survived many cancellations with new bookings. Face masks are not required in Western Australia as we have no community contamination just an international traveller and crew from an ore carrier in quarantine. Our borders are locked. Our guests are local or FIFOs as we decided not to host quarantine guests. We already wash hands, wash linen at 40 degrees, have no curtains, deep clean, sanitise horizontal hard surfaces and touchpoints. 1.5 metres distancing is the local rule, any more we wouldn't be able to show guests around our flat. There's a local shortage of rental properties so ..............

[Cathy823]

I cannot see how to agree to terms. I am already doing all the things requested and required. 

[Katie]

Hi @Cathy823, welcome to the Community and thanks for your question. This is being rolled out this week but may not be an option on your profile just yet - hold tight and it should appear soon 😊

[Rory15]

@Katie

Why is Air so inflexible and adamant it is always correct? These guidelines are a disaster waiting to happen.

Where we operate in Kenya our last case of Covid 19 was back in March. Our entire countries death toll is less than 1 day's worth of USA based infections. You want us to follow US rules, which clearly didn't and continue not to work? Why don't you look up occasionally, they is a lot more to the world than California or Central London.

This one size fits all plan is just madness and financially ruinous if you follow through logically with your blanket approach.  Some of us spent months locked down or under travel restrictions and curfews. You take no account of facts on the ground, of proper best practise or even basic science. The CDC have proved themselves hopeless and you think they know what they are doing? In Africa we have done much, much better than the US, armed only with a bucket of disinfectant and the will to comply to simple rules. 

No doubt you intend to destroy whatever high season may remain to us this year by imposing daft rules which make little sense outside your bubble back in the US of A.

It's honestly very frustrating trying to work with Air sometimes....

[Zack120]

Actually, these rules don't make any sense here in the USA, either.

[Rory15]

@Emilia42

If you have staff the timings are absolutely no issue. Though, why we should be following US best practise on all this defies belief really. The US have singularly failed to deal with the spread of this virus, even Africa has done much better with simple precautions, as have absolutely everyone else on the planet.  

[Erik1327]

I do not see where to do attestation?

[Colleen253]

"Last year, in an effort to hold guests accountable for their actions during a stay, we announced new guest reliability standards.....In response to ongoing host feedback, we’re adding five new criteria to our guest reliability standards to address late checkouts, unauthorized pets, removal of approved security devices...."

Something important is missing in that statement. Why does Airbnb refuse to address the ONE thing that would stop the breeding of bad guest behavior? That would of course be the faux damage deposit. This forum is still regularly littered with posts from hosts who have had to eat the cost of damages perpetrated by guests. More than ever actually, since the pandemic began. When will Airbnb TRULY hold guests accountable? The guest reliability standards are nothing but an illusion, without actual consequences @Catherine-Powell 

[Super47]

@Colleen253

"Why does Airbnb refuse to address the ONE thing that would stop the breeding of bad guest behavior?"

Because introducing a real security deposit might - god forbid - constitute a barrier to booking for those naughty guests with less than honourable intentions, @Colleen253! And we couldn't possibly have that, could we?

It's" take all comers" at Airbnb, and if the bad boys do slip through the net, throw a few parties, terrorise a few neighbours and thrash a few homes..  well, Airbnb can always give the guest a slap on the wrist with a brief suspension afterwards and more importantly, shut down the host's listing in a blaze of PR glory, to make it look like they're doing actually something concrete to curb this massive problem. Airbnb do love themselves a bit of illusion.. 

[Kevin1925]

@Catherine-Powell when will Airbnb provide the ability to accept a cancellation and open availability again, while still offering to provide a refund only if we are able to re-rent the same period? It would balance my need as a host to make sure I am not unduely hurt by a late cancellation, under valid or even invalid or simply unfortunate circumstances, but also offers the ability for the renter to recoup their booking costs. At the moment I either have to accept their cancellation and provide a refund in order to try to re-rent, or hold them to it, there is no middle ground.  Further, with a system / option like I describe, I would like a longer no-refund period of 60 days, we offer a high end rental and its much harder to fill even with say 45 days notice... but I'm willing to try, if only you guys gave us the option.

Kevin. 

[Alex-and-Rob1]

I have looked at the updated guidelines and am happy to agree to them, but where do you agree to them?  All I can see are more guidelines... would someone give me an exact location of the 'AGREE' button please?

Thank you!

A

[Gregg31]

Hi Catherine; @Catherine-Powell 

Why do I have to agree to wear a facemask, and my guests, when the borders of the state I live in are closed, there is NO community transmission, there are NO guests who are allowed by the government to come to this area unless they arrive from a zero transmission area.

Why is AIRBNB requiring a commitment from me and my guests that over-rides the states regulations and laws?

Thanks Gregg

[Elizabeth2017]

My cabin is off grid. There is no electric. There is no running water. I do the best I can to clean, but do not feel that I can meet your stringent standards with the limitations that I have. Therefore, in good conscience I cannot sign your waiver. Regarding masks, the WHO has found that most people who get Covid 19 are the ones who wear masks. They are ineffective. Guests are not wearing them either. Is it best if I just let Airbnb drop me? Or do I lie?