Strengthening our commitment to community standards

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Strengthening our commitment to community standards

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Hosts around the world have told us how much hosting means to them—personally and financially—and how rewarding great guest experiences can be. On the flip side, a bad experience with a guest can be frustrating and, in rare cases, even disruptive. We know these moments can meaningfully impact you and your time, money, and local community.

 

You’ve also given us feedback that you’d like us to hold the entire community, both hosts and guests, to the same high standards. We agree. That’s why in early 2020, we’ll be rolling out enhanced guest standards that set higher expectations for a trustworthy community. 

 

Establishing stronger guest standards

Our new Guest Standards Policy will clarify what Airbnb expects of guests, with the goal of ensuring that hosts can consistently have more positive experiences. When a guest doesn’t meet one of the standards outlined in the policy, they’ll receive a warning with education around how to be a better guest. We’ll track and weigh infractions (based on their severity), and repeated infractions may lead to suspension or removal of a guest from the platform. 

 

These guest standards build upon existing policies we already have in place to address the more serious trust and safety issues that result in immediate removal from the platform. We’re enhancing our system to better monitor for guests who engage in less serious misconduct, so that we can educate and take appropriate action against those guests. 

 

By setting clear standards, staffing teams to take action, and putting technology in place to track noncompliance, we expect to improve overall guest behavior and increase community trust. 

 

So what are the standards?

The new guest standards address some of the most common concerns expressed by our host community, and support our broader efforts to address parties that are unauthorized or disturb the community. Beginning in early 2020, the new policy will cover these five scenarios:

 

  1. Excessive noise: A disruptive level of noise, like loud music, prolonged shouting, or repeated pounding or stomping. It does not include complaints about minor or short-term disruptions (like a loud phone call) or noise that can’t be avoided (like walking up and down the stairs).
  2. Major cleanliness concerns: Anything that requires excessive cleaning after a guest checks out. This means extensive amounts of trash, debris, or food strewn throughout the property. It does not mean minor messes (like food left in the fridge or bagged trash left next to a trash can) or anything that could be considered part of normal wear and tear or turnover (like unwashed linens or a dirty kitchen).
  3. Unauthorized guests: When more guests stay overnight or visit the space than the host has authorized for that reservation.
  4. Unauthorized parking: When a guest or one of their visitors parks in an area that the host designated as off-limits, or when a guest or their visitors exceeds the number of cars that the host allows to park at the property, as set out in the listing description.
  5. Unauthorized smoking: When a guest or one of their visitors smokes inside the listing and the listing description prohibits smoking (this includes the use of tobacco, marijuana, e-cigarettes, etc.).

 

The new Guest Standards Policy kicks in when it’s been determined that a guest has engaged in one of these behaviors. Hosts may report a violation, and we’ll also accept reports of excessive noise through our Neighbor Reporting tool or from local law enforcement. 

 

What you can do 

We encourage you to clearly outline what you expect of guests in your House Rules, listing description, and messages to your guests. It’s particularly important to specify your rules around parking, extra guests, and smoking so we know if it should be considered “unauthorized” under the policy. When a guest fails to uphold these standards, it’s important to begin by addressing the issue with them directly—this is often the quickest path to resolution. In all cases, be ready to provide evidence that demonstrates a rule has been broken, whether that’s photos of excessive trash left in your space, an emailed complaint from a neighbor, or some other documentation. 

 

What comes next 

The second phase of the rollout will include additional scenarios we know are top of mind for you, like late checkouts, late check-ins, and unauthorized pets. Our goal is to roll out these additional standards later in 2020. Over time, and with your feedback, we expect to cover even more situations that are important to you. 

 

Your top questions, answered

Over the past few weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time talking to hosts and collecting feedback on this new policy. We’ve addressed a few of the top questions below.

 

 

Why are you rolling out guest standards in phases? 

These new standards represent a significant change for the community (both hosts and guests), and we want to make sure they’re working as intended before we expand them. Rolling out the policy in phases lets us carefully experiment with the standards, education and warning systems, processes, and technology systems we’re using. We aim to gradually expand and refine the policy to address other challenges that are specific to certain groups of hosts as well as different property types. This will be a journey, and we appreciate your input along the way. 

 

What happens if I report an urgent safety incident while it’s occurring?

If you or your property is in danger, you should always contact local authorities first. We already have policies in place to handle severe safety issues, like assault and violent threats. Violators of these policies are, and will continue to be, subject to immediate removal from the platform. We’re also in the process of rolling out an Urgent Support Line that routes hosts directly to agents who are specifically trained to handle these kinds of calls. The goal is to ensure your call is handled quickly and consistently, so you feel supported every time. 

 

How will I be supported when I call in with an issue about a guest in one of these scenarios?

As part of the new policy, hosts can request penalty-free cancellations for the remaining nights in a reservation when a guest has violated these standards and the situation cannot be resolved. And as always, if there is any damage to your property as a result of one of the above scenarios, you can file a claim under our $1,000,000 USD Host Guarantee.   

 

Why aren’t you enforcing all of my House Rules?

Initially, the new Guest Standards Policy will focus on the House Rules that hosts have told us they care about most. We know there are lots of other scenarios that hosts include in their House Rules and listing details. And while these scenarios are important to you, they may not be relevant to all hosts (e.g. rules around whether shoes or certain types of food are allowed in the home). Although these more personal rules aren’t covered by our new Guest Standards Policy, you can help set the right expectations with clear communication—sometimes a respectful reminder can be enough to resolve an issue. 

 

Keep the feedback coming

You've been telling us we need more robust guest standards to make our community stronger. We expect that, over time, these changes will improve guest behavior and your experiences as a host. We’re pleased to take this critical step in our journey to improve safety and reliability for our hosts. There’s still a lot more work to be done, and we appreciate your ongoing input. 

 

The growth of our community, and the trust we’ve built, could not have happened without your partnership. Thank you for all you do, and please let us know if you have any feedback in the comments below. 

754 Replies 754

@Emily1074 Firstly, your baby is adorable!  Secondly, your words are exactly my words too!  I've had hundreds of guests and reading other hosts' posts confirms that I am not the only one who has experienced these kinds of guests' behavior.   On a side note, I read an article that the Biltmore Estate is thinking about Airbnbing some rooms like the High Clere Castle in England.  They might want to rethink that!  

Lois317
Level 1
Ormond Beach, FL

AirBNB has been upfront and fair with any concerns I’ve had or any questions. The fee charged hosts is minimal and includes insurance. Well done, gentlemen. Thank you for this opportunity to advertise my properties internationally!

Kath3119
Level 1
Forres, GB

It troubles me that I have been listed as needing to work on bookings when I refused a request to book because the  potential guest's contact was just plain rude and made me feel unsure about having them as a guest in my home. Why should I be penalised for taking care of my safety and comfort in my own home?

Kath

I would like to know why Air BnB would reward a guest being evicted by refunding their rent, in full or partially ?

Why is the host being punished with having to deal with a dramatic situation and then left without minatory compensation ?

Without hosts, Air BnB would not make money nor exist, why are the hosts not being taken care of ?

I am new as a host, I am not liking what I am hearing from other hosts....

Air BnB, You need to do more to protect your hosts income, before they all leave... after all, you are not the only BnB site, just saying....

Steven388
Level 2
Baltimore, MD

Completely agree with Dáithí0.

 

As a low volume superhost that Meticulously screens and communicates with guests, I also believe Hosts should be able to easily see the past ratings posted by prospective guests.

 

As is, the recent “enhancements” put in place by Airbnb seem little more than a paint-by-numbers approach.

 

Try harder, folks—without quality hosts your platform cannot exist, let alone Thrive.

 

Time to give back to the Hosting community: read and adopt some of the very thoughtfully articulated comments and suggestions here. 

Jonathan198
Level 1
Savannah, GA

A few months ago, a guest of our vintage camper broke our explicitly states “no pet” policy, as clearly listed in our house rules. The dog they snuck in urinated all over the camper, causing over $700 worth of damage to our custom cushions and linens. We submitted a very well documented claim with Airbnb (complete with photos and expense receipts). Despite several calls to several case managers, Airbnb most certainly did not have our backs, telling us that their Host Guarantee Policy doesn’t cover damages caused by pets or damages caused by broken house rules. I can understand not covering damages caused by pets in pet friendly listings, but for Airbnb to refuse to hold a guest accountable for such a major violation resulting in so much damage is unconscionable. The last case manager I spoke with refused to provide me with any explanation beyond “those damages are simply not covered”. We have been hosting on airbnb since 2012, and this is just one example of how far downhill Airbnb has gone in terms of support for its hosts and concern for their property. It was an immensely disappointing experience, and one we have not forgotten.

Melody148
Level 2
Bossier City, LA

I am very seriously thinking of going to another vacation site other Airbnb for most of the reasons given here. It is such a hassle to have less than adequate guests who think because they pay rent they can do whatever they would like and leave you to clean up and repair their messes. Get a hotel!! After 4 years of this I am tired of having no one to call or address any issues. The one time I did speak to a human his accent was so thick I could not understand him. 

Melody Coghlan

lakehome in Louisiana

Greg1300
Level 1
New Glasgow, CA

First off … Let me say Airbnb is revolutionary ! Congrats ! However , I will tell you that from my experience it seems the HOST is a second rated Citizen . I have had 3 situations this past year where the GUEST did not follow rules and they cost me money out of pocket. We had photos /hard evidence proving they we guilty. We had a stolen air mattress worth over $150 as well which the GUEST admitted to taking by mistake. All situations became more of a hassle and took the loss. I even messaged Airbnb to express my concerns they are more concerned with Guests than the people with EVERYTHING on the line. Our time is worth something and if you make soooooo much red tape to get back what is rightfully yours if brings down the value of the company....less people will become GUESTS and competition like VRBO will benefit . So why can we not have a $200 deposit taken (just like Hotels) and then refunded after 24hours of check-out once the HOST can confirm normal wear and tear , not excessive damage was done.

 

Thx

Greg 

 

Anne8545
Level 2
Miami, FL

I feel like Host Support has been declining over the years and I really hope these new rules lead to faster resolution of issues. 

For example, I had a third-party reservation the other day. I quickly found out that the people staying were not the person who booked and lied in his messages about his trip. I care about having verified guests in my own house, where my family lives.

The guests got defensive and aggressive when confronted, and Airbnb basically asked me to look the other way and honor the reservation anyway. It took 2 nights before a case manager agreed to cancel the reservation, but they still wanted to penalize me for the unspent nights.I fought that as well to avoid getting penalized.

All hotels require IDs - Airbnb hosts do not but we pay Airbnb to verify guest identity and keep that on file in case anything goes wrong. Airbnb should ALWAYS side with the host when fraudulent bookings are made using someone else's profile. 

 

I appreciate Anne’s concern and can certainly relate.  Further, I’ve had countless   frustrating experiences surrounding 3rd party bookings & ABB’s tendency to prioritize guests > Hosts needs. 

The entire booking process (inquiry, follow up notifications, and standards for communication / response timeline) is heavily biased in favor of guests - not hosts.
Regardless of how detailed a host’s profile might read, if they’ve explicitly outlined what’s expected or the type of information they prefer, guests often reach out with little or no regard.  Essentially, ABB expects hosts to treat (all)  inquiries/booking requests equally, prioritizing prompt communication and availability etc.

Conversely, guests can choose to ignore anything written in a Hosts profile and submit an inquire or request a booking with a newly created profile, little or no details/reviews/info included in a message with their request, and sometimes still don’t respond when a host writes back (cordially reiterating their preference for some additional information or questions relevant to their booking), yet the host can expect notifications to respond, in some situations must decline before the request expires and/or get penalized?!  

I can go on and on...  

When it comes to 3rd part bookings there’s commonly an added layer of ‘interrogation’ that’s necessary to qualify a guest and sense of entitlement in the representative booking end that’s completely unsettling as a host.  With exception of course, I’ve had positive experiences as well.
But the current standards / setup caters to guests and doesn’t hold them to the same standards as hosts.
 I hope this hasn’t strayed too far from your point (Anne - hadn’t meant to be disrespectful etc). 
Ultimately, the common sentiment seems to be that changes in guest policy & standards are a good idea.  They’re way overdue and some basic aspects of the booking process should be considered as well. 

Mike1037
Level 1
Baxter, MN

Any and ALL ILEGAL acts committed on property should be grounds for eviction and loss of fees by renter.  If you need to get the Police Involved their privilege's in Airbnb should be suspended. These new basic standards are an improvement but the bar needs to be set higher. If a Guest is problem there should be a reporting method/process to hold them to standards of conduct, likewise the same standards should be expected of Hosts. 

 

Most of the Host comments so far, ask for more check boxes in our review of guests. 

Example: Did the Guest follow House rules?  If they answer YES no problem.  However,  if the answer is NO you get a (Do Any of the Following Apply) ?   Loud or Disruptive to Neighbors?  Unapproved Additional guests?  Unapproved Event?  Guest caused damage to  property due to guest negligence?   Less than $100.00 ?  More than $100.00?  Will a Damage Claim be made by the Host?  Did Guest refused to vacate property when requested by Host? Police were notified and responded to a rental property complaint by Host or Others?  Unauthorized Parking? Unauthorized Pet?

Broke Other House Rules?  Late Check-in Check-out?    

The Question  List could be modified at anytime.  All answers are yes no and could be weighted in their overall rating of the Guest.   A Guest would be defined as all listed/identified persons who will be occupying the hosts property. Anyone who is not on that list would be considered unauthorized. 

 

I hope someone at Airbnb reads this and  get the ball moving forward to provide more protection options for the Hosts who make it all possible.  This is all simple stuff for you to implement.

Totally agree

Giuliana142
Level 10
Toronto, Canada

The name itself explains that this website advertises an Air-bed and Breakfast (Airbnb). No guest should be comparing hosts to a hotel or motel.

If a guest needs a hidden space to sneak in friends late at night, get drunk, do drugs and have sex - one thing is for sure...NOT AT MY HOME! 

People lost common sense. I am rethinking my rental. I might drop the Airbnb advertising and go solo. I rented before without Airbnb. Less hassle and you don’t need for customer support.

Paul6008
Level 1
Findlay, OH

Thank you!

Brenda821
Level 1
Paducah, KY

Wow! I am new to Airbnb this year. I have hosted twice, both good experiences.  These comments from other hosts are scaring me as to wether I should stay with this or choose to go back to renting  the  studio apartment. I may just take my 2 wins and settle for less money, less stress and less headaches.