Contact Airbnb: A Community Help Guide [UPDATED]

[Dave-and-Deb0]

This, I believe, is the most common questions on the Community Center.  Below is a "How To" guide on contacting Airbnb.

3 easy ways to contact Airbnb:

1. Airbnb Community Experts
2. Via Twitter Direct Message @Airbnbhelp
3. Calling Airbnb

1. Contacting Airbnb's Community Experts

The easiest and quickest way to get answers to any issues is through contacting Airbnb's Community Experts.  If they cannot answer your question, they have the ability to re-route you to Airbnb Specialist who will have the notes of the conversation you had with the Expert and can usually solve your question.  Please be kind to these Experts as they are not employees of Airbnb and do give their time to assist you in resolving your issue.   

Step 1: Visit https://www.airbnb.ca/help/contact_us

Step 2: From the bottom of the screen, choose either "My question is about something else".

Step 3: Follow the prompts to figure out what best describes your issues.  Some things you choose will take you to specific information whereas others you can fill in the text box and submit your question.  Keep trying until you find something that lets you enter your question into a text box.  If you see the box that says "I still need help" at the bottom of the screen, choose that and enter your information.  If the choice you made has nothing to do with your question, please just describe this first and the Expert will still help you.

 

Once you choose the "I still need help" button, you will get a text box which allows you to enter your information.

When you submit a question, you can expect an answer back from an Airbnb Expert within five minutes but usually less.  If the Community Expert cannot help you, they can re-route your issue to Airbnb who will then contact you.  Airbnb Community Experts do have some access to your reservation information but if it is a question that can only be answered with account information, they will re-route you automatically.  Airbnb Community Experts are available 24/7 and again, usually you will have an answer from them within minutes.

2. Contacting Airbnb Via Twitter

I find the second best and easiest way to contact Airbnb regarding any issues I may be having is by using Twitter.  Airbnb seems to have dedicated staff who monitor their Twitter feeds and I usually hear back from them within 5-10 minutes of posting my isssue.

Step 1: Log into Twitter

Step 2: Search for @Airbnbhelp and choose "Follow" them.

Step 3: Send a Direct Message (DM) explaining your issue and wait for their response.  They may ask for information such as your listing but always provide it over DM so it is not public.

3. Calling Airbnb's Customer Experience Line

 ***Please note that these phone numbers and any numbers below are meant for URGENT MATTERS so it is best to use the above two methods first***

Here are the phone numbers for Airbnb.  If the area where you are hosting is not listed, check out the two ways below this list in order to find their number for your area.

United States and Canada	+1-415-800-5959 +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)
Argentina	+54 11 53 52 78 88
Australia	+61 2 8520 3333
Austria	+43 72 08 83 800
Brazil	+55 21 3958-5800
Chile	+56229380777
China	+86 10 5904 5310 400 890 0309 (shared-cost)
Denmark	+45 89 88 20 00
France	+33 1 84 88 40 00
Germany	+49 30 30 80 83 80
Greece	+30 211 1989888
Hong Kong	+852 5808 8888
India	000 800 4405 103 (toll-free)
Ireland	+353 1 697 1831
Israel	+972 3 939 9977
Italy	+39-06-99366533
Japan	+81 3 4580 0999 +81 800 100 1008 (toll-free)
Mexico	+52 55 41 70 43 33
Netherlands	+31 20 52 22 333
New Zealand	+64 4 4880 888
Norway	+47 21 61 16 88
Peru	+51 1 7089777
Poland	+48 22 30 72 000
Portugal	+351 30 880 3888
Puerto Rico	+1 787 919-0880
Russia	+74954658090 88003017104 (toll-free)
South Korea	+82 2 6022 2499 +82 808 220 230 (toll-free)
Spain	+34 91 123 45 67
Sweden	+46 844 68 12 34
Switzerland	+41 43 50 84 900

United Kingdom

+44 203 318 1111

Hopefully this help guide helps you to contact Airbnb for any of your issues.

[Zach111]

This is interesting as I am actually experiencing this.  2 months ago I wrote an honest review that was removed because I spoke about the adult party that happened while I was there, it was a nightmare.  I have proof and everything and Airbnb buried the story as fast as they could lol.  Another guest 1 month later wrote the same review and experience with 2 other adult parties from the host and hers is still up at least.  

On top of that, you know the automated messages saying "the host cancelled 3 days before arrival"? Airbnb has removed that automated posting.  My host was an absolutely nightmare 2 weeks, 1 week and 3 days leading up to the reservation. Airbnb took my side and said he was breaking the policies ect and got the host in line. The host still cancelled.  It showed on his account that "This host cancelled 3 days before arrival." Upon checking today, Airbnb removed even the automated message!! I called and they are looking into WHY, but we both know they will do nothing.  They are shady.

[Helen44]

Hi Did you have any sucess with this . I have had this twice now and my site has been paused . I cant access it and its been taken down.

[John436]

I agree. No doubt they are now a multi-million dollar company and yet have the worse customer service/forms of communication. We can only hope one day they decide to spend the money for a proper customer service unit. 

[Neti1]

Hi @John436, I understand your frustration.  If I hear "no-one is available to take your call" sometimes I want to throw things or curse at the recorded message.  However, I have had to call Airbnb many times, and have never had a problem contacting them.  If you need an answer urgently, just use the "contact" link on any help file.  Maybe it's different for you,but I get a window that gives many choices including asking for a call back, which is very convenient, and in my experience very fast.  I don't know if being a superhost makes it way easier, I do know superhosts get some priority in having their calls answered quickly.

I think many people don't read help files, and that's understandable as in today's world we are inundated with emails, websites, terms of service, helpfiles, chats, blogs and more than we could possibly read in a lifetime even if we wanted to.  Airbnb's help files are sometimes out of date or have some inaccuracies, but they are updated as things change.  It is Airbnb who make this community center available as another option, and every article has detailed info about how to contact customer service. 

I think there is an ongoing effort to create community within the framework of being a large corporation with all that that entails. Airbnb has changed my life for the better, and I don't think I would feel comfortable doing short term bookings independently, so I take it for what it is, including it's giganticness 🙂 I hope you'll try and find a way that works for you to be able to contact Airbnb when you need to.  For example, if you email and say "I want to speak to an Airbnb representative about..." and include details like your listing url if you're a host, and the reservation code if relevant, I think you'll get faster help.  Neti, New Orleans

[Heather-and-Wes0]

Hi, I am a SuperHost and for the first time I have a problem with a booking.  The amount the guest booked on was different to when they actually made the booking.  As I cant see what they see I need AirBnB to investigate.

I have spent the lat 1.5 hours pressing every "Help" button and every "Contact us" and I cannot find an email address, a Phone number or a Call back anywhere on the site.

Unbelievable!

[William267]

I don't see the "My question is about something else" option you mention. Have they further removed themselves from their customers?

[Vu5]

Dear Neti,

Reading your answer to John, I think that you can help with my case.

I recently received a guest coming to stay with us. He showed a booking confirmation, it was our property and the host is me.

I thought there might be some techincal problem that I have not received booking inquiry from the guest.

But afterthat, I found that someone using my name, my photo and listed my property. We accepted the guest to stay with us (3 nights) with out any surcharge as the guest paid their accomodation already. But I would never receive the payment from airbnb since it was not my listing.

Please can you advise me which email I can send this report to?

How can I find the phone number of the person who listed of my property?

Here are his listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18094851?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&location=%2A%20%22Gia%20Lam%20Vi...

Appreciate your kind support.

My email: [Email hidden]

Warmest regards,

Vu

[Neti1]

Hi Vu,how awful for you if someone is impersonating your site! In this case you need to contact Airbnb immediately with the information about the false listing.  Have you tried going to the contact link https://www.airbnb.com.sg/help/contact_us#/ ? Do you see a way to message or call, or have Airbnb call you?  This is the other resource we have in the Community for how to contact Airbnb: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide-UPDATED/m-p/413245.  If you find yourself in contact with Airbnb Community Experts, simply ask to be rerouted immediately to Airbnb customer service as someone has made a listing using your name.  This is a very serious concern, and I wish you all the best in solving it! In case you want to call directly, there is no phone number listed in the Community help guide for Vietnam, but you should be able to call the USA number using Skype or some other cheap method, try +1-415-800-5959.  I only looked at your listing https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18094851 and it looks normal, I was a bit afraid to click on the entire link. Is this something you might want to report to the police, if it's fraud? Don't the guests themselves have some sort of contact information for that site, else how did they send their money? Neti

[Dinh-Hong0]

Dear Neti,

Really appreciate your kind support in guiding me what to do for the case. We finally could found the contact of the person who list our property and discussing them to releasethe listing.

I will contact AIRBNB for further action if needed.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday

Warmest regards,

Nguyen Vu

[Denise118]

This is a known issue that I found with a few listings then found more when I did an internet search.

I contacted Airbnb about this a couple years ago when I discovered it and they told me to report it on the customer bug report area.  They won’t handle any issues you report to them.  

I am a Comp Sci Engineer with a PhD and identified the area of exposure that was hacked. Airbnb didn’t care.  Over 2 years, the problems still there and they’ve done 

[Sarah400]

Please share the URL with us

[Neti1]

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide-UPDATED/m-p/413245#M5...

[Lawrence43]

I'm thinking of becomming a host.  Two questions:

1.  How can I treat my capital and expense costs related to preparing my home for this business?

2.  Is there a way to circumvent the poor service I read about?

[Neti1]

Hi Lawrence, if your Airbnb space is only ine part of the total square footage of the home, make a diagram that shows the total square footage living space and the part that is allocated to Airbnb, or just measure and write down the figures.  A diagram is very handy as reference when you or your accountant do your taxes.  You come up with a proportion of Airbnb square footage divided by Total square footage living area, that's A. 

Make a note of the date the Airbnb was put in service.  For the rest of the year, you can figure out the number of days occupied divided by the number of days total, that's B.

Keep very good track of expenses, both those 100% for the Airbnb, and shared expenses such as internet, water, and electric bill, yard maintenance, or what have you. 

Shared expenses can be allocated to the Airbnb as "A x B x total shared expense = the amount you deduct from rental income" or in some other way that seems reasonable (but best to check with an accountant).  Just be consistent for each expense, you may feel that the water should be split in some different way for example, if there are 6 guests at a time.  be sure you have a method that you can easily stick to, and keep good records.

!00% Airbnb expenses like furnishings, sheets, towels, cleaning supplies, etc, are another Total to be deducted from rental income.

If in USA: At the end of the year, if you show a loss, more expenses than income, you can only count it as a loss if you did not use the space yourself for personal use for more than 14 days (this is called Vacation Rules by the IRS I believe).

For your capital expenses, that comes into play when/if you sell the house (assuming you are in the USA, it could be different otherwise).  It will be important to know what proportion of your home was used for short term rentals (or any rentals for that matter) for what proportion of time, and that will affect the Capital Gains exclusion you can claim.

Basically, you need to keep good records.  You can download your transactions from Airbnb.com from time to time as an Excell spreadsheet, and it will show the number of nights, the cleaning fee, the total earned, the service fees paid, and other details.  I find that to be very helpful.

The best way to get great service with Airbnb is to become a Superhost, check it out in the Airbnb helpfiles, https://www.airbnb.com/superhost.  Never cancel a reservation unless you are sure there are extenuating circumstances; always check your messages and reply to requests and inquiries; get great reviews by paying attention to detail, paying attention to your guests' needs, and thinking from the guest's point of view how the space should best be set up and furnished; and be very honest in your listing description.  Superhosts get a dedicated helpline that's often faster than normal channels, but depending where you are, the customer service should be fine anyway. 

You need to do due dilligence and know how the system works.

Great article:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/A-Host-s-guide-to-Airbnb-60-tips/m-p/409261#M101034

Help guides:
https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Community-Help-Guides/m-p/23100/highlight/true#M311

This help file from Airbnb has links to many essential articles that you may find helpful as a new host: https://www.airbnb.com/help/topic/207/listing-your-place

Airbnb help files can lag a little behind changes.  There is not much in them about using the app at the moment.  Sometimes they are incomplete, inaccurate or confusing, but there is a place to give feedback, and the articles are constantly being improved.

Make sure you know what you are getting into by reading whatever you can to understand the parameters, and by asking questions here.

All the best, Neti

[Fiona-and-Keith-and-Fami0]

@Lawrence43Your question is best posted in a different section, but here's a down and dirty response with respect to your first question:

In which country are you located? If in the USA, you will handle these items in two different ways: capital expenditures and business-related expenses. Capital expenditures have a particular definition and must be capitalized and depreciated with depreciation "recaptured" when you sell the property (not a topic to delve into in this post; please search for more relevant discussion here in the Community Center or consult an accountant). Expenses can be deducted on your annual tax return and will offset your revenue from hosting which is usually reported on Schedule C of your 1040. Your hosting revenue will be on the 1099 issued to you by Airbnb, and reported to the IRS, in January of the following year. Best, A recovering CPA

[Fiona-and-Keith-and-Fami0]

In which country are you located? If in the USA, you will handle these items in two different ways: capital expenditures and business-related expenses. Capital expenditures have a particular definition and must be capitalized and depreciated with depreciation "recaptured" when you sell the property (not a topic to delve into in this post; please search for more relevant discussion here in the Community Center or consult an accountant). Expenses can be deducted on your annual tax return and will offset your revenue from hosting which is usually reported on Schedule C of your 1040. Your hosting revenue will be on the 1099 issued to you by Airbnb, and reported to the IRS, in January of the following year. Best, A recovering CPA