Airbnb is not dealing in good faith when deposit claims are made

[Martin3626]

At the advice of Airbnb, I added an unregistered guests' paragraph to my house rules posted for all renters to access and read. One of my homes was certified for six guests, no more. The house rules stated if more than six guests use the home for any length of time, there will be a $150 per day per unregistered guest additional fee. Next came a renter who registered six and had eight using the home. I put in an unregistered guest claim with Airbnb against the deposit. My outdoor cameras documented eight in the fenced and private backyard where the only access was through the home. The renter noted on the Airbnb communication dashboard in communicating with me that he indeed had eight people in the house. Airbnb made one call to me. The Airbnb agent was an air-head very confused and could not keep the facts straight. I asked to have her supervisor contact me to ensure the claim's facts were documented properly by Airbnb. Without further dialogue, Airbnb sent me a claim denial. I got nothing on this $600 claim (two unregistered guests, for three nights at $150 per night per guest as agreed upon in the house rules and documented by the renter in his communications he posted on Airbnb). I had pictures, and the renter admitted on the Airbnb website for all to see that unregistered guests used the home. It appears that Airbnb never bothered to look at their website. This should have been a lock-tight claim, but Airbnb took its usual approach in dealing with real estate owners, throw them under the bus and then feed them to the wolves. When you rent houses with Airbnb, it may take a while before you wake up and realize that the stated back up of Airbnb does not exist; you have to take care of yourself.

[Ann72]

@Martin3626  Ugh.  What's not clear from your post is - did you first ask the guest to pay the extra money?

[Martin3626]

Ugh!  

I asked the guest; the guest agreed to pay extra. The communication interaction was posted on Airbnb. I told Airbnb several times to go to the communications posted on its website and view the renter's agreement to pay for unregistered guests. In response, Airbnb denied the claim.

[Sarah977]

And another question- why did you not simply tell the unregistered guests that they would have to leave as soon as you were aware of the ignoring of the guest count? @Martin3626

[Martin3626]

I asked the guest; the guest agreed to pay extra. The communication interaction was posted on Airbnb. I told Airbnb several times to go to the communications posted on its website and view the renter's agreement to pay for unregistered guests. In response, Airbnb denied the claim.

[Colleen253]

When it comes to unauthorized guests @Martin3626 , try a different approach. Saying 'no extra guests' out one side of the mouth, and 'well that's ok, just pay for them' out the other sends a mixed message and often just leads to the fall out you find yourself dealing with. The extra guests stay, and you don't end up being compensated.

[Sarah977]

I would also make a suggestion- your listing info reads like a real estate ad, extolling all the virtues of the property in an impersonal manner. I would try to rewrite it a bit to make it more personal, and market specifically towards the type of guests you want, so the guests don't just get the impression that this is a faceless property where they can do whatever they like.

Also you say that any issues should be reported immediately to the host by phone. This isn't a good idea. You should tell guests to communicate using the Airbnb messaging, so you have a written record of any issues with guests and what they may have said or what the exchange with them was. 

@Martin3626

[Martin3626]

I am not sure how to answer these comments. We own 13 companies; one is a marketing company. I turned the description writing over to the marketers, who then did test marketing. Flowery and nice does not always get the job done optimally. Unless you test markets the message against alternative messages, you will not know which is truly more effective. The goal is to rent the home on a vacation rental basis, not to be personal and friendly. The house is fully booked for the next three months, except for one week between now (December 21) and March 20, 2021. Three months of solid bookings. Sometimes the dumbest and worst looking message gets the job done far better than the personal flowery. I let our marketing people figure out what is best.

[Sarah977]

Your goal is to rent the home on a vacation rental basis but I assume you also don't want to attract guests like the one you are complaining about.

Where did I suggest flowery wording? When I say more personal, I don't mean touchy-feelie, I mean somehow getting the idea across that this is someone's home that they care about, not just some investment property with faceless management. The marketers you tasked with writing up your ads aren't having to deal with the scenario you are now dealing with, so they have no vested interest in writing things up in a way so as to discourage rule breakers.

Guests will agree to pay for extra guests, undisclosed pets, damages, etc, and then renege on that. Because, as you have found out, Airbnb will not force the guest to pay, in spite of documented messages from the guest agreeing to do so, the better approach is to secure payment from the guest as soon as you become aware of the violations and if that isn't immediately forthcoming, to boot the guests out.

@Martin3626

[Martin3626]

I think you are right about securing money as soon as possible. I had a group that destroyed a bed, kicked the glass out of an oven door, and trashed the screen door. Total damage $1,500. As they left, they called one of my businesses and made a credit card payment for $1,000. I figured I would get the other $500 from the deposit. Airbnb denied the $500, so I ended up $500 short. 

[Penelope0]

I wrote a big comment-previewed it- surprisingly, an error occurred and it would not post.

Stand fast about reaching a supervisor.

You and your guest had a contract which included max. number of guests. There was a security deposit. this should have been taken by Airbnb from the guest who violated the agreement. You have back up documentation.