Airbnb threated to cancel my account. Is this for not accepting pre-approvals? Explain Airbnb's reservation system

[Douglas353]

Can someone explain Airbnb's reservation system?  

Local laws are such I need to screen guests to ensure compliance.   If a guest sends a pre-approval request which violates local laws how do I decline without being penalized by Airbnb for not accepting?

How do you decline a stay without being penalized by Airbnb?  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 The problem you have, based on your earlier questions, is that you are trying to circumvent your local laws by allowing stays of less than 14 days using the fact that the law talks about bookings not stays. 

Very simply you either need to comply with the spirit of the law OR find another STR platform that doesn't give you grief if you continually reset people.

It really is quite simple you know.

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0    Please answer the questions I posted.  And NO!   It is NOT that simple. 

I am NOT trying to break the law OR cheat Airbnb out of their service fees.  

As others who are familiar with the City of Berkeley's laws stated Airbnb's reservations system does not work properly for booking stays in Berkeley. 

Would you please answer my question?

Thank you 

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0   Maybe in England you have to adhere to the sprint or the law, but in the US you have to adhere to the letter of the law.  Before I can allow a guest to stay with me they by law MUST read and agree to the special Airbnb laws.  If the guest does not agree I cannot legally host them.

I'm asking for assistance and have very specific questions for some reason you will not answer.   Before commenting on my situation READ the laws.  The laws in Berkeley are very specific and restrictive about Airbnb guests.  The City tried several times to put Airbnb hosteres out of business making Airbnb illegal. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 Oh dear you really don't get. In England you have to comply with the law. It is also sensible to comply with the spirit of the law as, for example, using semantics to try to avoid laws will usually find you in breach of the law as well. I've had a quick read of the Berkeley law on STRs - Where do they say a guest must read and agree to the special Airbnb laws?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 Err no I won't answer your question because it has been answered ad nauseam in your other recent posting. Nowhere have I suggested you are breaking a law or cheating Airbnb out of their fees.

IF you are up front with exactly what you are doing and how you are being threatened with account cancellation then you might get some help

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0   I am being up front and honest.  The issue is Airbnb's reservation system not.  It does NOT conform to the current City of Berkeley's laws.

Again my questions is about Airbnb's reservation system and what it means when a guest is requesting a Pre-Approval. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 So let us take this one step at a time.

In what way does the Airbnb reservation system not conform to current City of Berkeley's laws?

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0   Read through ALL of the City of Berkeley Rent Control and str laws and you will immediately see how Airbnb's reservation system does NOT comply to current laws.  Look at Airbnb's web site about hosting in Berkeley and you will see Airbnb is telling hosters to break the law.  There was even a post from someone in Berkeley who explained  to everyone.

Now that I have answered all of your questions, would you please answer mine?  This is my third request.   

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 No, No and thrice  No. If you really want help you need to answer questions so that the problem is properly explained. I suspect you really just want to vent or you would be more amenable to simple questions. 

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0   Dude/bloke, I'm just trying to get an answer to a simple question.

Let me ask again.  I know American's are still learning how to communicate in English, so I will try again. 

How do you decline a stay without being penalized by Airbnb?  If the guest requests a pre-booking and it is not agreeable by the hoster how can the hoster decline without being penalized by Airbnb?  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 It really is very simple. IF you list correctly with all the correct stay lengths etc then you do not need to decline a booking request. If you are trying to circumvent some law then it is not simple.

[Douglas353]

@Mike-And-Jane0   It isn't that simple.   You obviously did not read the laws or look at Airbnb's web site.  Before commenting get the facts.  You have two people in the City of Berkeley telling you you've got it wrong.  Why aren't you listening?  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 so explain then

[Lisa723]

@Douglas353 it's not clear what you mean by "a pre-approval request".  You can get two types of contact from guests: inquiries, and booking requests.

An inquiry is not a request to book. For an inquiry, the only requirement is that you reply. It is not necessary to either pre-approve (though Airbnb will encourage you to do that), or to deny. Just reply.

A request to book on the other hand requires you to either accept or decline (unless the guest withdraws the request). As previously discussed, sending a special offer instead is basically like not responding at all as far as Airbnb's metrics go. Airbnb will threaten you with suspension etc. if too many of your booking requests do not result in a confirmed booking (and are not withdrawn by the guest).