Booking request for guests who don't meet our policies

[Laura2592]

We are not safe for infants due to some 1850s house quirks which include really steep and funky stairs. We decided to allow families with children but not infants last year after a guest who had a crawling baby complained about the stairs. Just too scary in terms of liability for us as hosts. 

This past weekend we had a booking request for a family with a young child and an infant. I declined it based on our policies and explained why. No parent wants so stay somewhere that is not safe for a small child. Airbnb sent a message that they are "reviewing" this declination. Its clearly stated in our policies. I don't understand why this guest was even able to put in a request. Anyone have a similar experience? Shouldn't there be a pop up when a guest tries to book something that is not permitted by the host? Or that category (infant) should not be available at all on our listing. 

[Helen350]

But surely hosts can decline irresponsible guests who can't be trusted? - A toddler can't be trusted with the stairs = end of!

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 

I just attempted to book your cottage with 2 adults and 1 infant. There is no pop-up message or any indication that infants are not allowed. Classic. It defaults to "Request to Book" and there is a tiny, tiny link to the house rules which the guest can click if they want to get real technical. But who would do that?!

 

These guests likely reported you after receiving the decline. Instead of connecting the obvious dots, there is now a long, drawn-out "investigation" where Airbnb will use their mind-reading powers instead of speaking to either party. 

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42 Thanks for testing this. I can see clearly right under the picture on the listing page that it says we aren't suitable for infants or parties. I do wonder why that is even an option if the guests can still book and choose that they have an infant. I have thought about adding pictures of the features that make this not infant-friendly but that seems like it might backfire from a liability perspective. The dates didn't get blocked on the calendar so hopefully there is no issue with booking for someone else. 

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592 What is the point of any of us having any policies whatsoever on our listings? You've clearly noted that your place isn't suitable for infants as there are safety concerns. If Airbnb tries to force this booking on you, be sure to ask them how they are going to back you up should there be a devastating accident involving this infant in your place. Ask if they are going to take responsibility then.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Laura2592 , we are pet free in our suites, clearly stated yet we still get guests asking us to allow them to bring theirs cause its a perfect pet!    They get denied by me each time but truly, there isnt the choice of "Reason for rejection" that I should be able to write, "Requesting guest is asking for something that is not permitted in our listing",  it should be just that simple.  Unfortunately it isnt.   Maybe the next time I have to call the CS, I will tell them I need to change their rules and see how they feel about that...  Stay well, JR

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 a complication here is that the federal fair housing act prohibits discrimination in housing against families with children under 18. I don't know whether/how this applies to STRs or whether this may in part have triggered the review of your decline.

@Colleen253 @Anonymous @Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 

[Helen350]

A little holday is not 'housing' . Surely 'fair housing' refers to permanent homes, not holiday lets?

[Laura2592]

So bigger question then--

why does Airbnb allow hosts to say they don't want kids or infants if there is so much gray area?

Its my home and I am liable if something happens. I am freely admitting that its probably not the ideal place for a parent and infant. I can provide safety measures but guests can't always be relied upon to supervise their kids or use common sense.  I want my guests to have a safe, enjoyable time. Therefore I need to be up front about any safety issues and extra careful if I am responsible. 

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592 I suspect this incident is likely more a case of the guest calling in to complain about being rejected, and getting a hapless CS rep who triggers an 'investigation', which has a high possibility of being dealt with (made worse) by more hapless reps. Bad CS is the problem. 

[Laura2592]

@Colleen253  right. I do wonder how hosts who don't have IB survive. I have my IB settings so that anyone can book unless they have not been recommended by others or have no reviews. Not a super high bar. If my occasional rejection prompts an investigation based on rules that re fully disclosed in the listing, I can't imagine how many times hosts who have an actual back and forth and then reject get "investigated." 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  It's really too bad that Airbnb lumps newborns to 2 year olds in the infant category. You could safely host someone with a 4 month old, but certainly not with a baby who had started to crawl.

[Andrea-and-Glenn0]

@Laura2592 We are fairly new to AirBnb however when we decline a booking and the automated response comes back that asks why you declined the booking, simply hit the “I’m uncomfortable” button as your reason. We simply do not accept guests with no recommendations from other hosts or they have an incomplete complete profile and have never has any issue with declining a booking. 

I must also say, while we also feel our cottage is not appropriate or set up for infants, we have never had to decline for that reason. 

[Laura2592]

@Andrea-and-Glenn0  interesting. I had been given the advice that saying "I am uncomfortable" too many times is worse for a host as there is an algorithm that predicts declinations due to bias. I think I checked something about our listing not being suitable. 

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592  @Andrea-and-Glenn0 A button for “guest failed to read the listing details”  would be super appropriate for so many cases, wouldn’t it?

[Laura2592]

@Colleen253 such a simple and elegant solution! Easier for the CS people who review just to look briefly at those requests (Guest didn't read? What didn't they read? Oh, no infants. Got it. Moving on.) Instead, like the ubiquitous "Did you feel unsafe during your stay?" feedback question asked of each guest during their review, the onus is on the hosts to defend why or how their space is not available to a particular group.  But for that to happen, there would need to be a shift in thinking about the guests-- i.e., that some are prone to not following instructions.