Bumped from Superhost status because I had one FULL year of bookings from a guest.

[Suzanne209]

Airbnb now requires hosts have 3 separate check in/outs to be a Superhost so I was recently bumped from SH status because my guest checked in Oct/20 and is still renewing his monthly stay.

The predominate reason I would like to have SH status is for the customer service phone line.  The reason I have to call customer service every month is because after a guest renews his stay more than 8 times, the online extend reservation service doesn't work and I have to call ABB and ask them to extend the reservation. Most of the time the operators want to send me some "help" articles because they don't understand the problem. This month I opened the calendar and ask my guest to try to extend the reservation and it wouldn't work for her.

Are monthly stays not welcome on ABB?

Does any of this make sense to you? If so, please explain.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Suzanne209 It would perhaps have been better if you had just started a new reservation each month.

Also Airbnb is a short term rental site - I think it is probably fair to lose Superhost if you are actually a long term rental host.

[Suzanne209]

I like that suggestion and have thought of it. I'll need to refund the cleaning deposit, or I'll try to delete it altogether before we try again. 

[Helen744]

@Helen744 @Suzanne 209, what can I say . I am interested in what you provide by way of cleaning and maintenance . H

[Suzanne209]

I like the long term arrangement because I live 200 miles away and am not required to provide any cleaning.  The gentleman in the home has made any repairs that were necessary. The home was renovated a year or two before this guest and I check with him monthly to ensure everything is going okay.

[Suzanne302]

@Suzanne209  If you've been hosting the same person for more than a year, you are no longer an STR host and would probably do better to keep Airbnb out of it and deal directly with your tenant. (he's no longer a guest at this point)

[Susan990]

What you have just said is very seriously against Airbnb guidelines.  They warn Host and Guest to not go off platform at any time during the reservation or after. Guest signs an agreement to the terms of the reservation and Host does as well.  The platform has an easy 2 clicks procedure for Host to submit to Guest a request to change the check-out date.  Guest clicks ( Accept) to that request and it is done. Airbnb makes it quick and easy to add more time--add more money to the transaction. A Host can get suspended listing  if caught doing what you just said. 

[Suzanne209]

That "easy" process is not available after 8 uses.

[Suzanne302]

@Susan990  My advice is sound.

Going "off platform" would be a guest contacting a host prior to a stay and then the host and guest making arrangements for a stay, without ever booking through Airbnb.

A guest who has been staying at a listing for MORE THAN A YEAR on Airbnb now has an established relationship with the host. The host and guest are more than within their rights to make separate arrangements. That is completely legal and a host cannot be suspended for doing that.

Airbnb is a platform. It does not own its hosts.

[Susan990]

@Suzanne209  I learned the easy solution to this issue of extending the stay.  All you have to do is submit to your guest are request change the check-out date, you input the date change in the place provided, submit to your guest.  Guest checks the red click box Accepting your request and it is done. I learned this back when COVID hit and I went monthly and never looked back.

  But as Airbnb changed its guidelines for Super Host criteria I thought then that a Host could be a victim of her own success by achieving a 100% occupancy and Airbnb had not even thought of that happening. All the while the vacation rental market has died  and the extended stay market of the Travel Work world we now live in is ignored.

  Listings like your make real money for Airbnb and they do not seem to do the math to appreciate what us monthly stay hosts have created. They should have a separate rating reviews guidelines for the monthlys which would address the lodging questions in a more appropriate way suited to the nature of the rental agreement.

  Like you I have been bumped from Super Host for the same reason. And my guests do not feel they are obliged to respond to the review questions because they are renters not vacationers.

  Anyway hope this fix is useful to you.  If CS new anything about the platform they could have told you that you can just change the check-out date yourself anytime. Remember you are just changing that date, with same start date of the reservation itself is not changed.

[Suzanne209]

Maybe I didn't make clear that "the easy process for extending the stay of the guest" DOES NOT WORK after 8 extensions. Then, the host or guest is required to call the very lowest level of customer service and explain not once, but several times, that the process you are all referring to DOES NOT WORK. They (Airbnb Customer Service) are then required to refer me to a specialist to contact the other party and arrange to have the stay extended. Every CS agent I have spoken with this year didn't know this. It took a specialist to explain it to me.

[Susan990]

Another point I would like to add to this conversation is the obvious fact that your occupancy for a year is all the testimonial or proof needed that you have a great place to stay/live/work. It is self evident. Reviews are not relevant to your success.

 And the coders who set up the platform for monthly stays also input a "rent the gap" provision to set a custom nightly rate and minimum stay rate for the gap between the monthlys.

  Add to that they gave the host the easy process for extending the stay of their guests and also offering a change of price if they wish to do so.  The guest has the right to accept or decline the request.

   All these provisions in the platform are created for the purpose of increasing occupancy/making more money/ every possible way of every day on the calendar- for Host and Airbnb-as BC stated "We are partners" in this enterprise.

[Suzanne209]

Maybe I didn't make clear that "the easy process for extending the stay of the guest" DOES NOT WORK after 8 extensions. Then, the host or guest is required to call the very lowest level of customer service and explain not once, but several times, that the process you are all referring to DOES NOT WORK. They (Airbnb Customer Service) are then required to refer me to a specialist to contact the other party and arrange to have the stay extended. Every CS agent I have spoken with this year didn't know this. It took a specialist to explain it to me.

[Susan990]

Much thanks for your discovery of a hidden setting in the system ! They hid it from their own tec support. OK then just go off platform at that point. My new discovery about the system which just got confirmed for me is that loosing Super Host and Not subscribing to Instant Book does absolutely nothing to the rate or quality of bookings. My experience was just the opposite of what they threaten you with. All my guests were honest inquiries sharing true information about themselves and asking genuine questions to decide to book my places for serveral months.  

  In addition, the gap as I call it, the space between my 31 nights minimum reservations, was popular with the short termers who found my 3 nights or 4 nights minimum stays offering attractive, they inquired and stated their reasons for the stay and I accepted. All quality guests found my places.

  It appears that the scammers are targeting the Instant Books and the Super Hosts (hostages to the review) listings for their nefarious purposes and avoiding the properties which present themselves with professional criteria for entry. 

[Suzanne209]

I'm going ask my guest to book the rental every month and reduce the rental rate by the amount of the cleaning deposit required.

This has been very helpful. Thank you all for your advice.