I've been hitting this wall a lot. I'm in Brooklyn, NY and wow are a lot of people improperly booking for parties. (This phenomenon is definitely related to Covid in that people are going stir crazy and wanting to try staycations.) Like many other hosts, I remain upset about the wording implying that my listing is "unsafe" and the lack of transparency. After months of this, I finally found their policy online:
airbnb sllash resources slash /hosting-homes slash a slash strengthening-our-safety-commitment-to-ho...
However, today, a guest was blocked who definitely did not fit the algorithm detailed in the above link. He is over 25 and lives almost 400 miles away. Yes, it's an attempted same day booking, but... Is Airbnb now blocking anyone from same day bookings if they don't have any reviews? What is the criteria? I just want to know!
I appreciate Airbnb trying to help us avoid the party nightmares. BTW, despite the blocking, a lot of parties still come through and it's horrible, truly horrible. You see, in this economy, there are a lot of people well over 25 who still live with their parents -- it's a fact. In my neighborhood, there are a lot of people in their 40s who still live with their parents. (I don't understand it, but I see it all over here.) IMHO, anyone who is used to Mommie cleaning up after them just doesn't get it about how to be responsible for someone's home - and cleaning is not the only issue - noise, traffic, smoke which takes many months to get rid of, etc. And yes, it's a bit problematic that some decent, honest, responsible young people will be blocked in an effort to reduce problems. However, I feel that avoiding the parties is a bigger problem and I'm actually OK with that. Here is what I am not OK with:
1) There is no transparency. Why not just TELL the guests -- when they first sign up with Airbnb -- that they are on a limited probation period and during this time, there will be no bookings of entire homes (but hotels will be allowed) until they have at least 3 positive reviews, unless the stay is for more than 30 days. Or whatever the correct and current criteria are. If their age is a factor, say so. If same-city bookings are a factor, say so. Otherwise, it sure looks like discrimination in the eyes of a person who encounters it without explanation!
The guest should be informed of that restriction each and every time they click on a listing that they will not be allowed to book.
2) If someone is going to be blocked from booking at my "entire place" listing -- then why does Airbnb allow them to waste my (& their) time with extensive inquiries and approvals? Can't Airbnb fix their system to provide the requisite information up front, at the appropriate time?
You see, because we've been burned so many times with parties that do slip through, we now do an extensive, time consuming interview (before booking) on our end to be SURE that the guests understand that if they need a party house, this is NOT it. So far, it's been working well. So, we go through all this due diligence only to find the guest blocked anyway. So, why did we have to go through all that? Nip it in the bud! Please. This is a nightmare.
3) The wording in the messages to guests about the booking being "unsafe" was horrible. Looks like they finally updated their wording though -- see below.
4) How can we know the current criteria? Why does Airbnb not inform anyone -- not hosts and not guests -- when they change their policies?
Here is the message that my attempted guest (over 25, from 400 miles away) got when he tried to book:
<Your reservation couldn't be completed
We have implemented restrictions that prevent guests from making reservations of entire homes or private rooms when a pattern of factors suggest that the booking may present higher safety risks (such as parties).
While we know this may be an inconvenience, you still have options. These restrictions don’t apply to hotels.>
What exactly is the new "pattern of factors?" Since this prevents bookings and reduces our income -- and takes so very much of our time -- don't we have a right to know? We can all play by the rules if we can simply know what the rules are. Maddening.
5) Obviously, everyone who encounters these blocks - guests and hosts -- immediately reach out to support -- because there is no explanation. So, now Support is utterly unreachable because they are bogged down with these avoidable inquiries. I wish Airbnb would listen.
Help? Anyone have any insight?
Thank you.
