New host and missing payout

[Zee260]

I’m new to Airbnb and only put my property for Airbnb and already had 23+ bookings and had my 1st stay in Feb.  And guess what Airbnb haven’t paid me my call keeps getting escalated up to a specialist I’m surprised it’s not gone to the CEO by now it been escalated that much.  I’m sorry didn’t want to be negative but I was relying on the payment to pay cleaning staff staff and resupply.. this has now come out of my own pocket.  I think it’s an absolutely ridiculous situation generic response from customer service.  Looks like I’ll have to disappoint everyone who’s booked and cancel as can’t afford to give my property for free.  But I’m learning this is a common thing with Airbnb.  

[Robin4]

@Zee260 

No Zee, this is not a common thing with Airbnb!

Over the last decade I have had over 930 Airbnb guest stays here at my single listing property and I have been paid for every one of them! I never have to chase them, the money just arrives in my bank account, generally before Airbnb tells me to expect it by!

If you have not been paid for a hosting there will be a logical reason for it. Airbnb are not a bunch of crooks out to take your money and run! But Airbnb do not have a pool of 15,000 personnel waiting to sign a cheque or hit the payout button every time a hosting payout becomes due, it all happens via the computer program which responds via protocols to the information it has been given!

Firstly before your property was accepted and went live Airbnb, before your first reservation, would have asked you which currency you wished to be paid in and, to which account your payouts were to be directed....ie, a bank account, Paypal 

Add a payout method on desktop

1. Click Profile > Account > Payments & payouts
2. Click Payouts and then click Add payout method
3. Choose your billing country/region
4. Select your payout method and click Continue
5. Add the requested info, then click Next

If you selected 'Bank Account'

• Enter your BSB and account number
• A small deposit will verify your account. This will be a few cents to make sure details for receiving payouts are correct.
• Daily transaction limit is $50,000 USD
• The bank account used for payouts must be in the same country as the address provided during setup

 If you selected Paypal.

• Ensure your PayPal account is active before adding it
• Fees may apply
• Daily transaction limits vary by location

You would have accepted and nominated one of Airbnb's designated payout methods and as I stated above, a verifying small sum of money would have been deposited in that account for you.

If you are having trouble with a new payout method it may be one of the following reasons.

Here are some common issues and how to fix them:

• Info doesn’t match. Make sure the name on your payout method matches the name on the payment account. Avoid using special characters, apostrophes or hyphens in the name field.

• Tax info needed. You might need to provide your taxpayer information first before adding your payout method.

• Phone verification delays. If you’ve recently added a new phone number, you may not receive verification text messages right away. It can take up to 14 days for the new number to fully link to your account.

• Too many attempts to add a payout method. There’s a limit to how often you can try adding a payout method. If you exceed these limits, you’ll need to wait 24 hours (for daily limits) or seven days (for weekly limits) before trying again.
  • Maximum 10 attempts per day
  • Max 40 attempts per week

In other words you are confusing the system, not giving it time to analyse and appropriately respond!

When to expect your payouts.

When a guest books your property they pay immediately and Airbnb holds that payment in a trust fund and release it to you 24 hours after the guest arrives.

Your very first payout could be held for up to 14 days because you do not have a 'track record' and Airbnb needs to know that you honoured the guest stay and you fulfilled your part of the contract satisfactorily. After that 1st payout every subsequent payout will be released to you 24 hours after each guest arrives.

If the guests payment to Airbnb was not successful you will be notified and the reservation rejected by Airbnb and your booking calendar opened again.

Generally the only times when there is ever an issue over payouts is if.........

A/......The guest cancels at the beginning of the stay because the listing was not as described.

B/......The guest has lodged a refund claim which Airbnb has decided was legitimate and refunded the guest.

In most  instances the non receipt of a payout will be because of something you have done wrong Zee.

And lastly, if I can give you one major piece of advice......don't 'bounce' Airbnb consultants! They may seem unprofessional, they may frustrate the hell out of you but, they are there to help and they are only human! Nobody likes to get their head ripped off call after call. Be pleasant and ask them for their help, not demand it!. When somebody comes to them who is nice and pleasant it is like a breath of fresh air to them and they will go that extra yard to try and resolve the complaint.

Zee, I know I am sounding like I am taking Airbnb's side and defending them, I am not, I can only go by what I and millions of other hosts experience. I am trying to be constructive. Missing payouts is not a normal occurrence, it does at times happen.....but not often, and when it does there is a logical reason for it and that logical reason is not that Airbnb are a bunch of cheats, you just need to calmly and rationally ask them for help!

I hope this sorts out and your payout arrives promptly for you. All the best.

Cheers........Rob.  

[Zee260]

Hi Rob I really really appreciate your full and comprehensive reply wow thank you for taking the time to write it. I’m now hit 14 days today since the booking so let’s see what happens.  I’m based in the uk and if I’m honest we don’t get that small payment to check if money goes in.. or maybe there is an issue on the payment sides . I tried to double check this but once the details are entered you can’t check what’s Ther as it’s masked out.  I’ve added a 2nd business bank account so will see if I have the same issue.. I double checked tripled checked everything.   All my tax information is in there.. there should be no reason why the payment doesn’t come through .  The whole point I choose Airbnb over others is the payout.. delays me paying other things cleaning and filling for next booking, as I’m just starting off it doesn’t give me a lot of confidence when I’m trying to get an inch of what’s going on.  For me I really value services of how well they get things sorted when something isn’t right…but for 14 days I’ve not had anything from anyone other than me chasing every few days.  But no one reply’s.  

[Robin4]

@Zee260 

Hi again Zee, just to clarify, that first payout time-frame is not from the reservation booking, it's from the end of the stay which is 14 days to allow for the review process and can be up to 30 days from the booking date.

As I said the reason for this initial delay is because, although Airbnb have verified you they need to know you have followed through and provided the service for which they are paying you.

If you are saying you did not initially receive a few pence in your account via your nominated payout method, that would indicate there is an issue with the payout information you have provided, and the transfer, which happens automatically, was not successful.

Regardless of country this is the procedure Zee. I am in Australia and both times I have set up, or changed, my payout method I have received that small payout as proof that the system is operating correctly. 

Once that transfer has taken place Airbnb will send you an email advising you that a transfer has been made to your account. If that transfer was received, no further action is required from you. If it was not received once you have logged-in, from the drop down menu at the right of screen go to 'Account' > 'Payments and Payouts' > 'Payouts' and check the details you have provided to Airbnb.

If they are correct but you haven't received bank confirmation then the problem is with your bank and needs to be taken up with them. If the information isn't correct go to the message stream with this particular guest and from the information panel on the right of screen click 'Go to Resolution Centre'. Your request will be sent in the form of a message and a consultant from the Resolution Centre will either phone you or send you a message to open a support ticket and get their help in setting up a payout method which your bank will accept!. 

Good luck in sorting this out Zee.

Cheers........Rob.

[Kia272]

@Zee260 If this was your first booking, AirBnB can hold your payment for up to 30 days. If your first booking was in February, when was it? I suspect that this may be what's holding up your payment. You're not the first new host to come here with such an issue. 

New hosts: Airbnb may withhold payouts for up to 30 days after the first reservation is confirmed