Superhost Evaluation Timeline - 2019 Q4

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year to you all. 

As we enter into a new year of hosting, I’m pleased to say we have also reached the next Superhost assessment. We will evaluate your past year’s performance up until January 1st 2020 to determine your Superhost status, which will appear on your profile for the next 3 months. 

To recap, how will this work:

• Every hosts’ performance will be reviewed between January 1st - 14th, 2020. It can take up to 14 days to account for reviews written towards the end of the month as we calculate Superhost status.

• You will receive an email confirming your new Superhost status between January 7th - 14th! (So remember to keep an eye out)

• As a reminder, we calculate Superhost status based on a set of criteria, looking back at your past year of hosting activity. There’s no minimum tenure required for becoming a Superhost. 

*Please note, during this time, you may see your dashboard update to the next Superhost 365-day window, which will be assessed in April 2020. If you see this, please don’t worry. Though we track your activity dynamically, we will only be looking at your performance from January 1, 2019 through January 1, 2020 for the assessment that’s happening now.

A huge thank you for all your hard work throughout the year, we wish you a great year of hosting and do let us know if you have any questions.

Lizzie

[Wendy684]

Doesn't the assessment period run from 1Jan 2019 to 31 Dec 2019? And take into account reviews placed on that time period? 

Reviews placed on 1 Jan 2020 ought to be in the next review period not the current one.

Also it would be really great if you trained your air bnb support staff on how ratings and super host works. See my post from couple days ago.

[Wendy684]

@Lizzie  This is really important to clarify and get right by the way. Super host specifically says it takes into account reviews placed in the past 12 months since 1 january 2019 -31 December 2019.

I had a guest place a 4 star overall review (despite rating all but one thing as 5 stars and the other as 4 stars) on the 1 january 2020. This reduced my rating to 4.7. 

But this should have zero effect on super host as the review was placed on 1 January not 31 December. 

[Sarah977]

@Wendy684  It isn't when the reviews appear- it's when the reservation ended. That is why it takes until Jan.14th to finish the assessment- reviews from reservations that ended on the 31st or before count toward the assessment period in question. So yes, that 4* review, unfortunately, does belong in the assessment period ending Dec.31.

[Pat271]

@Sarah977  What you say is what makes the most sense, but it isn’t what @Lizzie said above, which was: 

“Every hosts’ performance will be reviewed between January 1st - 14th, 2020. It can take up to 14 days to account for reviews written towards the end of the month as we calculate Superhost status.”

So, taken literally, that would mean Airbnb is using reviews as the cutoff,  not stays - but if that were the case Airbnb would easily be able to publish the Superhost status on January 1st.  So I agree with you that the cutoff must be for the stays.  Isn’t that right, @Lizzie?

[Sarah977]

@Pat271  Yes, it should have read  "It can take up to 14 days to account for reviews written for stays that ended towards the end of the month..." 

[Wendy684]

No I'm trying to figure out how to paste a screen shot from air bnb info on super host evaluation info page but I can't. The info is there to be found and read in the help files if someone with better technical know how can share it.

It says in black and white that it is when the reviews are posted not when the guests stays that counts. Look it up. Also it is the previous 365 days of reviews thus not including  1 Jan 2020

[Wendy684]

No @Sarah977 it is when the reviews are posted not when the reservation ended. Super host review guidelines specifically state that it is not relevant when the visit occurred only when the review was posted.

[Susan151]

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@Wendy684 wrote:

No @Sarah977 it is when the reviews are posted not when the reservation ended. Super host review guidelines specifically state that it is not relevant when the visit occurred only when the review was posted.

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Sorry, this just isn't the case. Any review of a stay that is over by or on the 31st is included in this assessment. That is why there is a 14-day delay.

[Helen350]

@Wendy684 Re reviews posted in the first two weeks of January: If CHECK OUT was in Jan, the review will be under January 2020. If check out was in Dec., then the review will come under December 2019.

- I had a guest stay 5 nights, the last 5 nights in Dec, commencing 27th. But because CHECK OUT was 1 Jan, the review prompt was 1 Jan, & his review was dated Jan 2020 - and will count towards the NEXT SH evaluation on 1 APR. I also had a guest stay 30 Dec & check out on 31 Dec. He has not yet written a review... IF he does, his review will be dated December 2019, BECAUSE CHECK OUT WAS IN DECEMBER, even tho he will have written the review in January. - I know this from observation of my past reviews!

[Alon1]

@Wendy684 @Sarah977 @Lizzie 

Wendy,

re: This is really important to clarify and get right by the way. Super host specifically says it takes into account reviews placed in the past 12 months since 1 january 2019 -31 December 2019.

 I had a guest place a 4 star overall review (despite rating all but one thing as 5 stars and the other as 4 stars) on the 1 january 2020. This reduced my rating to 4.7. 

 But this should have zero effect on super host as the review was placed on 1 January not 31 December.

&

No @Sarah977 it is when the reviews are posted not when the reservation ended. Super host review guidelines specifically state that it is not relevant when the visit occurred only when the review was posted.

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Firstly, it would be useful if you quoted the Guidelines in HELP 

'How do I become a Superhost? - subsection 'Superhost requirements'

'Maintained a 4.8 overall rating (this rating looks at the past 365 days of reviews, based on the date the guest left a review, not the date the guest checked out).'

&

Earning Superhost status:  'Quarterly assessments begin on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, every year. We’ll notify you of your Superhost status at the end of each assessment period – which usually finishes 10 days after the assessment begin.' 

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Thus we note that 'the past 365 days' or in your words 'the past 12 months' is not specifically dated as you state 'since 1 january 2019 - 31 December 2019'.

In other words, you've read into or misread the Guidelines to extrapolate the dating that isn't given in the Guidelines.

If your misreading was literally true, the evaluation of stays would end on 17th December, and allowing 14 days for Review, the last possible date for Review would be 31st December.

On this basis you would be correct in suggesting your Review loaded 1st January wouldn't be relevant to the current SH evaluation timeline.

In fact, your Review loaded 1st January must relate to a booking from 18th - 31 December, which pertains to the current SH evaluation timeline ending 14th January 2020.

In summary, you have highlighted an ambiguity in the Guidelines that would be best served by adding dates, (i.e. Rating looks at the past 365 Days, January 1st - December 31st).

Conversely, in view of the actual dates of evaluation, it seems your exercise is one of clutching at straws. You've created an illusion for yourself by reading into or misreading the Guidelines. 

Finally, we may note Guidelines statement 'each assessment period - which usually finishes 10 days after the assessment begin' is inaccurate.

10 days is random and does not account for stays ended between 27th and 31st December. 

[Wendy684]

@Alon1 if you read all the thread you would know that I was trying to paste the exact page from the guidelines but having difficulty doing so. 

And no. You are wrong. It is the past 365 from the 1 january. I am not merely interpreting or 'creating illusions' how bloody rude!. This was explained to me by airbnb support staff on the phone in late December. 

Really no call for such a rude and unpleasant post.

I really hope @Lizzie  is happy with the upset her thread has caused. 

[Alon1]

@Wendy684 

No, of course I'm not wrong, just as Sarah isn't wrong, nor all the others who you noted informed you that you would not get SH status, because the review of January 1st pertains to the current SH evaluation.

It's very simple really. STAYS include January 1st - December 31`st.  Reviews of this period begin on the 1st of each quarter and last for 2 weeks.

Consequently, as I adduced, your 1st Jan of Review must relate to a booking from December 18th - 31st.

So, why don't you reveal the exact date of the booking. It must fall in this period of 18th December to 31st December. 

Finally, involving Lizzie, the most you are going to achieve is perhaps getting her to prompt Airbnb to be clearer in  their guidelines. What you have no chance of achieving is having the Review system changed to suit your 4 Star Review on 1st January. 

[Wendy684]

@Alon1 I think you have chosen what you wasted to interpret and respond to as you know full well I was referring to the assessment dates being 1 Jan to 31 Dec and your extremely rude and aggressive attack on me wrongly accusing me  merely interpreting and creating illusions. 

Why did you respond to an early post? Couldn't be bothered to read the other 2 pages of posts? 

Don't bother answering. You clearly just want to bully regardless of facts. Those on here that have been actually polite and helpful and also listened we have together reached the understanding that the guides contradict what air bnb actually do.

And I just don't care

[Alon1]

@Wendy684 

Instead of huffing and puffing, why don't you just post the DATES of the booking that was reviewed on 1st January.

  You had 9 Reviews in December, so it has to be one of these, and more specifically, it can only be one who departed between 18th and 31st December and had 14 days to review. (The Review period deadline covering these two weeks would be 1st January - 14th January, thus qualifying for the Current Review period.)

Since then you've had one Review by Xu dated 'January'. This does not qualify for the current assessment. 

I can equally give example from my own bookings. My last booking which qualified for the current Review period was a two day booking, 16th - 18th December. The Guest just like me had till January 1st to Review. In any case, the Review  is dated on my listing as 'December'. 

I then had 3 dates of arrivals & departures over the New Year period: 27th, 28th & 30th December - departures 1st, 2nd and 5th January. To date one has reviewed and it's dated 'January'.-- If the others review as I've done them the dates will all be January, just as my review of the Guests will be dated January. 

[Stephanie]

Hiya all,

I appreciate the sharing of different perspectives and we're seeing some really valuable in-depth information here! But I'd like to remind everyone that we must remain polite and courteous with each other, even when opinions differ. 

If you're unsure of something or are unhappy with any posts you see here, always feel like you can "Flag to moderator" so we can take a look and take action when necessary. 

Thanks,

Stephanie