safety of Airbnb hosts and resident guests

[Lesley439]

Airbnb allowed a guest to cancel a months booking during August as they said I hadn't added a policy of asking for ID on my listing.

This then was treated as a host cancellation 2 days after the guest failed to show.  Easy for a guest to sight anything as a reason to say the host is not giving the room/service expected and not allow hosts to refuse "dodgy guests"

How can asking for guest photo ID be an issue and against policy.  Surely this is a basic safety measure.    Im horrified to find some hosts don't require this and also that Airbnb would side with the guest.   Are Airbnb liable if an unidentified guest steals or attacks another guest?

So to protect my household and also existing guests I was fined and lost a months booking in peak season.

Airbnb seem to find it difficult to identify with the safety of guests and instead prioritise the revenue from guests who have a need to keep their ID secret.  People who cant use say a hotel for some reason.     Isnt it a basic courtesy that if Airbnb are going to cancel and fine they should inform the host immediately and not 2 days later and also ask the host their point of view.    Airbnb's customer service is both slow and poor and uses agents who spout policy without understanding it.  

Still havent had a proper response from Airbnb and this happened on 16 July.  

[Sybe]

@Lesley439 I'm sorry to hear this happened to you, I can imagine that must be frustrating.

I found this article on the Help Center: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/272/can-i-require-guests-to-be-verified-before-booking. It looks like you can set the reservation requirements so guests have to complete the verification first.

I hope that helps!

[Huma0]

@Sybe 

It seems reasonable to me that hosts should be able to ask to see a guest's ID. Pretty much every hotel does and we are often talking about someone who is going to be staying in our own homes, perhaps with us, perhaps with other guests... 

There is no harm in requiring verified ID in your booking settings (I have), but it doesn't really safeguard hosts to the extent that it should.

1. People still make third party bookings and asking for ID on arrival is one way to prevent this.

2. It seems to be pretty easy for guests to set up accounts and have ID verified by Airbnb when they shouldn't be able to.

I'll give you an example. I had a guest try and fail to IB with me. I told her it was because she had a really bad review (which mentioned, among other things, that different individuals were using the same account). She was really pushing me to accept her booking, but her communication was also awful, so I turned her away. 

The same guest then tried to book with me from another account with no reviews. Not only was I 100% sure it was the same guest, but Airbnb flagged the message as suspicious. I called CS who told me to report and block the guest, which I did.

However, BOTH accounts showed this guest as having verified ID. How? Guests are not supposed to have more than one account. They are not allowed to simply create a new one because they have received a bad review on their original account. 

Even though CS was now aware of this case and even though I had reported the guest, Airbnb let both accounts remain on the platform, with 'ID verified' showing and the guest has since been able to book with other, unsuspecting, hosts using the second account.

So, I don't really trust the Airbnb verification process.

[Lesley439]

I had assumed Airbnb would take some responsibility for making hosts and their guests safe.  Ive reported guests and they still have accounts.   Ive often had people turn up who are not the guest even when Ive ID'd prior.  Airbnb say refuse them but they are never on hand to do this and what an agents says is often different.   In the Airbnb process they state they will not share ID with the host which is why I am obliged to do it myself.  They have recently stated they will share with police but it takes so long to respond its too late in practice.    I checked with the Met Police UK and their advice is never let anyone into your home/give them keys unless you have ID.   Beware Ive also have guests who have sneaked people into their rooms as a guest and have bumped into a stranger in my home. 

In short a lot of hosts have no idea who they are taking into their home.   If they insist on knowing which is what I did with "Victor" the guest can use this as a reason to cancel without penalty.   

Respecting the safety of the host and their (airbnb) guests should be implicit and not a reason to fine a host and cancel a booking.

I would advise all hosts to advance ID a guest and not rely on verified accounts as per Huma0 above.  However beware you need to state it on your listing to avoid a hefty fine and blocked days.   

[Huma0]

@Lesley439 

Sorry this happened to you. 

However, thank you for sharing this information. I already have it in my house rules that guests may be required to present ID, but I didn't know that Airbnb would penalise a host for not doing so. I had actually put that in there more as a deterrent for scammers, third party bookings etc.

[Lesley439]

Yes to confirm if you use the term "may" then if a guest refuses to show ID for you to take a copy and you insist on it the guest can cancel.  Airbnb would then fine you and block the dates as happened to me.

Im now asking guests if other Airbnb hosts ID and in the main the answer is no.    

[Huma0]

@Lesley439 

To be honest, I never ask to see the guest's ID, let alone to take a copy of it. I just put that in my house rules A.) To deter people who are not who they say they are from booking with me and B.) So that if I feel the need to see the ID, e.g. if the guest doesn't seem to be the person who booked, I can ask to.

I do insist that all guests read the full rules and answer an Easter egg question that's in there, so they are seeing this. No one has ever asked me about it or protested about it. A couple of guests have shown me their ID on arrival without me having to ask.

Perhaps it is you taking a copy of the ID that puts their backs up. I've seen quite a few guests comment here on the CC that they find it suspicious when hosts ask to do this, even though in a lot of countries, it is a legal requirement for the host to do so.

[Lesley439]

I dont think guests understand that Airbnb does not share ID with the host - that is the main cause of friction.  I believe they should.   I always use the contact details provided by the guest and about 50% of the time it is out of date.  This is very time consuming.   When we are talking about handing out keys to a home that has Airbnb guests its the right precaution.   

[Huma0]

@Lesley439 

Yes, I think it is perfectly reasonable for hosts to see guests' ID if they want to and it's better to do this in a upfront way via the system, which I believe guests would feel more comfortable with anyway.

If you want to stay in a hotel, you normally have to show your ID to the receptionist. If you want to buy cigarettes or alcohol or fireworks or whatever, you show your ID to the cashier at the shop. If you want to enter a bar or pub or club, you show your ID to the bouncer at the door. What you don't do is submit your ID for verification to some department at the HQ of the hotel chain, supermarket chain or pub chain. Why should it be different with STRs? Why should a host who is letting a stranger into their HOME be denied sight of that person's ID?

[Lesley439]

@Huma0 Agreed its part of the way society works to keep us safe.   Airbnb should support us in this area so that we can conduct due diligence.  

 Im still wondering why Airbnb decided that I cancelled a guest booking when the guest had already provided ID.    We shouldnt have to put any reasonable request in our policy to avoid a guest citing it as a reason to justify a last minute cancellation.   

I checked your listing and have to say your house is beautiful.   Mine is now restored and am in the middle of adding a 4 poster like yours to a room.  

[Huma0]

@Lesley439 

I've seen a few other threads recently where hosts mention that CS or the guest cancelled and it was marked as a host cancellation. Some of them then lost Superhost status because of that. It seems like a pretty flawed when the host is not consulted in any way before this decision is taken.

Thanks for your nice comments. Do let us know when you have uploaded new photos with your four poster bed etc. 

I did notice that, while your reviews are good, your ratings are quite low, except for location. Do you know why? Several guests mention that the listings are very clean and yet the cleanliness rating isn't that high. Some mention that it was affordable and yet you don't have a high rating for value either. It just seems odd. Did you one or two guests who left you very low ratings (I just lost Superhost status because of one 3* review - that's all it took) or is it a more general thing?

I've only once had a guest leave me a low rating but a good review and no negative feedback to explain why, so I contacted her to ask. She told me she was very happy with the stay and  had no idea that 3* was bad.

[Lesley439]

@Huma0  Yes I have had a couple of guest leave 3 star reviews.   One did so because I refused his refund for one night when he left 1 night early due to change of plans.   Ive noticed that hosts warn of revenge reviews especially as money is involved and say you are better to pay up.   The text review for both is good.   I dont understand the cleaness one as I follow recommendations and steam clean rooms before occupation and the shared facilities are cleaned/antibac many times daily.    Although value for money can be subjective the prices for the rooms especially the single are low compared to anything else locally.    You are correct that the  3* ratings dont compare with others during the same period.   

All hosts must feel your pain as we work so hard.   Like you a month ago I was on route to Superhost and now Im being warned of suspensions.   

[Huma0]

@Lesley439 

It is painful, but I decided not to let myself get too upset about it. I tried to figure out what I could have done differently but I am not sure there was anything. I initially declined this guest's booking request because he didn't respond to any questions in the 24 hour period. But then, he apologised, said he didn't realise his notifications were turned off and answered the questions, so I accepted his second booking request.

Was this a red flag? I don't know because a lot of guests don't realise their notifications are turned off and, anyway, the App notifications are a bit glitchy and erratic. After that, he was communicative and polite, so there were no further red flags and he also had lots of good reviews, all 5*. It was only when he arrived that I realised this guy was very, very odd indeed. He really struggled with communication. I mean he was one of the most awkward people I have ever met.

He never complained about anything during his stay, but I wasn't surprised when he left a low rating because, like I said, he was just very strange. Another guest asked me if he "had a problem with women" but I think it's more likely that he had a problem with me having to repeatedly (but very politely) ask him to leave the kitchen tidy, stop blocking the sink and throw away the expired food that was causing a stink. I'm guessing, judging by his 5* cleanliness rating that he was not used to being brought up on this. He marked me down on cleanliness due to 'smells'. 

I hate to nag guests and perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut, and just cleaned up after him every time, but I was away on a work trip for a few days and, when I got back, the kitchen was disgusting and I had two other guests to think about.

[Val76]

@Huma0 I rent a room and their own bathroom in my home which I also live here.   I only allow usage of  the microwave no other cooking and so far (this is my 5th year) I have no issues with that you might want to give that a try "no kitchen use".

[Huma0]

@Val76 

Thanks for the suggestion and I'd certainly consider it if I hosted short stays, but I only host long term guests (28 days - 6 months), so kitchen access is an absolute must for them. 

It's very, very expensive to eat out in London, but the supermarkets are relatively cheap. Although I do occasionally have a guest who doesn't use the kitchen very much, for most it's a real deal breaker.

To be honest, mosts guests are very respectful and tidy up after themselves in the kitchen. I'm not saying they leave it as clean and tidy as I would, but they make an effort. They are given pretty clear guidelines on this! They might need a gentle reminder from time to time, but it's rare that I have to repeatedly ask a guest something as simple as please don't block the sink.