scheduled removal of listing

[David1632]

i have had a listing on airbnb for around 10 years, have had a 5 day suspension a couple of times for i guess not getting high enough ratings, i got a 30 day suspension out of the blue, have had some ratings that criticised the cleanliness usual battle to keep guests happy, but have a healthy 4.5 out of 5 average and get 5 star ratings quite alot, now the listings is scheduled for removal after the summer, i pressed the appeal button and said that i didnt know what i was appealing against and am now told that the decision is final, i have over 300 reviews and cant believe this is happening, no-one in airbnb is prepared to listen, after all of the money i have earmt them i cant believe the way i am being treated,  'hosting standards' is all they will say and when they look at the scores they cant really explain, has this happened to anyone else ? i feel the loyalty here is zero and completely let down by airbnb 

[Helen3]

Difficult to comment as we can't see your listing or reviews. All we can see is you have an average 4.34 rating for a listing with over 200 reviews. @David1632 

in Airbnb's book that is quite low and they will suspend your listing .

in terms of cleanliness what issues have you been marked down for and how have you addressed the issues ? 

@David1632 

[David1632]

In Airbnb book thats low?  Sometimes guests leave 4 star reviews thinking thats a good review, but to becsuspended then removed from the sure all together ? Noone Else had this experience ? 

[Huma0]

@David1632 

Yes, that is low in Airbnb's book. Although they do not communicate this to guests, and therefore plenty of guests are going to leave a 4* review thinking that is good, the minimum requirement is supposed to be 4.7*. or above (4.8* for Superhost). See below:

Now, that's not to say that they suspend or delist every host that doesn't maintain 4.7* or above. There are plenty of listings on Airbnb that fall below this requirement. However, if you keep getting lower ratings, especially on things like cleanliness, then yes, they may do that. 

I had a perfect 5.0 star rating for two years (and 4.9 or above for a few years before that), but last year I got a 3* review and received an automated message from Airbnb telling me to improve my standards or that they might suspend me. Now, I knew they weren't actually going to do that just because of one low rating, especially as my average was still over the 4.7* requirement, but if I kept getting lower ratings they might have done. 

I know it doesn't seem fair. The guest above thought that 3* was good. Luckily for me, she asked Airbnb to remove it once she realised that 3* is not good at all!

[Kristina24]

4.7 out of 5 is very good rating ,not low, if you host thousands people, as I am since 2011 even if it will be 3.8 out 5 will consider good rating, I would say one guests on 50 guests will write bad review  will lie in order to get back some refund, this is statistic. 

The Airbnb very rare will remove the bad review even that guest performed in bad faith and vandalized the house even though Airbnb admitted vandalism and reimbursed for the damages. 

[David1632]

I have set up a New listing, exactly same flat, has anyone started over again or been forced to ? I was sort of advised by a suppprt person 

i see that a photographer is £ 329 when it used to be free 

my listing is popular and continues to earn money with 5 star reviews so this still makes no sense to me

[Huma0]

@David1632 

While you can set up a new listing, your previous reviews will still show on your profile, so guests can see them if they click on that. 

So, did the support person actually tell you to create a new listing? That seems very odd to me. It kind of goes agains the whole point of having reviews/ratings.

You have a lot of reviews, so I haven't read through all of them, but I can see just from recent months that a few guests complained about cleanliness around October 2021. Was there a particular issue going on at the time with your cleansers, or have you just improved the cleanliness since then?

I believe that the photography service is no longer free, but I could be wrong. Even when it was free, it was at Airbnb's discretion as to which listings they offered it to. Last time I asked about it, I was told it was only available free of charge to new hosts.

[David1632]

To be honest i am stunned, why turn away  the money ? all the remaining guests are giving me 5 star reviews, but they tell me my listing will be removed,  seems so harsh and bad business,  i cant think how much money i have earn them last 10 years, i cant believe that starting up again would be an issue, maybe who knows, its been bloody hard work to organise prepare, they just seem so cold and lacking in thought 

but ok no-one has messaged here to say they have had the same experience 

[Inna22]

@David1632 they are not turning away the money, they are making sure they will continue earning the money. When guests are constantly not happy, they associate a bad stay with Airbnb as a company and might not be willing to book again.

What you need to do is to try to address the concerns. Look at the repeat complains and fix what you can fix and make absolutely clear in multiple places that you can not fix but constantly come up. For example, I saw that several people mentioned your apartment not being on the beach. I do not know if those guests "dinged" you. If you did, lead with that! In several places! In the description, in the location, maybe even in the welcome message. "thank you for booking, to reiterate, my place is not on the beach- I know lots of guests look for that so I wanted to be clear. It is 6 bus stops away. I look forward to hosting  your group!"

Perhaps raise the price. Someone said it was on the cheap side. Higher prices bring better quality guests.

Ask those who are happy to leave a five star review so you cushion yourself with the positives.

I personally would not rent a property below let's say 4.7. 

My houses are old and a train runs immediately behind them making noise 24/7. The amenities are not luxury at all. Yet I am a superhost. It is all about setting up expectations and providing good customer service.

[David1632]

maybe a misunderstanding, the listing is in Norway and certainly not near a beach, it might be you cant see it listed any more, averages are very subjective, 4,4 which i currently have i find is very good, people don't always leave 5 star reviews as previously mentioned,  i am finishing up the last bookings and now getting all 5 star but airbnb say they have made their decision and i am not allowed to talk to the 'appeal team' , thats the area i cant understand,  10 years of doing this and little recognition, but again was just seeing if anyone else had the same experience, of having to start again,  previous replies haven't really been that relevant to this case, this for me is a question of what airbnb expect and what is realistic, i also have bookings all the way up to Christmas but airbnb say that those after September will have to be lost

[John5097]

@David1632 

In your profile we can see two listings one for Norway and the other for Spain. I guess everyone needs problems like that! But it appear that the Norway listing has already been block off, as when clicking it goes to the Airbnb landing page. So can't see that listing to offer any suggestions. 

The reviews from both listings are still visible under your profile. The Norway listing doesn't display the title but as its only two listings, its the one with a blank title. 

From the reviews your assessment is accurate. Most of your guest really enjoyed that place based on what they wrote. I only read about 15, and while most said they had group of 8, one post said it was a bit cramped for 8 and the bathroom small. So they just weren't aware of these details. Maybe didn't read the listing careful enough or look at the pictures, which is very common for guest. Another mentioned it being cold. 

You were very professional, easygoing, considerate, and many reviews mentioned providing great suggestions and very attentive to guest, and really liked you. 

As mentioned we can't see the listing so can't give any specific suggestions, but there are a few places in the listing that could be used such as "Other things to note" to mention anything like small bathroom. You mentioned the toilet and shower were in same place. Not sure what that means, but would want to make something like that as clear as possible. Or near top of listing. You often mentioned the great location in the reviews, so "Centrally located.  Budget friendly for the great location. Groups of 6-8 looking for more budget friendly central location have been perfectly happy, however the bedrooms aren't huge and only one bathroom, so please look over the listing and reach out if you have any questions." 

In my experience its better to plaster the listing with anything some guest may miss as you have experienced it doesn't take many to drag down the reviews. 

Like I said I couldn't see your listing so only going by the most recent reviews. 

I agree with your assessment. 9 of 10 recent guest loved your Norway listing. You were a great host. 

You did mention there were portable heaters in the rooms in one of your responses. That could also be factor if a guest complained. I think they are allowed but the place needs a permanent heat source as well. But if multiple guest complained and said they were everywhere and safety issue, Airbnb may just suspend the listing. Not sure that's what happened but just mentioning it as it was in the most recent reviews. 

I also feel this is a shame, you are a great host, and only small number of guest weren't happy. I don't try and educate my guest on importance of 5 star reviews, but a lot of host do. You could include something like a picture or something on the fridge, that anything below 5 stars the listing is as risk of being suspended. 

Sorry that happened and good luck moving forward! 

[John5097]

Moving forward your options might include renovating. If it was popular maybe make it 3 bedrooms, add a full bathroom. Although I can't even see it and don't know if that is feasible. 

I like older dated places. As long as everything works. I would mention that also if kitchen and bathrooms are older but assure them everything works. Maybe upgrade heating. I've used baseboard heater as auxiliary heat. Its draws the same amount of electricity as the portable heater, but mounted on the wall and can have its own thermoset. Although I'm in a tropical area and that stuff gets tricky. Ideally you would want a way to turn it up just before guest check in. I always try and have it a bit warmer than normal in winter, and cooler than normal in summer when guest arrive. It keeps them from adjusting it too much. 

Just a few suggestions. I'm kind of eager to renovate another one myself! 🙂 

I would consider some renovations, based on your own feedback from guest, if possible. Then relisting. Whenever I make improvements, such as installing a ductless mini split, it makes my life so much easier. 

[David9110]

John5097  thanks for the reply but i cant improve the flat or there is no point if i dont have a listing, airbnb are going to remove it, just looking at my options and wondering if i can start over if anyone has been allowed to do that, put up a new listing for the same place, will have 0 reviews of course, and will have to improve in as many ways as i can to get the score to as near as 5 as possible 

[Helen3]

You can't start up a new listing as a way to hide previous bad reviews and ratings 

It's against against their T&C and can lead to you being banned from the platform. 

I'm afraid to get 4.3% ratings you must have had quite a few guests that gave you three or four star ratings which can indicate there are some issues that need addressing if you want to continue to host. 

why not look at advertising on other listing sites 

[Kristina24]

I have the same issues with Airbnb, I am hosting since 2011. I didn't get any clear explanations, neither notifications that my listing will suspended and what is the reason  for the suspensions. I am working with other big platforms on each platform I have assigned account manager, where I can ask for help or fix any issues. The Airbnb customers service failed, I ve opened the claims non of them been investigated or escalated , the claims just ve been closed. So disappointed.