AirBNB threatened to suspend my account **

[Douglas353]

I just received a notice from AirBNB threatening to suspend my account for **.  The AirBNB support person told me **

WHY IS AIRBNB TELLING ME **?   THAT'S NOT RIGHT !

In addition the information on AirBNB's web site about short term stays is WRONG and violate current short term rental laws.  

I have bookings I don't want to lose.  Why would AirBNB suspend my account when I have active bookings? 

Anyone else having the same issue?  How do I contact the AirBNB advocate/liaison person or someone at AirBNB to discuss this issue?

Thank you

**[Content redacted due to its misleading nature]

[Douglas353]

That is NOT what I am doing.  If someone want's to stay with me for say 2 nights I will offer them a 14 night booking at a special rate.  If they accept, they paid for 14 nights and can stay for 14 nights, that's the deal.  I have a contract saying they are booked 14 nights, it meets the legal reequipments imposed by the city, Airbnb is getting their money and I'm getting my money.

Why would a guest complain if they requested a 3 night stay for X dollars, and received a special booking for 14 nights for X dollars.  They are getting and paying what they expected.  

I would like to ask.  Have you ever booked a guest who either left before their stay was over?  Or paid and then canceled after the cancelation time?  Did you keep the money?  Or did you give them a refund for unused night?  

I have booked properties with Airbnb for say 10 nights, and left after 7 with no intention of staying the full 10 nights.  I only wanted 7, but the hoster was only offering 10.  I wanted to stay there so I paid for 2 nights when I had no intention of staying there. 

[Sarah977]

@Douglas353  What it says on the Airbnb site about the laws in Berkeley have nothing to do with your threat of suspension. You are being threatened with suspension for declining bookings. It doesn't matter what the reason is that you are declining, declining too much will get you suspended. Period.

You are trying to circumvent your local laws of minimum 14 day bookings by setting your minimum stay to less nights, so the requests for less nights will continue to be sent. And you will have to decline. And you will get suspended.

This has zero to do with your local restrictions. It has to do with you thinking you can sneakily get around those restrictions by having your minimum night setting less than the 14 days.

[Lisa723]

@Douglas353 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Sarah977 @Michelle53 @John5097 

I think(?) I understand the issue. Berkeley disallows bookings of less than 14 days. Douglas would like to allow guests to book for 14 days (complying with the law) but not occupy the space the entire time (also perfectly legal). He would like to offer guests who want to do this a lower price than guests who want to use the entire 14 days (also reasonable). His problem is that if he posts a 14-night minimum his listing will not appear in shorter-stay search results, but if he posts a lower minimum he will get requests from guests not willing to book for 14 nights regardless of cost and be unable to book them.

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723  I get that. But what Doug doesn't get is that what he is trying to do won't work- he will continue to get requests for less than 14 nights which he will have to decline. So he will get suspended. 

He wants Airbnb to not count his declines because he states in his listing description that guests have to book for 14 nights. But his minimum stay length is at odds with that, so it just isn't going to work the way he wants it to.

[Douglas353]

But I'm not declining.  I'm giving them a special offer.  Airbnb support did a wonderful job of showing me how to do it

[Emilia42]

@Douglas353 Do you realize that for a booking request when you do not 'accept' or 'decline' within the 24 hour period that counts as a 'decline.'

So your "Special Offer" registers as a decline after 24 hours. Are the guests specifically withdrawing their request? Or decling/letting to offer laps more than 24 hours? That counts as a decline against you. 

[Douglas353]

I respond Immediately or within an hour to booking requests.  So this has nothing to do with not taking any action in 24 hrs.

Why would a special offer result in a decline against me?  I’m making them a modified offer, they are the ones who are declining the stay.

No, they are not withdrawing their request.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Douglas353 So if someone wants 3 nights at say 100 per night you give them 14 nights at approx 21.4 per night and they just leave after 3 nights. Is this how you get around the rules in Berkeley?

[Emilia42]

@Mike-And-Jane0 I was under the impression there was no discount. So the special offer would be for a 14-night stay at $1,400 ($100 x 14.) The guest can then decide to whenever they want within that timeframe. Waste of money? That would be for the guest to decide I suppose. 

[Douglas353]

@Emilia42  Sounds like you have never made a special offer.  In a special booking Airbnb booking system has me select the dates and enter a fixed price for the stay.  Or I adjust the nightly pricing so the guest pays $10 for several nights.  

How is this a waste of money?  Haven’t you ever punched something say like a meal and not eaten all of it?  Would expect the restaurant to give you a discount for the uneaten portion?

Not sure where you are, but here in the San Francisco Bay Area it is not uncommon for an Airbnb host to have a 7 night min stay and for guests to say 5 nights.  Are you saying you have never had a guest pay for a night and not stay with you?  

[Emilia42]

@Douglas353 If I ordered an advertised meal off a menu in a restaurant I would expect to pay for that meal regardless of how much I ate off the plate. But if a waiter brought me two meals, of which I did not order and charged me for both, I would be annoyed and probably not willing to pay the extra cost. 

What is the special offer you send guests for a 14-night booking when they intend to have a 3-night stay?

[Douglas353]

@Emilia42   If you ordered a beverage and the waiter brought you one, and offered you two more at no additional cost would you accept?  I explain to guests the law requires them to request three beverages but can't control how much you consume.  There is no bait and switch, it's how the offer is presented.  Airbnb's reservation system and their threat to suspend me for abiding by the law is the issue. 

[Emilia42]

@Douglas353 So you are offering a 14-night booking at the total price of $300 because the guest intends to stay only 3 nights? In turn, this blocks your calendar for 14 nights allowing only two bookings per month. How do you make any money?! Is that even enough money to maintain your home?

[Douglas353]

@Emilia42   Your are correct.  How do I make any money?  What an odd question.... Have you not heard of the housing shortage in the San Francisco Bay Area an Berkeley?  Really?  It's the most expensive place in the world to live.   Question is, how can you not make any money.  

[Emilia42]

@Douglas353 

I just don't understand why you don't rent your place for a 14-night minimum stay to someone who can pay your advertised rate of $1850 for two weeks. Instead of this tedious process of offering a massive discount for a 14-night booking that isn't really 14 nights.