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]

@Lisa723  You almost have it.  If I set a min length of stay to 14 then I miss out on hosting opportunities.  It's Airbnb's booking system.  You are correct I can control the cost per night and do offer discounts.  Nothing illegal about that.   What's illegal is on Airbnb's web site about the City of Berkeley's srt laws. 

The issue I'm having is Airbnb has threatened to suspend my for not accepting bookings from people who have read my listing and request a 3 night stay.  When I explain they need a 14 night booking I offer a custom stay and rate.  I'm not turning down their stay, just offering something else.  Airbnb considers a custom offer and Decline and is penalizing  me for because a guest turned down my offer.  That's not right. 

[Lisa723]

@Douglas353 if your minimum stay is set to 14 nights, then you cannot receive requests to book for fewer than 14 nights.

Is your problem that you don't want to set your minimum stay to 14 nights, because people who really want only 3 nights will not see your place in search results?

[Lisa723]

@Douglas353 is the letter of the law that bookings must be 14 nights in length, or that you can have a maximum of one booking in any 14-night period?

[Douglas353]

Law states bookings must be 14 consecutive nights.

[John5097]

@Douglas353  Its starting to sound like you wanted guest to book 14 nights and cancel into the trip to whatever number of nights they wanted. Airbnb caught on and the gig is up. Just saying they delist accounts all the time. A manager isn't going to pop out from the kitchen and change whatever customer service rep said. 

I think what bothers me is that you are directing frustration towards someone doing their job and following protocol for the company they work for, and don't make the rules, when its a zoning issue with your own municipality.  

[Douglas353]

No!  And I have the Airbnb booking to prove that's NOT what I'm doing.  What I am doing is complying with the law.  Airbnb is telling me to break the law.  Something I'm not going to do.  Take a look at Airbnb's web site for City of Berkeley.  What they are telling hosters to do is in violation of City ordinances, and the penalties are stiff. 

[Sarah977]

@Douglas353 AIRBNB ISN'T TELLING YOU TO BREAK THE LAW. THEY ARE TELLING YOU THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP DECLINING BOOKINGS!

[Douglas353]

@Sarah977  HAVE YOU READ AIRBNB'S WEB SITE ABOUT HOSTING IN THE CITY OF BERKELEY.  THEY MOST CERTAILNY ARE TELLING HOSTERS IN BERKELEY TO VIOLATE THE LAW?  Please before responding and bashing me READ the web site and Berkeley's Rent Control laws. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Douglas353 

What you are saying is really really confusing. 

So.... guests HAVE TO book and pay for 14 nights. But it's up to the guest to decide whether they actually stay 1 night, 4 nights, 10 nights or 14 nights???? And regardless of how many nights the guest actually stays, they have to pay full price for a 14 night booking, won't get a refund for nights not stayed???? 

This makes no sense AT ALL. 

If the laws say you need to stick to a 14-night minimum, then just simply have a 14-night minimum. Why would any guest be willing to pay for nights not stayed so that you (host) can pretend to be abiding by the city ordinance and relevant laws when all you are actually doing is getting guests to pay to let you  game the system??? This is outrageous! 

[Douglas353]

No!  Please read my posts more carefully.  You are leaving out the fact what's on Airbnb's web site for the City of Berkeley violate the law.  Please re-read my posts and don not claim I said things I did not say. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Douglas353 

I also don't get the part about a booking and a stay being different. If I book 3 nights, it's because I plan to stay 3 nights. It's ridiculous to expect a guest to book 14 nights when they only plan to stay 3 nights to begin with - so of course guests refuse to book.

From where I stand, it seems that you are trying to get guests to book more nights then they plan to stay to keep the *illusion* that you are following the law. It also seems many guests have refused and Airbnb has caught onto what you've been doing and is saying they will de-list you for having so many declines. I don't see where Airbnb is *telling you* to break the law. Imo, it seems that they are telling you you should be following and respecting the law by having a 14-night minimum instead of gaming the system to host shorter stays when the law says you can't. 

[Douglas353]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 I have not declined anyone.  

If you want to get technical the reason the City of Berkeley and San Francisco has such strict str laws is specifically because of Airbnb.  The folks at Airbnb were encouraging people in Berkeley and San Francisco to violate local rent control laws to force the cities into a settlement with Airbnb.  I attended several meetings hosted by Airbnb.

Please don't tell me I'm gamming the system when I am following the letter of the law and making money for Airbnb. 

[Sarah977]

@Douglas353  What do you mean you haven't declined anyone? You've been telling guests who sent requests for the number of days it says you allow in your booking settings that they can't book less than 14 days. That just isn't okay or allowed.

[Douglas353]

As I stated and will state again clearly, I HAVE NOT DECINED ANYONE WHO WANTS TO STAY WITH ME.   I always respond if not immediate, within a hour. 

Hope that was clear.  I an not turning anyone down. 

[Sarah977]

@Douglas353  But what you are doing is responding to them telling them they can't book for less than 14 days, when your booking settings allow them to request less than that. So you may not be pressing the decline button, but you are essentially declining the booking they tried to make, which was not in contravention of your minimum night setting. I don't know what part of that you don't understand.

Also, you are setting yourself up for a possible bad scenario. Regardless of whether you make a special offer which the guest accepts, because they only want to stay 5 days, their booking says 14 days. So a guest with bad intent could pay for what you offered for a 5 day stay, but continue to stay for 14 days and there wouldn't be a darn thing you could do about it, because legally they have a 14 day booking. And don't think some clever guest isn't going to figure that out at some point.

Plus guests have every right to complain to Airbnb if you list a minimum 3 night stay, then tell them you only accept 14 day bookings.