For several months, I have been trying to regain access to my Airbnb account after the option to log in via Facebook was removed. The problem is that the account was connected to a work email address and phone number that I no longer had access to after my employment ended abruptly.
What frustrates me is that I have been able to prove that the account is mine through:
- government ID
- bank transfers and payouts
- previous bookings and trips
- official address registration documents
- rental contract connected to the property
Despite this, I still have not regained access to my account.
As a result, I am now losing more than 10 years of reviews and ratings, my entire history as a host/user, as well as professionally taken photos connected to my account.
I have also tried, through a GDPR request, to at least retrieve my personal photos, but apparently Airbnb does not believe I even have the right to that.
I understand the need for security and identity verification. However, when a company changes its login systems, there also needs to be a reasonable way for users to recover their accounts when their previous contact information is no longer available.
In my case, the process has felt extremely rigid and practically impossible to resolve despite extensive documentation and proof of ownership.
Surely it cannot be the intention that it should become practically impossible to regain access to your account when you are able to verify your identity and have legitimate reasons for losing access — including circumstances that were completely outside of your control, or?
Would the situation really have been handled the same way if my account had been hacked?
