AirBnB Isn't Enforcing House Rules, Host Losing Power

[Avi32]

Hello all! I've been hosting for a long time (about 3 years I believe) and have had 7 different listings on AirBnB, so I've been around the block. I've created this forum post in order to start a discussion regarding AirBnB's lack of support for Hosts as well as how we can take measures to protect ourselves and 

I use AirBnB as a business in the same way that some use Amazon or Ebay. I place my product on their website and sell it, they take some percentage, and are tasked with moderating that space. This is not charity work, we host in order to make money. I feel that AirBnB no longer supports the sellers and gives too much power to the buyer. I say this due to multiple reasons. We've all seen the new changes to the cancellation policy and are aware of the impacts that free cancellations, forced alterations, and the grace period have had on us. For example, a guest books my listing for 20+ nights about two months in advance, and right before the deadline for cancellations comes around, the guest "forces" an alteration saying somehting along the lines of, "I want to shorten my reservation by 5 nights, and if you don't accept, I'll cancel my reservation". This results in a random 5 day span between reservations that didn't exist before and may be hard to shore up, resulting in a loss of money. When I attempt to engage with the guest, they call AirBnB and AirBnB supports the guest and threatens with a cancellation (on my end, making the host take the cancellaiton penalty and record) as well. This is incredibly frustrating and has had an immediate impact on my monthly intake. 

Just last night, I got a call from a neighbor in an apartment complex in which I have two units. The neighbor claims that the guests in one of the units has been smoking cigarettes (clearly agains the house rules) and then littering by throwing them off the balcony and onto the floor. Additionally, the unit occupancy supports 3-4 people in a one bedroom one bathroom but the guest has 4 adults and 1 child, a total of 5 guests. The child has been let loose to run around and yell, disturbing the other tenants in the building. At least one tenant has told me that they attempted to speak with the guests but the guests were rude and disrespectful. The tenant/neighbor who called me last night threatened to call the police due to the level of noise. Additionally, these guests were extremely difficult to please at the beginning of their stay and I continously bent over backwards to try and please them at the cost of $400 dollars worth of purchases. At this point, I called AirBnB to mediate and get these guests out of the unit due to breaking multiple house rules (no smoking, respect the neighbors, and no noise past 10 PM) but AirBnB told me that if I wanted the guests out, I'd have to refund them the remaining nights. I demanded to speak to a manager, was told they would call me back within 30-45 minutes, and never recieved a call. I got sent a preliminary message on AirBnB.com, responded to it immediately, and never received a response or a call back. Its been 12 hours. I decided to go ahead and get the guests out at a loss of $450 dollars plus the sunken cost of $400 at the beginning of their stay. It is clear that although the guests had broken multiple house rules (basically all of them), AirBnB was unwilling to protect the Host and enforce any penalty. This is just one example across many experiences that I have had. 

With the new cancellation policy, the grace period, and the lack of enforcement of house rules, as a Host I feel quite powerless. I am continuously encouraged to provide more and more for the guests, lower my nightly prices, provide discounts, etc etc. I am not sure if this investment is worth the time, money, and energy. If I cannot feel protected in my investment and with my property, it might be best to stop altogether. 

I wrote this post so that I could hear how other Hosts are coping with these new changes and if they still find the process to be worthwhile. What strategies have you used to protect yourself and ensure that your guests respect your property and obey the house rules? Have you found a noticable difference with the new changes? 

Thank you for reading this far!

Avi

[Catherine827]

I agree @Rebecca0. (Unable to tag you)

But you never know till the guest departs, how good they are. I also live separately  on the property, and I know this makes a positive difference.... so much easier to intervene or stop something getting out of hand.

The sad part, is Airbnb state that a guest needs to accept the house rules, and this alone, should be enough to have them removed, or with photographic evidence,  financial reimbursement for damages.

[Manuel425]

Would you mind sharing what system you created to ensure the guests read your house rules

[Allison2]

I'm not sure who you were asking this of, but I'll answer! 😉

At the top of the listing I say "read the house rules for a special treat"

At the end of the house rules I say "Thanks for reading! Let me know whether you prefer wine or chocolate to kick off your stay in TC"

Some hosts don't tie it to a treat, but just insert a phrase in the rules that they need to mention when booking.

As discussed above, this doesn't guarantee guests will read, but you'll know who hasn't and can decide how to handle that...some hosts cancel, some address it directly or insert the rules into the message thread, and others take note to go over the rules on arrival.

[Alexander403]

Hi,

I started in December last year.

So far about 13 rentals and about 5 cases of damage...... Which is roughly 38% of cases where the property/furniture/... is damaged.

Only in 1 of those cases the people were honest and reimbursed me without any required support from Airbnb.

For the other 3 cases Airbnb just took the side of the "renter" not the host. So our properties deminish in value, we have to sacrifice a HUGE chunk of our income to make repairs (approximately i'm at 40% right now!!). Airbnb each time asks for stuff that i can't get, like an "official damage report" while not explaining which official instance should write this (police? insurance?) and who will pay for this report?

The "DEPOSIT" is just fake, because renters don't have to pay this up front, which is actually what a DEPOSIT means, it means that people have to DEPOSIT this money.....

The last case, it's only 25 euro's, so i'm not even going to start a claim, it's a waste of my time, my efforts etc.

And it's a tremendous lack of respect and responsibility from both renters as well as AIRBNB.

The "Host Guarantee Program" and the DEPOSIT is just some sort of fraud according to me.

I am soon switching to other rental organizations - serious ones, that only demand 5% extra fee compared to Airbnb, totally worht it!

/A

[Catherine827]

Hearing your circumstances Alexander, makes me pray I never have any major damage. 😞

[Steve416]

Hi @Avi32 sorry to hear about the challenges that you have recently experienced. I am coming up to hosting for 11 months now and unfortunately I can relate to your experiences. When I signed up to Airbnb I was taken in by all the hype of a community of trust and host protection etc. After some very bad experiences including where I had to personally evict 15 angry 20something males who had broken every house rule including having an open fire on my deck!, and experiencing first hand the lack of support and protection afforded to me,  I now know that I am on my own and trust needs to be earned. I no longer expect anything from Airbnb. The security Deposit is meaningless.

As an off-site host, I have beefed up my insurance, installed external security cameras and engage with the booking guest prior to checkin to ensure that ALL guests are the right fit, have read and understood my rules, and are aware of my expectations as host. Of course this is not going to avoid any mishaps, but the quality of guests have improved (Knock on wood!)

I will now not open my home readily to guests who have no previous reviews, who smoke or have certain characteristics. This is very disappointing as I commenced my ABB journey as a person looking to welcome all. The lack of support and protection provided by ABB, notwithstanding all the hoo-ha about 24/7 support and a Host Protection Guarantee, has provide a reality check. Unfortunately the reality is that certain guests are more likely to cause grief, do not deserve my trust and are to be avoided at all costs!

At at least being aware of these serious shortcomings of the ABB platform, and the generous guidance of more experienced hosts in this forum, has enabled me to better navigate and manage the risks myself.

best wishes Steve 

[David126]

@Avi32

Personally I would never list a stand alone listing on AirBnB, far too risky. I would want a proper security deposit.

There are a few things you can do which of course you maybe doing, check ID of all those staying, a seperate contract, you need to disclose this in your listing, active monitoring.

Remember AirBnB is a booking service despite what you may read, and not a lot more.

[Catherine827]

Well stated @David126,  I’m in total agreeance that Airbnb is a booking site. But if Airbnb doesn’t meet the needs of the hosts, the host will find another platform that meets their values and needs.

[Paul154]

Reduce long-term stays.

This is the  easiest was to reduce financial risk due to Airbnb's generosity. A 2 day loss is better than  a 5 day loss or a 2 week loss.

Do not appease guests with $400 purchases. Appeasement only empowers manipulators.

[Catherine827]

So true @Paul154, so true. Too many hosts forget for all the good service they may or may not offer, they are in control of the property. They ultimately have the final say.

[Rebecca160]

@Avi32Oh, sounds like some really awful experiences lately. Have you considered having the guest sign a contract? Mention it in your listing, plus alos confirm that there is a contract at booking. I have a very simple contract that basically says that the guest will comply with my house rules, or be subject to immediate eviction or pay for damages. It is at least something concrete to show Airbnb, if the worst happens.

Also, since you have more than one property, you might consider getting security door locks with cameras built in or cameras & locks you can change the code to remotely. This will allow you to look at the size of the party and lock out the party, if it is not what you expected. Much better investment, I feel, than investing $400 to appease a guest who trashes your place.

[Catherine827]

Hi @Avi32.  I feel your frustrations... I really do! This may not work for you, but my calendar is essentially blocked, unless I open the dates. I only open a few months ahead at a time, which tends to stop preemptive bookings, “just in case they need it”.  I’ve only had two guest cancellations due to health or a funeral. It also gives me room to plan travel, renovations, family visiting etc, therefore, I don’t have any need to cancel. But this is my circumstance.

The geography/climate of my home city, makes Airbnb, for me, not a full twelve month “business”. This is due to monsoonal Wet Seasons and lower occupancies during this period in the many hotels, who heavily discount their accommodation in this lower demand season. This makes it difficult to compete hosting, unless I want the weather stress and higher operational costs with a lower margin for profit. 

During the high tourist season- “The Dry”, there are many major events. But I never open the calendar up till I’ve checked my pricing and in the end those booking, really want it or need it.

[Kelly149]

@Avi32 based on what I've experienced with CS I believe that:

ABB will NEVER "fine" guests for bad behavior (therefore, if they're breaking every one of your rules, you can get them out but you'll never be paid for the days they don't stay)

So, every host must determine: do I want the money at all costs or could it be less damaging to get them out and not get paid for some days and even not be able to re-book to someone else.

The best time to determine if someone is a good fit for your place is at time of reservation, not after they've held your calendar and/or they're checked in and are causing problems for your neighbors.

When making this calculation too, hosts must keep in mind that collecting any kind of reimbursement for damage is a random crapshoot.

It's a tricky balance that has alot of variables. I know what my answer is and it's a good thing to have settled in your mind before that bad situation is staring you in the face.

[Fred13]

Needless to say, this is probably the 100th times this subject has come up.

Airbnb Reality:

   Host Guarantee is not what most assume it means, (aka 'free insurance'), it isn't. 

   Airbnb continues to use the HG term, the benefit of it as a marketing ploy must still exceed the costs of it monetarily or in bad-will. Or maybe they are just such high-risk takers, that stubborn, or outright stupid.

   Airbnb is a booking agency, that does NOT have a true 'deposit system'. It is NOT collected up front, so it never actually gets 'deposited' per se.

   Airbnb can't guarantee human behavior; look to your left & right at your fellow man; would you guarantee their behavior, after they only showed you their ID? Of course not.

   Airbnb charges a very small host fee (& no subcription) and advertises your place to an extraordinary amount of potential guests. They have the most hosts because they are now, by far, the best at it.

Host Reality:

   If is one still on the vein hosting via Airbnb is anything but a business, times have changed, it is now Big Business: 191 countries, 100m+ bookings, 700k hosts, 4 million listings, etc. Value: $30 billion.

   Airbnb now has more than enough hosts, why so many are not constantly booked, why Airbnb could now be more 'selective', and demand/expect more from hosts, which they are doing. 

   Guests are nothing but relative 'strangers', to you and Airbnb.

   Guests come from the human race, need I really say more? 

   It is left up to hosts to make their own rules for their own unique place; hopefully they better be ~able to enforce~ them. if you are not on site or nearby, or do not have someone looking after your place, then you wouldn't be able to do so. If you are welcoming 10 guests, welcome to risky group behavior. If running 10 places, do not expect some bogus 'guarantee' to protect you. If you are all of the above, good luck. 

   Any claims of damage automatically inevitably goes against the 'Wall of Resistance', just like with any insurance entity, but in Airbnb's case multiply that many times. If they were so easy with money,  those host fees won't be so low. Can't have it both ways. 

   Every host should have their own insurance; already I could see Airbnb is moving in that direction.

   Hosting via Airbnb is not for everyone; some situations are impossible to accomodate, some host  expectations are impossible to meet and no, Airbnb is not in a position to 'guarantee' hosts anything. 

  "It is a tough world out there, but somebody has to live in it'. 😄

[Pedro-And-Michael0]

Good afternonn @Avi We have been hosting Airbnb for 15 months now, and unfortunately we can relate to everybody's experiences in this forum. The initial days of a community of trust and supposedly "awesome Airbnb support", are long gone. After some very bad experiences, and experiencing first hand the lack of support provided by Airbnb, we now know that we are on our own. 

Our check-in time is fom 6-11pm. A couple of months ago, we decided to allow people to check-in after 11pm using a key-pad, and it has been a nightmare. We just realized 90% of the people with no reviews don't read the House Rules, NOT EVEN the checking and check out times! We have had to wake up 3 out of last 6 guests to ask them to leave, basically, and the number of people who have no previous reviews, have increased exponentially, not to mention some specific nationallities, seem the word "respect" doesn't exist in their culture. This is very disappointing as we began our Airbnb journey looking to welcome all. 

We have 215 reviews, approx. Until 2 weeks ago, 210 were 5 star reviews, 2 were 4 and one 3 (the person claimed "there were cooking odors" in the house), and we live in the house. Does it mean I cannot cook in my own house, apparantelly NO, acording to Airbnb.

A week ago, for the first time, out of the blue, this people from another country, checked-in around midnight (they originally said they will be her at 6pm, and responded to a message we sent them asking them their new ETA 2 hours later, at 10:45 pm), took LOUD showers until 1am, went down to the kitchen, cooked, laughed and talked out loud until aprox 3 am. (Our house rules have: Quite time night hours, cannot use the kitchen (except to eat food they bring with them). In any case, we had to wake up at 3am and ask them to be quite and allowed them to stay. Guess what, they put us a "1" review, and wrote the longest, horrible full of lies, insults, false hours, review you can imagine. I call Airbnb and place our case with all the probes we had, including private messages, and they say: The client is right, they didn't write bad things or insulted you. So folks, according to Airbnb, guests writting nicely is ok, lying and making up false situations is ok. Way to way Airbnb!  We no longer expect anything from Airbnb. 

Finally, ther IT system is a joke! Have you guys checked if all your reviews show in the "Preview Mode" (where people see your listings). I have called three times in the last 3 weeks since I first noticed and they are still "working on it".

The lack of support and protection provided by Airbnb, has waked us up to reality. Now we are weighing between tryng to do something on our own, or close the listings all togheter.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!