AirBnB Not Paying Hosts (2024)

[Natalie1376]

Hi friends, 

After two years of zero significant issues, I am finding it nearly impossible to get paid by AirBnB. 

Starting in May (we are seasonal) AirBnB has sent just three payments for guests. None of these payments has been for over 1,000$.

Currently they have paid me once in May (615.07), once in June for damage (246.72), and twice in July (960.30) and (961.27).

Currently outstanding are another $6,469.95 worth of guest stays that just don't seem to work. 

What is happening:

Payment says processing. Payment says on hold. Payment says processing. Payment says paused. 

I have one payment of $2,902.32 that has 'sent' - except my bank sees nothing at all to suggest airbnb even tried to deposit money before the "bank reversal" occurred. TD says it is not possible for AirBnB to have attempted a deposit that TD rejected and there to be no visible evidence of that. 

What support is saying:

There was an error processing the transaction.

Change your payment from paypal to your bank.

Verify you bank account. 

Verify your paypal account (but some payments are going through? No. verify it anyways)

Make paypal your default account. It is. 

Make your bank account your default. Didn't work. 

Must be the bank account, change to another bank account. 

It's an internal issue and they're working on it.

The engineers are aware of the issue and are working on it. 

Call paypal.

Call your bank.

You need to set a payment method - I've had one for three years, so...?

I have contacted AirBNB by messages at least 11 times. At least once by phone. 

I have also contacted paypal, after airbnb told me it was a paypal issue. 

I have also contacted TD, after airbnb told me it was my bank's fault. 

This is now as of July 22, 2024. This has been ongoing since May 14, 2024 when my first payment didn't come through. 

I'll update as the summer continues, as I suspect the issues will remain. I know others have and are experiencing something similar and want to log this so you don't think it's you. It's not. 

Natalie 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Natalie1376 , I'm so sorry to hear of the payment issue. Have you heard back from the Support team in this regards? 

[Natalie1376]

I’ve been in touch with support about 12 times. They never have a solution. Only excuses. 

[Richard3344]

Same issues.  Same exact canned responses.  No help despite numerous calls and messaging.  
Airbnb owes me almost $10,000!  Small payments have gone through but this started in March 2024.  They will likely owe me $20,000 by the end of this month.  
CBC news marketplace 

BBB

fifth estate tips

ask for their legal department contact info.  They refuse to provide it.

ask for the transaction ID for PayPal they will also refuse to provide it

monique dot price at grand Erie dot ca

[Natalie1376]

K, just filled out a BBB complaint. 

Emailing Marketplace now. 

I'll check fifth estates. I feel like that show got cancelled though. 

N

[Natalie1376]

It is August 8th now. The 'tracers' have found my missing $2,902.32 and confirmed I didn't receive it. Now the game is "wait for the money to be transferred back to airbnb before it can be reissued to me", at which point we all know it won't be sent anyways, because nothing over $1,000 has made it's way to me since May. That's over three months worth of nearly total non-payment. 

Odd that all these issues keep happening to somehow keep any of my money from being sent to me. One might almost think it's on purpose rather than by accident. (this is sarcasm, to be clear, of course it's on purpose).

[Natalie1376]

Other examples of exactly this process happening to other hosts: 

On airbnb forum 2024: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help-with-your-business/Non-payment-of-earnings/m-p/1898481

2023 Lots of hosts here on this thread: https://airhostsforum.com/t/airbnb-not-paying-hosts/58239

2018 Not clear if it's actually a system error in all of AU or if it's similar to what is happening now, but the fact that support isn't telling the truth or the same story to all hosts contacting them is a red flag: https://airhostsforum.com/t/payout-problems-for-australia/27380/29

2022: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help-with-your-business/Airbnb-not-releasing-my-payouts/m-p/1592...

Romanian host and others: https://airhostsforum.com/t/airbnb-illegally-holding-payments/37901

A very angry host named Alex: https://airhostsforum.com/t/is-airbnb-going-bust-if-it-cant-pay-hosts-on-time-its-technically-bankru...

[Oscar-S2]

Good day this is also happening to me. Is there a way we can al come together and put up a case with the courts against them

[Helen3]

You would need to take them to court through your local small claims court @Oscar-S2 

[Helen3]

Why don't you take them to court @Natalie1376 

[Helen427]

@Natalie1376 @Richard3344 
Ask for a Subject Access Request Report on your file, Airbnb should be ensuring we Consumers are provided with a psychical and full and proper Business Details of whom has access to and is reading and processing our Information @Bhumika < would you please follow up on this as it's a very serious matter not been paid - incidentally ABB C/S are not even applying basic Rule of Law Administration of our Countries Legislation

[Elaine701]

@Natalie1376 

I hear about this from time to time here on these forums, but I still have never had a problem with payments. For me, it's always worked like clockwork. Sometimes arrives the same day! (knock on wood).

I used to use PayPal, but their fees are very steep, and if there's a currency conversion, their exchange rates are pathetic. If the amounts are larger - above 1000, then it gets really expensive. So, we switched to bank transfer and now it's free (for us) and very fast. But the European banking system is very efficient and reliable, which may have something to do with that.

The amounts you're talking about are not insignificant. I've had enough experience with Airbnb support to know that talking to CS is very often like talking to a Ficus. But maybe there's something buried in what they're saying that's easy to miss... something about account verification? Sometimes you may have to verify it many times before anybody notices. Something else not working right? CS probably wouldn't know. They have nothing to do with Airbnb's payment processor and likely have little, if any access to their data.

It's very frustrating. I hope that never happens to me. But it might someday.

Keep after them. Eventually they'll want to get you off their back and actually do something other than sending you links to the help site.

Good luck with it all. 

[Jenifer84]

We've been hosting for just over 5 years and have NEVER had an issue getting paid. We do bank transfer and like a few of the responses above, have the money in our account the same day or at the very least, within a couple of days of transfer. 

Good luck and try a direct bank transfer.

[Garth76]

Airbnb is doing the same thing to us. We haven’t been paid out since June!

[Emma4037]

The same here - no payment, no resolution. 

Its been a scrolling joke of CS team members offering up their 'delight' or 'pleasure' at being able to help me get my query sorted and doing absolutely nothing to actually get the payment issued to me - I am entering my 7th week of this.

My particular merry-go round of fun, fun, fun with AirBnB has included:

1. Getting a telling off by one of the CS staff for re-inputting my bank details (when I was told to do so by AirBnB) and saying that is why the payment didin't go through (when another one went through fine),
2. Receiving several 'scripted' responses saying the same thing - just 24 hrs apart (I think they only work for an hour a day maybe?)
3. I even had one CS member saying they were off on leave for a week so couldn't sort it.  Wow, I didn't realise there was only one person working in AirBnB's CS team - no wonder we are having problems!  

I do hope I get that promised AirBnB mug in compensation for the (time and financial) inconvenience their error has caused ........ not.

On a serious note, this is a major flaw in AirBnB's sustainability - if they are holding the money because of profiteering or a cash flow crisis then it needs a careful looking at by shareholders / investors.  At best, a company is measured in its ability to deal with dissatisfaction and complaints and AirBnB are dropping the ball on that for sure.

Come on AirBnB - its your customers that are (quite literally) paying the price for your ineptitude - get yourselves sorted out.