Guest Rule Violation - Airbnb not enforcing rules

[Scott350]

In order to maintain our property we have basic rules outlines on our listing to which guests agree before booking-  no pets unless specifically authorized by host for a fee, no smoking on premises, and no extra guests.  The nightly rate for pets is posted as well as the fee to be charged if an unauthorized pet is on the property.  

A guest stayed and brought a pet.  They also smoked in property and had extra guests.  We have video of all of it.

When we requested that Airbnb charge the guest a fee they said that since the guest didn’t want to pay we were out of luck.  

If we can’t kick guests out of the property and Airbnb won’t enforce our rules,  how do we effectively maintain the operation?  Anyone else not supported by Airbnb in their rules?

[Sarah977]

@Scott350  The host is responsible for enforcing their own house rules. Airbnb isn't going to send some knight in shining armor to boot out extra  guests, nor are they going to charge guests for breaking house rules.

I don't know how close you live to your listing, but when you see extra people arriving, you tell the booking guest that the extras have to leave or be paid for. You stand there while they accept the extra guest fees on the app or tell them all to leave.

Airbnb isn't in charge of what goes on  in your home, you are.

[Scott350]

I think you misread my post.  Not asking Airbnb to be in charge of what happens in my home.  In managing my home I have set rules and policies. When  Airbnb is handling payments I need them to follow those rules I have set in order to manage the home properly.  For example, If you put extra miles on a rental car they charge you.  There is no discussion because the rule was set before you rented.  I’m happy to handle payments but something tells me that Airbnb isn’t going to give that power up.

[Colleen253]

@Scott350  “When  Airbnb is handling payments I need them to follow those rules I have set in order to manage the home properly”. You are absolutely right on that. Alas, should, could, but don’t, for many reasons, all of which lie on the side of Airbnb’s best interests, not the host’s. 

Prevention is the best medicine on this platform. Take as much control as possible, vet guests thoroughly, attract the best, and avoid the rest. Back all this up with solid house rules. If despite best efforts, one gets through the gauntlet, then you terminate the booking and get them out. Immediately. You can kick guests out when house rules have been broken. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Scott350 you said. 'If we can’t kick guests out of the property and Airbnb won’t enforce our rules,  how do we effectively maintain the operation?'

Well actually if the guest breaks your rules you can kick them out. By choosing not to I am afraid you find yourself having had your rules broken and no recompense.

[Sarah977]

@Scott350  I don't think I misread your post. Enforcing rules means doing what you can to prevent rule violations in the first place by carefully vetting guests before acceptng them, and acting immediately to put a stop to rule violations that you consider serious.

I don't see fines as "enforcing rules." Fines are penalties for disregarding rules, and the realiity is that Airbnb does not levy fines for rule breaking, so hosts are on their own in that dept.

I once saw a video of a host booting 17 people out of his home that was listed for 4. He was furious and was filming the whole thing. I don't know if he had back-up buddies standing out of the frame but it didn't seem like it. Brave of him to confront that many people on his own, and most hosts might be scared to do that, but he obviously was not about to let them get away with their violation.

[Tavia-and-Geoffrey0]

Hi Scott .. yes 

we just had a guest confirmher reservation , which was a Special Offer I had sent her because she couldn’t pay my listing price so I lowered my nightly price 2 times b4 she was able to accept and move forward.. Reservation for 30 days 1 person Studio @ a very lower nightly $67 . I agree to this price because only one person in my studio to find out 2 people have been staying for 2.5 days .. so I sent a reservation change form with a price difference of 843$ for extra person 30 days .. she denied my request.. I called air b due to the violation of my agreement .. I literally have been on the phone fighting with air b .. they don’t know what to do or how to handle stressful situations.. the back and forth was a total of 3 days .. at this point air b took my payout back and the the lady ended up staying in my studio for three days free .. I have a strict no cancellation policy .. that is not being enforced.. I didn’t want the reservation to be canceled but I didn’t want people staying for free… why in the heck was this handled with such long ground time.. like I have nothing better to do a few days b4 Christmas.. not to mention they could just pay the difference.. but in the end I had to call the police .. in which they really don’t want to get involved because it’s Air BnB and or a civil issue.. not to mention a safety issue for my family, my studio is located on my home property so the 3 days got ever stranger .. honestly I’m at a complete loss and really am shocked I had to push so hard to get air b to help me.. can anyone explain to me what the correct policy and procedures are .. or is Air B still running a shady business that is always ready to take your money and not really support the host in a emergency situation.. more like .. let’s deal with each situation as they come case by case.. depending how hard the host pushes.. so so tired of things being not easy as we are lead to believe..but “keep hosting we got you covered “ 

tavia Santa Cruz Ca 

GT Home Solution 

[Helen3]

You absolutely can kick out guests who don't abide by your house rules - you need at tell Airbnb to cancel the booking.

and customer services are wrong if you choose to have the guests stay you can charge them the pet fee and extra guest fee and let them know you will charge them an extra cleaning fee for a specialist lean to get rude of the smoke smell . 

[Huma0]

@Helen3 Yes, providing you get an understanding rep on the line, Airbnb can tell guests to leave for breaking house rules. I have called them twice about this. The first time, the rep asked to speak to the guests first. She called them straight away and told them to follow my rules or leave without a refund. That set them straight! The second time, I just wanted the guest out and offered to refund all unspent nights, but the rep told me I didn't have to do that because the guest had clearly violated my house rules. Both these incidents were a while ago and we know CS has dropped in standards, so I don't know how it would go now...

Both times, the reps first read through my house rules to determine if the guests had in fact violated them, i.e. I needed to have specified quiet hours, no visitors without permission etc. spelt out.

Collecting extra fees is another issue though. If the guests do not pay before they leave, then it can become tricky. I have been told by CS that they cannot charge a guest without their express permission, so if the guest says no or simply continues to ignore the request, I don't believe that Airbnb will necessarily do anything more about it.

In my case, it was a late check in fee, which was clearly stated in my house rules, and also agreed to in the Airbnb messaging system prior to the guest's arrival. Perhaps it is different with pet and extra person fees. I don't know.