I just wanted to update everyone on this thread about this issue as mine was resolved.
It took many many calls to airbnb support but eventually a competent support "ambassador" claimed that he knew exactly where to escalate my issue and that previous attempts had been unsuccessful because his colleagues escalated to the wrong department. He wouldn't give me a department name but said "specialised team that handles tax profiles".
They eventually got hold of me via a support message and said I needed to fill out their KYC form again for business. I explained that I'll do it but it will be incorrect as this isn't a company, it's a trust, bla bla bla.
Their response was "we know, but this is the only way our system can process it. So just give each trustee a % ownership". We have 3 trustees of which only one is an acting trustee so he got 50% and the other two got 25%. Two days later my payments came through and the issue was resolved.
Hopefully this means Airbnb have cottoned onto this particular issue and will handle it in this manner going forward.
I've been made to understand by other people who work with trusts that interact with online platforms that trusts are unpopular because their structures vary by jurisdiction compared to companies. So you have to have a special KYC protocol just for SA trusts if you're Airbnb, which is asking too much.
Hope this helps anyone reading with the same issue!
