Security Deposits

[Doug8]

Hi--

All Airbnb hosts should know that the Security Deposit touted by Airbnb is actually non-existent. It is a mirage constructed by Airbnb for the purpose of making hosts believe they are protected from damage caused by guests, when they are not.

1.  If you put a security deposit on your listing, Airbnb does not collect a security deposit or put a hold on the guest's payment method.  There is no deposit, therefore there is no security.

2. Airbnb prohibits you from collecting a security deposit on your own and will de-list you if you do.

3.  If the guest causes damage, you can make a claim against the security deposit, but you will never get it.

     a) As no security deposit was collected, there is no security deposit to collect from.

     b) The guest can simply refuse to pay and Airbnb will consider that to be the end of the matter.

     c) There is no appeal (as there is no avenue of appeal for any Airbnb ruling against a host).

     d) If a guest leaves a maliciously negative review after receiving a claim for damage, Airbnb approves of and will not remove the review.

     e) The list of things Airbnb does not consider damage is so exhaustive, there is effectively no such thing as damage.

Get your own homeowner's insurance if you are hosting in case of major damage such as a fire.  Be prepared to pay for small damages to your place yourself and factor it into your price.  Do not rely on Airbnb for protection of any kind.  Airbnb is nothing more than a webpage where you can list your place for rent.  It does not offer protection or support.

The security deposit is just one of the many deceptive practices Airbnb employs to dupe its hosts.

**
Doug

[Elaine701]

@Cindy1221 

It's whatever you agree with the guest. 

Our terms are to pay it back in cash at time of checkout, if all is well. We have a printed receipt in hand that the guest signs to confirm they received x-amount.

We've never had to deduct anything, because when we impose a deposit, the house has always been left in clean, orderly and undamaged condition. They want their deposit back. It's a strong motivator. 

Your terms could be different - you could agree to send it back via the resolution center within x-days following checkout. But then, it would require a bit more trust on the part of the guest.

Still, as I've mentioned before, for us, the goal of demanding a deposit is mainly to scare off high risk guests, which it does most of the time. When it doesn't scare them off, we at least have the deposit to cover any damages, and again, the guests are always more conscientious when they stand to lose a big deposit. 

The one thing that you *must* always do is be fair. Always give it back to the guest as promised. Don't keep it or deduct amounts for petty reasons. This will end quickly and badly if you start to get greedy. 

Good luck. 

[Precious48]

This is against policy. Many are requesting through the Resolution Center after booking. Deposits have to be outlined at the time of booking. Give guests the option to book or go elsewhere if the deposit is not feasible. My host requested a deposit less than 24hr before arrival to get access to the property. This is not customer service friendly. 

[Debra300]

@Precious48,

I agree that all fees should be stated upfront, but a topic has at least two points of view.   We clearly state in the Things to Know section of our listing description and in the house rules that a refundable deposit may be collected via the Resolution Center and yet we still get responses from guests that makes it obvious they didn't read any of it.  This is a display of the guest's poor manners and wastes time.