Charge of Security Deposit

Answered!
Ben175
Level 1
London, United Kingdom

Charge of Security Deposit

Hello, 

 

I am a new user to Airbnb and I was wondering how the security deposit charge works. 

 

Having read this forum and others online, there seems to be contradictory messages. When booking, does Airbnb take the security deposit from my card, as a charge, and hold this until after I've checked out, and then transfer the money back to me?

 

Or, alternatively, do Airbnb put a hold on this money, and following any successfu claim, take the amount of the claim? Meaning no money is actually taken from my card.

 

Thanks for your help!

1 Best Answer
Karen-and-Brian0
Level 10
Bragg Creek, Canada

Hi @Ben175 The security deposit is not collected or held in any way. If there is damage and the host submits a claim, it goes through the Resolution Centre and a guest would submit payment for any damages that way. Completely separate from the original booking transaction & payment. Hope that helps! -Karen

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30 Replies 30
Karen-and-Brian0
Level 10
Bragg Creek, Canada

Hi @Ben175 The security deposit is not collected or held in any way. If there is damage and the host submits a claim, it goes through the Resolution Centre and a guest would submit payment for any damages that way. Completely separate from the original booking transaction & payment. Hope that helps! -Karen

That's very useful, thank you Karen. 

How do you submit a claim?

Hi - I don't understand the purpose of the security deposit - especially as when setting it it says guests will only be liable up to that amount.  Is this how Airbnb avoids tapping into its insurance policy? Aren't hosts insured up to $1,000,000?

Gary176
Level 1
London, United Kingdom

Hi.

 

How do i add a deposite to my listing ? I've tried what it says on the help page but can't find anywhere still, mayby I'm missing something..

This is my first listing.

 

Many Thanks.

Ben235
Level 1
London, United Kingdom

Hi Gary, did you get anywhere with this? I'm having the same issue aswell.

Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

Hi @Ben235

Dashboard----click listing-----click pricing------at extra charges---click edit and add a security deposit

Hi Jeff,

 

However, security deposit does not get added to the booking charges, so how else are we able to hold the security deposit? 

 

Thanks

 

Mimi

@Mimi46

 

The simple answer is you do not.

David

Based on all the negative comments on how this company responds to damage claims,  their securiy deposit process is a joke.

They dont collect a damage deposit at all!  They bait owners into thinking if they set a somewhat standard $300 it will be collected at time of booking and held as actual security,  but all it does in reality is limit any damage claim to that amount.  

Why not set $5,000 the maximum this webite will allow?  The guests dont see it and dont pay it.  Airbnb needs to collect the full amount of proven damage from guests and forward ALL of it to the unit owner. If they did that,  there wouldnt be a lot of negative comments.  They just dont want to piss off renters so they leave owners stuck with unpaid damage.  

REALLY BAD BUSINESS !!!  

At the very least they should have a notice in the booking section advising renters damages will be billed to the credit card used for payment.

Hi,

 

I'm new to this company and rec'd a request but didn't see the damage deposit on there either. I have it set at $300, I don't like not getting something to hold for damages. My question is, if they damage something does airbnb get the money from the renter? I can't even get a phone number or email that doesn't say hidden. Please advise. Thank you, Linda

can't be agreeable any more! The deposit is merely a lie to the host, and an excuse to the ABB. I ran business in Booking too, to be honest, there are pretty few advantages by Booking than ABB, but as to the deposit, booking is the winner! The deposit need to be paid when check-in , and you are able to set when to to refund the deposit back, check out day or specific days later. As a host, I require myself be helpful and faithful to the guest, but I need to protect myself after all ABB have so many things need to take care.

Hello fellow Hosts,

We have been renting through Airbnb and other sites for close to 4 years. We have been seeing that Airbnb has improved in certain areas such as continues updates once the guest reservation is completed. We appreciate that and it helps us maintain a good communication with the guests and cuts down on miss-understandings.

However, ther had been several changesto practices by Airbnb that are making it difficult for the hosts to focus on sharing the enjoyment of their property with the guests. Some of these examples are:

- The Superhost rating system is no longer a rewarding system it is a rather punishing one.  I have read the community's discussion and find that there are several good answers. I suggest that Airbnb's management give a priority to improve this area. What does Airbnb have to lose? This is not a college exam or a job interview rating. We want Airbnb to help and incourage us to be better hosts.

- Security Deposit is what it is. As a seasoned licensed real estate broker in california for 25 years, Security deposit needs to be collected up front and held in an escrow account. It is there to protect the property owner and to recover when there is a valid and qualified claim for damage caused by the tenant. Airbnb should not mess up this standard procedure and give false impression to both the host and tenant. The guests are more likely to be observant of the house rules and avoid violations and damage to the property if they are made aware that the money is collected and held upfront. Airbnb does not release the money to the host until a valid claim is made and approved. Otherwise, let the owners handle the security deposit themselves if they wish to do so within clear guidelines approved by Airbnb.

-  A breakdown of all the money collected from the guest should be available to the host to see. This is not confidential information, at least not for the host to see. Airbnb is acting on behalf of the host to rent their property. The host has the responsibility to provide the guest with the service contracted and paid for. It helps the host to see what the guest paid and alert Airbnb to a problem that can be avoided the next time. I recall that Airbnb did provide this breakdown of the charges. All major sites provide that information including TripAdvisor and Homeaway.

 

Buttom line, all good hosts want is to be partners with Airbnb in generating a good profitable business where everyone is a winner especially the guests. Let us go back to the initial reasons why Airbnb started and grew into a global entity. 

 

Well my thoughts on the point you raised:

 

I just ignore the Superhost thingy, only matters if you play their game.

 

Security Deposit, I assume AirBnb both know what the usual meaning is and chose to do their own thing, if you need a Security Deposit not the booking site for you, there are others.

 

You can actually see the breakdown of you dig, there has been some EU action that is likely to make things more visible.

 

 

David