Guests booking for someone else

[Helen195]

If someone is staying that has been booked by another person, are we still covered by Airbnb insurance?

[David126]

No but then that begs the question if the Insurance and Guarantee is worth very much, certainly not something to be relied upon.

[Helen195]

Have you had personal or a bad experience of this, David?

[David126]

@Helen195

I have a few minor issues, but nothing of consequences. I have read many posts from people who have had major issues on this forum.

A common scenario with new hosts seems to be thinking they have embrasive protection when they do not.

[Helen195]

I'd like to hear more about this!

[Dee9]

NO not unless that person is on the Airbnb account.

I never accept 3rd party booking requests.

[Cormac0]

@Dee9

Hi Diane 

Could you please elaborate.

I recently had a third party book my apartment, which at the time I did not know the circumstances of, the lady in question was an event manager let’s call her Eris, Eris booked for two people that morphed into three, this also involved two check-ins and two checkouts as her guests were not related. Then Airbnb failed in their attempt to collect my host fee, I was asked would I like to cancel the booking two days into the stay or reach out to the Eris, which I did and the lady in question apologised and called to my apartment to give me cash, in Ireland we have a saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” so I took the cash…. it’s doesn’t end here.

Several days later Eris informs me that AirBnb had taken about 90% of the money from her bank account and why was there a difference in the amount I charged her. I could not explain it no matter how I crunched the numbers I RECEIVED NO NOTIFCATION OF THIS TRANACTION FROM AIRBNB, so I text Eris to wait a few days until I received notification from Airbnb about the fee, another week past and Eris notified me that AirBnb had taken the balance due out of her account, then and only then I received notification from Airbnb that I received the payment in full, a week later at Eris's behest I returned the cash.

I apologise for the lengthy preamble:

 I’m absolutely flabbergasted that it would now appear I had no recourse to Airbnb should these guests have destroyed my apartment, in fact one of the guest remarked that this was the first time that they had stayed in Airbnb accommodation!

I was fortunate in one regard that all the actor in my little drama were nice people but it could have gone horribly wrong.

Airbnb really want their cake and eat it, Airbnb must stamp out this practise or accept culpability.

[David126]

@Cormac0

You can cerainly do business outside the AirBnB system as you did, but then it became a non AirBnb booking so nothing to do with them.

There is the Business exception to the third party reservation but otherwise you are correct.

You have very little recourse to AirBnB should the guest destroy your apartment, certainly something that shoud never be relied upon, that is why you have your own Insurance.

[Dee9]

My point is I only accept reservations from the person(s) that will be showing up at my door and have verified ID.

Airbnb does offer Business accounts now where secretaries, assistants, managers, etc can book on behalf of someone else. But those Business accounts require everyone to upload their ID & information.

Good luck.

[Helen195]

Hi Diane

Thank you.  I now appreciate that having a third party in my home is a risk so I'm making it clear in my house rules that guests can only book for themselves.  It seems to happen quite a lot over here and I don't think everyone is clear on the rules.

[Cormac0]

@David126

Hi David

If you mean excepting cash from Eris (which she offered and was not requested by me) after Airbnb suggested I reach out to her, because Airbnb failed in their first attempt to collect my fee (presumably there were no funds available in Eris’s account), if that is regarded as doing business out of AirBnb rather than good judgement I'm Confused.

1. The Booking was an Instant Booking made thought AirBnb website.

2. All the documentation such that it is, was done using the Airbnb system

3. and finally Airbnb after three attempts managed to get my fee thought their system.

IT WAS AN AIRBNB BOOKING FROM BEGINING TO END WITH AN HIATUS IN THE MIDDLE.

if Airbnb would recognise the weakness in their systems rather than expecting the Host to take reasonability depending on which way the ball lands this Host would be a lot happier.

Note to self:

I must explain in more detail so not as to confuse or mislead people in what I trying to say. 

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer's Club Krakow