HELP WITH SUSPENDED ACCOUNT OR DEACTIVATED ACCOUNT

[Caroline460]

My account has either been suspended or deactivated because I had to instal CCTV cameras on my property, outside grounds only parking area and the entrance gate as too many Airbnb guests were turning up at my property, some with 12 or more unpaid guests.  This was getting out of control, I told the last guest who cheated me out of over £1,000 that I had footage of the amount of guests she had at my house for the weekend.  All of a sudden my account is suspended!  they asked me to confirm where the CCTV's were in the property, I confirmed to them that there were no Cameras in the property, in the pool area or in the tennis court area and that they were only positioned on the entrance gate and outside parking area etc and that I updated my listing to shown that CCTV's are in operation at the property.  I have been trying for 6 days e.mailing continually and phoning at least 4/5 times a day to try to resolve this issue.  I have lost a £3,500 booking this weekend and I have 4 guest waiting to book, (£8,700) this is totally unacceptable, I have emailed the support team (no support from them at all) they keep saying that this matter is being dealt with but I now have little faith in them.  What can I do??

[Marzena4]

@Caroline460 The easiest is to list your property on another website if Airbnb is so incooperative. That's true that Airbnb's policy on CCTV is strange.

[Caroline460]

Thank you Marzena, I think you're right.

[Momi0]

@Caroline460   I want to help you because this is a common mistake that a lot of ABB hosts make.  ABB has had my back every time because of the things I do to protect my home, with my clear listing, my clear house rules and the expectations I setforth to my guests on following those rules. 

1.  The first thing you should have done was contact ABB and request advice on how to best handle bookings that were showing up with too many people. 

2.  You should have consulted with the Safety and Trust team on where exactly the CCTV cameras are allowed.   There is a place on the ABB website that you can actually email THAT specific department.  I have done this and got a reply within 24 hours.  They also called me.  (yes my issue was about my motion detector cameras installed in my Master Bedroom which says in my House Rules is OFF LIMITS TO MY GUESTS.  Any evidence found of them entering this or my office, will have them being asked to leave immediately and Airbnb will be contacted at the same time. 

3.  Do you know that there is a device that you can install at your home that will only allow the number of people to log into your WIFI and anyone else trying will be blocked from getting access?  

4.  You have to update your House Rules making it abundantly clear that EXTRA guests will not be tolerated and if you find more then the approved number of guests coming in, you will have their booking terminated, no refund will be issued and host will contact ABB immediately to report this House Rule violation.  This is an ABB policy that if a guests is found breaking ANY House Rules, their stay will be terminated but you must contact ABB first.  I have had to call ABB a couple of times including a time a guest brought back a stranger (girl) to OUR FAMILY HOME for sex.  (disgusting dude!)

5.  I don't know the whole story of how far you are from your listing, as you left that important detail out, but you can send a message to the guests letting them know you need to stop by to check on your home as it was reported that too many people were going in and out. ITS YOUR HOUSE and you have every right to check on that.   If the guests prevents you, call ABB from the front door and ask them to contact the guests.  I would immediately turn on the video camera on your smart phone and start recording the number of people walking out in the morning if that is an option.  

6.  Do you have a neighbor you can ask to help you with the number of people checking in that could perhaps take photos or video for you during their check in?  ABB likes proof. 

7.  Perhaps, provide bath towels for the exact number of people for the reservation. 

8.  Put it into your House Rules, that guests will be charged for EXTRA GUEST fee if you find that they have spent the night.  If that's what you prefer instead.  Up to you. 

9.  I cannot stress this enough that you need to read up on the ABB terms and conditions on hosting and privacy issues.   They take this very seriously.    

10.   The next time this happens, be sure to document, document, document everything through the ABB message site to your guests.  Make sure you let your guests know that you are only approving # OF GUESTS and you are requesting the first and last names of each guests.  This is exactly what my House Rule #1 says.  Make it your House Rule too.  Guests will take you much more serious and realize you are not to be messed around with.  I can assure you that's the exact message my potential guests get when they try to book my private room in my home, and those who comply with my House Rules, find themselves being treated like King and Queens!  ;))

Keep in touch and let me know if I was in any way helpful.  Click on the Thumbs Up if you'd like.  🙂  Thanks for reading. 

[Caroline460]

Hello Momi

Thank you for your message.  Do you have the contact information for Trust & Safety please.  I cannot find a direct link to them.  I have staff who live in the grounds of the property but even so the guests still flout the house rules.  I put up CCTV cameras outide only so doesn't infringe on guests in the house at all or in the pool or tennis court area.  I take your point re insisting no additional guests will be tolerated and their booking cancelled immediately if the house rules are broken.

Thank you

[Momi0]

@Caroline460    I am glad you found my post very helpful.  I hope you remember to click on the thumbs up button soon.  🙂  

[Cormac0]

@Momi

How do you square all the above with the notion that Airbnb is only a listing site, if Airbnb want that level of input and control you've written about, they should be PAYING HOSTS A RETAINER not Hosts paying Airbnb a fee?

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer's Club Krakow III 

[Momi0]

@Caroline460  I had a chance to review your entire listing.  I have to say....ABSOLUTELY CONFUSING!

You say that it accommodates 17 people, but then in your written text you write that you will accept 18 guests, plus 2 toddlers and any other guests after that will be accessed a fee of $50 per person.  So which is it, you take 17 guests or you take 21 guests with extra fees?   What is the maximum on your house?  

I think you might want to reread your listing. You wrote "guess" and you meant GUESTS.

Make your listing very very clear.  If I was trying to book this place for my extended family, I would not understand if I could have 17 people or 25 ppl but pay the extra money on top of the cost for 17 people.  You say you don't want extra people but your listing encourages it.  You say you don't want parties, but your listing says, this home is great for big family gatherings or corporate events.  So I am so confused on what your "Target client" is.  

I want to also encourage you to use the EXTRA PERSON feature that Airbnb provides in the price settings so if someone writes you and says they are booking for 19 adults and 3 children, the system will automatically add up the extra cost for them and they will be charged accordingly.  Make sense?

Again, the best way to **bleep** this problem right away is to redo your House Rules.  Make them very clear on how you will handle any UNAUTHORIZED or UNREGISTERED GUESTS .  And have your booking guests send you a list of all guests FULL names, ages, to you via the Airbnb message center.  That's what my best friend does for her 4 million dollar home in Hawaii. She is taken very seriously when she has them complete this process to confirm their booking.  Its your House, set the tone.   

[Caroline460]

Thank you Momi 

I will look at the listing and certainly be taking your advice.  I do need the contact info for Trust & Safety first though, if you can help with that I would be hugely grateful.