How do I transfer my Airbnb account to my ex-landlord?

[Damian32]

I was renting an apartment in London and its owner allowed me to sublet the apartment to AirBnB guests.  I've now terminated my rental agreement with my landlord and have moved away.  However, he is still using my AirBnB account to rent the apartment out to AirBnB guests.  There are 6 - 9 months worth of bookings on my AirBnB account, which he is now managing.  How do I transfer my AirBnB account to him?   He's not the most trustworthy guy in the world and so I feel uncomfortable allowing his continued use of my AirBnB account.  Of course, I could just brutally shut my AirBnB account down but that would affect the holiday plans of dozens of people over the next 6 - 9 months and my preference is that there should be a way to transfer my account to him so that the guests who've booked the apartment in the coming months are unaffected.

The bank account details in my AirBnB account have already been changed from my bank account to the landlord's bank account so that is not a problem.  Nonetheless i'm slightly concerned at the risk that I could end up in a tax dispute because the AirBnB account is still in my name, and not that of the landlord.

*title updated

[Kirstie]

Hi @Damian32,

Your hosting account can't be transferred to someone else, your ex-landlord needs to start his own account. There's a good reply to a similar question about transferring accounts in this thread - I would recommend you follow the advice there. You may wish to contact Airbnb about this to ask more information. 

Just to let you know, I have moved your post here to a new thread so that it doesn't get lost in another discussion and it is easier to find. I have also given it a title, please let me know if you want to change it!

In case you're not sure how to start a new thread - this CC Tutorial gives a step by step guide to starting a conversation in the Community Centre.

Kirstie

[Damian32]

Thanks Kirsty.  However, if I terminate my AirBnB account, then all the guests who have booked the apartment will lose their bookings.  Surely AirBnB has a more user-friendly way of handling the transfer to a new property owner than just terminating everyone's holiday bookings?  That seems unreasonable.

[Gordon0]

>>Surely AirBnB has a more user-friendly way of handling the transfer to a new property owner than just terminating everyone's holiday bookings?<<

It's not Airbnb that has pulled out of the deal, it's you.

Handing your guests over to a guy you don't  rate as 100% trustable is a mistake in my opinion.  

[Damian32]

Gordon, that's utterly ridiculous.  You're saying that it is my fault that I have terminated the lease on my apartment?   Terminating leases and selling property is an everyday occurrance.  [inappropriate content hidden] if you are telling me that the lack of a mechanism at AirBnB to transfer the AirBnB bookings on an account for a property that has been sold or otherwise has changed hands is my fault.  You need to have a look at yourself in the mirror and have a good hard think about your values if you truly believe what you've written.  You are advocating screwing over AirBnB's guests by canceling their holiday plans because AirBnB doesn't offer a contract novation option.  That is a terrible user experience and it should be reported to London's regulatory authorities.

[Damian32]

If this is the best that AirBnB Community can come up with, my next step is going to be to post this dialog on my LinkedIn profile.  I think everyone in London should be aware that AirBnB is willing to ruin people's holiday plans because it isn't willing to offer hosts a contract novation option.

[Damian32]

I have just taken a PDF copy of this dialog just in case AirBnB locks me out of my account.  I want the world to be aware of the impact upon people's holiday plans of AirBnB not offering a contract novation option to its hosts.

[Helen3]

@Damian32

If you knew you weren't renewing the lease, why did you continue to accept bookings for your listing?

All you had to do was snooze the listing when you had given in the notice on your lease, so that you could honour existing bookings, but not take further bookings, for when you would no longer be at the premises.

It is you, rather than Airbnb that has impacted on people's holiday plans, but letting them continue to book when you knew you wouldn't be at the listing.

Having made this mistake you should have contacted Airbnb to let them know and contacted your guests so they could cancel and find a suitable alternative. Instead you have let your landlord take over the booking and as your reviews show your guests are having problems with their stay because the listing isn't being managed well.

I am wondering if  you not cancelling your listing was in part about you not wanting to pay the  cancellation charges you would have incurred ?

What a shame you feel the need to be rude to another host, who simply offered advice in response to your question. 

Do the right thing, contact Airbnb and let them help you cancel forthcoming bookings.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Damian32

Remember hosting is not just about the property it's also about trust in the person - guests rate on the overall experience. It's not an ideal position to be in but I would contact Airbnb and ask them to find alternative accommodation for your guests as you can no longer host them. Not ideal but it is the best solution available I think.

[Damian32]

Thanks Gerry.  I tried contacting AirBnB.  I spent an entire evening sitting beside the AirBnB Online Chat app, waiting for one of their representatives to respond to my request to chat.  In the end I was left with no option but to give up on the basis that AirBnB is not being honest with us in terms of its willingness to be contacted.

[Damian32]

P.S.  A "community" is a place where people come together to solve challenges for fellow members of their community.  It should not be a place where people come together to defend poor work practices of a global multinational, particularly when those work practices cause unnecessary hardship for people in the real community.

Is there anyone here who is actually willing to criticise AirBnB and to put pressure on them to resolve a serious defect in their commitment to their users (that is, hosts and guests who are affected by AirBnB's refusal to consider contract novation)?  Or are all the "community hosts" here just people with a conflict of interest when it comes to resolving problems with AirBnB?

[Marit-Anne0]

@Damian32

"He's not the most trustworthy guy in the world and so I feel uncomfortable allowing his continued use of my AirBnB account."

I think you should also be uncomfortable handing over your guests and your reputation to this kind of person - it could ruin people's holidays just as much as a cancellation could.  

In fact - as a potential guest at times, I now feel less comfortable booking through airbnb - risking to book with someone other than the person in the profile, I would feel deceived and report the listing to airbnb.  

I believe you must be violating airbnb rules and regulations as it is as airbnb accounts are personal and non-transferable.

As @Gerry-And-Rashid0 suggest, you should take the honest option, contact airbnb and have your future guests rehoused.  Using Twitter @airbnbhelp for contacting is usually the quickest option.  

And we are all in the same boat remember and we will have to work within the parameters given.  Attacing fellow hosts @Kirstie for actually trying to help you will not prompt any willingness for further assistance.

[Damian32]

Marit Anne, if I am violating AirBnB rules it is because I am trying to avoid unnecessarily hurting the AirBnB guests who have already made holiday plans.  If AirBnB thinks that's a problem then I am quite happy for my AirBnB account to be terminated and never reopened.  But let's not sit around and convince each other that AirBnB is acting in the best interests of its hosts or its guests.  Too often large corporations choose to quote rules and regulations when it suits them and against the interests of ordinary people.  We need a simple way to transfer the account to the landlord's name so that it has the minimum possible impact upon people's holiday plans.  By all means, give them the option to cancel their booking, because it is a new contract.  But don't play the game of saying that AirBnB is protecting the interests of its users.  That is just false and dishonest.  I have reached out to AirBnB via @airbnbhelp.  I was disappointed by the failure of its "chat" feature.  Let's see if I have a better result reaching it with Twitter.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Damian32

I am only saying that for the time being we would need to work within the parameters of the platform and as far as I know the contract is between host (you as the account holder) and the guest; another account holder.  This is the way it has worked as long as I have been using this platform - some 5 years now.  

If your landlord is also an account holder, you may be able to work out something between you using the co-host feature.  As it is now, letting someone you distrust using your account is far from ideal.  

[Kirstie]

Hi all,

I just wanted to step in here as I feel this discussion is getting personal.

@Damian32 I understand that you are frustrated about not being able to transfer your bookings over but unfortunately the Airbnb system is not designed for this type of situation. Ratings and reviews are very much linked with the host as well as the property and therefore it is not set up to allow hosts to transfer existing bookings to a different host who may not be up to the same standard as the the host that the guests originally booked with. You are welcome to give feedback to Airbnb about this at https://www.airbnb.com/help/feedback, or post it as an idea (with suggestions) in Host Voice. You can also contact Airbnb to discuss this with them directly. 

Here in the Community Center we must try to always be respectful to one another.  It’s really important for all of us to remember that everyone here is either looking for help or trying to help and we must refrain from personally insulting one another in order to maintain a positive environment here.

Thank you for your understanding,

Kirstie