This is a bit lengthy but valuable information for a host. First let me say that our Airbnb has nearly 600 reviews with a 5 star rating. We work hard and take very seriously the comfort and safety of our guests. Our Airbnb is above our garage so we greet nearly all of our guests and let them know we are here if they need anything, anytime.
This past week on Wednesday we had PG&E come to our home for electrical reasons (issue with our kitchen lights dimming off and on and turns out it was weather/wind related) but PG&E sent a rep that only checked gas issues. Since he was here I asked him to check our gas fireplace and then our (new) dryer just to make sure things were properly hooked up. While here he checked our meter outside and stated that we had a gas leak. He said it was significant enough that he turned it off immediately and put a lock on the meter. He said we would need to get a plumber out to find the leak.
Unfortunately we had guests arriving that afternoon for a stay of five nights, in fact they arrived as PG&E was here. I explained the situation to them and told them they should have enough hot water (there was a separate large water heater in the garage only for guests use) to hold them over until we resolved the issue. We immediately called a reputable plumbing company and they sent two technicians out. They worked for the entire afternoon but said there was still a leak and they would need to come back the next day. As you can imagine I was beyond stressed over concern that my guests would not have hot water. The plumbers came the next afternoon and finished around 5 pm. The bill was $1,600. Again, we called PG&E and asked them to turn come out and turn on the gas. They arrived at 8 pm, did a check and announced that there was still a leak and they would not turn on the gas, and again, locked the meter. I stayed in communication with our guests who fortunately said they were doing fine.
We had another guest arriving for a weeks stay at the end of our current guests stay. I reached out to the guest and told her what was happening and that I was worried we might not have the issue resolved by the time she arrived. I told her I would give her a full refund if she wanted to cancel and book some where else. Still feeling horrible for our current guests and even worse for the guest that had to find a place to stay with only 4 days notice I decided to call Airbnb. I needed support, perhaps they could guide me a little and well, make me feel like I was doing everything I could. Big mistake. Big.
I reached out to them and gave them a bit of info. All they heard was gas leak (forget that it was turned completely off and the meter locked) and then transferred me over to their safety team. Hear me now....the safety team is not there to help YOU the host, only to help the guest.
The safety team person assigned did not listen to me. She was smug and condesending. She told me the gas leak was a hazard to our guests and immediately told me she was blocking our Airbnb until the issue was resolved. I told her there was NO gas leak, NONE because they gas was turned off and the meter locked by a technician. I emailed her during the call with a photo of the Service Report stating it was off and locked. I tried telling her that the issue was this; our guests might be without hot water. I had only reached out to Airbnb for a little guidance. And just like that, bam, our Airbnb disappeared from their site. I told her that it was unrealistic to block our account indefinitely. I would understand even a month but it completely disappeared. That was Thursday night. We met with our guests and were completely transparent with all that was happening. We told them we would give them a refund if they didn't want to stay the next four nights. They said they would think about it. The next morning, Friday, they said they wanted to stay. With that I told them I would refund them a fair amount.
The same Friday morning we hired a different plumbing company who eventually found and repaired the leak. The bill was $600. We called PG&E, they came out again and all was resolved before our guests returned at 5 pm.
I immediately emailed the Safety team rep with documentation from PG&E that EVERYTHING was resolved. She called me, however I missed the call but the voicemail said to refer to an email she sent me. PS, at that point she reinstated our account and it was again visible.
Here is the last paragraph in the email (the first two told me I had to reply with a written statement that I had read, understand and agree with their Community Standards policy regarding safety and security):
Please note that failure to comply with this requirement, or future violations of this policy, will result in the permanent termination of your Airbnb account. Regards, so and so.
After 5 and a half years of hosting, nearly 600 reviews and a 5 star rating, I was treated like I had done something intentionally. Violated their safety policy. Really? My husband and I spent over 48 torturous hours, 4 inspections by 3 different PG&E technicians, two plumbing companies, numerous phone calls, $2,200, me crying, him so upset because I was distraught. Not because of the money although that was painful enough but because I work extremely hard to assure every guest has the best possible Airbnb experience ever. Oh, turns out we could have hosted the guest who decided to cancel but she had already booked another place. I was happy that she found a place.
The bottom line: Airbnb does not support the host. Period. I will, in the future, not make the same mistake. Be very careful if you have issues, be minimal with what you say or how you say it because this could happen to you.