Payout suspension

[Ruby80]

Hi - I am currently being asked to fill in company information so I can get my payouts as they have been suspended for some unknown ridiculous reason  (I have been listed for a year on Airbnb). However, I am NOT operating as a company but as an individual and treated as an individual for tax purposes in relation to the income I earn from my Airbnb listing. How do I get someone to help me with this because the support team keep telling me I need to fill company information in to my account settings but if I was to do this I would be making the information up. I am tearing my hair out with this problem. Can someone help?????

[Helen3]

Have you tried them on their social media @Ruby80 ?

[Susan17]

@Ruby80 

Some hosts in Australia have been told that, once they pass a threshold of AUD $15000 in earnings for the past year, they must register for a business account on Airbnb, as they no longer qualify for a personal account. 

I'll post below, part of a conversation with Lisa, another host in Australia, on this topic several months ago. I'll tag Lisa also, as she may be able to update you on how she dealt with the same situation, and the outcome of same. 

@Jayesh / Lisa

[Susan17]

Jayesh in 

Hervey Bay, Australia

Level 4

‎01-09-2019 04:16 AM

@Jeff0 They actually changed the policy for existing hosts - apparently last December or earlier.  We had our payouts stop until we changed to a business account as we had passed the allowed threshold of earnings for the last year to remain as a personal account.  $15,000 AUD = about 9,350 Euros.  Using the pro toolkit seems to have no bearing on the compulsory change to a business listing - seems it is entirely based on the earnings threshold.

@Susan you may also be interested in the below excerpt from Customer Support.  I would suggest you give them a call as the fellow that I spoke with seems to have been very well informed and had access to material to pass along to hosts.  This information was sent in response to my asking about the company account as opposed to the personal account. 

FAQs and their answers:

Why is Airbnb asking for this information? or Why am I required to input this information?

> Airbnb provides payment services as an authorised EMI (electronic money institution) in the EU. As a result, we are required to conduct due diligence on our hosts by collecting certain information, including whether or not our hosts are registered as a business in their local jurisdiction.

Will we report host business information to any public institutions? How do we use the information we gather from this process? What sort of negative impact could this have on a host’s business?

> Airbnb takes the privacy of our customer data seriously. We will not supply host’s business information to any public institution or government agency, unless required by law.

If I indicate the general manager or myself as the business owner, what will be the implication if there are any legal issues? Will my general manager or myself assume any responsibility for legal cases?

> Airbnb will not use the business information provided, including any contact information for the beneficial owner or legal representative of your business for service of legal process. The responsibility to engage with Airbnb contractually will reside with the profile or account owner who agreed to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

I’m a co-host and I’m co-hosting on behalf of a business. Do I input that business information? What if I have my own business?

> In case you are co-hosting and have your own business, you should input your own business information. But in case you are co-hosting with a primary host that is a business, you should input that business’s information.

Airbnb Support

6:59 PM, 

All host who has earned more than $15,000 in payouts in the last 365 days is required to go through Business Account Verification. 

Jayesh

7:01 PM

Seems this will apply to the majority of hosts if the threshold is $15,000... Even ones with just one listing... is this just Australia?

Airbnb Support

8:06 PM

Yes, this applies to all countries globally except the US, China and India. This may apply to these 3 remaining countries as well in the near future

Regardless of the number of listings an account has, when the payout reached to $15000 in 365 days, the system will automatically prompt the host to complete the business verification of the account

Jayesh

8:29 PM

Will we have our “business details” on our listing as in the UK?

Airbnb Support

8:43 PM

Your business details will remain private unless mandated by the New Zealand law. 

We treat this information with utmost confidentiality.

[Ruby80]

Hi. Thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated. So do I then now have to actually register as a business with the Australian Tax Office to get over this hurdle? That means I am now providing a service but  my income is being frozen by Airbnb. I have bookings all the way outvyo October.

[Caroline2203]

Airbnb has frozen my account and will not tell me why. What is this business account you are taking about?  I have two houses and Airbnb is hold $31,000 of my money