Protecting Superhost Status for Superhosts who can not host due to Government Health Orders

[Mendo0]

Several municipalities now have Health Department Covid-19 orders that mandate closure of STRs and vacation rentals with both fines and penalties. 

Our guest studio airbnb.com/rooms/318004 has earned  Superhost status since 2013; 23 quarters in a row.

Our Mendocino County health order  has mandated STR closure since the beginning of March and since we are a tourist destination with low case load (at the moment and desirous of keeping it that way)  there is no indication of lifting the restriction anytime soon.

The below picture is of a notice on a local STR in violation of the orders. Not our listing. We are fully compliant with Health Department orders and will be fully compliant till the end of the orders and the crisis.

STRs Prohibited due to Covid-19

Missing a quarter of half year of bookings and ratings would normally (technically) end our Superhost status.  

This is a request to AIRBNB to modify #Superhost requirements to fit the crisis for long term Superhosts or maybe just void the cumulative booking and rating requirements for 2020 in effected or all areas. 

Assuming this situation may be common for many other Superhosts and since Airbnb and it's hosts will have a difficult return to future business as normal. this policy delta would be beneficial to all. 

Stay safe and be well, all.

Thank you,

 airbnb.com/h/mendostudio

[Sarah977]

@Mendo0  They have already suspended the # of stays and 1% cancellations requirements for retaining Superhost for the July assessment period. I agree that it needs to be extended, since many of us are not able to host at all due to govt. restrictions, or having a home-share listing, or simply assessing that it isn't safe, regardless of whether it is allowed, so our Superhost metrics will be affected for quite awhile to come.

[Mendo0]

Thank you Sarah.

Is that up on Airbnb's website?

You are totally correct in your assessment and comments.

Be well 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Mendo0 Yep, it's on the site. Don't have time right now to find it again and post the link. Also itmight be mentioned on the Progress>Opportunities>Superhost page, can't remember.

[Mendo0]

@Lizzie @Stephanie  Could you please bring this situation to Airbnb's attention. Thanks

[Anonymous]

@Mendo0   https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/answers-for-superhosts-about-the-july-superhost-ass...

It's not Airbnb's style to make long-range commitments - they fly by the seat of their pants. Especially now that the whole travel industry is in tatters.

I think it's likely that they'll extend the criteria waivers for at least another quarter, maybe more depending on how the pandemic situation evolves.  But what's not going to happen is localization; this is a high-tech company with a shrinking workforce and plummeting revenue, so if they continue the Superhost program at all it's going to be exclusively with automation and a single set of criteria, rather than ones that vary according to your local county's restrictions.

[Mendo0]

Thank you @Anonymous and thanks for the link. I believe you may be hitting the nail right on it's head. Sadly, whatever local-ism there may have been years ago will probably not survive. It has been fading long before this crisis. Guess it makes sense that for Airbnb to survive and thrive it will be a much different platform going forward . For us old timer solo property hosts, there will always be nostalgia.

Thanks again and stay safe over there. 😷 

[Gitte5]

We have also been super hosts ever since we had been open long enough to achieve this status. Although the lock-down of London has been lifted we are not able to receive visitors as we are part of  an extremely vulnerable bubble (terminally ill close friend/family on chemo therapy whom we support). Our in-home bnb facilities are not fully self contained. We  have had to decline a range of enquiries due to their higher covid risk and now closed for the next couple of months as it is not fair on the travellers to waste their time (a few weeks life expectancy applies to our family friend). We  are desperately hoping that AirBnb iwll be able to take this into account when reviewing Super Host Status in October! Does anyone else have such vulnerability issues and are there any suggestions as to how best go about the issue?

Thank you and wishing you safe and well!