Safety Concerns

[Lan1]

Dear Fellow Hosts:

I am really concerned about the safety of the Airbnb booking process. I have been receiving booking requests and inquiries at 1-3 AM, demanding IMMEDIATE checking in, guests had zero information ( from where? No ID, no picture, one guest ONLY have verified email address). 

My house was trashed/damaged several times recently by overnight party/drug gathering with all the documentations, but Airbnb denied the claims and approved those criminal activities. They ignored my documentations ( including Neighboor’s complain, third party witnesses etc), just determined “ normal circumstances, damages are wear and tear, even some obviously burned marks on my furnitures...

I respectfully request Airbnb to re-examine those evidences, investigate  the increasing crime activities, and protect our hosts.

I also will contact local safety authorities for support!

My fellow hosts, I don’t wish those crimes happening in your home, please be cautious and don’t hesitate to reject some suspicious bookings request even Airbnb could penalize you, or accepting rates going down, safety is more important than anything else!

please advise!

Lan 

[Anonymous]

@Lan1  Are you sure last-minute requests are right for you? It is possible to adjust your calendar settings so that same-day requests are blocked by default. With this setting it's still possible to manually unblock individual days.

[Lan1]

@Anonymous Previously worked very well with the same day bookings until Airbnb changed  the booking process safety control requirements. Yes! Have to find ways to protect ourselves even get less booking. Thank you for your comments!

[G-C-R-M0]

I am not sure if this has anything to do with same day booking at all. If the guests are just irresponsible, no matter how many days in advance they book, if airbnb lower those standards, hosts will still get bad guests like these because pretty much airbnb relaxed the requirement so much to get more guests signed up.

Oh yea, I forgot, they are trying to go public soon, so they want to get market share.

[Helen427]

@Lan1 
Change your cut off time for your bookings for the evening to close at 9pm and state that 9pm is the latest they can book and check in for the day, if that is a reasonable hour for you.

You can specify what time a Guest is able to 'Check in' until on your listing.

All the best

[Emilia42]

I don't give the option for same day booking and I would suggest the same for all Airbnb hosts. So many things can go wrong. You are not even guaranteed that you will be paid.

[Alathea0]

Hi! I noticed your comment while trying to find some info about trust and safety department/claims and situations where a guest doesn’t pay. I had a same day booking a few weeks ago that the guest extended to 6 days (within the Airbnb platform) and then I never saw the payment go through.  I am currently waiting for the ever elusive email from a “trust and safety” person but am worried that might never happen. I can’t request money from the guest in the resolution center because I don’t have a reservation number, yet the guests name and dates are blocked out on the calendar in the app.  Have you had any similar experience to this? 

[Kaylee18]

@Lan1   I am a huge supporter of exterior cameras. They are great to have to protect your property and can help you know if anything (like a party) is happening at your home. 

Just make sure you make it VERY clear in your listing you have exterior cameras. I have read about some people's accounts being suspended for not listing it. 

[Emilia42]

@Kaylee18, unfortunately, some accounts are suspended even if the cameras are very clearly listed. We just can't win 😕

[G-C-R-M0]

@Emilia42  I am told by airbnb case manager it is OK with airbnb to put exterior camera. I think whoever is getting suspended should be brought up with airbnb.

I am about to put exterior cameras just because our past guest(s) had lied about their booking and brought double number of people to the house (booked 7, but 12 people stayed by my count - using back-up mattresses in storage), and similar to Lan's experience, trashed the house.
 

[Emilia42]

@G-C-R-M0 

It IS okay with Airbnb to put up exterior cameras as long as they are disclosed in your listing but it doesn't mean they aren't going to suspend your account if a guest complains about them.  There are dozens of posts on this forum about it . . . 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Airbnb-sent-notice-about-limited-access-after-guest-repo...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Account-Suspended/m-p/1139334

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Trust-and-safety-unresponsive/m-p/1080326

[G-C-R-M0]

Wow.. just wow. I am speechless. Thanks @Emilia42! 
Airbnb is really not a good place for host then.

[Sarah977]

@Lan1  For goodness sakes, set yourself a one or two day advance notice. No host needs or wants middle of the night messages demanding to check in immediately. Not taking same-day bookings makes sense for several reasons, and doesn't necessarily mean you'll get less bookings- it just means you'll get bookings from legitimate guests who plan ahead instead of partiers and drug dealers. I can understand same-day bookings being crucial to offer if a listing is right near the airport, for instance, as that host's bookings may primarily be air travelers who need a place for a layover or if they've had their flight cncelled or overbooked, but there's not many cases where same-day bookings are necessary or desirable, IMO

[Lan1]

@Sarah977 @Kaylee18 :

There are cameras in my property but one is on top of the gate. Since I have a long driveway and huge yard, sometimes WiFi couldn’t reach the gate, but I do have documentations. I am thinking changing the booking setting. Those guests sending booking request or inquiries late passed midnight were either drunk or under substance influence-even I can sense quickly now, as a very naive, simple, innocent Chinese lady, grow up in a very different environment, barely understand drug addiction culture. It makes me worry so much as their minds were under chemical control, they were not themselves and capable to do anything and hurting people. One guest left candles FIRE ON after checking out, the wind was blowing the candles down the table, left burn marks.., was so lucky my cleaning lady arrived earlier as usual otherwise the house could be on fire.... text communication screenshots and pictures available.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions, hope you can protect your property and yourself better!

[Lan1]

Yesterday the 2:00Am inquire was not last minute, I had guests in my house. ( He was intending booking the second day, but urgently needed to get in). Conversations were not rational, mostly that guy was under some substance influence....I was glad he didn’t get instant booking, and just enter the house.