Third party booking not allowed, unless...

[Emiel1]

I recieved an inquiry from someone who wanted to book almost 4 weeks for his mother.

I replied third party bookings are not allowed (except when made by validated business accounts) and therefore i can not accept such a reservation.

After some discussion it appears the mean reason was: the mother did not own a creditcard.

So i suggested: contact Airbnb and ask for permission, then i am OK with it.

And guess what:  Airbnb granted permission to this person to make this third party booking.

best regards,

Emiel

[Alon1]

@Emiel1 

Nothing new here. 

I've posted few times elsewhere that in practice 3rd PB is a gray area and in many cases Airbnb facilitate the booking. 

The first time I contacted Airbnb about it, CS simply advised me to ensure the Booker 'Accepts liability in any eventuality'. It covers the website re their (nebulous) Host Guarantee.

There are other details to add, but I'm tired of repeating them.

[Emiel1]

@Alon1 

Thank you for replying. I did some search in the community, but could not locate your postings.

In theory it is not a gray area (it is simply not allowed: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/427/can-i-book-on-behalf-of-a-friend-or-family-member ), but in practice there are escapes.As in my case the booker gets permission. But I still refused the booking, i feel uncomfortable to discuss with booker clauses like "Accepts liability in any eventuality".

best regards,

Emiel

[Alon1]

@Emiel1 

My posts are in other people's threads, i.e. I didn't initiate the discussions.

I'll try find them though I don't archive my CC contributions.

In any case, forget the 'theory'. 

  (You certainly don't need to quote me this link, I know it off by heart and quite frequently have to inform Inquirers). 

In practise 3 PB is wide-spread. If you spend some time doing a global search of numerous Reviews you'll see how common it is, mostly on behalf of family & friends as we might expect.

Consequently, please don't believe that the CS you dealt with was doing something rare or exceptional. Many of them facilitate 3rd PB. That's why I termed it a gray area.

[Sam397]

I have said this before but I don't get the refusal of third-party billing. I have had at least 20 of them and not one was anything other than great guest. There are a lot of good, honest people that don't have credit cards. If you are worried about not knowing who is staying at your house just tell them the people who will be staying will need to provide id's at check-in. 

I don't know about everyone else but I don't get enough bookings to where I can just throw away a 4-week booking because a guy wants to book for his mother. Just how big of a risk would she be? 

[Gordon0]

Like @Sam397, I've taken loads of third-party bookings, and while the Airbnb 'laws' may be a little grey, my bookings - having always been mums/dads/granparents - have been trouble-free. Would I take one for a 16-year-old party monster? No. 

It's about risk, and what we're comfortable with. 

[Sandra126]

I do them fairly often: For ageing parents who are not internet savvy (I know mine aren't either and would never book). Presents for sisters, brothers, wedding gifts, etc. These are bookings and clientele which would not happen otherwise. And since I used to take my bookings from other sources before Air and there was never any kind of guarantee I am not afraid. Cannot see a problem.

[Ton11]

Hi all,

I use the following rule: if a guest (account holder) informs me before actually making the reservation with explanation of who is coming (e.g. family member, close friend, part of a present) I will accept. The key point is that the account holder is frank and straight forward about it.

If the account holder informs after making the reservation, I would rather be inclined to not accept and ask Airbnb to cancel without penalties, which is not a problem as the account holder violated the Terms of Service. Obviously, if the explanation is acceptable, I might proceed with the reservation.

When it comes to guarantee from Airbnb in case of problems, property damage, excessive cleanliness issues after check-out, review disputes, etc. the account holder is still the final responsible person. Nevertheless, have in mind that, often depending on the CS agent, you may not be covered by the Host Guarantee Program.

I agree that the mayority of the guests behave much better as they are aware that they are enjoying a present, or courtesy, of a member of the Airbnb community.

[Alon1]

@Ton11 

Ton,

Please excuse me, but I'm confused by your profile.

You speak as an experienced Airbnb Host, but you do not have any listings or reviews posted on your profile.

It leads me to speculate you may have a separate Hosting account?

However, to the best of my knowledge we are only permitted a single account.

Consequently, I would appreciate your clarification.

Thanks,

Alon

=========

Ps. To ensure I receive notification of your response, please use the @ sign and tag my name from the drop down menu. 

[Helen3]

Honestly it's not up to us to questions our fellow posters on here  as to how many accounts they may have @Alon1 

You can co-host on as many listings as you want without it showing up on your own profile.

@Ton11 in Barcelona doesn't need to clarify anything !

[Alon1]

@Helen3 

Thank you for the clarification.

But in another discussion on another thread I also questioned similarly, and the respondent replied only one account and no business account.

Otherwise, I was not aware that co-hosting do not appear on one's profile. I was under the impression they are.

Last but not least, don't you think some one should answer for themselves instead of you interjecting on their behalf?

[Helen3]

No I don't this is a community forum @Alon1  and the whole purpose of the forum is that hosts share their advice and knowledge with each other.

I wasn't 'interjecting on @Ton's behalf'.  I was sharing my knowledge.

[Alon1]

@Helen3 

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Still, it doesn't stop Toni from deciding if he wishes to respond or not. I'm sure he's capable of deciding for himself without your contribution.

Best leav it alone Helen, because you and me simply don't see eye-to-eye on many issues, and we just get into a cranking waste of time. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Emiel1 

In the situation you explain if the account holder is a family member and upfront about the 3rd party booking I think I would probably allow it - but I would ask to speak with the person actually planning to stay in my home first to make sure they understand my house rules and also get written confirmation from the account holder that they agree to take full responsibility for the guest who will stay. 

Airbnb has never really guaranteed anything. So I think it's up to the host to weigh the risks and make their own decision. 

[Emilia42]

I agree with @Jessica-and-Henry0. "Airbnb has never really guaranteed anything." Whether the booking is done by a third party or not, I am not confident that Airbnb will support me with any reservation. So if I feel comfortable with the third party situation, I'll take it.