"Progress Report," "Targets", and "Penalties"

[L--Marie0]

On the "What are Airbnb's basic requirements for hosts?" page (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/576/what-are-airbnb-s-basic-requirements-for-hosts), it includes this line: " Your performance is tracked against the average level of performance for all hosts on Airbnb. Listings that consistently fall below the average could be subject to penalties." I don't get many guests (and that's fine - I just rent out my own apartment during the summer months, and that's all I want to do), and I'm not concerned with or interested in being a Superhost or a Superhost Plus (or whatever). 

However, I just read my "Progress Report," and I see that there is a "Target" of 4.7 stars listed. (I don't have any stars because I haven't hosted in the most recent evaluation period.) Having found the "listings that consistently fall below the average could be subject to penalties" line, I got worried. Is there a way of knowing what the "average" star rating is? Is the "Target" (4.7) the same as average? ANd what are the "penalties" referred to? 

Again, I'm not interested in being a Superhost or winning prizes or anything. I guess what I'm wondering is: Is there a cut-off star rating below which the listing gets removed from the site? (And is that rating 4.7?) 

Thank you!

[Linda108]

You are not the only host that has low availability for a shared home listing however, an average takes into account professional hosts with many listing that have year round availability.  According to my progress report page, the average takes in a whole year (365 days).  So are you stating that you have not had a guest in over a year?   I wonder if snoozing your listing for most of the year and opening it up a few months before you have availability would make a difference in how your average is calculated.

[L--Marie0]

It's been about 8 months (last summer) since I last hosted. 

Again, though, I'm not really concerned with how my number is calculated (or whether it's 4.6 or 4.7 or 4.8). What I am concerned with is getting kicked off the site. Do you know if and under what conditions they would take that action? (To be clear, I feel like I'm using the site exactly as it started out to be used: renting my own apartment periodically - not all the time - and treating my guests like, well, guests when they do come. I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong or bad ... I'm just hoping that Airbnb doesn't think so, either!) 

[Lisa723]

@L--Marie0 yes, 4.7 is the target and Airbnb considers an average below that to be "failing". Listings have been suspended or deactivated for following below the target, and for various other reasons that Airbnb keeps to itself. I don't know how infrequent hosting factors into that.

Your condo has one review, from July 2017, and your private room has none. (Airbnb doesn't show stars until you have 3 reviews, I think.) But your calendar is wide open. How are you confining reservations to your preferred dates? If you are declining requests to book Airbnb will penalize you for that eventually for sure.

BTW if you want someone to be notified that you have responded to them you have to tag them like @Linda108 

[L--Marie0]

@Lisa723 Thank you for your reply and clarification. (And for the lesson in messageboarding...!)

(Regarding my own place: I don't receive many requests. Not many people come to this area out the high season anyway, so it kind of takes care of itself. If I were to receive a "correct" request for, say, December, well, maybe it'd be worth taking it and I'd go rent a room somewhere else. But as it is, it's not something I really have to worry about. I have declined a handful of requests, but it's always been for good reasons - the person needed an elevator when clearly there is not one ... the person wanted different dates ... the person thought he was booking the entire apartment for a few euros a night when in fact he had asked to book the room ...  )

4.7 out of 5 stars seems like an absurd minimum. When I've used AIrbnb as a Guest, I've given 4 stars to indicate that my stay was very good! If most guests "realize how it works" and score accordingly, it would seem to deprive the rating system of any meaning,  wouldn't it? It recollects the pandemic grade inflation we see now that makes colleges students into point-grunging, meaning-lost automatons ... 

[Lisa723]

@L--Marie0 yes, the Airbnb ratings system is nonsense. If you, as a guest, leave a 4-star rating or worse you are effectively voting for the listing to be deactivated. (I block any guest who does this so they can't book with me again.)

[L--Marie0]

@Lisa723 Geez, I'm learning a lot today. Here I thought I was leaving a "very good" review for someone and ... instead I'm (1) sabotaging my "very good" hosts and (2) getting myself blacklisted in the process. I'm critical of all the young people going after "facebookable" moments and likes and thumbs up and etc etc ... and here I guess I'm discovering that what I thought was a different reality for the grown-ups is in fact even worse. 

Thanks for the lesson ... 

[L--Marie0]

@Linda22 Thank you for your reply.