AirBnB exposing hosts to potential fraud/scams

[Andrew890]

I've been a host for over a year and have a perfect guest review history (5 star average). I'm writing this post to warn of a loophole that guest are taking advantage of. Airbnb policy states that if a guest takes a picture of any condition of your home during their stay or even after they have stayed but prior to check out, they can take a picture of mess that they caused/created and airbnb will hold the host responsible if they (guest) makes a cleanliness complaint.

Airbnb will offer the guest between 50% to 100% refund, which means guests now know how to stay at your home for free. I'm considering litigating the matter based on principle even though i'd lose either way due to court cost.

Please also do NOT anger any of the resolution/ customer service agent that resolves disputes due to the fact that they are all powerful and can decide by themself to offer guest full refund without providing you with evidence of why this was done. What about escalating to a supervisor? well unlike most professional business where the supervisor or higher ups are independent of their subordinates, at Airbnb my experience has been very diffferent.

The precedent has been set and is well documented. Any guest can use your home, get it dirty and then take pictures and submit for a cleaniness claim, airbnb will then issue a 50%-100% refund to that guest.

Customer Service/ resolution agent name was ** and her supervisor was **.

Good Luck to my fellow Hosts.

Host for over 1 year.

**[Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Talessia0]

Unfortunately I think I was just scammed this way. The guest arrived on the 19th  and the first message they sent was that the house was beautiful and how happy they were with the appearance and set up. From there the messages started at first they were asking for a large skillet. Then they  were displeased about almost everything! They stated that the house was so dirty. Mind you I have a cleaning service and even though the house has been vacant for months it is generally very clean. They took pictures of the carpet in the formal living room which had a piece of grass or maybe a piece of the doormat on it and demanded I send a cleaning service. Which I did promptly in the morning. They kept the lady for an additional hour more than what I requested and told her to bill me for the extra hour. They moved all of my furniture out of the home for her to clean. Then proceeded to continue complaining after she left. It was horrible and I'm considering just taking the house off and selling it or making it a rental property instead. Which I don't want to do because my family and I use it when we want to vacation! Mind you it is a entire house in South Florida with a brand new pool! 

I'm so distraught right now! I sent them a partial refund because I'm scared they are going to give me a bad review! I don't know what to do. 

[John1574]

@Talessia0

Interesting post and well presented. Thanks for sharing your experience. I would like to read a follow-up from you with more details and any lessons you gleaned from this experience.

I think this is an experience from which you can learn valuable lessons, and it will keep you from making the same mistakes in the future: it is not a reason to give up the business.

 As a follow up for instance, could you list the other complaints that they assaulted you with other than the cleaning business and the skillet?  You said they complained about everything and that sounds like a long list of various complaints.  I'll be interested to hear about their other complaints. I'm interested in the modus operandi of these type of scammers.

What most guests look for is a clean place when they move into an AirBnB, that seems to be the most important thing to guests. 

In my opinion an Airbnb rental should be spotlessly clean. There should be nothing for a guest to pick on, no dust, no cobwebs, nothing whatsoever, spotlessly clean. This means clean toilets, no dust under the beds, no dust anywhere, a spotless stove top and oven, perfectly vacuumed carpets if you have carpets and spotlessly clean hardwood floors if you have wood floors. When I refer to a place being spotless, I mean nothing that a rational guest could complain about.

That way, if you do get a complaint about cleanliness, you know you're dealing with a scammer immediately.

I am writing this for the benefit of any host who reads it. I'm not suggestion that you're guests we're not scamming you or that your place was dirty. 

 I'm putting forth my opinion that if you make your space spotlessly clean you're protecting yourself from this type of scam. 

I have my eye out for this type of guest scam if they come to my place, and I will be ready for them because of these helpful threads.

 I will not be changing my MO or making guests do a walk-through or sign anything. I don't even meet most of my guests.

What I will do is continue to provide my guests a spotlessly clean unit when they enter.

I consider providing a spotlessly clean place to my guests a non-negotiable obligation on my part.

 If someone complains about the cleanliness of my unit, I will know they are attempting to scam. 

[Mark116]

Wow.  Crazy.

What we started doing is doing a video walk through before guests arrive.  That way, it's on record how the house looked before they arrived.  Then, after the review period is over, we delete the file.  I don't know if you can do it yourself, or have your cleaning person do it, then there is proof that the house was clean and it will  help prevent that kind of BS.

[Christine615]

Theat you gave them a refund is your first mistake as a host. I have had two guests that left a mess then complained my house was dirty. There are people who are OCDvand you can’t fix that. But giving a refund to avoid a bad review is how hosts are getting scammed...especially new ones desperate for ratings,

Lets hope they don’t review you at all but if they do write something negative on the public review part (not the private feedback part) then write a calm and polite response.

One note, even if house has been vacant for a while you still need to inspect and re-clean it before guests arrive.

Still.. remember that all of us have had a guest who can’t be pleased. It happens. Eventually you’ll have enough positive reviews to drown it out.

[Virgil8]

Unfortunately, no matter what you do they will probably leave a bad review. Stand your ground and offer zero refund.! In real estate we call this professional tenants.

[Eileen462]

@Talessia0   Talessia I would have told them to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW! ... regardless.  I will not be treated that way in my own home.  If they dont like what I have for them they can gat ahold of AIRBNB and make other arrangements!  PERIOD!  wow Im so mad at them for treating you that way!  If they want perfection and maid service let them stay in a hotel!

[Allan144]

Hosts are now treated as Canon Fodder. Loose a few Hosts not a big deal.
We had a guest who  had claimed to be a travel writer and her partner a
graphic designer/website builder sent in photos that were blatantly Photo Shopped, 
of A mouse in our house, they were given a 50% refund. They stayed for 10 days out
of the 14 day booking with no complaints at all.
As a host we were not consulted or even asked what our side of the story was.
We now demand to view all guest reviews before accepting them.

[Eileen462]

@Allan144   Allan here in California USA we call people like that "Squatters" and there are many here.

[Paul1906]

I suggest to have your house manager take pictures of every part of the house on the day of the guest's arrival.

[Luc162]

latest airbnb experience , is crazy guys... msg me for info *sensitive information hidden* how they took my money for hosting  is the latest one you should know be aware AirBnb scam. is going down shortly

[Smolenskin0]

I am in the process of another fraud issue with Airbnb. I own an apartment that is listed on Airbnb for rent. A tenant of mine discovered an identical apartment listed on Airbnb. Someone is using my photos and name and listed my apartment. They are taking reservations for it. They do not have access to my apartment. I have contacted Airbnb and they are very slow to respond and it is now over 24 hours and they have not disabled the fake listing. The fake lister is still accepting reservations & bookings and double bookings for my apartment. I am listed on VRBO as well and have NEVER had any issues with them

[Smolenskin0]

sorry, the second listing was posted by a real estate broker that had worked for me in the past to find tenants. He was checking with me not to double book. 

[Eileen462]

@Smolenskin0  I am so sorry and really shocked that people stoop this low.

[Trude0]

”The precedent has been set and is well documented. Any guest can use your home, get it dirty and then take pictures and submit for a cleaniness claim, airbnb will then issue a 50%-100% refund to that guest.”

I’m sorry, but I doubt if this is accurate. I have a hard time believing that Airbnb would automatically side with the complaining guest - I think they probably consider each case separately, looking at arguments and any evidence from both sides, before they conclude. I am a superhost with 41/41 5-star reviews, with 4.8-5.0 on all sub-categories. If a guest should claim my listing was dirty, the description inaccurate or similar, I trust that Airbnb would not automatically grant a complaining guest a refund. That they would take my track record into account, when judging thecomplaint.

But I understand that their job is not easy, so just in case I will need it, I make videos of my listing before each check in, to document that it is clean, nothing broken etc. I’m sure Airbnb will appreciate receiving the videos, should they ever receive a complaint.

I also plan to use the videos as argument if a guest ever makes a complaint directly to me/asks fora discount. With any luck, the mere  knowledge of the existence if such documentation, will discourage a guest from even trying to make a complaint to Airbnb, or write a bad review! 😄

Fortunately, I have had only great guests thus far, in my 18 months of hosting, and never needed the videos - but you never know!

[Lisa-And-Amanda1]

we are not being supported by Airbnb it's the worst. I have soiled linens and have to come up with the costs because the guest declines to pay for them. I hate how rude people are.