@Erica0
Wow! That must have been so scary! I'm sorry you had to deal with that without physical backup.
You opened your home out of goodwill, the guests were frauds; they lied, took advantage, disrespected you and your home, broke several laws, and ABB booted you and all 3 of your properties? No "are you ok?", 1st warning or education? No concerns about "how could we make this (Open Homes) a better program and help hosts avoid this in the future?" or "Is this "open homes" thing really a good idea if we can't set it up with enough structure to create safety and success?"
I think ABB may have gotten so big it's forgotten it's community roots of people-to-people cooperation and good will, which was the foundation for it's success.
I'm not close by the fires, but my heart broke for all those who lost everything, and I put my listing on "Open Homes." It lasted all of 2 hours until I read the host horror stories from back east about scammers, squatters, having to formally evict, and no support from ABB, and my gut decided that was the end of it for me, even though I saw dozens of good-hearted hosts opening thier homes in CA. Hoping for enough good news to reinstate my property in the program, I created a post here expressing my concerns about the lack of clarity and policy about Open Homes from ABB about how "open homes" works, what would happen if we refused a request (from a scammer), and what ABB would do/not as support: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/OPEN-HOMES-PROGRAM/m-p/888478#M218913 There was little conversation and no response from the moderator @Lizzie, but I still wanted to help, so I chose to my space via direct referral from friends on FB instead. I donated total of 7 days to folks grateful for a place to ground and regroup, it went well, and I would do it again this way. Direct referrals have ties and accountability.
Yes @Clara0, this is definitely a valuable "teaching moment" which could benefit everyone, and hopefully @Erica0 and her 3 properties can return as active community member and superhost.
My house rules clearly state nothing illegal is allowed on the property. So far, I've not had an issue, but it's all over, so no one is immune.
I know there's a "help" section if you have a "bad" guest, another if someone threatens your safety, and another if a guest breaks the house rules, but I do not recall seeing anything on drugs/dealing/using, and when it catches you by surprise at 4 am and you're worried about your well being and blow torches in the bedroom down the hall, and what if they return with friends, or hostile competitors follow them back to your place...who has time to click through pages of text?
There are things we need to educate ourselves about (local laws, where/when to call for help, etc), and ABB would do well to create more clarity and policy around this. ABB is not the police, and it;s not thier responnsibility to be, but I do hope there's enough documentation surrounding your experience to appeal your case with ABB .
Regarding income -- this is NOT the end of your business. ABB isn't the only online listing of it's kind anymore. Do some research and learn about alternatives. I think you might be pleased with what you find, and far wiser moving forward.
You're fortunate the guests did not walk in on you with "freinds", and to be honest, I might have done the same thing you did. The last thing a host or the neighbors want is negative drama and the police storming the place at 4AM. ABB has already had a lot of headlines for that in LA and elsewhere.
Bottom line: We have a right to decide who comes into our home and how they will behave.
Thankfully, you're OK and your business can continue with or without ABB. Be gentle with yourself, take a breather, do something nice for you, and don't let this shut you down.
Hugs,
Susan