Dear hosts,
I have been hosting in Jordan " Middle East " for the past 6 years and since then I have been a Superhost.
In December 2021, I have received an email from one of the case managers stating that I have violated the non-discrimination policy because it is written on my listing description that; I only host "tourists" and I won't be able to host " Locals", and my listings are blocked until I confirm I have read the policy and removed the violation. I replied to the case manager and provided the proper documents that I got a confirmation from Airbnb to state this policy in my listing and I am not violating anything due to the " Specific Guidance for Hosts Outside the United States, European Union, and Canada". The case manager got back to me after 10 hrs of blocking my listings that She needs to confirm with other departments and will get back to me later, and meanwhile my listings will be unblocked.
Today after 1 month, the same case manager got back to me telling me that this is a violation and will block my listings again. Ignoring Airbnb's confirmation of my policy and Airbnb's "Specific Guidance for Hosts Outside the United States, European Union, and Canada"
In my country, we have very strict laws and regulations in regards to security and safety (drugs and terrorism). Tourists must register their address of stay, before entering the borders of Jordan via a website, and they must confirm their address of stay at the immigration desks upon arriving to Jordan. On the other hand, anyone who has an address in Jordan " i,e Local" should stay in a hotel or serviced apartments where they are connected directly to the police department to register them immediately. My Airbnb is not a hotel nor a serviced apartment.
As a host, I have the following points to address:
1- How can a case manager be subjective to any host regardless of the very clear regulations stated by Airbnb?
2- It is stated in the Nondiscrimination Policy, which was written by the Legal Department of Airbnb, under the" Specific Guidance for Hosts Outside the United States, European Union, and Canada" the following :
*We do not require hosts to violate local laws, nor to accept guests that could expose the hosts to a real and demonstrable risk of arrest, or physical harm to their persons or property.
*In communicating any such restrictions, we expect hosts to use clear, factual, non-derogatory terms. Slurs and insults have no place on our platform or in our community.
After getting the confirmation and approval from Airbnb that I can state my listings are for tourists and can't host locals, this case manager tells me the word "Local" is a discriminative word. Hosting locals in my area would subject me and my properties to security issues by the government that I can spare myself easily.
3- Such a decision of blocking any host's listings should not be made by a single person who is clearly subjective. And despite that, I asked multiple times about the need of changing my case manager, no action has been made towards this. How can I raise my case to the legal department of Airbnb?
4- From another point of view, hosting locals would have financial privilege to me, but I prefer to spare myself all the headaches from our complicated local laws and regulations in regards to hosting a local. I receive bookings every day, how can this case manager make it up for me during this time, which is a high season after two years of no reservations, since I am not violating Airbnb's policy?
Last but not least, I have hosted thousands of guests from different Races, colors, Ethnicity, National origins, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Marital Status and none of my guests complained that I was discriminative towards them. Shouldn't this be taken into consideration by my case manager? Shouldn't I get, at least, a notification that my listings will be blocked and I have a time limit to correct the situation?
I have raised my case to all of you in hopes of getting your opinions and perspectives and reaching the legal department of Airbnb.
Thank you
Abdalla