Any host ever met this situation?

Jenny-and-Leonard0
Level 2
West Covina, CA

Any host ever met this situation?

My guests have checked in, but Airbnb suddenly cancelled their account and informed me Airbnb couldn't support the reservation any more. 

Currently I don't have customer's contact as their account has been cancelled. All conversations between the guests and me are deleted. I also couldn't get any payment,  but the guests are still living in the house.

I wrote lots of letters to Airbnb, but only get two letters up to date that they will not support the reservation any more. No reasons.

I called the customer service, they said they could only inform me the guests' account was cancelled due to they think they have some kind of risk.

How could I do? Why Airbnb cancel the guests' account during their stay at our house? Why not before or after their checking in?

9 Replies 9
Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Jenny-and-Leonard0  Airbnb often does things that don't make sense. Get in the habit of writing down guest details, off platform, in case of issues. You need to get to your listing asap, or have someone else go there, if you're a remote host. Have the confirmation of the booking cancellation with you, and remove the guests.

Lenore22
Level 10
California, United States

Wow. That is messed up! They totally abandoned you.

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Jenny-and-Leonard0 I assume you are an off site host. Is that why you did not go over to the house to confront the guest? You should have a local co-host for emergencies like this. Can you find a local security company who will come out and remove them? How far in advance was the reservation made? Airbnb should cover at least the nights up to the time you are able to remove the. You need to fight for that. 

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Jenny-and-Leonard0 

We have heard of this before, not frequently and although this situation can't happen to me because I am an onsite host, nevertheless there are times when I do need to contact a guest once their personal details have been removed, and we do host on a knife edge where Airbnb do hold control over our visibility.

So these wake up calls happen often enough for me to take precautions! 

I screenshot every confirmed reservation so that if something goes off the rails where Airbnb are of no help, I have all the details of the reservation and can at least take matters into my own hands.

 

Try to be conciliatory with support and ask (don't demand) of them, as the guest has been staying in, and given access your property as a result of Airbnb's programming would it be possible for Airbnb to at least cover the cost of the reservation. They will no doubt say no, but when they do you can take the story to one of the local news outlets, they always love stories like this and that may solicit a change of heart by Airbnb.

 

Airbnb do not like their dirty linen being aired in public!

 

Good luck guys, I hope you can get some satisfaction!

 

Cheers........Rob

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Sounds like Airbnb found it was a fraudulent payment or something came up on the guests background checks which made them unsuitable to host. They will not give you the exact reason.

 

Was the guest still there when you went over to check your place was okay @Jenny-and-Leonard0 

Jenny-and-Leonard0
Level 2
West Covina, CA

Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I have somebody go there, the guests informed they would move out tomorrow morning.  I hope they really do so.

Airbnb is good company, most of their staffs are very nice. While in some cases,  hosts are so helpless when they DECIDED something. They could cancel guests' account before their checking in or after they checking out, it's very unreasonable to cancel their ACCOUNT during their stay, while refusing to provide me any  info about the guests, due to "Privacy Policy".  Come on, they are in our house due to our trust to you, and you just tell me that they are of high risky and you couldn't tell any more to us.

Will you think it's funny if one of your friends introduce somebody to live in your house at winter leave, and then said “they are of high risky and I couldn't tell you anything about them. Good luck."?

 

Another time, guests cancelled a reservation on their checking in date, and Airbnb just returned all their deposit and keep these days locked, until the Airbnb agent was back from her holiday, she remembered to unblock these days.  No way to find her during her leave, and no way to complain to Airbnb customer service.

I hope Aibnb have more communications with hosts, so the company, hosts and guests would all feel happy.

@Jenny-and-Leonard0  It's not wise to leave these people in your house, to move out of their own volition. Airbnb HAS told you they are a risk of some sort, have cancelled their account and the reservation, and you have not received any payment. At this point your home is at risk, and these people (they are not 'guests') are trespassing. They need to be forcibly removed, however you can do it. 

OMG I am shocked you let the guests stay there knowing they haven't paid for their stay and have been thrown off the Airbnb platform. @Jenny-and-Leonard0 

 

In your shoes I/your cost should return immediately and stay there until the trespassers have left.

@Jenny-and-Leonard0 


Can you check what they are doing?

And cut electricity!

 

Your house is such a wonderful place... for a party 🥳