Forced to Accept or Decline guests not meeting requirements.

[Jim472]

I figured I'd start a new conversation in case Airbnb scans titles to see how screwed up this is. 

Logging in today I was met with:

Basic requirements
1 host requirement need your attention

and that was me falling below the Accepted reservations 88% Target value. 

I'm livid that I should be placed in a position where I have to Accept or Decline a reservation that the guest doesn't meet my basic requirements. I'm upset that my response time is growing while I try to get them to cancel the reservation. And I'm let down after having a chat with customer service that they 1. can't do an admin cancellation when the request itself isn't, imo, valid and 2. they told me it to just put the requirements not met in the note section to Airbnb on the decline and it won't effect me.

Well obviously it does effect me in the sense of a glaring "...need your attention" marker. I have Instant book on and it's works like a charm, people I want to host are booked in and everything is fine. 

I think the system in place is not working as intended and people who don't meet standards shouldn't even have the option to book. It also opens up the possibility for abuse. What if I had a competing host near by and I just made a bunch of fake accounts, posted requests, and see what happens to their account when their rate falls like rain. 

I think this should be addressed by Airbnb. 

[Ben551]

@Jim472  I don’t get it. I use Instant Book and have declined 2 reservation requests in the past month that didn’t meet my criteria, and I still have a 100% acceptance rate. If what you are saying is true, then that wouldn’t be possible.

I even have it in writing from Airbnb that no host receives consequences for declining a booking that doesn’t meet house rules... maybe that’s the difference? In my case both times I chose house rules as the reason for decline, since they had children and I don’t accept them. My acceptance rate is still 100%, so it had no effect.

Unless there is a limit on the number of times you can decline? How many have you declined?

[Jim472]

From what I've read you're allowed 3 Instant booking declines in a year for "bad vibes" but unlimited if they break the rules. 

What I'm talking about are the people who aren't allowed to instant book because they don't meet my requirements but still send a booking request the old fashion way. Then I'm hit with that **bleep** 24 hours to Accept or Decline with no other option. 

[Ben551]

Yeah I’m talking about the same thing @Jim472 . Both times for me the guest was bringing children, so they couldn’t instant book because I have it set not to allow children or pets. They sent a request the normal way. I declined and selected “rules” as the reason. No impact to my acceptance rating.

[Peege0]

Hi, sorry to drop in like this but I am here because I am affected by this 'blip' rule and searched the internet for solutions. So yes, I selected "rules" and yet they gave me 85% acceptance rate. One case, to my horror only has a phone number verification whilst I'm only comfortable accepting guests with all their verifications submitted. Obviously I can't check this until after I "accept". 

[Lynn368]

Hi Pegge,

I also have the same issue using the booking system through out the year....I assumption is the booking system lack of verification and validation...

Some guests are new and understand the Concept of Airbnb,  some don't although I always try to be as accommodating as I possibly can...

At the moment, I don't believe that this issue is on the radar to be addressed?

Let's hope mutual understanding and respect winning the "battle". 

[John1080]

@Jim472, yes, you're allowed 3 IB cancellations per year, but it sounds as if you're speaking about a regular request. 

For regular requests, it is indeed very frustrating when people request to book and they don't meet your requriements. This is one of many glaring loop holes in the AirBnb system, which puts hosts at a disadvantage and can make it difficult to meet the target goals. 

For the 88% acceptance rate, a while back I dropped down to 92% acceptance, partially because I had to deny a single guest twice. I was a bit concerned, so I contacted Airbnb and was told that maintaining the 88% acceptance rate is not as important as maintaining the 100% response rate. 

Of course, we should keep the acceptance rate as high as possible, but dropping below that will not damage your Superhost status. In fact, we've had several other posters here who have claimed their acceptance rate is well below that and has been for a long time.

That said, it seems likely that declining too many requests will result in placing your listing further down on the search results. 

[Jim472]

I wouldn't mind if my place didn't show up at all for those who don't meet my requirements, it'd save me the decline, it'd save me the response rate, and it'd save those guests from wasting their time.

One request actually came from a "Freelance magician and clown, loves to travel!" with zero reviews. And I get percentage points off for declining. If he had a review it would be instant bookable but no, I've got to decline a clown. 

[John1080]

Lol @Jim472 on the clown!! Do you deny all requests without prior reviews? Or in this case was it specifically because he was a clown? 

Unfortunately, for regular bookings there is no setting to disqualify guests with zero reviews, that I’m aware of, so although it may be your personal requirement for a guest to have reviews, Airbnb doesn’t recognize that. 

Probably half of my guests have no prior reviews, but I make sure they have a completed profile, several verifications, including the gov’t ID verification and that they respond to my questions appropriately. All these guests have turned out to be great and have had no issues thus far. 

With regards to the placement in the search results, if you decline too many times, not only will you rank lower for guests you don’t want, but for all potential guests searching the area. 

[Jim472]

No man its not a personal requirement  It's in plain black and white that they need it to book. That's what I'm upset about. 

[John1080]

@Jim472, they have this set up in a confusing way, but the above applies to instant booking only. If one does not meet the above requirements, he can still request to book, which you then have to accept or deny. Unfortunately, it is IMO, a loophole, but that’s the way it is. 

In those cases, I’d recommend considering some of those without reviews, and obviously unable to have recommendations. Set up a pre-saved message with all your policies in detail and ask any and all questions you feel pertinent. I think you’ll find, as long as you do your due-diligence, you won’t hsbe any issues. 

[Jim472]

So as I understand it that, in your case, if they didn't have a government ID you'd be forced to Accept or Decline also? Is that correct?

[John1080]

@Jim472, yes that’s correct. In that case, I message them welcoming them to Airbnb and explaining that as a community, almost all hosts require a completed profile and several verifications, including the gov’t ID and that I can approve them afterwards. 

I’ve had this occur probably 4 times and in all cases, the potential guest completed the profile and verifications and satisfied me with their responses and the way they handled themselves during the chat. 

I’ve found the number one criteria for determining whether a guest will ultimately be a good or poor guest is their level of communication and their responses to my questions. 

[Jim472]

I tell them during the q&a stage that:

Thank you for your interest in our property. I'm sorry but we have more stringent requirements than some other properties and require prior host reviews. We won't be able to accommodate you until you stay elsewhere first. Good luck in your search.

Still they send a booking request and I'm backed into a corner.

[Jim472]

And where it's easy for them to upload an ID and book, getting a review is considerably more difficult. My point is both requirements should be treated with equal weight and they're even on the same selection screen.