Let’s talk about reviewing for your Neighborhood

[Bellanger0]

Hell I’m starting to get low ratings for my location please help 

[Lawrene0]

Yikes, you sure are, @Bellanger0 . You've addressed it in your summary, which might help. Are you willing to do something with the title like "Good house/Bad neighborhood"? That will weed out a lot of the unrealistic bookers right away. 

[Marissa160]

@Bellanger0  May I ask why you are being so defensive with the people leaving the reviews about the location? You are not coming across as a nice host in my opinion. I also see that you mention twice about “research the location” but to be honest, there are a lot of new people/guests to Airbnb that may not realize what you mean and some people are really bad about reading the listing rules. Perhaps you can make it more pointed like “this area of Chicago may have more “activity” than others, but our neighbors are watchful and the building is monitored (if true). Something like that to make people feel more comfortable as I imagine you would not host if there really were safety concerns. I hope this is helpful! 

[Alexandra316]

@Bellanger0 I would add a pre-booking question that asks the guest to confirm that they understand that the house is located on the west side of Chicago and that they have researched the location. Either that or turn off instant book and talk to the guest about it before they book. 

The good news is that location ratings don't impact your ability to qualify for Superhost. I think it's the dumbest ratings catergory: unless the location in the listing isn't accurate, guests know where they are booking before they reserve. If they don't like the location, they just shouldn't book, in my opinion. I get downrated because I'm not closer to Niagara Falls... if people just book the location they'd actually like to stay in, they could save themselves a lot of disappointment.

I would generally say it wouldn't be a bad idea to change up your written description a bit. There isn't much there and there are a lot of typos. I think it's good that you're mentioning the location front and center, but maybe just clean it up. 

[Debra300]

@Bellanger0,

My parents are from Chicago, and I still have cousins living there.  I know the city has very different neighborhoods.  The other responses you've received are very helpful.  Don't take anything personally regarding things you cannot control, and location is primary on that list.  Correct any typos, and try to soften the tone of general description, and remove the street address from the Things to Know section before Airbnb delists (that's a major violation of their terms of service).  Every guest, new or seasoned is responsible to research or inquire where a listing is located prior to booking, if they are unfamiliar with the neighborhood.  Especially, in a very large city.  Has the information in the Where You'll Be section always been the same in that it mentions the rental is in West Garfield Park?  If so, it should have provided enough details for a potential guest to research the area before booking.

[Laura2592]

@Bellanger0  safety is a big issue for guests. You have to remember that these people are going on a vacation. Not everyone understands what life in an urban neighborhood in Chicago is like, even if they watch the news. The city varies wildly. If you are totally unfamiliar with an area it could be a rude awakening. 

That said, many times "unsafe location" means that there are non-white people living nearby. Its inherently racist, yes. I would just be painfully clear in your listing. This area is located next to X attractions. It has a walk score of X. There is some crime in the area so please use caution. Its a diverse neighborhood. Its not a great place to walk at night. That kind of stuff.

Or maybe consider doing a landlord situation instead of ABB. We have a gorgeous condo in New Orleans that we use as our own vacation spot but would not open it up on ABB.  Why? Because its New Orleans. We have seen open air drug sales, people getting in violent arguments, women soliciting, etc. Our condo is not in a bad location by any means but that is what the city is. Heck we just had packages opened and the contents stolen after being on the doorstep for an hour. One guy who lives in a million dollar place down the street had is car broken into 7 times in the last 2 years. People do not always understand the realities of urban life. Likewise, some locations are not suited to host strangers who you can't vet to ensure that they understand what you have to offer. Good luck!