More outrageous Airbnb Policies against Hosts. More refunds to Guests.

Jeffery5
Level 8
Wilton Manors, FL

More outrageous Airbnb Policies against Hosts. More refunds to Guests.

I just evicted a group of guests from one of my homes in a quiet neighborhood. They booked for 4.   I drove by this morning at 6:30 AM to find 2 cars in the driveway (the legal maximum for Vacation Rentals in my area) and 3 cars parked illegally on the grass and street.    Clearly with 5 cars there are more than 4 guests.  I pounded on the door and watched through the glass as two guys jumped up and starting covering things on the dining table.  Yes, it was suspicous. 

 

Over the next 45 minutes I stood in the rain with multuple calls to Airbnb, as I watch 6 guests pack up and prepare to leave after I told them they were bring evicted for violation my house rules. Several of them, who were not even authorized to be in the house, were very snotty.   At one point they closed the blinds and door so I could no longer see in.   Agian, suspicious.   

 

When I entered the home to do the final push to get them out, they had brought out about 50 shoe boxes.  Bizarre.  When I asked what was in the shoe boxes I was told that one of the girls was moving.  Of couse we all know that shoe boxes are the most efficent container to move all your stuff??  Suspicious. 

 

They departed and I found the dining table still wet from being wiped clean. Well, except for the marijuana that they accidently wiped onto the small outer lip of the table.  Oops.  And then I found dog crap on the floor from the illegal dog that they didn't tell me about or pay for. 

 

One would think that if Airbnb asks us to create rules and people violate them, that we the host would be protected, right. Nope, not at all.

 

So here is Airbnb response when guests............

Violated the rules my having more guests in the home than were registered.  Clearly in my house rules

Had a dog that they didn't inform me would be there and didn't pay for. Clearly in my house rules. 

Parked 5 cars at the property in violation of city ordiance. And damaging my grass and probably irrigation system

And having illegal drugs in the house.  Clearly in my house rules. 

 

So sounds like they should be evicted and I should be paid, right?  Nope!   Even though they broke all these rules, Airbnb is going to refund them the 2 nights they didn't stay.  Seriously!!     Airbnb continues to teach guests how to get away with anything and everything.  They basically teach them that they can break all the rules they want, and if they don't get caught, well good for them . But don't worry, if you do get caugh, we will give you a refund so that you will have the money back to go and screw another Airbnb host. 

 

Between this and their Extenuatioing Circumstances policy, it's just out of control.  Airbnb takes back at least $20,000 from me each year with these insane and "host abusive" policies.  I hope at the next VRMA national conference we can all claim that  "extenuating circumstances" prvented us from stopping by the Airbnb booth. 

 

What has to happen to make them understand that they have to start treating hosts with respect?

 

 

39 Replies 39
Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Jeffery5

Sorry you had a bad guest.

While I am sympathetic, common sense dictates that you should not be paid for unused evenings. You have not earned that revenue. 

How would you feel if you reserved a week stay and on the second day host said "I'm kicking you out"?  You would assume that you will get refunded for  the unused prepaid days.

This is Airbnb's position. 

 

Plenty of places and vacation homes have non refundable reservations.  So the common sense here is that you took the owner's propery off the market and it's not likely to be booked now,  you pay. 

So Paul, I guess you are saying that guests should be able to break any and all rules including brining illegal drugs into your home and if they are evicted for breaking rules and illegal activities they should get a refund?   What a great set up now for these guests to be rewarded for thier deploragle behavior and now come to your house and do the same.  What is the point of Airbnb allowing us to set our own house rules if they mean absolutely nothing.  Amazing. 

Fanny201
Level 1
Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Paul, there are plenty of guest's services around the world that don't refund you for unused prepaid nights when you leave earlier, so that you say makes no sense. In this case, guests leave earlier because they broke the rules, host must be equally compensated and should not pay for the nights that their bad guests haven't used because they got caught violating the rules.

That's a pretty easy thing to say when you're an investment property manager, hosting 13 listings (as I see in you have). Maybe you see things from a more corporate perspective, but when you have 1 listing that is your home and you've now lost those booked days, potentially more to clean up and repair damages, a refund is unacceptable in this situation. If anything, there should be no refund and chargebacks/no return of deposit.

Are you kidding, common sense dictates guests will abide by the rules. When they don’t there needs to be a penalty. Plain and simple, if you are staying in a hotel, sneak in extra people, animals, etc. they will keep your prepaid fees (nightly rate and charge extra to your card)

Why isn't there a thumbs down button that I can click repeatedly in response to Paul's comment?

I asked myself the same question! Unbelievable1

They broke the rules and the host was losing those extra days AND sounds like there was a massive clean up, as well. Your version of "common sense" (which the guests did not use) and my version are completely different in this regard. The guests should have been charged so that the host didn't lose the income from the extra days. They blew it; the host shouldn't have to pay for them being bad guests.

Off hand, I’m thinking it isn’t legal and def not ethical  to watch anyone through windows. That immediately would lower any credibility on your behalf and make it difficult to stand your ground when staying factual policy violations.   Your proper recourse would have been to request in writing over the airbnb platform the number of guests and their names, (if over 4, end booking or charge extra) and to state the parking limitations and their obvious violations of that.  That alone, (the parking violation) without any mention of the unregistered guests, should have been sufficient to end the booking.  

 

You stepped over the line with the peeping thru windows and harassing them by pounding on door , and for soooo long, and then demanding to know what was in their personal boxes which is invasion of privacy. 

 

Remeber, don’t let them see you sweat! Keep it simple. The minute you show or express anger or crazy behavior on your part you are lowering any credibility on your part to EVERYONE .   You remain calm and stick to the policies, you will be the one that’s intimidating them.  

Ute42
Level 10
Germany

.

@Paul154  ????????

 

Let's assume You go to a movie theater to watch a movie. Right at the entrance of that theater there's a sign "Don't scream inside the theater". Now You go insinde, watch the film and all of a sudden You start screaming  and You get thrown out. Do You now expect to get 50% of the ticket price refunded as You didn't see the entire movie?

 

It was Your own fault not to get to see the entire movie. You could have seen the the whole thing, just don't scream and disturb the entire audience.

 

cc: @Jeffery5

 

 

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Paul154@Ute42@Jeffery5

Hm... so if a guest book for let's say 10 days

after 2 days he decides to go and cancels the rest of his stay

he will be refunded:

for 7 days if cancelation policy is flexible

for 4 days if it is moderate

for 0 days if it is strict...

BUT...... !

If he breaks house rules and host kick him out he will be refunded for all remaining 8 days !!!!!!

 

So, .... what would you do as a guest ?

lmao @Branka-and-Silvia0 - this cracked me up.  Because it's entirely true, or at least what AirBnb's ridiculous policy seems to imply... breaking the rules and law, then getting evicted = insta refund of remaining stay... people of low moral standing are not going to miss this loophole.

They will never treat hosts with respect because they don't need to.   They're actively trying to steal business from hotels, who have the deep pockets to have "the customer is always right" policies.   Airbnb wants to provide that on the backs of small hosts so they can grow their market share in the travel business.  Hosts have to deal with the fact that airbnb is a monopoly in many markets.  They're not ever going to side with hosts or treat us fairly because,  well,  they don't have to.   

 

Short of suing them or going to arbitration there's no recourse for us.   And if we go those routes they'll likely throw you off the platform. 

 

Only solution is to have a host's union or pool together in some kind of legal action.