@Elizabeth469
Let me start by saying, I am deeply sorry that this happened and that you experienced such a betrayal, especially after developing such a close relationship, or so it seemed.
We have been hosting since October 2016 and we think Airbnb is an excellent platform for travel and alternative lodging. It’s a great way to get that “local” experience and a wonderful way to share your home with like-minded “strangers,” at least when it comes to the sharing economy. Your listings are beautiful and your past reviews are great. I hope that this event does not discourage you from continuing to use Airbnb Services in the future, let alone hinder you from continuing to be an Airbnb Host.
I hope it’s safe to suggest that you can simply use this as a lesson learned and remember to abide by Airbnb Policies & Procedures moving forward to try and prevent this from happening again? Though, we can never fully prepare for what guests’ are going to do after check-in, but we can certainly try.
That said, the rest of this post/response is really for other readers, as you seem to understand the errors that occurred in this situation, from both sides. Again, I'm sorry this happened to you.
In our personal experiences, we have had guests ask us, on more than one occasion, if they could pay cash or book outside Airbnb, even offering to pay the Service Fee that Airbnb would have otherwise charged them. Although sometimes we are tempted to say “yes,” not because of the money; not because we grow rather fond of some of the guests; and not because it’s just easier to take the cash, we never take a book outside Airbnb or cash for a reservation.
Okay I’m lying, we did take cash from a guest that had checked-out then came back, and it turned out fine, but that was a mistake we will never do again. We did learn the proper way to Alter/Change a reservation and that is what we do moving forward. But I digress.
To New Hosts, and existing hosts, the key thing to remember here is if you are going to use Airbnb, you must adhere to the policies and procedures, and Terms of Service set in place. They have been drafted for the safety of not only the hosts, but the guests as well. If you do not abide by these policies, and something happens, it’s very difficult (I would say unfair even) to expect Airbnb to try and resolve any issues if something were to happen.
Here is a copy of a great article you can find in the Airbnb Help Desk:
Why should I pay and communicate through Airbnb directly?
Paying and communicating through Airbnb helps ensure that you're protected under our Terms of Service, cancellation and refund policies, Host Guarantee, Host Protection Insurance program and other safeguards. It also makes it easy to find and reference important reservation details like a listing's address, your itinerary, check-in details, and other useful information. We can’t provide these benefits if your reservation isn’t booked and paid for directly through Airbnb.
Paying or communicating outside of Airbnb also makes it harder for us to protect your information and puts you at greater risk of fraud and other security issues, such as phishing.
Flag suspicious messages
Never pay for your reservation outside of Airbnb. If someone asks you to pay for a reservation outside our on-site payment system—or you think someone might be sending you links to a fake Airbnb site—let us know and click the flag icon in your message thread with that person.
So keep all bookings, messages and any transactions related, on Airbnb.
On a side note, the “Airbnb Community Forum” is great for first-hand experiences from other hosts, especially more experienced hosts. I also (and please don’t judge me) use it for affirmation on a decision I made AFTER reading the Airbnb policies and suggestions, but this is not the FIRST place to look for answers.
Airbnb provides many resources on their website including:
- Airbnb Help Center
- Airbnb Blog
- Airbnby Community Forum
- Connect Locally
- Host Support
However, although Airbnb provides most of the answers, you still have to make the final decisions, so use common sense.
I can go on but instead I’ll stop at this final note, as I said before, Airbnb is an excellent platform for travel and alternative lodging, but you have to exercise RESPONSIBLE HOSTING and follow the Rules & Regulations Airbnb has set forth for everyone’s protection.
If anyone has any questions, or more tips, please let me know. Another great thing about Airbnb is we’re such a great community, always helping each other.
Happy Hosting!
Izzie, Co-Host
LOV Puerto Rico
