Trust and safety unresponsive

[Vikas2]

Hello - 

I've been a superhost for 2+ years, with 5 star reviews across all categories and booked 90% of the time in Brooklyn, NY. We have a 2 unit house, a rental downstairs and we live upstairs. We always rent downstairs, and very occasionally we also rent upstairs when we plan to be away for an extended period of time.  We have very strict rules regarding guests, especially upstairs as it's the home we actually live in. 

Over the 4th of July, we rented upstairs to a single guest who was a photographer and stated he would be out all day and then just spending the night. We told him that's fine and let him book, despite not having reviews (normally a big flag for us).  We have a 3 year old and have cameras in common areas (family room / hallways), along with her nursery (a room we normally keep locked). This is mentioned in the listing and the guest has to agree that they are aware of the cameras. We also explicitly discussed this with the guest and told him about the cameras before he booked.  A few hours into his booking we get a text from our neighbor saying there are a lot of people going into our home. I check the cameras and he's having a party with about 10-12 guests. He moved the cameras, but you can still people coming. We call him, and ask him to leave. He's very polite and says he will get everyone out. Long story short, we had to threaten to call the police and then eventually he left after our neighbor went over. They made a mess, smoked pot in the house, left the backdoor open and left a used condom on one of the beds in my mother law's room (the one we rent out). Disgusting...

On Thursday (July 11th), I get an email from Trust and Safety stating that there has been a complaint about cameras in my unit and they want details on them. I replied immediately explaining that this is disclosed on my listing, along with details about where the cameras are. Normally, Airbnb is great about responding and I assumed this would quickly get resolved.  They disabled my listings and inbox - which includes my other listing that has nothing to do with this complaint. 3.5 days later  a $600+ booking on Friday was cancelled, and nobody has responded.   I've emailed 6-7x, tweeted twice, and called about 5x - no one has any idea what is going on, and can help other than saying they will escalate the situation to "urgent".   Three agents have all said this... no one from Trust and Safety has contacted me back. 

Almost every situation i've ever had with Airbnb has been super positive, on both the host and the guest side. I'm a huge evangelical for the company, and even recently listed Airbnb as one of 3 brands most influential brands in my life on a survey. Needless to say, this is quite stressful and saddening.  I would have no problem addressing the issue if they could simply reply and let me know what the concern is.   Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this or have experience dealing with this?  

Thank you so much for reading, 
Vik

[Lauren629]

@Vikas2 I am going through a similar situation currently.  I have two external security cameras (a Ring doorbell and a Nest camera in my garage) fully disclosed and in plain site on my property.  Zero cameras inside my home.  I caught a guest with more guests than disclosed and she was leaving her children (1 year old and 5 year old) home alone in my property.  I found this morally and legally reprehensible so I contacted Airbnb to end her stay.  I agreed to let her stay one more night because I didn't want to kick a mom out on the street.  BIG MISTAKE!  She ended up accusing me of having cameras inside my home, vandalized my home, stole my house alarm panel (the one with the dial pad) and created a website against me defaming me, posting pics of me and my child and leaving my physical address and phone number on the site.  There is an on-going police investigation.  I stayed in very close contact with Airbnb through all of this and woke up the day after her stay ended with a note from Airbnb stating my account was being set to limited (so no one can view or book my home) and stated it was reported I had cameras inside my home.  I have gone back and forth via email with the trust and safety team and provided the police report info and my side of the story.  It is going on day 8 now and nothing has changed and I have virtually NO information as to what they are investigating, where the investigation stands, nothing!  I am so stressed as I rely on this money to provide for my son and myself.  Any advice?

[Vikas2]

Wow, so sorry to hear this. These situations are really difficult and I wish ABB would be more responsive. I would try getting ahold of them via Facebook messenger or twitter, it took me 10-15 days. It’s the worst, I’m really sorry. 

[Vikas2]

An update on this... I filed a claim for the damaged carpet, and the resolution team gave the guest a refund, including the cleaning fee. 

They said that that even though he blatantly lied in our Airbnb documented chat, had a party (which i have indicated is not allowed), and even though my rules specifically state extra guests are not allowed and we reserve the right to cancel without a refund if they gave extra people over - none of that matters. All that matters is that I initiated the cancellation and therefore they are entitled to a refund.  Beyond perplexed and annoyed...

[Kelly149]

@Vikas2 still sorry that this was your experience but for anyone in the future reading this:

ABB DOES NOT BELIEVE IN "FINES": Therefore, House Rules exisit only for the sake of being able to dissuade bad actors and to cancel bad guests. So, your rules (no smoking, no animals, no extra guests....) do not give you the ability to say "you've lost your security deposit", the only thing they allow you to do is to cancel the reservation (either before or during the stay)

BUT when you create that cancellation ABB returns ALL unused funds to the guest.

So, any ABB reservation could at any time become a black hole in your calendar that does not get paid. But what about my cancellation policy, you say? Nope, doesn't matter.

Example:

Guest holds your calendar for a lucrative 10 day reservation during high season for months...

- Day of checkin: Here's my doctor's note, I don't feel well. Extenuating Circumstances cancellation, host gets nothing. AND Guest can review, 1* review even, nothing host can do about it and they received no $$

- AFTER checkin: Guest arrives with 10 instead of 5. Host says "no, you can't stay, too many people". No Penalty cancellation, host gets nothing. AND Guest can review, how do any of us think that is going to turn out.

Why does ABB think this is a good business model?!?

[Emilia42]

........ Guest arrives to a tiny studio apartment with two 95 pound Bernese Mountain Dogs. Host says "didn't you read the no pet policy?" Airbnb refunds all money and give guest a 10% off voucher to relocate.

[Kelly149]

oooooh @Emilia42  I like your burmese mountain dogs! let's play a game... most absurd ways guests could get a host to cancel their stay and yet still get their money back from abb... real or imagined... but bonus points for real things 

I nominate @Jess78 meth factory guests to go first

but then also I remember the "impromtu" wedding for 30 at the reservation for 2 guests in a 'no additional visitors' listing

the 'what do you mean you live here too' people for "private room" listings are always special

and I always appreciate the 'I know the listing says 6, but the other ones of us were just going to sleep on the couches, ok?' people

[Ryan111]

As someone hosting (probably)down the street from you, I factor in 5-10% a year in Airbnb "tax". This would be things that are not wrong and that airbnb decides are my fault despite a 5* rating over hundreds of reviews.  I agree with the "don't host people with no reviews". It is generally a red flag. 

Some "tax" items -

- I have a no smoking rule and the state that all of the security deposit is forfeited if they smoke.  However airbnb makes me show receipts for cleanings to keep any of this.  My house smells like smoke.  I can't repaint and steam clean everything in between guests.

- A guest left open food everywhere and had bugs because of that.  An exterminator came and found the source, their food.  Airbnb took off money for the place not being clean.

- local train (L) is on some kind of crazy schedule at night and they don't want to take other transportation.  Airbnb supports a cancellation.  

etc....

[Yyz0]

My place in Toronto was damaged by a guest who was also arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. Trust and safety department reached out to me once I wrote a review mentioning the guests behaviour and removed the guest from airbnb. However, they have been unresponsive in handling the claim and damages which occurred during the guest stay. Its been almost a month since I filed the claim. I have made numerous phone calls to follow up on my claim and I keep being told its still in the process of being picked up by an agent. Usually it takes the trust and safety team a couple of days at max to reach out for a claim. Any one else had a similar issue with the trust and safety team being unresponsive?

[Lauren629]

@Yyz0 I had to file one other claim for damages from a guest that was very minor, and Airbnb refunded me the money really quickly.  I am currently caught in an Airbnb hell moment with the Trust & Safety team though.  Did you ever get a resolution to your claim?