Airbnb support

[Melissa1573]

Can I get advice on navigating Airbnb support? We are new to hosting, we joined in March for April 1 bookings. Since that date we have had Airbnb cancel a reservation at midnight of a new checkin. They said it was rare but was our second booking. We had sustained costs for linen rental and scheduled cleaning and were compensated 40% of those costs. We are in Cherry Grove Beach, SC and last week had a rough set of guests who broke all our house rules causing property management complaints and broke our air conditioning unit by using the on off switch while running instead of adjusting temperature. When repairmen came we were alerted that it was not a mother/daughter 50th birthday pair but a house full of teens of which one was passed out and left alone in our unit. We immediate contacted Airbnb Urgent Support and were passed around to multiple service reps for over 2 hours before being told they would call us back. Fast forward to 4 days later then bounced around by messages until yesterday when they suggested I file a Host guarantee claim for damages which took about 12 hours for them to deny. I just feel unsupported and now scared of the damage from guests who are not vetted. We have a strict and clear policy about no one under 25 renting our unit but now Airbnb says it's my responsibility to assure this by requesting ID. It just all feels very uncomfortable. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions or expecting something that is unattainable. Can any of you share your experiences with support? Or, how you assure that guests are who they say they are. Thanks!

[Jane627]

@Melissa1573 , Making sure that guests are who they say they are is very important to me. First of all you can have Airbnb verify your guests before they can book with you, secondly you can add YOUR requirements further by adding extended requirements either in your rules or in your "other things to note" which is a box at the bottom of your listing page. In that box I put other stuff that I dont put in my rules. In my box I have put.........'You may be asked for your id at the door. If so it must be a valid government id and it MUST MATCH your profile picture. Your profile picture must be a facial shot. Failure to have a facial profile picture may result in cancellation.
You must be verified to book with Airbnb before booking, so please don't send me a request to book unless you have been verified by Airbnb.
You must have the hosts permission if you wish to have a friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend come to visit or stay."........This provides you with control over your vetting process......It certainly sounds like you have been through a terrible experience. Your rules are also your strength, but Airbnb has told me they support all of the things I have suggested which is why I put it in "other things to note".

[Melissa1573]

@Jane627 thanks for your input. I like this idea. I will add this to my "other things to note". I think that will warn them that a request will be coming and it doesn't feel as intrusive if they decide up front that it would be an acceptable request.

[Elaine701]

@Melissa1573 

This is a fairly common occurrence nowadays, and the onus to prevent it unfortunately, rests entirely with the host.

To add injury to that insult, you should presume that the "host guarantee" is unlikely to help. The "security deposit" is a façade, so you should avoid any illusions that you're somehow "covered" against the actions of undesirable guests. 

as @Jane627 mentioned, be sure to make it clear that these are the rules and that there are penalties for violations of them. However, I'd be careful not to assume that just because you've put it in your house rules, that Airbnb will automatically support you. Their support is pretty random, if otherwise often completely inexplicable. 

So, while your house rules may not actually be enforceable under Airbnb, the guest isn't likely to know that. Learn to read between the lines with guest inquiries.

Trust your instincts. If the inquiry or request makes you feel uncomfortable, ask more questions, or simply don't authorize their booking.

Be fully aware that recourse is iffy at best, so prevention is always the best cure. Scare them off if you sense something is amiss. It's better than suffering the consequences. 

Good luck. Just stay vigilant, don't drop your standards, and you'll probably be very successful. 

[Melissa1573]

Thanks @Elaine701 for your advice. I’m always learning. I will continue to make adjustments to protect our place. I now totally agree, prevention is key to success here.

[Douglas353]

Look on YouTube about the scammers using Airbnb.  There is an entire industry scamming Airbnb hosts.  Some of these scams involve using your listing there is nothing you are Airbnb can do about it.  Take a look at this video so you can see how complex the scam is, and how an innocent hoster, like you, became another victim.  

https://youtu.be/VrKW58MS12g

[Melissa1573]

@Douglas353, wow, there is no end to what lengths people will do to scam others. Such a shame!

[Linda108]

Boy, @Melissa1573 , you got quite a wake up about how safe it is for hosts to remotely hand over the access of a lovely home to strangers.  Right?!  Anyway, this is your home, your business and your risk.  Consider carefully how to mitigate in advance against damage or misuse.  Is there any possibility you or someone you trust could greet and orient guests?  Can you install door camera to verify the guests?  How do you propose to verify id?  As mentioned by others, the Air BNB proceedures and policies are not reliable as reported by hosts.  As Air BNB and other platforms for short term rentals become even more mainstream the potential guests are from an ever-expanding general population with all the possibilities for good and bad.  Baked into the hotel/motel industry and cost of room are dealing with this population.  For years the type of person that used Air BNB was a different kind of traveler.  Now it is the same traveler as those who have used hotels and motels and may not have the sense of personal ownership of the space.  Welcome to the business and continue to be open to learning from others.

[Melissa1573]

Thanks @Linda108, I appreciate your warnings and suggestions. We’ve been contemplating a door cam but I initially hesitated for privacy reasons. This recent guest cured that for me. We have really had mostly wonderful guests. I hate that those few ruin it for the rest. Still learning…I’ll get there. Certainly thankful for the support and suggestions here!

[Douglas353]

You might want to get consider getting multiple cameras.  In the city where I live a host less than a mile away rented their million dollar plus home to women and 11 family members who all suffer from asthma.  At the time there was a massive California's wildfires.  The guest assured the hoster there would not be a party and it would just be her immediate family. 

The guest arrived along with 100 others and a gunman.  The gunman immediacy opened up shooting, killing 5 and injuring many others.  The Ring Door Bell recorded the shooter actively shooting at and hitting the victims.  The guest was not local or part of a crowd kids in this city would hang out with or even know.  Yet somehow, notices of the party were given to all of the kids at her high school and the other high school in the area.

Remember Airbnb and the host vetted the guest.   Airbnb reacted immediately by saying they would screen for and flag potential high-risk reservations.  If you think Airbnb's actions are now preventing events like this from occurring then no need for cameras.

[Melissa1573]

@Douglas353, looks like cameras won’t keep things from happening but keeps record of the damage. I pray I never have anything like that happen. Our neighbors would have reported as soon as they saw extra people coming to the complex. Thanks for the warning!

[Douglas353]

Neighbors here did call the owners and the police.   The owners were watching on the Ring Door Bell camera, but what can you do?  By the time the police arrived, 5 mins the shooting was over and the gunmen were gone.  Understand we live in Orinda, a bedroom community of 20,000.  Cheapest house here is probably 2 million on up to $15 million.  Stuff like this just doesn't happen here.  Point I'm trying to make is it can happen anywhere and our partner Airbnb is the one who is suppose to be helping us by vetting the guests. 

My rental is in Berkeley which has the harshest Airbnb laws of any city in the world.  Before the guest arrives we have to get confirmation they received, read, understand, and agree to the City of Berkeley's laws on staying in an Airbnb property.  They also have to pay a 14% Airbnb tax.  Airbnb hasn't been as helpful as they should.  We are on the fence about continuing to be hosts.  We are evaluating if the risk is worth the reward.