88% acceptace rate requirement is TOO HIGH

[Armin246]

Hi everyone!

Im a superhost but do not meet (any longer) the basic requirements. I struggle with the 88% acceptance rate requirement.

Only this week I had to ask 3 requests to be withdrawn. Airbnb penalizes hosts if you have more than 3 withdrawn requests.

One guest put a request to book and sent a message "I booked your place, there is just one little thing, i have a 2 month old dog". It is clearly stated in the ad that pets are not allowed.

Another put a request to book for 1 person and sent a message if we could provide a mattress for 5 guests. Note that capacity of the listing is clearly 4. Additionally, the guest was lieing about the number of guests in the request to avoid extra guest fees.

The third one asked in each message for a "discount". There is already a 50% monthly discount. She wrote this: "I love your apartment, im in doubt about another apartment,  can you give me a discount?". A person who does these nastly little blackmail games like announcing that she is looking at another place too then asking for a "discount" is not a correct person and will be problematic.

DO OTHER HOSTS FACE THIS PROBLEM TOO? I host in  Brazil and all the problematic, shameless requests come from domestic travelers.

[Sandra856]

Hi @Armin246 🌿

You can ask the guest to please withdraw the request if they aren’t a great fit. Tell them that unfortunately you can’t do it from your side and if they don’t withdraw asap you will have to accept and they will get refunded according to your cancellation policy. Explain it in a really nice way and they will most likely withdraw the request asap. Also keep in mind that if you receive “an inquiry” - meaning they are using the “contact host link” to ask you a question  - then all you have to do is respond as fast as possible and the clock stops ticking - you don’t have to press neither the pre-approve nor decline button. 
Best, Sandra 

[Armin246]

Hi Sandra! Thank you for your answer. However, I clearly wrote in my post that all 3 put requests to book and I asked all 3 to withdraw AND Aribnb reduces the acceptance rate for WITHDRAWN requests as well. There is no issue with inquiries.

[Huma0]

@Armin246 

---

@Armin246 wrote:

Aribnb reduces the acceptance rate for WITHDRAWN requests as well. 

---

I never heard of this and it's very worrying! Were you told this by CS, or did you see it written somewhere, or did you simply notice your rate went down when guests withdrew?

[Armin246]

I realized that my acceptance rate went down after guests withdrawing requests. So I asked a support agent. They answered that that if there are more than 3 withdrawn requests they impat the acceptance rate. 

[Huma0]

@Armin246 

Thanks for letting us know. That's completely unfair. What if the guest chooses to withdraw the request themselves (without the host asking) because they simply changed their minds? 

That's like when they had review rate as a Superhost criteria. The host can't stop guests from withdrawing requests any more than he/she can force guests to leave a review. Why should the host be penalised?

I do wonder sometimes if there's a team at Airbnb whose sole purpose is to think up more ways to punish hosts.

[Mariann4]

I have the same problem and will loose my SH-status now, @Armin246 . My issue is with people being non-responsive. I homeshare and can't have non-communicating people in my home. It's plain out disrespectful to ask a complete stranger to host you without contributing to a conversation to begin with. They don't respond, I get punished. I have complained over and over to CS and in feedback. There should be no penalty to a host when Airbnb can look into ANY chat to see that the guest has not responded.

[Huma0]

@Armin246 @Mariann4 The 88% Acceptance Rate is not part of the Superhost requirements, so it should have no affect on whether you keep Superhost or not this quarter. Response rate, however, does.

Acceptance Rate is listed under 'basic requirements'. Nothing really happens though if you drop below 88%. I have read that declining guests will lower the listing's position in the search results, but I don't know if that is actually true. On host also posted here on the CC that Airbnb will penalise you if you decline six times, but I don't know if that means six times consecutively or six times within a certain timeframe.

I don't often have to decline guests. Like @Sandra856 , I would first ask them to withdraw the request. It's usually only the non-responsive ones that I end up having to decline. I do agree that it's not fair, especially combined with the 24 hour time limit. There should be a better system which takes into account whether the guest responds or not.

[Armin246]

Hi @Huma0 Airbnb suspends listings for low acceptance rate. Airbnb suspended both of my listings in September. Before changing from instant book to request to book, I asked an Airbnb support agent what are the consequences of refusing requests to book. They put in writing that there is no consequence. I rejected about 10 requests within 3 days (for Rock in Rio), my acceptance rate fell to 68% and Airbnb suspended both my listings. Never rejected a request before or after. 

[Huma0]

@Armin246 

Yes, that is what I meant by Airbnb penalising hosts if they decline six times.

I also have been told several times by Airbnb CS that acceptance rate does not matter and that there is no 'penalty' for declining but, in that case, what is the point in having the acceptance rate as a minimum requirement? Unfortunately, many CS reps do not really know Airbnb policy in detail.

I was once told by Airbnb to report and block a guest who was trying to book with me using different accounts, but I still had to decline her as well and take a hit to my acceptance rate. The CS agent told me that wouldn't happen, but after it did, said sorry, she had made a mistake and there was nothing she could do about it.

[Mariann4]

Ahh you're right, @Huma0 ! I had to check, but of course you were right. 😊 I guess I'm just focused on the warning high up on my insight page that keeps telling me I'm not doing good enough. And the warning I received for declining three, non-responsive, requests in a row: your listing is about to be suspended if you don't get a grip! 

How about warning the guests that they have to respond...

A well. I've learned that I just have to live the Airbnb life on Airbnb's mercy sometimes. Often frustrating...

Thank you for clarifying Huma 😊

[Huma0]

@Mariann4 

For sure, it is VERY frustrating. My acceptance rate has fallen below 88% many times. Because I host long term stays and therefore get far fewer requests, declining even one has a big impact on the rate. However, nothing bad has happened.

I think the penalties are when you decline several requests in a short period of time.

[Armin246]

Same here. Most of my actual bookings are for a month or more. So there are few accepted requests because they are long- term. When there is a gap between two long term bookings and i have to fill it with shorter stays, thats when the bs starts. 

[Huma0]

@Armin246 

---

@Armin246 wrote:

When there is a gap between two long term bookings and i have to fill it with shorter stays, thats when the bs starts. 

---

I stopped doing this (unless it is a really long gap) because I also noticed I started to get a lot of requests/bookings from problematic guests. I think that you are more likely to attract the wrong kind of guest when the booking is more last minute, which it often is when you open up dates between long term reservations.