AirBnB exposing hosts to potential fraud/scams

[Andrew890]

I've been a host for over a year and have a perfect guest review history (5 star average). I'm writing this post to warn of a loophole that guest are taking advantage of. Airbnb policy states that if a guest takes a picture of any condition of your home during their stay or even after they have stayed but prior to check out, they can take a picture of mess that they caused/created and airbnb will hold the host responsible if they (guest) makes a cleanliness complaint.

Airbnb will offer the guest between 50% to 100% refund, which means guests now know how to stay at your home for free. I'm considering litigating the matter based on principle even though i'd lose either way due to court cost.

Please also do NOT anger any of the resolution/ customer service agent that resolves disputes due to the fact that they are all powerful and can decide by themself to offer guest full refund without providing you with evidence of why this was done. What about escalating to a supervisor? well unlike most professional business where the supervisor or higher ups are independent of their subordinates, at Airbnb my experience has been very diffferent.

The precedent has been set and is well documented. Any guest can use your home, get it dirty and then take pictures and submit for a cleaniness claim, airbnb will then issue a 50%-100% refund to that guest.

Customer Service/ resolution agent name was ** and her supervisor was **.

Good Luck to my fellow Hosts.

Host for over 1 year.

**[Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Patricia2183]

Yes, I have had one of these a few weeks ago. Never heard from him until after he left and demanded half of the booking back. Told untruths and said different things at different times. By the way he disrupted the neighborhood by parking in another owner’s parking spot where I told them not to park. He also complained that that owner woke them up at one am demanding his spot back.

Made up a bunch of lies about how I treated him in review and Airbnb decided that he deserved $150 back because he put some sheets in the washer. Now thinking about pulling all listings from Airbnb. I have been using other channels for years.

[Maria-Del-Mar5]

Did they get half of the booking or just $150 back?

[Alicia-And-Travis0]

What other channels ? We get most of our booking from Airbnb but we recently had this scam pulled on us and they wanted to resolve the issue with a refund before they even took a look at our evidence. I’m hoping for a good outcome after we submit our video and refute their pictures but not holding my breath. 

[Mike2212]

Yes, a guest just tried to scam us for 100% refund ($1,100+) after enjoyed themselves fully at the property last weekend for bug “ infestation”.   This Airbnb policy to encourage scamming hosts for free stays must have been getting around.  

We are super hosts with Airbnb and other vacation rental sites for many years.  We have routine pest control of the house and the guests before and after last weekend did not complain about bugs at all.  We actually did check this predatory guest’s Airbnb profile before his booking, who had 2 ok reviews in the past.   The 1st evening soon after his arrival, the guest made a claim that there were bugs in the living room and we sent a bug spray the next day morning.  We did not hear from the guest during the rest of his stay.  Our Nest surveillance camera in the front and back of the house showed 2 more groups of people coming the next day and all enjoyed themselves with picture taking, singing, laughing, chatting and loud music playing all the way through their stay in the back patio.  They left Sunday 10 AM and we received a demand for 100% full refund later in the evening the same day for “healthy concerns due infestation” with a review that we could not see yet.  Although Airbnb agrees that it was ok that we refused to pay refund, they would not take side or doing any investigation on the review (per CS Ringo) that was used to support the 100% refund blackmail.  Instead of repercussion for such guests, Airbnb is condoning/encouraging this type of predatory behavior.  We also noticed that Airbnb does not allow rating of hosts on guests, while guests can rate on hosts.  Do not understand the rationale behind this.  After reading the post here, we understand why this easy “free-stay” scam has become more wide spread, even for a guest with 2 ok reviews in the past.  This is infectious and the Airbnb policy encourages its spread.  We have about 50% business with Airbnb and will wean off the site in the near future.  This is very toxic and emotionally draining for hard working hosts to go through any of these scams!

The voices of the bullied hosts need to be heard.  Please write to senior writer Anna Merlan at vice.com to tell her your horror stories about hosting at Airbnb and their irresponsible/toxic policies:  Anna.merlan@vice.com

[Chantal-Et-Louis0]

Hello @Rebecca181,

It would be great if you feel sharing the name of the other booking channels you are using, we all, have frustrations with this one and I, too, am thinking to find something else.

[Patricia2183]

They all cost about $500/year aside from their taking a chunk out of your booking fees.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Andrew890,

Good to meet you.

In terms of your post here, if you were to improve this, what would you do? 

(if others have thoughts on this as well, it would be great to hear)

Thanks,
Lizzie

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

@Lizzie well, firstly, I would suggest that Airbnb starts caring for their hosts again. There are dozens upon dozens of posts in this forum each week on how superhosts with years of experience are being trampled by ABB.

Especially because this guest-centered policies are now being abused. If a guest thoroughly misbehaves and one has to involve Airbnb in the matter they are still able to lash out and leave unrealistic reviews that, with the new 4.8 system will damage completely the possiblities of retaining supershot status.

You want us hosts to suggest how to not harm us?? Be kind and respectful as a company and understand that without hosts there are also no guests. 

For what I can read here and similar posts the only solution for this is having a visible camera recording the check-in process and welcome tour through the premises so you can prove to ABB that the place was clean and spotless the day the guest arrived. 

[Rebecca160]

@Tania0&Andrew love the idea of recording the check in and tour of each guest. Well, maybe I do not love the idea, but it is a really great idea and may prevent bad guests from trying to manipulate the system. 

[Cassandra22]

I loathe the idea.

Why should I have to set up 20 camera systems or spend time recording on a mobile phone. I doubt my guests, most of whom arrive between 2am and 5am would like it too much either.

Many can and would, as is their right, refuse this recording anyway.

How far do we have to go?

Where does this end?

[Steven65]

It doesnt stop a determined scam; but i always message each guest shortly after check in to confirm that everything is ok. Airbnb could request a similar confimation. It would at least flag any issues very early. 

[Doug148]

That's a good idea Steven. At least you have something documented early in case there is trouble brewing. I have been hosting my place for a year and a half and have never had any problem with people leaving a mess. I have never heard of this "scam" until now but I will be more proactive from now on to guard against it. Your suggestion is a good way to do that. Thx.

[Robyn179]

You guys are both perfectly correct.  Ebay does this right after you purchase something.  Then when you are about to leave a negative review, Ebay responds with "are you sure you want to leave this review? Have you tried contacting the person that you are buying from first?

[Cassandra22]

I do that almost every time.

Just this week a guest left then 5 days later threw wild accusations on all manner of things around when I put in a damage report to make a claim.

The lies and crap he came up with are beyond belief. My checking all was ok 24hrs in has made no difference to him making things up when faced with paying for the damage he did.

[Steven65]

But if he said everything was ok at check in, then legally and morally you are in very good position to reject his claims and request compensation, right?