Airbnb telling us to ask guest to leave as soon as possible -- no explanation

[Ana22389]

Here's a new one on us:

Yesterday we received a voicemail and an email from Airbnb.  Has Airbnb ever actually called you? Our first thought was that it was some kind of scam.  The message was to the effect that Airbnb would not "support the reservation" of a guest who had signed up on Airbnb, made the reservation, and checked in earlier the same day (we were aware of this when we accepted the last minute reservation). We were being told to contact the guest, and if they had indeed checked in already, to have them leave "as soon as possible."

Checking the reservation (at 11:00 p.m., mind you) everything seemed to be in order, i.e. payment had been made, not refunded, reservation still in place on the calendar.  We jumped through the Airbnb helpbot hoops and actually got to talk to a live person very quickly and she was very nice to talk to  and seemed to be doing her best to help us figure things out.  She was able to confirm that the phone call and the email were from Airbnb but was not able to give any explanation.  The payment had successfully gone through and was received by Airbnb.  I told her that I was not keen to go over to roust paying guests out of bed at midnight to throw them out on the street, particularly with no explanation and that we would still expect to be paid for hosting them, as the service had already been provided.  She understood, but was not authorized to make any promises and said she would send our concerns on up the ladder and a representative with authority to do something would call us later.  Of course she was unable to promise when they would be calling, whether it would be a few minutes, hours, or in the morning.

It wasn't until 4:00 p.m. the next day I received a call from some very concerned guests, that they had gotten a call from Airbnb to leave the property right away -- and NO explanation!

More calls to Airbnb, still no explanation except the [very polite] technician did advise me that she suspected the only reason that Airbnb would do such a thing is for some kind of safety issue.

Wait, what?  SAFETY ISSUE ???  What am I supposed to do with THAT?

So here I sit, two hours after another promise to have someone with authorization call me.  Wondering if Airbnb has any intention of making sure we are paid for the stay and why Airbnb has gone through such lengths to make sure both the guests and the host have something to worry about.

Has anyone else ever had such an experience?  Did you ever get any kind of explanation?  How did it work out in the end?

Any insight would be appreciated.

[Elena87]

@Ana22389 

Airbnb don't detail exactly what a safety issue is, so you can speculate it's something to do with previous conduct, background check or payment concerns.

You won't get an airbnb employee to explain why they are making such a decision unless accidently disclosed, it's supremely unlikely first contact customer service staff will have access to see case details anyway. There is zero advantage in making accusations when they can shield themselves behind terms of use. Fair enough.

 What is of concern is that of time frames. Guest can sign up, make a booking and check-in rapidly before it seems checks are made. Maybe a new guest sign up then 48 hour period before booking would be prevent this. That would be a barrier commercially, I suppose airbnb are prepared to take this risk that cases like this one can be rare.  A ex-gratia payment given say to you to cover this trip would be outweighed by successful trips. Still this gives risks to hosts.

The other concern, is that of taking till 4pm the next day to appear to take action. From the outside and even with opaque details, it appears peculiarly nonchalant.

[Ana22389]

Thank you all for your interest in this matter.

It has now been over 24 hours since our first of two unrequited promises to receive communication from Airbnb regarding this matter.

I took the bold step to go over and visit with the guests and had a very pleasant conversation, no hog tying or pistol whipping or shooting!!  What a relief!  The two guests, apparently a married couple, (I think I could have taken either one of them, but both might have been a problem) told me that they did receive a call from Airbnb where they were told that they should leave the property right away but got no explanation nor was a refund received or promised.

From my end, the reservation was still in place, funds were received and being held by Airbnb (this was also confirmed by the Airbnb tech in my first phone call).

From my perspective, it seems that Airbnb, in their blatant pursuit to make a quick few bucks, allowed the reservation to be made before all the correct boxes were checked to satisfy their own algorithm.  Silly me had faith in Airbnb that they would not allow a reservation until they were satisfied that they would be willing to "support" it.

It's possible that the algorithm later detected some red flag, possibly just the short time from their signing up onto the platform, to making a reservation, to checking in.

Their decision to decline to "support the reservation" can only be seen as a last ditch effort to cover their own ... butt.  I imagine this was triggered by the algorithm and completed with no human involvement.

Having contacted Airbnb and receiving no helpful response, I have been put in the precarious position to determine what to do on own.  As I see it, Airbnb had accepted payment for services, and the service was being provided.  For them to suddenly expect me to discontinue the service with no more than a threat that Airbnb suddenly had no intention of "supporting the reservation" is unacceptable.  If they expect me to go over to evict a paying guest, they need to provide me with some documentation that they have done something to violate T&C.  If privacy concerns dictate that they can not share that information with me, then they will have to send an agent or representative with such documentation to perform the eviction.  One of the respondents to this post mentioned that to evict a paid guest without cause may well be illegal.  I would tend to agree, and certainly feel that it would be unethical.  It is also unethical of Airbnb to rescind their "support" with such little effort on their part when any apparent reason for them not to "support the reservation" was created BY Airbnb, be it their lack of  thorough vetting before approving a reservation, or algorithmic triggers being pulled, or something else.

As it stands now, the guests are scheduled to check out in less than 12 hours.  Having no documentation or evidence to warrant eviction, and receiving no response from Airbnb, I have been forced to decide to allow the paying guests to stay.  Having met the guests, and discussing the situation, I am confident that things will work out fine for me in this particular instance.  I guess if there is any damage, I will probably have to go to court despite Airbnb's advertised "promises" to hosts.  I am NOT confident that Airbnb will have my back should I need their support in almost any situation.  I also worry for other hosts.  It is clear that Airbnb is not only willing to approve unvetted guests (yeah, you knew that already) but with no warning, withdraw their "support" then send the same host into what could easily turn a perfectly valid stay into a dangerous or damaging situation.  Can you imagine what an angry guest might do on their way out!?

We have been hosting with Airbnb for less than a year and it has been largely a positive experience, having had only a couple of disappointments (resolved statisfactorily, but with absolutely ZERO help from Airbnb).  We will now be exploring other platforms.  It probably will not be until Airbnb realizes that there are other options for hosts that they will begin to treat hosts properly.  This does not go into the perspective of the guests.  Being told to vacate with no notice or explanation?  Can you imagine!?

For the record:  It was suggested that the mentioned "safety issue" might have been an issue on the hosts' end.  I am willing to accept that, but Airbnb has not notified us of any issues, even when in contact with them by phone.  All of our reviews have been positive and Airbnb has not suspended our account or cancelled any upcoming reservations.

Again, if anyone else has had a similar experience, please let everyone know if and how you were able to reach a suitable resolution without feeling that you were putting yourself or your property at risk.

[Till-and-Jutta0]

That’s the reason why we accept bookings with At least two days’ notice only. Even 1 day is to short: An illegal third-party-booking happened at 11 pm, causing much trouble to have cancelled it at the check-in day. We are not a hotel, ready for “instant” check-ins.

Trust & Safety will never comment their actions further, by policy.

[Ana22389]

@Till-and-Jutta0 

20 minutes, 48 hours, 2 months

Our problem here is not with the guests, (I guess we won't know for sure, though, until checkout).

The problem is that Airbnb has approved the guest and accepted the reservation and taken payment and later, several hours after check in, withdrew their "support" only notifying the host that they had done it and offered no explanation to the host or the guest and no promise of refunding the guest for the unused portion of their stay and no promise to the host to pay for services already provided, and expecting the host to just deal with it.

I understand the the short notice of the reservation might have triggered a red flag in the algorithm, but that is an issue for Airbnb to resolve and take responsibility for, not to just dump their mistake and all possible ramifications on the trusting (naïve?) hosts.

[Robin4]

@Ana22389 

The fact of the matter here Anna is that Airbnb will not tell either you or the guest what the problem is! It's not up to us as hosts or the guest to guess what is going on! If Airbnb have an issue with a booking they have been responsible for providing, they are duty bound to give each party a reason why the goal posts have shifted.....not keep everyone in the dark and walk away from the problem!

'Please take note, you are not allowed to catch the 7.31 to work today, we can't give you a reason why,  just don't get on that train'! When you think about it, it's completely bloody stupid!

These days we need to have a competent solicitor in the wings to deal with the nonsensical  rubbish that Airbnb comes out with. 

If the guest payment was rejected, tell the host.....they are the ones taking the risk.

If the guest trashed a previous stay, tell the host.....they are the ones taking the risk

If the guest has a criminal record, tell the host.......they are the ones taking the risk.

If Airbnb considers the guest is a risk, tell the host......they are the ones taking the risk.

Airbnb are retreating into an ever increasing web of secrecy. They will not provide prospective guests details....not even a profile photo. Hosts are now expected to accept completely anonymous packages. 

Most of us competent hosts have had enough, we are not going to accept being continually backed into a corner by Airbnb. I have set a time limit on the current situation, just as other successful hosts in my area have. Unless we start to get some meaningful support by the end of this year, we are gone...we all have a plan B.

Cheers........Rob

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Yes @Till-and-Jutta0  I also changed the advance notice to 2 days. I would keep it on 1 day if the deadline would be noon instead of midnight of the previous day 

[Mark116]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  Right, us too.  They must have changed it somewhere along the way, because for years the 24 hour one day notice meant 1 day, and then last year we started getting requests on X evening for the following day....which is not one day's notice.  So we also changed to 2 days notice even though it means we're losing bookings.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mark116 Even 3Pm would be ok, it’s our check in time, but midnight is too late, I may already sleep by then and wake up the following day at 9-10 am just to find out to have guests arriving in a couple of hours. It’s too stressful for offsite hosts

[Mark116]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  I guess I am too literal minded.  One day to me=24 hours, it should at least be 24 hours before the check in time.  So if check in is at 2pm, then requests the day before up until 2pm would be okay.  But it no longer works that way.  I think the last straw when we changed it to 2 days was someone sending a request at 10pm and wanted to check in the next morning.  Yeah,  no.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mark116  Exactly, same here, booking past 11pm for the next day, early check in if possible, uh, I switched to 2 days immediately

[Dimitar27]

1 day is at least 12 hours, but must always include 1 night...or something like this. There was a post  somewhere. It's because of the different time zones. That's all I remember.

[Inna22]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Mark116 I totally agree. I think 1 day should be check in time of the previous day. I am so torn with this one. I do not want to block two days. It is totally find if someone books in the morning of the day prior however I absolutely do not want to wake up to a reservation particularly if it is questionable.

[John5097]

@Ana22389 

Thank you for the follow ups. I'm also still confused when this guest made the reservation and if they had any reviews. 

The reason I mention this is that I've already changed my booking lead time to one days notice and guest can still request to book. That means someone can book night before at midnight for next morning check in. I may change that to 2 days notice and still let them request and deny any guest with no reviews. Often times last minute guest wait until day before hoping host or smart prices lowers the price. Maybe some guest have figured out a way to create a fake profile, if they only verify email, and claim credit card got lost or stolen right after making the reservation. (This is just an example) 

I don't think ABB asking host to evict guest at 11:00 is responsible policy by any means. This seems another example of cultivating bad guest. 

A few weeks ago I suddenly wasn't getting any first messages from guest. Its taken a while to recover. I had to make other changes for booking settings. Imagine no communication from this guest. 

This is how ABB rolls. They may issue some kind of pay out to you as a gesture.  But host have to keep on top of ever changing polices and adjust booking settings as best they can. 

I'm going to change mine to two days notice and give option to request to book, and only allow guest with several positive reviews. 

[Robin4]

@John5097 

Yeah John I think you are right, we are going to have to tighten up our rules. We always wanted to think that Airbnb, as our link between host and guest were there to make this business easy.....they aren't!

Every change I have seen to the platform over the past two years has been to Airbnb's advantage, not the Airbnb users. 

My feeling is Covid-19 has just made it worse, Airbnb are desperate to do anything to keep market share and profits on the increase.

They used to initiate changes that helped them to grow, they now initiate changes to help them make more money. 

I am so disappointed in the direction the company is taking, I can see no good come of it! 

Cheers........Rob

[John5097]

@Robin4 

This article is a little over my head but it seems in line with your assessment.

"Rich IPO paydays for Airbnb, DoorDash CEOs lead influential advisory firms to target execs at their first shareholder meetings"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/rich-ipo-paydays-for-airbnb-doordash-ceos-lead-influential...

If I'm reading it correctly this assessment firm is recombining that shareholders remove both CEOs from ABB and Doordash, over some kind of double payment and massive bonuses that I don't quite understand.  

So far everyone is in agreement that ABB is guest centric. I would be ok with that. My real concern is situations like this, where host is in very awkward predicament. 

There also is a trend of policy that puts host at higher risk of retaliatory reviews and general discontent or even hostility towards the host. 

I'm not suggesting this is some kind of evil empire or anything, and I like the very purposeful host here trying to help make improvements. 

My concern is also that I'm going to have to be subjected to an angry guest as its already challenging to communicate the policy and when host are at a disadvantage. 

I just want happy guest and provide a good value. I like to avoid problems and high risk sitations.