How do you file a complaint against a host?

[Tammy37]

Had a confirmed booking, had already paid, then the host said he wanted $100 in cash on arrival as a surcharge.  We disagreed, but eventually cancelled, since we knew he would eventually cancel us out so he could gouge someone else.  

Because we cancelled, we have to eat the service charge.

Two questions:

1) how do we file a complaint against this host?

2) How can we petition to get the host to eat the service charge?

thanks,

Tammy

[Anu33]

Sadly the host didn’t contact me accusing me of all the issues until after the 14 days had past. And Airbnb would not let me update my review. I did end up escalating through Airbnb but ultimately they said it’s out of their hands. The thing is the host took my initial deposit when I booked them asked for the extra 2500 outside of Airbnb. When I told her she shouldn’t be asking for it separately she says I could cancel but I’d lose the initial deposit I sent her. Again, I admit fault I should have escalated to Airbnb right away but it doesn’t make her actions ok. 

[Stephanie1030]

Hi,

So I booked a secluded lakehouse. The directions were very tough to follow, and upon arrival, it took the community over 30 minutes to open the gates for us. The place was nice, I can't deny that, but definately not worth what it was asking. The jacuzzi was dirty, the hot water wasn't working. The workers barely even knew we were coming. I drove an hour and a half to get there and left after 45 minutes because the conditions were unacceptable. The kitchen/living room smelled like gas. 

I left the host a decent review because he had agreed to give me a full refund. After a week, I had to message him because he had never issued the refund and he's charging me a ridiculous cleaning/service fee, when my family and I weren't even there for more than 45 minutes. 

What can I do to rate/write a new review for this host, as well as ask for the cleaning fee  refund?He is also very passive aggressive, it's extremely frustrating/infuriating. 

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Andrew1205]

My neighbors own an Airbnb with a toilet, a boat, a bathtub, and a junkie truck in their yard! (among other things) It is a total eyesore. They have neighbors on both sides of them and in the back of them. We have told them about our eyesore concerns and the husband called us, "**bleep**gots". We have sent numerous emails to Airbnb.com with no results. So not cool!!!

[Kate782]

Hi There,

Could you help?

I was booked into an AirBNB in Sydney. The address was correct... but access was a totally different street, that was not mentioned on the AirBNB site at all. Then the actual access was a off that "different street to the AirBNB address" down a dark lane about 10 m long. It was flooded with about 1-2 inches of water for half the length with unsecured paving stones in the water.

It meant that to get down there I had to carry my 23 kg bag (I was flyign out the next day) and balance on the pavers... in the dark. Repeat on the way out as I was to be at the airport by 6am.

The keylock was very difficult to get the key out (multiple attempts by me and a friend - who was not staying, just came to help me find the place as it was not at the given address. She is a superhost with AirBNB (with her own property in Syndey) was horrified at the access and the lack of correct directions, and tooks photos of the entrance and access. I have the photos.

Inside was OK, but access to get inside was very difficult and it took us about 3 hours to find the place. After seeing the access and the difficulty of accessing the key in the lockbox, I phoned the owner and cancelled.

I do not expect to get my money back as AirBNB is not eay to deal with

But I do want 2 things:

a) I do not want others to have to go through what I did (wrong address, the emergency number person giving a different address to the actual address and the access address, and not knowing I would have to carry my luggage down an un-lit, wet, lane balancing on unsecured paving stones.

b) poor feedback because I cancelled - they can keep the money. It was better that I slept at the airport 

What do I do?

- thanks, Kate

[Ana1136]

@Kate782 I am sorry your expectations weren't met. The best thing you can do is leave an honest review of the place. Was this place new? Did no one mention the difficulties to reach it in the reviews? 

[Kate782]

Hi Ana,

I read all the reviews and no mention...  I am very careful where I stay. 

Is that all that can be done?

- thanks, Kate

[Angela1383]

How do I go about filing a complaint with Airbnb to request our host to refund our money? 

[Nimrod6]

All the air b&b system cares about the money they and the household do.

They dont realy read the customer complains. 

They have absurds at their policy. For example : if i like to have a room now, they can confirm the room within 24 hours (after the theoretical check out).

I just checked out from a hose with 3 big dogs (and got a small bite...). They dont expose it at their advertising and there are many customer companies. Air b&b dont read it and not forcing them to advertise.

I think for such large system ther is a need for external system to colect complains.  They are to big, monopoly that brhave like one. 

[John2689]

Noise complaint refund? Does anyone know if we are entitled to a refund over (REALLY) excessive noise?

The host, who has basically constructed a little mini-motel for themselves on the floor of an apartment building and partitioned lots of small rooms with paper-thin walls has said all he can do is send a message to other tenants who are being noisy til 2am. That he's "done his part" and that this is "a shared home" so everyone has a human right to talk (even from 11pm until 2am)... I'm pretty close to calling the police if this goes on tomorrow night. From reading the posts above, I guess Airbnb don't care. Thanks.

[Helen3]

Does the Airbnb have rules around quiet time during certain hours @John2689 ? If so he should be enforcing them.

Even if he doesn't he can tell the other guests he will cancel the booking if they continue to be noisy late at night. 

Hopefully your conversations with the host are via airbnb messaging so you can use this as evidence to ask them to cancel the booking so you can find something else. If not summarise your conversation on Airbnb messaging and contact Airbnb and say you aren't comfortable staying there because of regular late night noise which the host refuses to do anything about.

You can't of course contact the police because someone is being noisy - it isn't a crime. Please don't waste their time with this.

[Ann72]

@Helen3  It is actually a crime to create excessive noise and you can call the police about it, especially if you have tried to work with the noise-makers first and failed.  In addition, as a tenant in a rented space you have the right to quiet enjoyment (see below).  

[Helen3]

You don't know which country or area this guest is staying. in  @Ann72 You may be able to call the police where you live if guests in shared accommodation are being loud.

In Europe if you called the police because your fellow guests were being loud,  they would laugh in your face.

This is something the host should be proactively sorting out and if they don't Airbnb should refund the guest so he can find something suitable.

By the way Airbnb guests are not tenants with the legal rights a tenant has, they are simply guests.

[Ann72]

@Helen3 They actually are tenants in short-term rentals, and they could claim the right to quiet enjoyment in any country in the world - it's a universally recognized legal covenant, universally recognized as implicit in any rental arrangement.  For this reason it's not legal for the landlord - i.e., the Airbnb host - to enter a guest's private space without prior permission while the guest is in residence.

I doubt very much that no other country but the US has noise ordinances.  Here for instance is a brief about noise nuisance from the UK government:  https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/noise-nuisance-and-neighbours

[Helen3]

I know how noise abatement legislation works in the UK  @Ann72 I live there (although you linked to an article about Northern Ireland which doesn't necessarily have the same legislation as the rest of the UK).

My point is that as evidenced by the article you linked to domestic noise nuisance in many countries in Europe including in the UK,  is dealt with by local government NOT by the police. The police only become involved if a crime is committed or a licensed premise breaks its agreement for noise levels.

Also in the UK those in short term rentals do not have tenancy rights. When you pay for an airbnb you pay to occupy a shared or whole listing for a number of nights, you do not sign up to a tenancy agreement.

Regardless talking about tenancy rights is a red herring.  The point is that @John2689  is staying in a listing where the host is not taking action to deal with guests in a shared space who are being noisy at night and John is entitled to ask Airbnb to cancel the booking and refund him in these circumstances.

[Ann72]

@John2689 There is a universally recognized concept in rented or leased spaces called the covenant of quiet enjoyment.  This covenant requires the landlord to promise that during the term of the tenancy no one will disturb the tenant in the 

tenant's use and enjoyment of the premises. Quiet enjoyment includes the right to exclude others from 

the premises, the right to peace and quiet, the right to clean premises, and the right to basic services such as heat and hot water.

So your right to quiet enjoyment is being violated, which give you legal recourse.  Get on it.