Why did Airbnb help the illegal host make false accusations against the guest

[Qi21]

1. Paid $2900 to Airbnb, arrived at the place, and asked the apartment office for directions.
2. The office will tell you your stay is ILLEGAL, and the Airbnb host will threaten you that you will be evicted.
3. The Airbnb support team will tell you that according to the house rule, you are not allowed to ask the office for directions, and there’s no violation on the host side, although the host violated the Residential Tenancies Act(RTA)
4. And without any reason, the Airbnb support team, the host will ask you again and again to buy the host a new bed.

** 

 **[Private conversation removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

it is not damaged by the guest

[Helen744]

@Gillian166 . Heres a turn up for the books . @Qi21  i think this is a scam and nothing to do with Airbnb. Pay nothing   H

[Huma0]

@Helen744 

So, yes, this was what I was saying earlier on the other thread. Airbnb DOES allow tenants to rent out places even if it's in breach of their leases, despite what it says in the policy. It happens all the time. 

[Helen744]

@Huma0  Yes Huma, exactly. This is a very unclear , but also potentially fraudulent and dangerous situation . There must be some clearer way for Airbnb to verify hosts rather than the punitive measures that are taken via the review system toward excellent hosts. This host is obviously way below par on so many levels . Good Luck Qi21 ... H

[Qi21]

@Huma0 @Helen744 Yes, previously I only booked Airbnb that are in the countryside so the host owns the house. This is the first time I use it in a city/apartment. I did not anticipate that Airbnb has no verifications for these listings.

Thanks for your wishes, that makes me feel better. Before posting this, I was afraid that people will blame me for breaking the house rule.

[Huma0]

@Qi21 

Well, I am not generally a fan of guests who break house rules!

However, this particular rule is what we, in the UK, would call 'dodgy', i.e. highly suspicious and clearly not above board. 

If the rule was 'Don't bother the neighbours', that would be different, but this host is clearly trying to avoid getting caught out for doing something he/she shouldn't be doing. The Customer Services agent you talked to should have enough common sense to see that. 

I have no idea what happened with the bed. From the photo, it looks like maybe the metal support has been slightly bent, but if I was the CS agent, I would want to see a lot more than that before making a decision. Either you would have had to put a lot of pressure on it to bend it, or it was badly made in the first place.

[Helen744]

All the best Qi21   H

[Huma0]

By the way @Qi21 , did you leave a review for this host and, if you did, was it removed? I see you left a response for her review for you, which was good.

I also noticed that this host has no reviews left since last August (and the last one was not that great) and also no listing currently on the site. It may well be that Airbnb did actually delist her following your report that the listing is in breach of the regulations. Or, it could just be a coincidence.

I am wondering, if the listing was suspended or removed, why Airbnb is pursuing you for the damage costs... Might be something to ask them?

[Qi21]

No. I did not leave any reviews since the host requested the claim, I was afraid my review could make the host angry and it will cost a long time to have a final result.

I did report the listing after I received that the host's requested the refund. The Airbnb team told me the listing was removed from their platform. When I click my Trips and go to the listing, I can see it has no available dates. Not sure if it's suspended or removed. It was not easy to report, several issues opened and closed, and finally, someone agreed that it is illegal.

yes, I agree that is a good point to ask! I wrote a long email to the team to tell them what happened, it is a removed listing, but Airbnb still uphold their decision.

Now, I opened a new issue, and hope they can reinvestigate this. 

[Huma0]

@Qi21 

Well, if they suspended or removed the listing due to it being illegal, I think you do have a strong case for both having the damage charges dismissed (this host is clearly not being honest about other things) and also you should ask them to remove the review she left you.

Tell them that it is a 'retaliatory review' and that the damage claim was also retaliatory because you reported the listing as illegal. I am not saying you will get anywhere with it, as CS is totally hit and miss these days, but I think you should fight your corner. 

[Qi21]

Thanks!!! 

[Huma0]

@Helen744 

I think perhaps Airbnb lacks the resources, or will, or both to properly verify listings. So, there is a lot of language in the T&Cs about it being the host's responsibility to make sure they are not breaching local laws, leases, building regulations etc. 

Okay, I understand that to a certain extent, as there are too many listings to police. However, when it is brought to their attention that a host is clearly in violation, they should act accordingly. It seems odd to me that they ignore the proof the guest has provided but, like you say, in other cases, suspend highly rated hosts with no evidence whatsoever.

Also, I only found out recently that the reason there are still so many entire unit listings in London, where it is illegal to rent them out for more than 90 days a year, is because Airbnb gives the hosts the option to 'attest' to the fact that they are following the law and that's all they have to do to unblock their calendars.

It's ridiculous really, but let's face it, Airbnb will do what is in their own interests and of the 30,000+ listings in London, the vast majority are entire units. If those could no longer be rented on Airbnb for more than 90 nights a year, that's a huge drop in revenue, considering there are similar laws in many other cities around the world. So, does Airbnb really care if hosts are abiding by the law or their tenancy agreements etc.? Or, do they care about making a buck?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Qi21 I am slightly confused. Did you stay in the apartment? If yes then I assume you are not trying to claim this money back.

A few other thoughts:

For Airbnb to direct you to the house rules when you talked to the building desk is ridiculous. If the rental is illegal then Airbnb should recognise this

The bed doesn't look damaged at all and if it is it is hard to see how this could be done by a guest. If you just ask your bank to cancel your card and re-issue a new one then Airbnb will not be able to charge it for this damage.

Good luck

[Qi21]

@Mike-And-Jane0 yes, this Airbnb listing is in an apartment building. Thanks for the advice, I will try to ask the bank to cancel my card, I hope this can work.

[Bhumika]

Hello @Qi21 ,

So sorry that you had such a terrible experience! I have raised your and fellow members' (who have commented below) concerns about this matter to the relevant team. I hope there is some clarification soon. 

We're happy to announce the Month of Celebration!

Can’t find what you’re searching for? start a conversation