being asked for an extra deposit via superhog is this allowed?

[Steve4177]

I am being asked to complete a registration via a 3rd party website and pay a £250 deposit for potential damage via a company "www.superhog.com" who have a bad reputations for data breaches.  Is this allowed as this was not listed at the time I made to booking?

[Rebecca]

Hi there @Steve4177, welcome to the Community Center and you've asked a great question. 

I found this information on the Security deposits guide: 

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Hosts aren’t allowed to charge guests a security deposit through our Resolution Centre or outside the Airbnb platform. Instead, we inform guests at the time of booking that their payment method may be charged if they cause damage during a stay.

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I hope this helps. 🙂

[Gerry203]

Interesting you say that Rebecca, because, I suspect i know which company is asking for this deposit that Steve is asking about, because I have had the same issue, and I spoke to your team yesterday, and I was told I DO have to pay because it is in the listing (albeit at the bottom and not in 'Things to know'. So, culd we have some consistency please from Airbnb?

Gerry

[Joan2709]

Hi @Gerry203 

If the listing uses a third-party property management system (channel manager) they can charge a security deposit. The Host and/or Airbnb should be able to verify if they are using an API: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140

Hosts aren’t allowed to charge guests a security deposit through our Resolution Center or outside the Airbnb platform. Instead, we inform guests at the time of booking that their payment method may be charged if they cause damage during a stay.

There is one exception: Hosts who manage their listings with API-connected software can set a security deposit using our offline fees feature. If a Host has done this, the deposit requirements will be clearly communicated during the booking process.

[Gerry203]

@Joan2709 Thats EXACTLY what the originator of this post and I have experienced. Hence why I am both disputing this (and I go nowhere with airbnb customer service team because the listing did say you maybe asked to put down a deposit). There is therefore inconsistency. 

I am both a host and a user. This of it from the users perspective. 

How would they know if the host is using a 3rd party channel manager? What defines a channel manager? I use a plugin on my site which aggregates all sources and manages payment. That to me is a channel manager but it won’t be in the usual list of channel managers. 

I object to this host which I suspect is the same for the originator, charging me £35 unrefundable to have damage protection when airbnb has air cover. 

Can you see the confusion here. There is a difference n responses from airbnb when you call  and on this site that’s all I’m saying. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Gerry203 Airbnb is being consistent. Not only does customer service give random advice but so do the CC moderators.

Anyway @Joan2709 has provided the official position and, if it was stated in the listing, then I am afraid you may have to pay. BUT I wonder how API connected software actually works and how it is supposed to collect the security deposit. Sadly I have no idea/experience of this (and don't even know what API means!).

At the end of the day as long as you do no damage the deposit should come back to you.

[Gerry203]

I've had the same, by chance would this be Guesthomes? Because I;ve chalenged it with them, and they've said they'll refuse to give me access code! When I rang airbnb yesterday they said as this is in the listing (see below my response to Rebecca) I was told I would have to pay it.

AirBNB need some consistency here and very disappoiinted by their response, although the agent did discuss with their manager, so, says something isn;t right between what I've been told and what's here.