"reputable hosts" .Total disappointment

[Pavel249]

I travel a lot, but mostly book through Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels, or local aggregators. Over the past 15 years, I've chosen Airbnb accommodations about 10 times for various reasons. I've always found the booking process too complicated.
But what happened this time exceeded all expectations.
I booked a house in Stintino, Sardinia. The owner immediately wrote to me saying I needed to sign some kind of contract. I had a similar situation with Booking. I contacted support, and they said that any requirement to sign anything outside of Booking.com is illegal.
So I ignored the message here too. But after the free cancellation period had passed, the host insisted, sending me a contract stating that I was only "Obligated," and he was only "Entitled."
Impressive was my surprise when Airbnb sided with the host. But what I liked most was the customer service's response: "Yes, it's against the rules, but we allow this for particularly reputable hosts."
My question—"How can I know in advance that I'm booking with a "reputable" host so I can avoid them?"—remained unanswered.
So, if my Airbnb bookings were previously -5%, now they'll be approaching zero.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Pavel249 Another Airbnb stupidity I am afraid. I suspect what they actually mean is 'corporate' hosts (such as in the UK where Cottages.com advertise on Airbnb). Was the host a corporate with lots of listings? If so target hosts with no more than 1 or 2 listings and you will be fine.

[Pavel249]

I always plan my trips myself. I spend a lot of time choosing the route, hotels, and transportation. I want everything to be of good quality and within my budget. And I don't want to have to worry about the hosts, whether they're corporate or not. I prefer not to book through this platform.
There's a very logical general rule for all aggregators: -
"Guarantees and communication only through the aggregator. Every agregator always warns against payments and discussions outside of the aggregator."
But here, support confirmed the rule but deviated from it. And if I disagree, they offered to cancel and forfeit my funds.
I don't want to find myself in this situation again.

[Debra300]

@Pavel249,

It is very likely that the customer service rep provided an incorrect explanation about who can require contracts.  I know laws are not the same everywhere, but I checked the English language Airbnb Help Center of five countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and US, and they all say that a host may request for a guest to sign a contract: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/465.  The host should clearly state in the listing description that a contract is required and a guest has a right of refusal with full refund.

[Pavel249]

[Pavel249]

To avoid being unfounded, here is a response from support.

[Debra300]

@Pavel249,

I can't read the screenshot, but I never disputed that you were told only certain hosts can require contracts.  I only pointed out that you were likely told incorrect information based upon the multiple English language Airbnb Help Center articles that I found. 
I can also confirm from my listings on Booking.com that hosts are allowed to require contracts as long as it's stipulated in the listing description before the booking is made, and similar to Airbnb, the guest has 48 hours after making the reservation to refuse contract agreement, but before starting the stay, and is entitled to a full refund.

[Pavel249]

Now, in the age of AI, translation is done in a couple of clicks.

"

Airbnb Support 21:51
Hello, Pavel!
My name is Tatyana, I work at Airbnb and help guests.
I’ll be happy to assist you with your question.

For some property owners whose listings are connected through a software integration, there are exceptions to the general rules regarding communication outside our platform. This Host is one of them. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about their request to follow the provided link.

                                                                                                                 "

[Pavel249]

I consider this practice of requiring contracts to be flawed and improper. I traveled to six locations in 15 days, and I don't have time to study contracts and discuss them with the host. I'm sure most such contracts are signed blindly.

Airbnb needs to clearly label such hosts and make it possible to filter them.

I will never agree to sign a contract that is unilaterally binding. And I'm sure any host would refuse to amend it.