Guests gaming the system

[Genia5]

I'd read some horror stories of guests from hell but, somehow, felt I'd escape. I haven't. My last guest booked my place for three months and she made the booking about five weeks before her arrival - timing that I think is important. My cancellation policy is set to Firm so full refund if they cancel thirty days before but less after that. Well, she came and from the first hour the complaints set in, most of them bogus. For example, she said the ac didn't work but that's not true, one simply has to turn on the switch before using the remote. She said there was no hot water, I came and ran it for her to show that you just have to wait a little while for it to kick in. She said there was a toad, I couldn't find it. She said the place was filthy and took a photo of a hair on a light fixture. That the lights wouldn't come on in the bedroom. Etc. Etc. And then she demanded a full refund. We went back and forth with AirBnB Support which was minimal at best as they apparently believed everything she said, even her claim that she hadn't stayed the night (but I have security cameras which proved otherwise). To make a long story shorter, AirBnB refunded her everything except her night's stay. After she left, I discovered that the bulbs in the bedroom had been loosened. I now believe that she found someplace cheaper to stay but knew she would have lost a bigger part of her payment unless she waited until actually arriving so she could create these bogus complaints and get most of her money back. She is or was a host herself so she knows the system.

A friend suggested that the next time a guest arrives (I've had no bookings since her review was posted), I go over the apartment with them in the same way car rental companies do and have them sign that everything works. That seems a bit onerous but I can't think of any other measure that would work and I do believe that Covid probably has many people traveling, more digital nomads and more will be scammers. Wondering what I can do to protect myself from the latter?

[Laura2592]

@Genia5 I think your biggest take away is don't do long term rentals through ABB. If you just found this woman through a regular rental situation, she would have a lease and a walk through to record the state of the property. She would have a damage deposit. If she wanted to break her lease, there would be a penalty more than one night. You would not have had to deal with "support" and would have had a legally binding contract that spelled out what you were owed in no uncertain terms. You would have had a cushion for any shortening of the tenancy in the form of forfeited deposits or extra months rent to break the agreement. You could just start over with a new tenant, not had to deal with blocking dates and losing income or a bad review that would scare off others.

Airbnb is NOT a platform to do anything other than short stays. Period. You have just highlighted a few of the issues. I know some hosts are successful with this, but never in a million years would I put my property here for a long term stay. 

[Pat271]

@Laura2592  💯 and well said!

[Genia5]

Hadn't thought of it like that but you're right. Had had a couple of month-long stays which went well so expected that one would have as well but you're right. I won't accept stays longer than a month again. Thanks for the advice.

[Emiel1]

@Genia5 

The cancellation policy which is set in a listing will be applied to short stays (max 27 night).

Stays of 28 nights and longer will always have the special "long term stay" cancellation policy attached.

I host many "long term stays", but i pefer to extend stays instead of let guests book a long time period ahead.

[Huma0]

@Genia5 

@Emiel1  is correct. There is a separate long-term cancellation policy which applies to ALL stays of 28 days or more, which overrides any cancellation policy you have set for the rest of your stays, whether that's Strict, Moderate, Flexible, whatever.

I personally prefer long term stays and have moved from doing a combination of short and long to pretty much just long term. It works for me. Occasionally there are problems but, in most cases, guests have been great.

There are two ways to ensure it almost always goes smoothly:

1. VET, VET, VET. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and lots of them, until you are 100% satisfied that the guest is a good fit. Don't be afraid to turn them away if there are red flags.

2. Make sure that the guest confirms in writing on the Airbnb messaging system that they have read, fully understand and agree to the full listing/house rules (I include a question in there that they need to answer so I know they have read the full version).

3. Make sure you understand tenants' rights/laws regarding rentals in your area so that you don't get caught out by squatters etc.

4. With long term guests, always check them in personally (or have a trusted and well trained person to do it for you if you can't) and follow up the next day asking if all is well or if there is anything else they need.

5. Keep anything important on the Airbnb messaging system. If you have an off-site conversation or exchange with the guest, follow it up with a message via Airbnb to confirm what you discussed.

[Genia5]

Thank you both. I didn't know about the long stay cancellation policy. I must look it up. And I admit that I fell down on the vetting - had I Googled and also gone through all the reviews for her own AirBnB property I'd have been a lot more leery. Thanks for those suggestions. I'm definitely going to be a lot more wary going forward.

[Muno1]

@Games

Gaming the system is manipulating or exploiting the rules designed to govern a given system to gain an advantage over other users.

[Flavia202]

@Genia5 , I had a great long- term guest and everything went well. However, after reading some of the problems that some hosts shared on this platform (scammers/bogus credit cards/no payout after 1st payout/host left holding the bag), I shortened my booking window to 21 days.  Seems a safer financial route to me to extend stays instead of letting guests book long-term in advance.

[Genia5]

Thanks. I have it at 28 days now because I've had a few month long guests who were really great but I'm mulling the option of reducing with the possibility of extending stays. Hope everything good a yard!

[Karlee15]

This is precisely the issue I have with ABB changing the app to not being able to read reviews until AFTER you approve their request. It’s absurd and completely defeats the purpose of having reviews. So then what…you see bad reviews and are penalized for canceling the reservation??! I had a couple horror show guests who went on, I saw in future reviews, to steal personal checks, steal hosts belongings, etc. It’s unnerving that hosts don’t get to see my reviews about those people, nor the ones after staying with me. From those 2 different guests my mind was made up that I wouldn’t approve anyone who had just created an account the same month of requesting with me and had no past stays. Fast forward a few months and you can’t see that or reviews until after approving the stay. Not showing photos, OK, no problem. Hiding reviews…not OK at all. 
I wonder if they hide reviews of hosts from people until AFTER they book?! Probably not. 
Something very odd & inconsiderate to hosts with the newer set up. 

[Huma0]

@Karlee15 

I am not sure why you are not seeing the reviews. You definitely can see guest reviews (and ratings) before accepting a booking or even if a guest just sends an enquiry.

- Click on the message thread

- Click on the 'details' button

- Scroll down and you will see the guest's star ratings, how many reviews they have and the most recent review

- If you click on the ratings bit, you will see a full breakdown of their reviews and ratings

- Or, you can click on 'show profile' to see the reviews, verifications and about section for the guest, but the star rating won't show here

[Genia5]

I am not on the app and can see reviews though I have also seen discussions where people claim that AirBnB removes negative reviews. Not sure if that's correct. The biggest problem is probably hosts who don't leave accurate reviews and people who get fake reviews or who have multiple profiles.

[Sarah977]

@Karlee15  Only with Instant Book does a host not have the opportunity to see a guest's reviews before a booking is confirmed. But hosts also have the option to require recommendations from other hosts to IB, so obviously a guest would have to have some good reviews.

For requests and inquiries, you absolutely can read a guest's reviews before deciding whether to accept a booking or not. I don't know why you thought you couldn't.

You also have 24 hours in which to communicate with them before making a decision. So there is almost no reason ever to have to cancel an accepted request.

[Nellie12]

Sorry to hear such a story. Yes, some people are that way. You could make only 30 days booking max, so refund does not apply after 48 hours of booking. Most of the time, 98 % of time people respond to niceness the same way. You sincerely welcome your guests, show your respect, be interested in their objective of stay and expect the best outcome. Sometimes we can let go. It’s safer for you. We don’t want people who are disrespectful in our Airbnb homes.