Property Verification

[Jenny349]

I have just had the most frustrating, annoying conversation with an Airbnb rep who calls me after midnight to spout guidelines and other useless information at me in response to my repeated attempts to obtain assistance (in writing) with verification of my property .

For various reasons (related to living in rural France), Methods 1 and 2 (verification by photo or video) will not work.

The rep said: use Method 3. In case you’re wondering, Method 3 involves asking someone to help you use Method 1 or 2. Duh. Sound of Head. Hitting. Wall.

In a Help article (I don’t have the link, sorry), Airbnb outline, in addition, Method 4 (providing documentation ) and Method 5 (dispatch of a security code by postal service).

Here’s the catch: Methods 4 and 5 are not yet available! (According to the rep who called me).

So I currently have no way to verify a property with 46 excellent reviews. I host 3 other properties which were automatically verified, presumably because they’ve been open longer.

Please can someone help me? I’m at my wits end with this frustrating circus and have been informed my property will be removed in the absence of verification .

Thank you for your input. 

[Jenny349]

For info,  this is the help article I refer to above: 

http://airbnb.com/help/article/2848

[Jon5032]

Hi. I am in semi rural UK with same issues. Property verification does not work and isn't even possible. 

In any case, if Airbnb trust their own verified guest reviews, they already have all the verification they could possibly need. 

After many many pointless and completely useless exchanges with their support, am no nearer a solution. 

Suddenly the support contact starts saying I need to verify my own ID, even though I am a superhost and my profile states ID Verified..... which it has been for many months. 

I have lost confidence in Airbnb's support process and honesty. 

Absolutely ridiculous. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jon5032 Which bit of semi-rural stopped the verification process working for you. We managed it fine (which surprised me!)

[Jon5032]

The first issue for me is that I don't use the app. 

The second is that I have no street name sign that I can take a video of. 

The third is that Airbnb support is giving me very misleading info.... like saying I need to verify my identity with government ID even though my account is of course already verified and shows that in my profile. 

On a broader level, I don't understand their property verification process when many verified and independant guests have rated location, direction and amenities as completely accurate in the listings. Isn't that all the verification you could need?

The more info we provide to prove who we are, the more info is out there to potentially fall into the wrong hands and be used for nefarious purposes. 

Like @Jenny349 I would find their verification methods 4 and 5 more appropriate but see no way to follow those routes.

In any case, what are they actually verifying? 

The property location (in which case they don't need a person's face and a street name sign doesn't help either).

Who owns the property? (Their process doesn't determine this and it's not their business any way.) 

That the host has a connection with the property. (Their process doesn't achieve this).

Verify that I have the app installed? (this is a possibility but is not the purpose they state.) 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jon5032 Ahh - I can see the issue you have. I guess you will have to get the app or, if you haven't got a smartphone, get one.

I agree the whole verification thing is weird after 5 years and multiple happy guests but then I see the hosts who do play the system and bait and switch guests. We had one guest a few years back who was using Airbnb for the first time having avoided it for years because of location scams.

On balance I therefore agree with what Airbnb is doing.

[Jon5032]

@Mike-And-Jane0, thanks for your comments. If you see a reason for needing to verify locations (which I guess sounds like a reasonable thing to do), do you have any thoughts on the following (to help me see the light!)?

Did you video your face when you verified? Given that you could have nominated someone else to do the verification, doesn't it seem odd that they need a face image at all to 'verify the location'? 

What about the need to verify a property that is already well known and well reviewed including that the location is correct? 

I just get a strong feeling that all that is happening is that you give fraudsters an ever clearer and more 'trustworthy' / successful way of proving their authenticity. I guess I'd have to change my view if I saw fake properties with multiple glowing reviews by verified guests.

The problem it raises for me is that if verified guests (and their reviews) are not trustworthy, why should I trust them as a host any more than Airbnb does to demonstrate the authenticity of listings? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jon5032 

1) No I didn't video my face when verifying the listing (I did when verifying my identity). Also I only had t verify 1 out of our 3 listings which is strange.

2) Further to the above I assume that well reviewed listings need verifying on a random basis

3&4) I can't answer but still think Airbnb is trying to do the right thing.

Also smartphones and apps are useful in many walks of life these days so, if you don't have them, perhaps its time to move with the times (says a self confessed technophobe)

[Grace1185]

I am having a similar issue with verification.  Our property is in the middle of the countryside, down a farm track in the middle of a farm - so, no street signs, no road signs and although I have videoed the name of the property and the access track - I keep getting an automated message saying I need a street sign.  I have had numerous conversations with Airbnb who all say they understand my position, will put me on to a higher level support person - who then sends a message saying I don't have a street sign so need to get it verified again - it is SO frustrating.  I've even had an Airbnb share my phone screen so she could walk through the house and verify that it looks exactly as it is in the photos - but even that isn't good enough because she didn't have the authority to "verify" what she had seen with her own eyes.  The AI used to recognise a "street sign" automatically denies the verification without one and Airbnb don't use actual people to look through any anomalies when you have a property that doesn't fit their AI filter system.  I am at a loss as to how to proceed.  I want to put in a complaint - but can't find a link to that anywhere on the hosting platform.  Any ideas?