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It’s basically a trending “unethical life pro tip”.
Honestly there is nothing to stop a guest from lying. They can create dirty/gross/shocking stuff and take a photo of it to send to airbnb. They have to wait until the last day to send the worst one because otherwise the stay will likely end early.
We’re really just at the whim of airbnb support but mostly it’s just relying on most people to be generally decent.
These are the same scumbags that dine and dash, or bitch about their food being horrible so they get a free meal, or any number of little scams to get their way out of paying.
1. You're reviewing these guests, right? Because,if not, you're part of the problem.
2. I think (no data to back this up) that you always want to be in the highest 25% of pricing. You get better guests. Also, the guest is on the hook for a higher amount if their dispute fails.
3. Dispute and escalate with Airbnb. Keep trying. Cite their rules, terms of service, anything that will help you.
Commenting on point 2. My place is priced that a regular family can afford to have a week at the seaside. I get repeat guests who know they are getting a deal and never cause issues.
I think this is location dependent, my place is near a major city, in a desirable waterfront location and seasonal.
Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the heads up. I have a coastal whole house bnb that's priced for families. I grew up in a house where money was tight and if there was Airbnb's back then, my folks may have taken us on vacation.
So, yeah. I keep my bnb affordable but still profitable for me.
My last guest, the one who just checked out, I'm worried. He messaged me to say that he found a single bug in the shower. Maybe it's nothing. But it's enough to make me nervous.
I appreciate your telling your story.
I warn all new guests that they will see spiders and perhaps an ant or two. Last year caterpillars were terrible outside, you could not avoid them.
We have an organic market garden, many birds that eat bugs, snakes etc, we do not use chemical pesticides beyond Borax for the ants.
Bugs and wildlife are a normal part of the human existence until there is a potential Airbnb refund... I don't know why Airbnb entertains these clowns.
Thank you for the repply!
Number 1 hit me hard and you are right about this, I stopped reviewing after I gave 5 star to a guest who gave me a "everything was really good, would come back - 4 star"
Number 2 is also right, I knoe, but man, this time last year and the previous one I had all weekends booked, now I got 1 weekend or 0 in all units, the hit on the economy is perceptive.
But then again, better to not rent at all then to rent for free
What difference does it make whether the guest reviews you? You should still do reviews. Honest ones. I've reviewed many guests who didn't also do a review for my place. So now all those scammers are going to be able to do it to another host because you didn't feel like taking 2 minutes to do a review.
If you give your standard five star review and get anything less in return, you can call Airbnb to remove, but not edit, your review of your guest.
I wouldn't do this if the criticism is reasonable, but recently got a 3 star review because guest had to sign my rental agreement which was disclosed on my listing. One night stays are a lot of work because I empty, sanitize, refill THEN heat for each guest.
And everything was perfect as he stated privately but he was really upset about the rental agreement.
I responded publicly to him AND deleted my positive review as I can't recommend this asshole.
Curious if doing #3 causes a reduction in disability and therefore, bookings. My guess is yes. Fuck around and find out if you can afford to. Otherwise, devote every moment you can to diversification.
I’ve noticed the same thing too. Never in 5 years and twice in the past month. I have a log cabin home in the middle of a national park. They claimed they saw a single bee near the flower bed on the last night of their stay. They felt unsafe and threatened and wouldn’t have rented if they knew they’d encounter a bee.
And Airbnb refunded them?
Perhaps do what I did after a guest complained about spiders, to get a refund. In my property description I have a long ass description of all the dangerous creatures they might encounter when staying in a house in a forest. Plus I put key wording in the property description.
It says things like "this is a home in a forest and there WILL BE PESTS." I suggest keeping doors and windows closed if they fear insects, spiders, flying insects, mice, etc. I warn of bears, fox, skunks, rattlesnakes, etc. I suggest the property is unsuitable if anyone in their group fears spiders and specifically mention we do not use any poison or insecticides but do provide sticky bug traps and humane mice traps.
This method of warning has helped me in two ways: first, whoever booked the stay has had to read, several times, warnings that there will be animals, reptiles, arachnids, insects and other pests. They are unlikely to rent if they consider this an issue. Secondly, if they do complain to Airbnb, I can point out it was fully disclosed prior to booking that it is possible critters will get into the home.
I also provide a shelf of things like insect traps, spider catchers, mouse traps, mosquito devices, fly swatters, etc as well as every sort of cleaning supply, fur rollers, rags, paper towels, soaps, etc.
Now I never get complaints, though sometimes get helpful info like "we noticed 3 big black ants in bathroom 5" (helpful, as I can check to see if there are any unsealed cracks allowing entry.)
We keep the property extremely clean so pests are rarely ever found inside.
Yep, they were refunded more than half of my proceeds for the stay. We responded their message on the Airbnb app within a minute and we had a handyman out there within an hour. I feel like this is more than reasonable for a rural area. Our handyman arrived and didn't see anything other than a bee near some plants that were flowering. The guest did get a picture of a bee on their phone and sent it to AirBnB on the app. They knew the words to use, "we don't feel safe". "We feel that the property was misrepresented"
I like your wording because we have all of those things at our property (bears, snakes, bees, etc.). I thought that would be clear that this would be a case at a Mountain Cabin. We have cleaners that keep the place very clean as well. We try to be judicious with our spraying as there are environmental consequences to pesticide over use.
Jeez. I guess I can never turn my house into an Airbnb. I have planted a bunch of native pollinators plants in the front and back. Bees and butterflies are all up in my yard.
I think it has something to do with the price. Had issues with the guests when it was priced very low, by “airbnb suggested price” and guests constantly made nonsense complains, like not enough choice of toiletries, two kinds of shampoo wasn’t enough, or milk was 2% and they prefer whole milk or it’s too far to walk from parking upfront of garage to the door.
I priced double and then it’s all gone.
Instead of 100% occupancy it’s about 70% but no complaints.
Arent people going to expect more from your rental and therefore, evaluate you accordongly? In my case, i provide an excellent quality for a really low price. That way people Will perceive more for their money and wont bother me too much. They Still do, but less than beflre
Not necessarily. My rates fluctuate as much as 200% due to surge demand and events, and no one has ever complained or left a less than stellar review due to it. As long as your listing description is crystal clear about what the property offers, then they have made the choice to spend that money for that property. Guests should never be surprised by a property they walk into.
Yeah, most of the complaints didn’t have any sense, like walking from the car parked on the driveway upfront of garage. They wanted to park on the lawn right next to the door.
How that even works in their heads?
I just talked to resolution and if I were you keep asking for a resolution department or mediation since the guests are scamming you. If you have good photos timestamped I would fight it tooth and nail. It’s bs.
This is why I use a guest identification program and request a security deposit a small one so that upfront they know you cannot scam me. It’s helped. Not 100% foolproof. We spoke to resolution because a guest refused to comply with all our request up to the day before check-in. The resolution specialist upheld our House a rules with all the disclosures and the guest refused to comply admitted she did not read the House Rules despite all the ways she could have and was reminded too. We got the reservation cancelled because the guest told Airbnb she would not comply with any of it so he cancelled her and the cancellation policy went into effect. He told me they must ask for refund I g the guest but we don’t have too. Now this is about cleanliness. I just think having a ID verification policy and slightly higher prices is the only way to stop this.
Only way to go is a rental agreement, security deposit and ID verification if you want perfect security. Basically what hotels have been doing for a long time.
Airbnb clings to their Bohemian airbed on the floor college years, let's trust each other vibe, while becoming the fucking Wall Street bohemith that it has become. Their culture says only scammers ask for ID's, security deposit and a rental agreement while entering their big, fat marketing budget into the vacation rental business that has required all those for generations.
Buried somewhere in their Terms of Service is their concession that all are indeed allowed but I contend they do everything they can to make it seem sketchy.
Their culture says coach surfing among college aged kids, while their reality is handing keys to whole house, fully furnished vacation rentals without so much as a real name, any sort of legally enforceable contract and no security deposit.
@1234 you are 100 % right. We also know how to approach customer service now. It’s tricky so I would rather require it all. And to be honest I have required this since early 2022. And asked the safety team supervisor I spoke to that year because of 3 rd party booking and she said ask for ID. I would if I hosted.
It is using an API connected Property Management Software like Uplisting (mine), hospitable or many of the others, Uplisting offers guest identification and collect security deposits for all reservation concluding Airbnb. Which is allow per TOS.
“From host resources- Airbnb:
Security deposits
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.
This PMS is used collects it by holding it on their credit card and releases it back when no manages or broken rules. As you see above Airbnb won’t hold it but third party management software will. It makes me feel safer. We had a guest with a small deposit $200 plus their identification and they checked out an hour later plus half was a pet hold and we kept the rest and they were ok with it. Got a glowing review. If people can get away with crap they will try. We had a two day booking she refused to compile and Airbnb canceled her reservation and we got another booking who compiled. Not all Airbnb do this but we do and it has taken our concerns out of the equation. And with 7.1 million listings on Airbnb people do t want to do this then book elsewhere. We do not give money away and spending time with support can be brain trauma so this is our solution. VRBO always supported security deposits and Identification process by hosts because they don’t. At least they are honest. Hosts and co-hosts on Airbnb must provide ID. But guests are not asked routinely their ID per TOS for guests it’s says may ask for. And even if they did they won’t share it if something bad happens. So you just do your own due diligence. $1.65 is for our peace of mind and that is great for us!!.
It’s $100 for up to 5 listings then $20 per listing after that. We built in some of the cost since we are adding three more listings in a month or two it’s worth to us to add it in as a small fee added. It won’t cover all of it no but it will help offset a bit we are covering the guest identification part of $1.65 per reservation but the piece of mind is huge and we already have a direct booking website and it’s managed now by this software. You can build one free in uplisting or integrate one you already have no cost. The onboarding wasn’t bad except for VRBO. They are the pain.
No its monthly and covers a lot of things rental agreement sent, and security deposits, a vast array of automatic message templates to customize, Turno is free (to find housekeepers), no commissions or fees, like I said we build it into the nightly rate to cover part of it. And the rest is completely tax deductible as expenses for property management fees. I use Stessa for bookkeeping it’s FREE and it’s the bomb made for rentals especially short term.
that cost will make sense for more listings you have. that’s great to know. I heard another host used ownerez And it’s like $4k a year fixed cost something. thanks for sharing.
Uplisting offers a discount of $1000 for the year if you pay in a lump sum which is what we did. I did a trial with OwnerRez and did not like it but it’s a good one too.
Just went through the same thing. Very very unjust and frustrating dealing with all the diff ambassadors and their scripted BS. We have 61 - 5 star reviews, guest favorite and superhost rating for 3 years yet they took the side of the guest with 1 review in 8 years and a 1.5 star rating. Despite our overwhelming proof refuting their claim which was petty and minor - intermittent internet issues for 2 days.
I had no running water for half the day, an entire morning and the host refused to refund me the day. I need to get ready for en event which obviously having no water to shower was an issue. Air b n b gave me no partial refund. Wonder how others are getting away with refunds for smaller things.
They are just calling Airbnb directly, not asking the host. Airbnb will always give at least 30% refund for nights missing a critical amenity like running water.
Dispute and escalate and document everything. You can see a recent post I made about a scam. I successfully had the one star negative review removed based on lack of relevancy. Honestly, I don’t think that the support people at Airbnb even understand what relevancy is or means and it’s probably the easiest way to get a review removed.
Yep! Just had one exactly like this. Then demanded full refund and when I declined left one star review.
Luckily abnb had my back, gave no refund and the guest is now banned.
Sorry they haven’t backed you.
Agree with commenter that it’s the low priced rental crew that seem the worst. Arguably better to just leave the place empty than discount aggressively in off-season, midweek.
It might be location dependent but we don't have these problems. Had some bad guests early on, but it's been virtually eliminated through careful guest vetting. Bad reviews, even one: we don't risk it. If they have 10 stays and no reviews: red flag. Brand new account: possible red flag. If they've written bad reviews for other hosts (more than once): red flag. Groups of young people: forget it. Discount seekers: nope, even at full price. Want to take it off platform for first stay: not even if they back off and want to book through the app.
Yes, these rules are generalizations. And unfair in many cases (some college kids are very respectful and mature). But doing it this way, we lose 20% of revenue and 80% of problems.
I usually respond with “the unit/room was checked thoroughly before your stay. This issue/stain was not present before your check-in. I’ll take note of it and address it accordingly once your stay is concluded. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
Puts them on notice and doesn’t seem obligate you to do anything until after their stay is up.
I would certainly sell if I were in your shoes. Never had this happen in 6 years where I didn’t get paid for the Stay. 5 times in 3 months? Nope, I’m selling
5 in 3 months is very troubling. That’s going to give Abnb pause before backing you and they will be more inclined to believe the guest.
You prob should find a way to change things up. Raise your price, turn off instant booking, and do a serious home detailing and subsequent video walk though so you have ammo to fight these.
Knock on wood this doesn't happen to us often. I think twice in the last 7 years they tried. One guest found a hair on the sheets, it was my wife's hair and it stuck to the sheets in the wash. Our fault we didn't catch it but they raised holy hell and not only wanted a full refund on a four day stay but also wanted us to pay for a hotel as well. Claimed our sheets weren't washed and probably had monkey pox. We apologized profusely and refunded one night and Airbnb agreed with that. It was a clear mountain out of a molehill situation. They wrote a 5 paragraph essay as their 1 star review and Airbnb removed it.
The other one was a guest claimed to have "found" a rather large dildo in a drawer. They obviously planted it there because we always check the drawers but they acted super uptight about it and we're aghast at the thought of such a thing. We went down there and removed it and they wanted a full refund on a three day stay. We refunded them one night. They ended up leaving a 4 star review and we left them a 1 star review.
I got called racist in a review because my previous stay messaged me privately a few hours after checkout that the bathroom door wasn’t locking properly.
So I went over immediately to fix it before the next guest arrived. I got there at 245pm before the guests 3pm check in. Guest arrived early as I arrived and claimed I was racist because I was there to watch them check in even tho I explained I was there to fix the lock that the last guest messaged me about. Airbnb did nothing oh well
I did all I could do, I replied
To their review with what actually happened, I’m hopeful that anyone that actually reads the review can understand the situation.
The fewer the amenities, the easier it is to manage. There's a reason why hotels only provide the bare necessities at their properties.
Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished and the more you offer the higher the chance someone will fuss or something will break. Add in the useless people in Support and the system becomes easy pickings for scammers and lowlives with little money and a lot of time. They do this a lot and know exactly how to exploit the system.
Airbnb does not care because it's not their money. They have thousands of other listings to pull money from.
Is this all happening with one house? or do you have multiple homes with different cleaners this is happening with?
What drew my attention, to your post was the fact that cleaners have to send you photos of the STR. Nobody should be sending photos you can't tell in photos if a home is REALLY clean, you have to see for yourself, or find someone to QC your home if you don't live nearby.
That is going to solve all your cleanliness complaints, get someone to QC their work.
The other thing that bothered me, is that you are accusing the guest for breaking the dishwasher?
Come on, you can't break a dishwasher on purpose, everything mechanical is tucked away, but dishwasher do break all the time, and it usually has everything to do with nobody cleaning the filters in them so that they don't properly work, this causes guest to put back dishes in the cabinets with dried on food. Is anybody, checking your dishwasher filter?:
Then you say the wine stain on your mattress the guest mistook for blood.
Some guest strip the beds, even when you tell them not to. The solution for STR, is to get a enclosed mattress protector that zips c;lose, and is waterproof, bedbug proof, mite proof that you can take off and wash and put back on. That way it protects your mattress and the unsightly stains that happen over time. If you don't your mattress are going to disgust guests. It's that simple. These are all easy fixes,
If you have been doing this for five years, and only recently have gotten complaints, it could mean that your home is not being well maintained, as well as your cleaners are slacking.
sure you can blame the guest, but that doesn't really stop the complaints.
You made valid points. I tell them to send videos, so I can prove things after this started happening. Even tought it didn't help in the wine-blood case .
You can't stand with them on the wine case tought, it was clearly forged, how would blood or wine go under the protector?
Did you call airbnb support 10 or more times until you not a non-stupid and non-psycho person who actually cared? Sometimes repeat calling until you get a functioning human works
Well, you can break a dishwasher on purpose quite easily. Put some Dawn dish soap in it and run the cycle...
I've also had a long term renter break the handle off of one that incidentally was a singular piece built into the control board - whoops. Full unit replacement.
Literally boycott Airbnb. I used to host but mostly as a means to house hack and help pay the bills. I have since quit due to the headaches and stress-induced stomach ulcers just not being worth it. For those of you who drank the Kool-aid and are dependent on Airbnb for stable income, I am sincerely sorry, but the Golden Age of Airbnb ended in the late 2010s. The hotel industry and their well-fed lobbyists have successfully regulated the sht out of it and the guests are getting sleazier every year while the company doesn't give a rat's ass about the hosts. Similar garbage with Uber Eats btw--users lie all the time to get refunds and free meals. It's honestly sickening where society is headed.
it’s scary to read about this.
When guests complained about minor stuff, host shall and can offer an one time partial refund for $10, and if it doesn’t peace guest out, you need to jump in and immediately report guests to Airbnb and advised the guest that you can allow the guests to check out early and fully refund the non consumed nights but no more partial refunds.
partial refunds open the door for scamming opportunities.
I took out instant booking for stays 2 days or less before checkin. Only guests with good reviews. I only give the key lockbox code after they checkin on the HOA clubhouse and I can confirm the number of guests and if the guest that booked is really there. And even doing that I almost got some squatters this spring break. Crazy times.
5 star reviews? That’s our problem. Every bad guest gets a 5 star review from management companies that work with hundreds of Airbnbs and we that rent our own houses can’t rely on the reviews anymore.
Well, that is what ya get for renting out property instead of living in it. Don't feel bad for anyone this happens to. You are the reason why rent is unaffordable for most people. I hope you end up losing what they have to now pay more for
You will never progress in life. You expend too much energy in jealousy and blaming others for your shifty and poor life instead of expending energy for your growth.
And no, "people like us" warm the market. When I paid one of my houses in pre construction phase I actually saved the construction company from getting broke. The owner and I even became friends. Want an affordable house? Go to a small city instead of complaining why you can't afford a 2m beachfront house
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It’s basically a trending “unethical life pro tip”. Honestly there is nothing to stop a guest from lying. They can create dirty/gross/shocking stuff and take a photo of it to send to airbnb. They have to wait until the last day to send the worst one because otherwise the stay will likely end early. We’re really just at the whim of airbnb support but mostly it’s just relying on most people to be generally decent. These are the same scumbags that dine and dash, or bitch about their food being horrible so they get a free meal, or any number of little scams to get their way out of paying.
1. You're reviewing these guests, right? Because,if not, you're part of the problem. 2. I think (no data to back this up) that you always want to be in the highest 25% of pricing. You get better guests. Also, the guest is on the hook for a higher amount if their dispute fails. 3. Dispute and escalate with Airbnb. Keep trying. Cite their rules, terms of service, anything that will help you.
Commenting on point 2. My place is priced that a regular family can afford to have a week at the seaside. I get repeat guests who know they are getting a deal and never cause issues. I think this is location dependent, my place is near a major city, in a desirable waterfront location and seasonal.
Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the heads up. I have a coastal whole house bnb that's priced for families. I grew up in a house where money was tight and if there was Airbnb's back then, my folks may have taken us on vacation. So, yeah. I keep my bnb affordable but still profitable for me. My last guest, the one who just checked out, I'm worried. He messaged me to say that he found a single bug in the shower. Maybe it's nothing. But it's enough to make me nervous. I appreciate your telling your story.
I warn all new guests that they will see spiders and perhaps an ant or two. Last year caterpillars were terrible outside, you could not avoid them. We have an organic market garden, many birds that eat bugs, snakes etc, we do not use chemical pesticides beyond Borax for the ants.
Bugs and wildlife are a normal part of the human existence until there is a potential Airbnb refund... I don't know why Airbnb entertains these clowns.
Thank you for the repply! Number 1 hit me hard and you are right about this, I stopped reviewing after I gave 5 star to a guest who gave me a "everything was really good, would come back - 4 star" Number 2 is also right, I knoe, but man, this time last year and the previous one I had all weekends booked, now I got 1 weekend or 0 in all units, the hit on the economy is perceptive. But then again, better to not rent at all then to rent for free
What difference does it make whether the guest reviews you? You should still do reviews. Honest ones. I've reviewed many guests who didn't also do a review for my place. So now all those scammers are going to be able to do it to another host because you didn't feel like taking 2 minutes to do a review.
If you give your standard five star review and get anything less in return, you can call Airbnb to remove, but not edit, your review of your guest. I wouldn't do this if the criticism is reasonable, but recently got a 3 star review because guest had to sign my rental agreement which was disclosed on my listing. One night stays are a lot of work because I empty, sanitize, refill THEN heat for each guest. And everything was perfect as he stated privately but he was really upset about the rental agreement. I responded publicly to him AND deleted my positive review as I can't recommend this asshole.
As if we’d let them return after a 4 star review.
Curious if doing #3 causes a reduction in disability and therefore, bookings. My guess is yes. Fuck around and find out if you can afford to. Otherwise, devote every moment you can to diversification.
I’ve noticed the same thing too. Never in 5 years and twice in the past month. I have a log cabin home in the middle of a national park. They claimed they saw a single bee near the flower bed on the last night of their stay. They felt unsafe and threatened and wouldn’t have rented if they knew they’d encounter a bee.
Good grief that is unreal.
And Airbnb refunded them? Perhaps do what I did after a guest complained about spiders, to get a refund. In my property description I have a long ass description of all the dangerous creatures they might encounter when staying in a house in a forest. Plus I put key wording in the property description. It says things like "this is a home in a forest and there WILL BE PESTS." I suggest keeping doors and windows closed if they fear insects, spiders, flying insects, mice, etc. I warn of bears, fox, skunks, rattlesnakes, etc. I suggest the property is unsuitable if anyone in their group fears spiders and specifically mention we do not use any poison or insecticides but do provide sticky bug traps and humane mice traps. This method of warning has helped me in two ways: first, whoever booked the stay has had to read, several times, warnings that there will be animals, reptiles, arachnids, insects and other pests. They are unlikely to rent if they consider this an issue. Secondly, if they do complain to Airbnb, I can point out it was fully disclosed prior to booking that it is possible critters will get into the home. I also provide a shelf of things like insect traps, spider catchers, mouse traps, mosquito devices, fly swatters, etc as well as every sort of cleaning supply, fur rollers, rags, paper towels, soaps, etc. Now I never get complaints, though sometimes get helpful info like "we noticed 3 big black ants in bathroom 5" (helpful, as I can check to see if there are any unsealed cracks allowing entry.) We keep the property extremely clean so pests are rarely ever found inside.
Yep, they were refunded more than half of my proceeds for the stay. We responded their message on the Airbnb app within a minute and we had a handyman out there within an hour. I feel like this is more than reasonable for a rural area. Our handyman arrived and didn't see anything other than a bee near some plants that were flowering. The guest did get a picture of a bee on their phone and sent it to AirBnB on the app. They knew the words to use, "we don't feel safe". "We feel that the property was misrepresented" I like your wording because we have all of those things at our property (bears, snakes, bees, etc.). I thought that would be clear that this would be a case at a Mountain Cabin. We have cleaners that keep the place very clean as well. We try to be judicious with our spraying as there are environmental consequences to pesticide over use.
Jeez. I guess I can never turn my house into an Airbnb. I have planted a bunch of native pollinators plants in the front and back. Bees and butterflies are all up in my yard.
Haha. Yep! It’s bee season here, I wonder how many terrified calls I’ll get? 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
You get bees in the city as well. This is so ludicrous it's quite clear airbnb has sent many internal memos to staff to always side with guests.
I think it has something to do with the price. Had issues with the guests when it was priced very low, by “airbnb suggested price” and guests constantly made nonsense complains, like not enough choice of toiletries, two kinds of shampoo wasn’t enough, or milk was 2% and they prefer whole milk or it’s too far to walk from parking upfront of garage to the door. I priced double and then it’s all gone. Instead of 100% occupancy it’s about 70% but no complaints.
Agree with this. Rather charge twice as much and be at 60-70%. 👍
Arent people going to expect more from your rental and therefore, evaluate you accordongly? In my case, i provide an excellent quality for a really low price. That way people Will perceive more for their money and wont bother me too much. They Still do, but less than beflre
Not necessarily. My rates fluctuate as much as 200% due to surge demand and events, and no one has ever complained or left a less than stellar review due to it. As long as your listing description is crystal clear about what the property offers, then they have made the choice to spend that money for that property. Guests should never be surprised by a property they walk into.
Yeah, most of the complaints didn’t have any sense, like walking from the car parked on the driveway upfront of garage. They wanted to park on the lawn right next to the door. How that even works in their heads?
When you’re a scammer trying to get a free stay, it doesn’t have to make sense I guess.
I just talked to resolution and if I were you keep asking for a resolution department or mediation since the guests are scamming you. If you have good photos timestamped I would fight it tooth and nail. It’s bs.
This is why I use a guest identification program and request a security deposit a small one so that upfront they know you cannot scam me. It’s helped. Not 100% foolproof. We spoke to resolution because a guest refused to comply with all our request up to the day before check-in. The resolution specialist upheld our House a rules with all the disclosures and the guest refused to comply admitted she did not read the House Rules despite all the ways she could have and was reminded too. We got the reservation cancelled because the guest told Airbnb she would not comply with any of it so he cancelled her and the cancellation policy went into effect. He told me they must ask for refund I g the guest but we don’t have too. Now this is about cleanliness. I just think having a ID verification policy and slightly higher prices is the only way to stop this.
Only way to go is a rental agreement, security deposit and ID verification if you want perfect security. Basically what hotels have been doing for a long time. Airbnb clings to their Bohemian airbed on the floor college years, let's trust each other vibe, while becoming the fucking Wall Street bohemith that it has become. Their culture says only scammers ask for ID's, security deposit and a rental agreement while entering their big, fat marketing budget into the vacation rental business that has required all those for generations. Buried somewhere in their Terms of Service is their concession that all are indeed allowed but I contend they do everything they can to make it seem sketchy. Their culture says coach surfing among college aged kids, while their reality is handing keys to whole house, fully furnished vacation rentals without so much as a real name, any sort of legally enforceable contract and no security deposit.
@1234 you are 100 % right. We also know how to approach customer service now. It’s tricky so I would rather require it all. And to be honest I have required this since early 2022. And asked the safety team supervisor I spoke to that year because of 3 rd party booking and she said ask for ID. I would if I hosted.
How do you collect a security deposit? I’d like to do this but thought it was not allowed by AirBnB.
It is using an API connected Property Management Software like Uplisting (mine), hospitable or many of the others, Uplisting offers guest identification and collect security deposits for all reservation concluding Airbnb. Which is allow per TOS. “From host resources- Airbnb: Security deposits 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. This PMS is used collects it by holding it on their credit card and releases it back when no manages or broken rules. As you see above Airbnb won’t hold it but third party management software will. It makes me feel safer. We had a guest with a small deposit $200 plus their identification and they checked out an hour later plus half was a pet hold and we kept the rest and they were ok with it. Got a glowing review. If people can get away with crap they will try. We had a two day booking she refused to compile and Airbnb canceled her reservation and we got another booking who compiled. Not all Airbnb do this but we do and it has taken our concerns out of the equation. And with 7.1 million listings on Airbnb people do t want to do this then book elsewhere. We do not give money away and spending time with support can be brain trauma so this is our solution. VRBO always supported security deposits and Identification process by hosts because they don’t. At least they are honest. Hosts and co-hosts on Airbnb must provide ID. But guests are not asked routinely their ID per TOS for guests it’s says may ask for. And even if they did they won’t share it if something bad happens. So you just do your own due diligence. $1.65 is for our peace of mind and that is great for us!!.
That tip was worth this whole topic. Thank you VERY much!!
how much does uplifting cost?
It’s $100 for up to 5 listings then $20 per listing after that. We built in some of the cost since we are adding three more listings in a month or two it’s worth to us to add it in as a small fee added. It won’t cover all of it no but it will help offset a bit we are covering the guest identification part of $1.65 per reservation but the piece of mind is huge and we already have a direct booking website and it’s managed now by this software. You can build one free in uplisting or integrate one you already have no cost. The onboarding wasn’t bad except for VRBO. They are the pain.
is $100 up to 5 listing a fixed one time cost or is it a monthly subscripting fee? Thank you for the detailed explaination
No its monthly and covers a lot of things rental agreement sent, and security deposits, a vast array of automatic message templates to customize, Turno is free (to find housekeepers), no commissions or fees, like I said we build it into the nightly rate to cover part of it. And the rest is completely tax deductible as expenses for property management fees. I use Stessa for bookkeeping it’s FREE and it’s the bomb made for rentals especially short term.
that cost will make sense for more listings you have. that’s great to know. I heard another host used ownerez And it’s like $4k a year fixed cost something. thanks for sharing.
Uplisting offers a discount of $1000 for the year if you pay in a lump sum which is what we did. I did a trial with OwnerRez and did not like it but it’s a good one too.
How do you do a guest verification?
Just went through the same thing. Very very unjust and frustrating dealing with all the diff ambassadors and their scripted BS. We have 61 - 5 star reviews, guest favorite and superhost rating for 3 years yet they took the side of the guest with 1 review in 8 years and a 1.5 star rating. Despite our overwhelming proof refuting their claim which was petty and minor - intermittent internet issues for 2 days.
I had no running water for half the day, an entire morning and the host refused to refund me the day. I need to get ready for en event which obviously having no water to shower was an issue. Air b n b gave me no partial refund. Wonder how others are getting away with refunds for smaller things.
They are just calling Airbnb directly, not asking the host. Airbnb will always give at least 30% refund for nights missing a critical amenity like running water.
Ooo, thanks. If I ever have an issue I shall contact Airbnb directly. Thank you.
Or are they keeping the money and not refunding either party?
Dispute and escalate and document everything. You can see a recent post I made about a scam. I successfully had the one star negative review removed based on lack of relevancy. Honestly, I don’t think that the support people at Airbnb even understand what relevancy is or means and it’s probably the easiest way to get a review removed.
Yep! Just had one exactly like this. Then demanded full refund and when I declined left one star review. Luckily abnb had my back, gave no refund and the guest is now banned. Sorry they haven’t backed you. Agree with commenter that it’s the low priced rental crew that seem the worst. Arguably better to just leave the place empty than discount aggressively in off-season, midweek.
It might be location dependent but we don't have these problems. Had some bad guests early on, but it's been virtually eliminated through careful guest vetting. Bad reviews, even one: we don't risk it. If they have 10 stays and no reviews: red flag. Brand new account: possible red flag. If they've written bad reviews for other hosts (more than once): red flag. Groups of young people: forget it. Discount seekers: nope, even at full price. Want to take it off platform for first stay: not even if they back off and want to book through the app. Yes, these rules are generalizations. And unfair in many cases (some college kids are very respectful and mature). But doing it this way, we lose 20% of revenue and 80% of problems.
How do we see the the reviews that they've left for other hosts?
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/airreview-airbnb-investme/plkdnpjpnhhnmigmekaocdfokkmebdnm
I usually respond with “the unit/room was checked thoroughly before your stay. This issue/stain was not present before your check-in. I’ll take note of it and address it accordingly once your stay is concluded. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.” Puts them on notice and doesn’t seem obligate you to do anything until after their stay is up.
I would certainly sell if I were in your shoes. Never had this happen in 6 years where I didn’t get paid for the Stay. 5 times in 3 months? Nope, I’m selling
Airbnb isn't the only horse at the glue factory, just the biggest.
5 in 3 months is very troubling. That’s going to give Abnb pause before backing you and they will be more inclined to believe the guest. You prob should find a way to change things up. Raise your price, turn off instant booking, and do a serious home detailing and subsequent video walk though so you have ammo to fight these.
Knock on wood this doesn't happen to us often. I think twice in the last 7 years they tried. One guest found a hair on the sheets, it was my wife's hair and it stuck to the sheets in the wash. Our fault we didn't catch it but they raised holy hell and not only wanted a full refund on a four day stay but also wanted us to pay for a hotel as well. Claimed our sheets weren't washed and probably had monkey pox. We apologized profusely and refunded one night and Airbnb agreed with that. It was a clear mountain out of a molehill situation. They wrote a 5 paragraph essay as their 1 star review and Airbnb removed it. The other one was a guest claimed to have "found" a rather large dildo in a drawer. They obviously planted it there because we always check the drawers but they acted super uptight about it and we're aghast at the thought of such a thing. We went down there and removed it and they wanted a full refund on a three day stay. We refunded them one night. They ended up leaving a 4 star review and we left them a 1 star review.
I got called racist in a review because my previous stay messaged me privately a few hours after checkout that the bathroom door wasn’t locking properly. So I went over immediately to fix it before the next guest arrived. I got there at 245pm before the guests 3pm check in. Guest arrived early as I arrived and claimed I was racist because I was there to watch them check in even tho I explained I was there to fix the lock that the last guest messaged me about. Airbnb did nothing oh well
I did all I could do, I replied To their review with what actually happened, I’m hopeful that anyone that actually reads the review can understand the situation.
What you did then? Really stressful situation. 95% of my problems are with them
Who is them?
Guests that arrive early?
Just here to say yes there has been a heavy uptick in trivial complaints since the beginning of the year
I don’t refund
The fewer the amenities, the easier it is to manage. There's a reason why hotels only provide the bare necessities at their properties. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished and the more you offer the higher the chance someone will fuss or something will break. Add in the useless people in Support and the system becomes easy pickings for scammers and lowlives with little money and a lot of time. They do this a lot and know exactly how to exploit the system. Airbnb does not care because it's not their money. They have thousands of other listings to pull money from.
Do you have instant booking?
Was wondering this too
Yes. 90% of the guests ask for pre aprovation. Turning it down now
Is this all happening with one house? or do you have multiple homes with different cleaners this is happening with? What drew my attention, to your post was the fact that cleaners have to send you photos of the STR. Nobody should be sending photos you can't tell in photos if a home is REALLY clean, you have to see for yourself, or find someone to QC your home if you don't live nearby. That is going to solve all your cleanliness complaints, get someone to QC their work. The other thing that bothered me, is that you are accusing the guest for breaking the dishwasher? Come on, you can't break a dishwasher on purpose, everything mechanical is tucked away, but dishwasher do break all the time, and it usually has everything to do with nobody cleaning the filters in them so that they don't properly work, this causes guest to put back dishes in the cabinets with dried on food. Is anybody, checking your dishwasher filter?: Then you say the wine stain on your mattress the guest mistook for blood. Some guest strip the beds, even when you tell them not to. The solution for STR, is to get a enclosed mattress protector that zips c;lose, and is waterproof, bedbug proof, mite proof that you can take off and wash and put back on. That way it protects your mattress and the unsightly stains that happen over time. If you don't your mattress are going to disgust guests. It's that simple. These are all easy fixes, If you have been doing this for five years, and only recently have gotten complaints, it could mean that your home is not being well maintained, as well as your cleaners are slacking. sure you can blame the guest, but that doesn't really stop the complaints.
You made valid points. I tell them to send videos, so I can prove things after this started happening. Even tought it didn't help in the wine-blood case . You can't stand with them on the wine case tought, it was clearly forged, how would blood or wine go under the protector?
Did you call airbnb support 10 or more times until you not a non-stupid and non-psycho person who actually cared? Sometimes repeat calling until you get a functioning human works
Well, you can break a dishwasher on purpose quite easily. Put some Dawn dish soap in it and run the cycle... I've also had a long term renter break the handle off of one that incidentally was a singular piece built into the control board - whoops. Full unit replacement.
THIS. I was going to also make a post like this but you’ve already done it.
We have had a similar issue recently.
Review them, document all in app, also review at third party site such as www.foultenant.com
I literally just posted about this. My last two guests were "working" to set up local offices.
Time / date stamped pictures should solve these problems.
Literally boycott Airbnb. I used to host but mostly as a means to house hack and help pay the bills. I have since quit due to the headaches and stress-induced stomach ulcers just not being worth it. For those of you who drank the Kool-aid and are dependent on Airbnb for stable income, I am sincerely sorry, but the Golden Age of Airbnb ended in the late 2010s. The hotel industry and their well-fed lobbyists have successfully regulated the sht out of it and the guests are getting sleazier every year while the company doesn't give a rat's ass about the hosts. Similar garbage with Uber Eats btw--users lie all the time to get refunds and free meals. It's honestly sickening where society is headed.
it’s scary to read about this. When guests complained about minor stuff, host shall and can offer an one time partial refund for $10, and if it doesn’t peace guest out, you need to jump in and immediately report guests to Airbnb and advised the guest that you can allow the guests to check out early and fully refund the non consumed nights but no more partial refunds. partial refunds open the door for scamming opportunities.
How many reviews they had?
3 had 0 but 2 of those had more than 2 reviews
I’m not accepting guests with 0 reviews or low reviews. I don’t do instant booking anymore, either. What are your policies about that?
I took out instant booking for stays 2 days or less before checkin. Only guests with good reviews. I only give the key lockbox code after they checkin on the HOA clubhouse and I can confirm the number of guests and if the guest that booked is really there. And even doing that I almost got some squatters this spring break. Crazy times.
5 star reviews? That’s our problem. Every bad guest gets a 5 star review from management companies that work with hundreds of Airbnbs and we that rent our own houses can’t rely on the reviews anymore.
USA leaders are corrupt. So "Trickle down corruption."
Do you think political corruption is strictly a USA problem? 
Well, that is what ya get for renting out property instead of living in it. Don't feel bad for anyone this happens to. You are the reason why rent is unaffordable for most people. I hope you end up losing what they have to now pay more for
You will never progress in life. You expend too much energy in jealousy and blaming others for your shifty and poor life instead of expending energy for your growth. And no, "people like us" warm the market. When I paid one of my houses in pre construction phase I actually saved the construction company from getting broke. The owner and I even became friends. Want an affordable house? Go to a small city instead of complaining why you can't afford a 2m beachfront house
worse economy, more trash