We are Superhost for a year and today we recieved this letter from Airbnb? What should we do?

Yes, several others have also posted here on being unfairly thrown off the site, without recourse or explanation. Sometimes there’s an explanation provided by AirBNB but it’s based on mistruths spread by an angry guest, etc. What we’ve seen is that AIR makes these decisions unilaterally and there’s no review or appeal process – they can just take you off the site, period. Their position is that they are a private business and you are still allowed to rent your property but you simply can’t use their platform to do so.

This is one of the reasons why it can be risky for people to make investments relying on AIRBNB income – the AIR platform can be suddenly closed off to you, or local legislation can shut down short term rentals, etc.

4 Likes

I agree.

Even when the rules are clearly written and you follow them, ultimately, there can be a level of arbitrariness that to applying those rules by those who enforce the rules.

See if VRBO, Booking.com, FlipKey/TripAdvisor are platforms that operate in your area.

1 Like

I think the reason Airbnb cancelled you probably is because you have ten listings, not because of the one guest who found his/her room to be too noisy.

3 Likes

We hope this is the big lesson for new hosts. Never believe Airbnb. One day you wake up and all gone, shit remains hahaha.

I believe the lesson is ‘don’t trigger airbnb’. Now if only we knew which of the possible triggers triggered them …

@jaquo is right of course but it’s still rather a large pool or possible reasons for delisting to choose from. I wish they’d communicate more openly about their reasons why even if they then refused to discuss the matter further.

4 Likes

Judging by the information given by OP perhaps AirBnB has already given them the reason and followed it up with the good-bye letter that was shared.

Well, this might be a classical example of “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.

I do get most of my bookings from Airbnb, but at the moment, I have a very friendly couple staying with me who booked using Homestay, and tomorrow, another couple will arrive, booked on TripAdvisor.

So while I like Airbnb a lot, I do try to stay open-minded and have alternatives up my sleeve.

2 Likes

There you go @Tung_Pham @Eberhard_Blocher has helpfully provided two alternative places to list.

2 Likes

Oh Airbnb will be another Yahoo in the future. Wait and see.

First of all, make sure to get a new IP-address on your computer. Then have trustworthy family members make new accounts (3 or 4). These accounts should have ABSOLUTELY NO connection to you !

So:

  • Less properties to start with. Divide them over 3 or 4 family members to lower the risk for the future. Don’t put all accounts and all properties online at once. Do it gradually.
  • New original descriptions. New titles. Etc. …
  • New photo’s. Maybe even new decor. A new cushion, etc. …
  • New bank account numbers.

For practical reasons, you will have to use the same addresses. But with “new” managers I don’t see why AirBnB would refuse the new listings. The story of the “new” managers towards AirBnB should be that you clearly made mistakes, but that the property owners put them in charge to make sure a better service / experience is provided in the future for AirBnB-customers.

Success isn’t guaranteed, but you could try this and in case you do, please do give us feedback about how it went.
In the meantime, try to look into other options / platforms.

(When dictatorship is near a bit of guerrilla warfare is allowed :wink:.)

3 Likes

The dangers of putting all your eggs I. One basket and the reason why I am making a point of diversifying to different sites even though 99% of business currently still coming trough airbnb or previous guests/ referrals!

Why would a host bother to do this for a saving of 3% fees.

Guests get to save 10% and hosts won’t have to pay taxes on total earnings which is 30% here in the US.

I ask again… why would a host bother to do this for a saving of 3%. As I’m not a guest I don’t really get why it matters to me that a guest will save 10-15%. And I don’t follow why the host wouldn’t have to pay tax on the earnings either …unless you’re saying hosts are interested in committing fraud ?

1 Like

My friend works in the Trust, Safety & Fraud dept at Air and there are hundreds of similar types of fraud’s happening every day. The psychology behind helping guests save money is basically a feeling of ‘I get to help a traveler/someone’ which is truly rewarding.

I’m also a couchsurfer and have crashed on other people’s couches for no cost and hosted travelers do the same. So I get why a host may go his or her way to help the guests. Also, it’s mostly applicable for international travelers, for whom every dollar they save matters!

Couch surfing I can understand the fuzzy feeling you might get from letting someone stay for free. However you’re comparing apples and pears. Both fruit but that’s it in terms of similarities.