@DozerPug. Just checked. Yep you are correct. I haven’t checked for the phone number on a completed reservation in a long time.
Based on you comments after, Did you mean “ not to be a problem”?
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This really worries me. I am being blackmailed at the moment, and the person has threatened to tell Air BnB that my listing is structurally compromised and is a risk to life. As far as I know this is untrue. He ( the blackmailer) says I must pay £5000 for a gro physical survey and this is the only way I can prove he is wrong.
I have two listings- it is only one he says is unsafe. He says if I pay him £4000 he will not phone Air BnB.
From what I have read it seems Air BnB would just suspend my listing and cancel my bookings?
I have just moved to this new area for a new life and these listings ( both in my garden) are my only income.
I am going to go to the police about this but it doesn’t help with my loss of income.
Does anyone have any advice please?
The reason I am being blackmailed is that this guy did some very poor work on my property which I have asked him to put right before I pay the final.payment to him
Oh - you should right away copy the contact info for all your bookings, past and future.
If something does go down, you can then directly book the guests.
You need to speak with a legal expert in your country. Also … maybe time to get a recording? Blackmail is a serious crime.
https://www.google.com/search?q=UK+is+it+legal+to+record+conversations&oq=UK+is+it+legal+to+record+conversations&aqs=chrome..69i57.15778j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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Yes, I am.calling the police tomorrow- the threat is in writing.
I have recorded guest phone numbers. My worry is that Air BnB will yell them their booking has been cancelled due to a safety issue so they won’t book direct.
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I guess it never occurs to Airbnb that experienced hosts generally make a note of the guests’ phone numbers off-site as soon as a reservation is confirmed?
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@muddy
I posted a bit later that I checked and yes you can get phone numbers from past trip details.
I was wrong about Airbnb removing phone numbers. The last time I checked which was several years ago, phone numbers were removed.
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You’re right about Airbnb removing past guests’ phone numbers from the “message” pages. But we can still see their phone number on the “detail” pages,
This is not blackmail – it is criminal extortion. He has no legitimate reason in the normal course of his business to be reporting anything to Airbnb, and would only do so as an “act of malice” because you failed to meet his demands for money. Pretty clear cut.
Document everything in a well-organized dossier, and report this to your local police.
In the meantime – I would suggest going on the record and reporting to Airbnb that someone is attempting to extort several thousand £ in the form of an unrequested and unnecessary contract for professional services to your Airbnb-listed dwelling and that you are reporting this criminal activity to the local police.
Keep Airbnb posted – that way – if he ever does contact them you are on record at Airbnb (with a police case number) before they even hear from him, and you are not left playing defence after the fact.
One other thing – I do not see how someone who has never been a guest at your property even gets a platform or gets any standing on the Airbnb platform to deliver comments about your property to Airbnb.
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Thanks, yes it is pretty unpleasant.
I have called the police now and wish I had done it earlier. I have a case number and also my solicitor is writing to him on Monday just repeating what I said in my letter.
I am going to contact Air BnB with the police case number.
Thanks for your advice everyone.
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Airbnb’s neighborhood support/reporting section is accessible by anyone with a concern regardless of ever being a guest.
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Yep, as soon as anyone mentions “safety issue”, Airbnb’s antennae and knee-jerk reactions go up. Same with the words “discrimination” and “extortion”.
So I agree that getting ahead of a possible “safety issue” report with a “criminal extortion” report is wise.
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One other thing, Hut. Aside from worries about your Airbnb (which others have addressed nicely) you should consult a lawyer and if possible cut this guy off and hire someone else to fix whatever problems remain. Do this even it it ends up costing you more. I would NOT trust him… not only to do any more work but to even come onto my property. This guy is bad mojo, and you don’t want him anywhere near you or your stuff. More than once I’ve Kissed A$$ with a recalcitrant contractor, and no matter how rational/nice/insistent I am, it never really ends well. And THIS GUY HAS THREATENED YOU. Again, consult a lawyer, but I’d tell him he’s out and he’s got as much from me as he’s gonna get.
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Thanks Lisa. Yes I have already done that, we are getting other builders to fix it. It will end up costing us more. We have told him he is never to come near our property again. The guy told us yesterday that he will be attending to accompany our expert witness when he inspects the building work! I don’t think so!
I’m still scared to contact Air BnB, even though I have a crime number now.
Good corrections! I live in a state where law requires that we register all guests. I’d rather upset airbnb than break the local law.
You’ve already got a live topic regarding your issue, it’s best if you keep anything to do with that in there, else you might miss a reply or vice versa, another member might miss an update from you.
JF
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Regarding Rental Agreement- I use a PMS system that lets me send every guest, regardless of platform, an agreement that I have all guests sign prior to check-in. It saved my bacon on a recent chargeback issue on VRBO where guests are quick to do these chargebacks.
The required agreement verbiage is in my House Rules.
You’re saying these agreements are not allowed on Airbnb? I will continue to use them to protect my home.
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News to us. People often require a separate signed contract for the rentals, regardless of what OTA they book thru. And AirBnB allows for the host to ask for any money they want for any reason as long as it is disclosed up front. Guest can agree or not agree to accept it.
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We were reimbursed for fuests that took a cat inside our NO PERS ALLOWED apt. We kept the entires week rent and also the $250 security deposit due to needing yo have carpet cleaning done due to the cat.
We called aitbnb and sent photos and we also tecieved $250 gor damages to sheets and mattress cover pad.
We thew these ppl out on night two of a one week rental.
Airbnb was great thru the entire process.
I do agree they did threaten to suspend our acct until it was resolved and wasnt happy w that whatsoever.
We have a 5 star teview from every guest that has ever stayed and Immsure that takes
Into acct the decisions they make in certain siruations.
this is accurate to my experience in USA.
things have generally declined for hosts over the past three years as well as shipping out customer services centers to the philippines which are consequently aweful.
The only thing I would add to this is claiming for damages is made extremely difficult and tedious, requiring receipts regardless of age of items, and quite often does not reimburse hosts for the losses incurred.
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