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For safety reasons, I’m really concerned about this policy. Apparently all hosts (maybe just all in the US, where I am) have been emailed about this, but I didn’t see the email. Another host posted about this so I decided to call Airbnb and ask. Here’s what they said.
Now, if a guest books more than 14 days in advance, they get 48 hours to cancel, even with a strict booking policy.
I told them that was a huge security issue for me. I host out of my home and live in a large city with normal levels of large city crimes: robberies, break-ins, etc, so security is a big issue for me. Now, with this policy, I have not only provided people with detailed photos of my home, but I can also give them my address without ANY guarantee that they intend to stay, since they can cancel within 48 hours. This is completely unacceptable to me.
The rep told me she could change my address to a more vague one. I had her change all my listings to the street name, but not the street address. I am also working to update all my automated messages to avoid sending guests my address until they are truly a confirmed booking and the strict cancellation policy is in effect.
Maybe if I didn’t live in my listing this wouldn’t be such a big deal. But to me, this is a HUGE misstep by Airbnb.
This doesn’t affect Airbnb. As their email says they have been experimenting with this for awhile. I’m certain that hosts have posted about this policy months ago. The only change seems to be it’s now mandatory for everyone. I didn’t get the email but I’m on flexible cancellation policy so everyone can cancel up to 24 hours before their stay. They don’t care what’s best for any individual host they only care what is best for their overall business model. So if you remove your listing due to this policy another host will just take your place. And they say they will make your address more vague but they have recently been trying to get hosts to be more specific about their addresses in their listing so I don’t think I would trust them on that. All this is to say, I don’t think the policy will change so you can only control your reaction to it.
I have hosted for almost 4 years, close to 400 guests. The first 1.5 years the guests were coming into my house with me. Now they are in a room with a separate entrance with a locked interior grade door between them and me. Sure someone could come into your house and commit a crime but they can do that whether you are on Airbnb or not. A criminal could target a home where they don’t have to verify their ID first.
But if it makes you uncomfortable there are steps you can take. Get outdoor security cameras. I don’t send specific information on how to get into the home until the day of arrival. I allow self check in but they aren’t going to get a code or even know if I am home or not until a few hours before arrival. Most people I tell them I will be here to greet them and if I’m not they don’t know until right before arrival.
