Airbnb Host Stories

These are the most recent 25 stories from real Airbnb Hosts.  Read More Airbnb Hosting Stories.

Suspended From Hosting After 5 Years, Then Reinstated?

Airbnb notified me that my account was suspended after a criminal record was found on a consumer report. The only criminal record that was on that report was a misdemeanor for writing a $300 bad check in 2012. I reached out to the third party Airbnb used to obtain the report and they instructed me […]

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My Account was Suspended then Cancelled without Notice

My current Airbnb guest arrived and he wasn’t the person in the profile picture who booked the house. The next day another car pulled up with two extra guests bringing the total to ten people in a three-bedroom house. I complained to the guest who immediately verbally attacked me so suggested he call Airbnb to […]

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Deactivated Airbnb Account is Suddenly Activated

I hosted a successful apartment in Brooklyn to unanimously good reviews, but because of the constant frustrations dealing with Airbnb finally shut the account down. My apartment is great, but one of the things people always commented on was what a good attentive host I was (good customer service). Wish I could say the same […]

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Need Help with Arbitration Against Airbnb

I got kicked off Airbnb on Dec. 22 because a guest who booked with me for a maximum of five people filed a false racism complaint after I asked his group to leave. He showed up with eight carloads of people (at least twenty people and more would have likely come later) and when I […]

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Airbnb ‘Staff’ Tried to Commit Fraud Around Situation in Ukraine

I wanted to send a host in the Ukraine money by booking a room (obviously I wasn’t going to stay). For some reason it wouldn’t go through due to an issue, so I contacted Airbnb Live Chat. I was speaking to a representative when I received a call from them. Now I’m generally suspicious but […]

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AirCover: Pretty Webpage, No Substance or Truth

Airbnb’s “AirCover: Top-to-bottom protection” is a load of lies. Most of what is on the website is completely untrue. “Host damage protection covers you if your place or belongings ever get damaged by a guest during an Airbnb stay” — that’s the protection promised by Airbnb. The host damage protection Airbnb says it has is […]

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Guest Turns up Drunk Having Nervous Breakdown

I was hosting my third guest. I live alone on 38 acres and have internet but no phone. The lady sounded fine on paper; I gave her very clear directions and my mobile number and she acknowledged she had received them. I came back two hours later and the lady was extremely drunk in her […]

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Can’t Get Airbnb Supervisor or Anyone to Call Me Back

I am a Superhost with Airbnb. I had a guest cancel a reservation on me the day before her arrival, by saying she had COVID. I called to see how to proceed from an Airbnb representative. I was told the guest needed to provide medical certification or proof that she indeed had tested positive in […]

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Airbnb Shut off Bookings over Local Registration Error

When my city registration expired, my account was unregistered for one month while I worked on getting my registration renewed. Now I have the new registration, but Airbnb blocked the account from accepting new bookings, and won’t allow me to update the registration because the “local government has denied your registration.” I contacted Airbnb four […]

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Airbnb Refunded Guest After Telling Me They were Ineligible for Refund

We received a booking in December 2020 for check-in on Dec. 25. The guest messaged us a few days before to say that they were nervous to come down as the COVID numbers had been increasing. We offered them a keyless check-in and to keep to all the COVID protocols strictly. On the day before […]

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No Support for Hosts, Airbnb Gives us the Runaround

I decided to rent out my property for the Christmas holiday. I was selective as some people had too many in their party, or had large dogs — I accept animals under 25 lbs. I rented to a woman who said there would be her and two dogs. I usually only accept one pet but […]

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Airbnb Truly is Hell When They Defend Guests Like These

I was happy to stumble across Airbnb Hell, as that’s exactly what happened to me as a host. I had used the platform for years as a guest and loved the community and having the comforts of home when traveling. When a chance to travel to climb and work presented itself, I felt this was […]

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How Airbnb Scams Hosts — Waiting for a Test Case in Court

I called Airbnb today with a simple question. They have dodged and squirmed and promised to have a manager call me, but they have essentially gone into hiding. When I signed up as a host (I’m an excellent host) I was told that I was in control of the settings that would control who could […]

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Suspended as a Host and Guest Following AC Incident

We went to Todos Santos, Mexico to relax and unwind staying at an Airbnb. However, Airbnb turned that into the most stressful week of our lives. We have a cabin on our property in British Columbia that my wife rents out on Airbnb. However, she has had her account suspended from Airbnb by the safety […]

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Retired Public School Teacher Staying in Costa Rica

Our first stay in Costa Rica we used Airbnb for a stay that should have lasted three weeks. Because of problems with the host and his large dog, the host agreed to let us leave early. After we left he did not return our messages and eventually sent an email saying that he had decided […]

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Anyone Can Walk in, No Soundproofing

I booked an Airbnb for two nights and I should have known I was going to have an issue when the host never responded to my inquiry about early check in. Later I messaged them again and she seemed really confused and didn’t get back to me with any firm information until 12:30 the afternoon […]

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Airbnb Guest Sublets Our Property to Film a Commercial

We are a Superhost family who has been using Airbnb since September 2019. This was the second time around the Airbnb had sabotaged our listings. We recently had a nightmare guest, who had horrible reviews on Airbnb. We tried to give them another chance and decided to host them. She was a nightmare. She sublet […]

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Airbnb Claims Hosts are its Partners but Shows Differently

I feel that Airbnb has taken a drastic downward spiral and supporting its “partners,” as they eloquently call its hosts. It’s just plain bad business and I find it condescending in light of its behavior. I’m sure I’m not the only Superhost that has been treated so poorly. The platform seems to have taken a […]

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Greedy Host Working for Tourism Company in Area

After a year of lockdowns in Melbourne our two families decided to book a holiday on the Gold Coast. Due to another outbreak, our lockdown has been extended and I approached the host for a refund or a credit. The host has replied saying there was no refund or credit but I could reschedule. I […]

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Banishment From Airbnb Platform After Years of Service

My account from Airbnb goes back to a time years before COVID. A time when hosts were treated fairly, a time when accounts were handled by representatives from my own country. I was inexperienced back then and made rookie mistakes like allowing parties. I didn’t look at how local drug dealers and prostitutes used the […]

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Airbnb Made Me Homeless After Guests Refuse to Leave

I made a big mistake when I used Airbnb. I have had three tenants staying in my apartment for two months. While I know Airbnb is offering a very bad solution and not protecting its hosts when it comes to actual long stays , I took tenants who I made sure needed to leave the […]

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Everything That’s Wrong with Airbnb

What is wrong with Airbnb? As a host, it seems like there is a lot wrong with the company, thus the reason why I have decided to leave their platform. I am throwing in the towel after only three months working with the company. I wish I could point to one issue with the platform, […]

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Airbnb Made Me Feel Homeless — Never Again

Facing a last-minute cancellation from a host after already arriving in a foreign country, an Airbnb guest has to find accommodations with the help of a taxi driver.

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Airbnb Guests Wanted Champagne Holiday on Beer Budget

A group of Airbnb guests gets it into their heads that because they reserved one area of a property, they are entitled to use the rest at their own discretion.

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Horrible Experience Hosting New Age Guru

An Airbnb guest leaves a host’s home covered with burn marks and strange items after baiting them with a fake profile picture and description.

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47 Comments

  1. I accidentally gave a guest $850. Tried to get air B and B to cancel the payment before it was made. Email after email and phone call. Air B and B rang me at 5am. Told me they’d make a decision within 24 hours…. nope they want more information from me. Guest told me I had been in breach of covid policy when he cancelled his booking and air B and B advised him of this. I then google covid policy and guest was not entitled to anything and I had offered him full credit. Guest dodged and weaved. But air B and B could’ve stopped the payment before made and held in ‘abeyance’. Literally spent a whole week in comms with air B and B. Was nothing left to say plus their call centre phoned me at 5am waking me up….. decided to delist my property as how stressful and lacking in processes can one business be? Whole situation just stressful and convoluted

  2. I booked a much needed one night stay at a local airbnb. I am a little hesitant to stay at an AirBnB but I booked it anyway. I was pleasantly suprised and it over exceeded my expectations. The host paid attention to so many little details in making the guests feel special and welcome that I wanted to give her a shout out and also provide info for future guests. I stress that the pictures are deceiving or the place is unclean or infested with bed bugs. I wrote a glowing review without prompting or request from the host. I do not have any connection with and never met the host. Airbnb removed my review. With the only explaination being it went against their guidelines or I had a connection to the property or host and they were very sorry because they know it was not the outcome I was hoping for WTF! There were no specifics as to what went agianst their guidelines. There was nothing stating what they thought the connection was. I am aggravated that I took the time to write nice review and the place is really wonderful. Looking at the pictures I was worried that it was a sham or too good to be true but it was true, the pictures were accurate, and it was spotlesslessly clean. I was so happy and so pleased that I answered the questions that I was concerned about before the stay and went above and beyond in writing my review. If I ever do stay at an Airbnb again I will not be wasting my time writing a review but I think this will be my last stay especially after reading all of the comments here.

  3. If you are host and feel that Airbnb and a guest has wronged you, then simply file a lawsuit / claim in small claims court. You do not need an attorney, and any fees or other out-of-pocket expenses you incur, will be paid to you as part of the court judgment. If everyone starts suing the Airbnb guests directly, after trying to resolve thru Airbnb’s poor customer support, Airbnb will get the message not to treat the hosts so poorly as they have done.

    • In order to provide notice to the defendant in a small claims claim – typically you need to have their full mailing address, and at a minimum send them certified mail. This information is not typically provided to hosts from any platform – which makes it impossible. Unless you spend the funds on a private investigator. Add to that the fact that most of our guests are from other states / countries – you are also bringing into the mix local representation and / or travel costs regardless.

      Depending on the judge – and the liberal / conservative leanings of the city they live in – you could be stuck paying for everything :-(… Small claims is a tough “go handle it” answer.

  4. After reading most of the comments I decided to share my opinion with you. Airbnb is a business. They making money and helping you to make money. We all have a choices. We choose Airbnb because of different reasons. 1.The short term rent is safer ( I was a landlord with long term tenants, and THAT was a real night mare). 2.In 3 month with Airbnb you make equal to annual long term rent, but you never know with your tenants who might stop paying rent any time and you have to go through the court.
    To make long story short, set up your account the best way to suit you, make things clear on your home page, mention areas they can (or can’t) use, charge more for the room (entire house), charge cleaning fee, damage deposit, make the rules the guests must follow. Don’t afraid to mention it in person (nicely), when you meet and greet them, and don’t let them do anything they want. I noticed, the more freedom they have, the less respectful they are. There always will be a minor damage, broken glasses, stolen items, scratches, and dents.Take a pictures and clime the money, if you think it worth it, and if the guests cancel the trip, don’t afraid to return them full amount. It’s a business. You loose today, you make tomorrow. Don’t put yourself in stress.
    Good luck

    • I’m still trying to get resolution from a $25,000 claim through the Airbnb resolution centre here in Australia. 5 guys turned up had an ice party. Smashed beds, holes in walls, broke tv, ceiling fans, furniture, urinated throughout the house, smashed pictures & photos, outside furniture & bbq. They had the gaul to refund me $2822 & then take another $50 off this as I had to cancel a reservation due to the house being uninhabitable. The police won’t do a thing even though I have the names & phone numbers of the animals masquerading as guests. Airbnb keep cancelling my email threads. My house is now on the market to sell. My insurance company also refuses to pay even though they endorsed property as an Airbnb.

  5. I had a lady staying at my apartment for 21 days in a year 2016!!!
    Never complaint about anything. Now in 2019 I have 1,400 (One thousand and four hundred) !!! deducted from my account because she called and complaint? About what? Noone has ever contacted me in a year 2016, 2017, 2018. Now I am missing a 1,400 from the stay in June 2019? The apartment was less than year old and furniture as well.
    This is a SCAM!!! This is my kid Summer camp money has been stolen by Airbnb from our family!
    Please comment on how to make them pay!!!
    The lady had 21 days to move out and find another place to stay!!
    But no, she stayed a full term!

  6. No offense to the hosts on this site but some of us guests have had justxas much hell with airbnb.

    Rented abprivate room in davenport florida rom will call her Morticia. Paid in full for 7 days. Go to check in as it is a private gated community resort. No reservation. Wait over 3 hours in Publix parking lot to find out they do it behind resorts back to avoid paying 15.00 a day resort fee. First strike. Finally meet the husband/boyfriend and he hans me gate key fob says he will get parking pass. Get to resdience and find out they arwbrenting 2 other rooms out. No big deal. Goto room and find no way to lock room while i goto work. Second strike. Keep askimg about parking pass as i would like to go eat. 3 hours later get a pass which has none of my info on it. Little concerned but let it go for now. Go to car get my back pack, shower, and go eat. Finally get to sleep asni am goingbto Universal in am. Leave at 6:50 as im walking downstaits see the male on couch almost nude sleeping. Feel very uncomfortable but its there home. Stay at Universal til close, get back extremly late. Get up at 5 am for 1hrb30 min drive to work and realize i lwft key on bed.At this point after every thing i try to change my reservation as i have been lied to multiple times and feel very uncomfortable. She refuses my requeat multiple times so i call bnb to explain. Ao Monday afterbwork i go back and figureni will tought it out. I message both letting know i left key in my room can they let me in when i arrive. No response. I get there and ait 3 houra calling and texting. Nothing. At this point i know i was scammed. I call bnb to let them no they purposelt locked me out. Theycall the host and next thing i know im being accused of opening her bed door at night and cacelling my stay. Argue for4 days with bnb with no resolution. Now i get the host claiming i stole the deadbolt key and bnb wants me to pay 500.00 Are you serious? Was it made of gold? I refuse and again rebut what happened to bnn. 3 times they reclose the case but send me a nice email that now the host wants 669.00. Ive already lost 400.00 plus anothwr 500.00 for hotel and this bit## wants more and bnb expects me to pay? What kind of rackateering is going on here. I have all the emails and proof and have been talking with a attorney for a class action lawsuit against bnb. Ifbyou are a guest or host and would like to join email me at p.fuhr72@gmail.com and leta prove to bnb that we will not be taken advantage of or have money stolen we work hard for.

  7. I looked at all the comments about AirBnB guests and I can only repeat my suggestion. I think it is time for AirBnB to ask all guests for a check box next to the guidelines we hosts place on our pages. They need to read them and abide by them.

    While 95% of our private home guests have been great, we have had some problems: dirty feet ruining sheets; breaking our antique bed, then complaining – I guess they were over frisky; asking for clean towels everyday after they went biking; taking over our dining room and living room as well as their private room and bathroom for them to work; asking me to re-arrange the bedroom and add a piece of furniture so they could have somewhere for their suitcase; arriving very late, well after check in time; wanting extra things for breakfast and I already do a lovely breakfast; leaving the house for hours and expecting us to take care of their dog.

    I think people have lost touch with reality. They are only paying $60 a night with a free breakfast! If they want more, they should stay in a hotel. They are too demanding by far.

  8. Having read so many complaints about AirBnB, I realize they do not do enough checking of their guests, which is doubly important for SmartBook. For hosts who are renting out space in their private homes, security is a major issue. There are guests on the AirBnB site who do not give enough information about themselves: not a hi; where they are from; what they do for a living; what their hobbies are etc. I want to know this especially for first time AirBnB users. Government ID means nothing unless I know what it is. Cross checking means nothing if I don’t know where they are cross checking. I usually like to cross check them on Facebook, Google search and Linked In.

    This could be simply taken care off by asking all guests to check off a box that they agree with the terms we lay out in our listing.

    We have been hosting for six years and we just had a major problem with a Smart Book guest who refused from the outset to abide by the simple check in rules. Check in by 9 pm. He didn’t come. Said he was late. Said they’d be there by 11 pm. Hadn’t arrived by 11.30 pm. I walked the dog, I sat on the front porch. No-one. By this time I am very wary about letting this guest in. I had a very bad feeling. I went upstairs to read and unfortunately fell asleep. Next day the same thing, they wouldn’t come around in the afternoon to collect a key and so I could meet them. Said they would be around by 10 pm. No way, so I cancelled the reservation and gave them their money back. And forwarded a complaint to AirBnB.

    I documented everything very carefully with times and actions and messages in my account. I focused on security and the guest not abiding by house rules. I unexpectedly received a call from AirBnB today and the case was resolved to my satisfaction. I was found to be in the right, no penalty would be charged, and the awful guest review would be taken down from my AirBnB page.

    So, I hope this is the end of it. We’ll see. Renee J., New Jersey.

  9. Please SHARE to protect the host
    Worst #AIRBNB experience ever
    Host, I suggest you read through to also add these below part otherwise you could have similar issues.

    The Event
    Booking was for 2 weeks. Arrival times was at 17 :00. On the day of the arrival, I started receiving non-stop call from her at 11 :00. I was in a board meeting at work at the time, after 7 calls ( I took screenshots ) I had to excuse myself to take the call. They arrived 8 hours before the agreed time. We travel a lot, and we are superhost. Our moto is to accommodate as much as possible. So I left work. I would take back the time Saturday.

    Arrived at home. Booking was for 4 persons. 5 are presents, 3 of which are in my front yard tree. Weird. I start the usual tour we generally do with all of are guest ( +35 as of now ). The lady is angry because the house is shared. Yes we live here. This is mentioned in the profile. Profile clearly says that the room listing are for private rooms ( not entire home ) and that 2 kids and dogs live on the property. They obviously didn’t read the profile through. She wants to cancel.
    During the tour, we did explain the house rules ( which are mentioned in the profile ). The additional thing we discuss during this tour are « how to behave in a shared house ». See them as suggestions for co-living. For example : You should take your shower before 22 :30 in the upstairs bathroom since it’s right next to the kids room ». Also, since the listing mentions NO PARTY and since the guess mentioned having the intention of bringing friends over ( not permitted ) to hold a pool « get together », we suggested to kept the noise low after 23 :00 for the neighbors. Again, more of a suggestion to be respectful and avoid any issues with cops if the noise gets too high. Guess then complains that there is to many « don’t » in the house. I am glad I didn’t ask them not to stab me during my sleep and not to start a fire with gasoline on my dining table. They would have probably been mad.
    Guess wants to proceed to reimbursement. As per our cancellation policy, we explain they won’t be reimbursed in full due to the lateness of the cancellation. Also, that we do not handle the money. Guess becomes aggressive. They want me to give them cash. They wishes us to have a bad event and loose money afterwards. Tension is palpable. I’m alone with 5 persons in my house. I remember I should have stayed at work. I texted my husband so he can help me. The guess won’t leave and are menacing. I haven’t felt unsafe like that in my own home.

    My husband leaves works. Meanwhile he travels, guess reach AirBnb and leave. Then AirBnb calls us. They ask us to prepare to defend ourselves…what?

    The Host « Sad » Part
    AirBnb wants to issue full reimbursement to the guess. We oppose firmly. So you know, we had a guess a while ago that left and we took arrangement, but in this case ( Cleaning lady + missing work for me and my husband + if you don’t remember read above again! ).

    Guess claims the house has too many rules. Apparently, if you do not mention a NAY and a guess ask about something. They can do it. Otherwise, you’ll have a fraudulent listing. So basicly, I can bring a whale to all of you AirBnb Host since I haven’t seen any restriction about that. I can also pull off the carpet, repaint the room, and cook a dead skunk on your stove at 3AM. Since none of these I have been mentioned as NAYS on any reviews.

    Also, AirBnb mentioned that the guess was technically never there since all of that happened 8 hours before checkin. AirBnb will ask host to accomodate guess, but I just learned that if I do so…it’s at my own risk.

    And like that, all of a sudden, the private room vs entire home main ( remember…main issue ) is now off the grid. The issue is all focused on the bathroom schedule so we can live in harmony. Weird. It’s now been 55 hours and NO ONE from AirBnb has called us back on our numerous attempt to understand the situation. We taught being a membre since 2016 and a superhost would have meant a thing.

    Apparently not!

  10. Airbnb will not honor their claim to pay for guest damages. I had $5000 in damages due to dropping a hot Pyrex dish that burned my wood floors and melted 2 area rugs. The guests said they were responsible and would pay. So, I went through the host guarantee. Airbnb would not cover the cost of repairing the damage. They would only pay $1800 and said that’s it! I have been on VRBO for years and never had this problem. Airbnb is not worth it as there is no connection between the host and the guests. It’s too much risk as they can trash a home and you have no recourse. Great idea, lousy company running it!

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  12. AIRBNB HELL

    From: Joe P
    Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 9:31 PM
    Subject: Re: Airbnb: Your Reservation with Jerry at 144 Homecrest, Ewing nj
    To: response@airbnb.com, jscott@ewingnj.org

    Although these photos weren’t take for a complaint, you will get the idea.

    First of all the owner is not around . I know that is not a requirement but , he hasn’t replied at all.

    Second – He never discloses that the unit is a trailer in his back yard.

    Third – There are numerous building code violations.
    1 there is no adequate lighting for the stairs
    2 there is no railing for the stairs
    3 there is no light switch next to the door
    The picture shows a light switch next to the door, but that is not a working door.
    4 the security code lock on the house did not work in the morning but it did at night. There was a phone number for a problem, but no one ever answered.
    5 there was a baby crying all alone in the basement next to the shower facility with flimsy partition. This is where i felt like i was in Tijuana Fulvio Cecere.
    6 there were no towels or complete sheets. there were instructions if they were out, but he never answered.

    I think your company should take some ownership of this rental , since you facilitated it.

    I would have thought that you would demand pictures of what he was advertising.

    I will be waiting for a response.

    862-232-3276

    Get Outlook for Android

    From: response@airbnb.com
    Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 6:55:18 PM
    To: Joseph Putz
    Subject: Airbnb: Your Reservation with Jerry

    Airbnb Customer Experience
    Michael H., Jul 19, 17:55 CDT:
    Hi Joseph,
    I hope this message finds you well. My name is Michael, I’m also a case manager with Airbnb’s Trip Experience Team, and I’m following up on this case on behalf of Charlie, who has left.
    From what I understand, there are a few concerns with this reservation. While what you have described to both us and Jerry does meet our criteria under our Guest Refund Policy, here is what we will need to see in order to proceed with a refund.
    I will have to see any photos or videos showing the problems you have encountered during this trip. If you can get those to me as soon as possible, I will be able to move forward with refunding you for this trip, but please keep in mind that the refund will be determined by the severity of the issue.
    Best Wishes,
    Michael
    http://www.airbnb.com/help
    THIS EMAIL IS A SERVICE FROM AIRBNB CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. This email is a service from Airbnb Customer Experience. For more information visit our Help Center [J65WVM-K06D]

  13. AirBNB doesnt authorize the guests credit card on file for Deposits if your listing states that. I had a guest who damaged property, agreed to pay for but his credit card declined, Airbnb never authorized the deposit amount of $300 and now there’s no way to collect. Like many others, I’m unable to get a response from the case manager after they said they have already been in communication with the guest about collecting and after pictures of damages were uploaded on the resolution center. How can Airbnb allow the host to feature a deposit amount when a deposit amount for incidentals is never authorized? makes no sense to me at all.

    For other hosts and even guests out there, have you ever charged or been charged for the deposit before allowing the guests into the unit or been charged before being allowed into the unit? Maybe via Paypal or Square? Please provide feedback, this seems like the only way to secure a deposit.

    thanks,

  14. I recently joined Airbnb with a couple of my rental units. In only one month I am sick of AirBNB guests. They expect Hilton quality at Hostile pricing. The people who want something for nothing write bad reviews. I had three guests complain about minor things when AirBNB’s automated pricing allowed them to book 3 nights on Memorial Day weekend including pets for $40 per night. Deduct the cost of cleaning up dog hair from all over furniture, doing laundry, missing linens, paying income AND 12% FL Hotel tax and I basically paid for some entitled melinial’s Florida vacation! This is a horrible rip off for hosts! I have deleted my listings and have nothing good to say about it!

    • Its the worst site ever and yes people want tonpay $40 but get the service of a $600/night hotel service
      Time to terminate this company for good

  15. As a host I always feel like I’m held as a hostage for a good review…Recently I came up with an idea how to avoid it: if you feel the bad review is coming, just cancel a day or two prior for a bad guest check out…

  16. BEWARE! VILLA WHITNEY SAMUI (Lamai beach, private pool) in Koh Samui, Thailand has serious issues. It sounds great on Airbnb, but not so great in person. I rented it for a week but left after 3 hours due to an overpowering mold/mildew odor that was making me feel ill. The sofas in the living room were so soiled and stained that I would not sit on them and parts of the kitchen needed more that a deep cleaning. The internet did not work either. A serious disappointment and Paul Neon, the owner located in Moscow Russia, will not issue a refund despite his misrepresentations. He stopped responding to me in fact. Paul Neon is not to be trusted. @Airbnb @PaulNeon @Paulneon.com @travelyllc @reverbnation

  17. A guest requested that I cancel their 1-night booking more than 24 hours prior to their arrival date.

    The guest initiated the cancellation request, and Airbnb sent me an automated request email which I immediately actioned.

    24 hours later my listing was suspended due to the cancellation, and my annual cancellation stats have now fallen below 90% as a consequence.

    This is the SECOND time in the past year that a guest-initiated cancellation request has resulted in ME being penalised, and I have now received a message informing me that a third cancellation will result in the termination of my listing.

    Why am *I* being penalised for reasonable cancellation requests initiated by my guests?

  18. As a host I always feel like I’m held as a hostage for a good review…Recently I came up with an idea how to avoid it: if you feel the bad review is coming, just cancel a day or two prior for a bad guest check out…

    • if that the standard rule, if a host cancels a day or two before check out , the guest cannot write a review?

  19. We just recently learned that airbnb does NOT average the star ratings.
    All they consider is the Overall Rating.
    So if a guest gives you a 3 star overall rating because they compare your accommodation with The Hilton for 5 *****, Radisson for 4**** and Holliday Inn for 3***
    It really doesn’t matter that the host gave you 5***** for cleanliness
    5***** for communication
    5***** for value
    5***** for accuracy
    5***** location
    5 ***** arrival
    All airbnb will give you as a rating is the 3*** overall rating which is extremely confusing to the guests who do not associate 5***** accommodations with YELP but with the 60 year old 5***** ratings started by Forbes for hotels.
    All along we thought we were doing great since we were usually receiving 4-7 five ***** out of the 7.
    And yet because they don’t average it, our star rating stays below 4.4…

  20. I have 2 listings which have apparently been disabled by airhell, though guests can see them. But when I approve, they are told by airhell they can’t book it. One of he guests told me they were offered USD 100.= to book elsewhere without explanation. What total morons run this organisation ? They are secretive, and offer no support for hosts. Thank God for the likes of booking.com, agoda, expedia etc.

  21. Airbnb disable my account and cancel all my upcoming rentals 21 to be exact of a total amount of 46.302$. Can someone tell me why or may help me? when i call airbnb they say thats are some technical issues and they will get bak to me. thats 2 weeks ago and I’m calling then every day for updates! horrible situation!!!

  22. Perhaps AirBnB could let us see the Full Name of the guest. Then I could easily look them up in any of the social or business media. Since AirBnB users are mostly the millennials they are bound to have some internet footprint. I cancelled a guest reservation after my internet search found he was arrested recently for drug related activities.

  23. I have the worst experience in hosting my house.

    The guest name is Fernando, staying from 10 Jan-14 Feb 2017 in the house titled “Cheap and clean house in Bekasi, Bintara”

    I’m really upset about his behavior, his irresponsible act to throw a lot of tissues into my toilet till it was clogged. I spent Rp 350k for that and I decided to just let it be my cost.
    Second, he doesn’t put any effort to keep the house clean. Everything has always been messed out, all his clothes are scattered around the floor, and his hair after shaving is everywhere on the floor. He left the house in a condition where all my appliances ON, which is very dangerous. Can you imagine if there is any short circuit that can cause fire ignition?

    I have always asked for his permission whenever there’s a regular check and he said it is a snooping. It’s normal to have a regular check in my own house otherwise he would have broken all my stuffs.

    I do respect him as a guest in my country, but I don’t think he does the same to me. He has known from the beginning that my neighborhoods are majority muslim, and he didn’t seem to respect that.
    Last thing, I just can’t tolerate he brought a woman to have a sex with. Though there wasn’t any stated rule that prohibit adultery on my listing rules, it is an obvious covenant for muslim to never allow adultery happen in any way!!!! This isn’t a hotel, this is my house and It is STRICTLY PROHIBITED for adultery happened in my house and around that neighborhood!!!!
    And he should have known it because I have told him since the very beginning that the neighborhoods are majority muslim, and he definitely knows that muslims are prohibited to let adultery happen, but he just didn’t abide by the covenant!

    I have always tried to put my best to serve him as my guest. I’ve tried to fix anything he has complained, I’ve tried to fulfill his requests, and I’ve definitely asked for his permission when my family goes there to have a regular check. We’ve always emptied his trashes and cleaned the house.

    I apologize for this situation, but bringing a woman in the house is truly crossing the line.
    I have a lot of friends from US and all other parts in the worlds as my business partners, and this is truly the first disappointing experience for me. He is my first and my last guest because I’ve unlisted all my houses in Airbnb.

    And now, he is requesting for refund because the security chased that ‘illegal’ woman out of my house after his staying period are almost over!!!!

    After all he has done to my house, that’s really out of my sanity.

    I’m trying to call Airbnb call center in US, Malaysia and SG for so many times. I hang on the phone till 10 minutes and there isn’t any answer! It is so frustrating to have never reach Airbnb CS for resolving such problems!

    Kindly solve this please! Thanks.

    • Unless you stipulated in your ad that you won’t permit consenting adults to behave sexually in private, I don’t think you can consider your guests actions a violation. More concerning is how you know they had sex. Did they tell you?

  24. Make a claim with the American Arbitration Association. It costs Airbnb $3200 if you file a claim. They might just pay you instead of having to pay the fees.

  25. I have an open dispute with one of my guests. I want to write a review letting others know how horrible this guest was, but at the same time, I don’t want a negative response on my end. This kid dented my stainless steel fridge in two spots, clogged the toilet, puked on the bathroom floor, burned my bamboo chopping block, ate all my food, food and drinks all over the counters and floor, etc. In your experience (you reading) is it better to not write that review in fear of retaliation? I have perfect 5 stars and want to keep it that way. Also, I sent this dispute in a week ago and haven’t heard back from Airbnb. How long does this usually take?

    • Michael P – I understand what you mean about debating whether or not to writea negative but truthful review. I had major concerns recently with a third party booking where I found out the male guest wasnt who the booking said he was – two days into a 7 day booking. The guy was nice, but it was still very concerning to me to have some unknown, unvetted guest sleeping across the hall from me. Thankfully he had to check out early the next morning for some “emergency” back home in the next state 9 hours away. The guy who booked the room refused to cancel and asked me to cancel – which we all know what happens when superhosts cancel. he then started to harrass me through airbnb messaging about giving his money back for the unused time. He sent multiple texts back to back to back…in a menacing kind of way and it started to scare me. I thought – wow. this guy knows where i live, and I cant change that. But I did change the smart code on the lock, but he could always be waiting for me as I leave my home. This was increasingly concerning to me and Airbnb didnt do anything about it except tell me that I cant cancel the rest of the stay and neither could they only the guest could. I feel like something else sinister was going on – looking back, the guest only had one review and it was in another country and was very short. After a great deal of consternation i decided to leave a truthful, honest review – for the good of other hosts.
      Its been a couple of months now and he hasn’t contacted me and I haven’t noticed any unfamiliar guys near my home – but it uncovers deep concern.

  26. I not get payed
    had reservation for 60 days
    first month received money
    after creditcard crashed
    airbnb told me , they charge in2 stages
    ,..result up to me MY problem

    security keys gone and more ( tendand turnd nightly away)
    airbnb have a deposit for my room rented
    Bullshit !!!
    they never charge a deposit frm card
    i mke a claim
    no result
    and i am sure the result is : pay by your self

    i do not do any rental over 2 peridos more weith airbnb
    i do not let a guest in same day ..min 3 day advance booking for creditcard ok

    and i charge deposit at sight…if customer refuse ,easy can gohome again

    bcs a non existing deposit is none for me

    ahh airbnb told me deposits are not for peoplenot oaying rent , they only for damages
    but what
    they even not charge the deposit

  27. have been waiting a week for airbnb to unlock my disabled account no one is calling finally called them again rep said escalate call i said no i am getting nothing I am on hold right now I have just gotten another email escalating the call what a waste of time never in my life experienced such poor customer service

    • We have been “disabled” since December 12, 2016. We call & email daily with no response from trust & safety. Airbnb made our listing active for 1 day January 8, so we could leave a review. The following day the listing was disabled again. That reservation was made prior to December 12 & Airbnb was able to give me the contact # for the guest to communicate with them. Payments for 2 different stays have not been released. We were booked almost every weekend & some into the week.

  28. Arbnb is not going to pay for anything. They may get the guests to pay, but they are not going to honor their policy. They have no morales in my experience.

  29. Had an issue and needed to cancell my host statues. Computer problem so called into help desk. They refused to help or cancell my account . So I am going to have unwanted guest show up.

  30. Christine – It’s not BnB fault you had terrible guests. I hope you lodged a complaint with BnB within 48 hours to cover the costs of the clean up and stolen items.

    If you decide to stay with BnB – then only take verified guests with host references and make sure you have clear discussions with them to find out more about them and their plans before accepting a booking

  31. Sooo….my husband and I rent a condo out through Airbnb in southern california and in the past month we have had terrible guests. These people have stolen things off the wall, they’ve stolen brand new sheets and towels. The worst is probably the people who’ve left garbage strewn around the entire condo, and then to top it off in the bathroom they dedicated on the floor next to the toilet. Perhaps they didn’t want use the toilet they had covered in layers of vomit. I’m totally disgusted by people and really don’t want to rent out through Airbnb anymore-

    • I’ve had similar experiences. I’m done with AirBNB. They attract an unsavory clientele. I’ve been renting my rooms out for 13 years, and I have had more “problem” customers in the last 1.5 years I have posted on AirBNB than I have in the last 13 years combined. Mostly millennials who think the world owes them.

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