There are legal and safety negativities hosts are responsible for when using a booking platform that accepts guests without confirmed personal IDs while absolving themselves of all liability (see my posts about the “policies” and “terms of service” vs “$million host guarantee” and the difference between airbnb’s policies between commercial and independent hosts.)
Once all of the conflicting policies and terms of service are evaluated, Independent hosts have no legal or financial recourse if there’s a problem .
Even turning off instant book isn’t enough to offer reasonable assurance of ID, or to avoid 3rd party bookings, and the personal and security safety risks are reflected as the hacking and concerns about other matters of safety and protections of safety and assets of independent hosts rise.
This platform isn’t currently safe for independent hosts. As we are being forced to agree to new rules alleging host bigotry, weare being discriminated against legally, economically, and in terms of physical safety with the lack of vetting of guests and the current policies and terms of service we are forced to agree to in order to list here which also negate the highly touted “$million host guarantee”
I declined a guest request a few weeks ago due to a contentious “nickname” and suggestion to lower my rate. They actually harassed me (living up to that nickname).
When I messaged and called “Airbnb support” and escalated it to “trust and safety” I was told I’d have to address it with local law enforcement (which is incorrect jurisdictionally), and when I asked for the needed information to do so, was told conflicting stories:
1- “Airbnb is like social media” and they encourage guests to express their personalities including (false) nicknames
2- they couldn’t share the needed info to pursue legal protection because their policy is to “protect the private info of all guests.”
In short, we are in our own if anything goes wrong and wedon’t have access to info needed to evaluate the fitness of guests or protect ourselves physically or financially ...regardless of the circ*mstances because when we book here, we give up those rights...including a fair hearing in a court of law and instead internal “arbitration” (with their lawyers in control.)
Airbnb is a booking platform, a business that handles billions in OUR assets, a service every host and guest pays for.
A social media platform Facebook isn’t demanding fees and doesn’t promise responsible handling of billions in business transactions and insurance and support if someone destroys our property.
Airbnb is demanding Hosts who use thus platform be vetted and give our legal names yet we are expected to welcome people into our homes that in reality aren’t even required to provide confirmed identities or places of residence and when all the legalese is sorted out, we have no recourse for damages or physical or legal injury because Airbnb has stripped us of our rights and absolved themselves of all legal responsibility for anything in the fine print regardless of what they advertise.
Commercial property listers are offered different priveliges (with fees, leases, ID checks, separate contracts/leases etc and volume discounts) that indie hosts are prohibited from implementing here...and encouraged to use elsewhere.
This is why I’m ending my listing on this platform and many other conscientious hosts already have.
Its unprofessional, insecure, misrepresented, overpriced, and unsafe for independent hosts.
