Post by High Priestess on Mar 16, 2019 2:46:02 GMT
In every court in the land, those accused of any wrongdoing are considered "innocent til proven guilty."
Unfortunately, as some hosts have found when guests falsely accused them of something, and as an Airbnb case manager states in the Airhosts Forum thread referenced here, Airbnb may well be generally taking the approach, "Guilty til proven innocent" regarding hosts accused of anything.
globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/6067/airbnb-manager-speaks-hosts-offsite
For this reason, it becomes all the more important that hosts screen guests very carefully....because all it may take is ONE guest making a false accusation about something, to create a serious problem. Recently for instance I read in another host group, of a host who accepted a booking from a woman who turned out to be a HOMELESS PERSON, an indigent, basically a bag lady. This woman caused numerous problems at the listing, and when the host finally got her to leave, the guest falsely accused the host of assaulting her.
Airbnb eventually believed the host in this case, but did leave the host with a warning "if this kind of thing happens again." So the message given to the host was basically, "IF anyone falsely accuses you of something again, you could be in serious trouble." I mean it's just so obvious to any reasonable person, that a false accusation should not result in a "warning", but unfortunately this is the approach AIrbnb may be taking.
So please consider being very careful with whom you accept to stay, I suggest avoiding instant book if possible, and it may be a good idea to consider doing online or background searches on any guest who presents you with any concern at all, however minor, or for whom you just dont' feel you have sufficient information. I suggest asking prospective guests to provide you with their last name so you can do a background check. If they refuse to give their full name, that would be a good sign that they should not be permitted to stay in your home. Ask yourself, what might they be wanting to hide?
THis is particularly pertinent to those offering longer term stays. Due to the increased risk hosts assume with such stays, it only makes sense that one should do a type of screening more similar to what standard property managers do when renting to standard tenants. They do credit checks, background checks, checks on any previous evictions, social media activity checks, Google checks. They require references from previous landlords and employers. We can't ask for all that, being limited in some ways using Airbnb, but we can certainly do some online screening.
Unfortunately, as some hosts have found when guests falsely accused them of something, and as an Airbnb case manager states in the Airhosts Forum thread referenced here, Airbnb may well be generally taking the approach, "Guilty til proven innocent" regarding hosts accused of anything.
globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/6067/airbnb-manager-speaks-hosts-offsite
For this reason, it becomes all the more important that hosts screen guests very carefully....because all it may take is ONE guest making a false accusation about something, to create a serious problem. Recently for instance I read in another host group, of a host who accepted a booking from a woman who turned out to be a HOMELESS PERSON, an indigent, basically a bag lady. This woman caused numerous problems at the listing, and when the host finally got her to leave, the guest falsely accused the host of assaulting her.
Airbnb eventually believed the host in this case, but did leave the host with a warning "if this kind of thing happens again." So the message given to the host was basically, "IF anyone falsely accuses you of something again, you could be in serious trouble." I mean it's just so obvious to any reasonable person, that a false accusation should not result in a "warning", but unfortunately this is the approach AIrbnb may be taking.
So please consider being very careful with whom you accept to stay, I suggest avoiding instant book if possible, and it may be a good idea to consider doing online or background searches on any guest who presents you with any concern at all, however minor, or for whom you just dont' feel you have sufficient information. I suggest asking prospective guests to provide you with their last name so you can do a background check. If they refuse to give their full name, that would be a good sign that they should not be permitted to stay in your home. Ask yourself, what might they be wanting to hide?
THis is particularly pertinent to those offering longer term stays. Due to the increased risk hosts assume with such stays, it only makes sense that one should do a type of screening more similar to what standard property managers do when renting to standard tenants. They do credit checks, background checks, checks on any previous evictions, social media activity checks, Google checks. They require references from previous landlords and employers. We can't ask for all that, being limited in some ways using Airbnb, but we can certainly do some online screening.