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Vacation Rental Management

Contacting Airbnb - Vacation Rental Guide

Despite the common misconception, not just guests but hosts too are customers of Airbnb. While it is true that guests are the money-making side of Airbnb, without hosts there will be no listings for guests to book. Therefore, both parties are equally important for the smooth running of the platform. 

Some reasons why you will have to contact Airbnb support as a host: 

Hosts are encouraged to contact Airbnb when they are at loss as to how to proceed with a scenario pertaining to their listing, a booking, a guest, or any other situation that will disrupt a smooth service from your side. Some common reasons include: 
  • Damage to property 
  • Stolen goods 
  • To make claims on damage deposits 
  • When guests refuse to leave your property at checkout time. 
  • If there are issues with the website or mobile app. 
  • Regarding payments. 

What to do before contacting Airbnb

Go through the help center 

If you go through the Help Center in the Airbnb website you will find extensive literature on almost all the situations you can run into as a guest and a host with different sections for those hosting listings and hosting experience. There’s even a section for travel admins.

Try the resource center 

The resource center is a collection of articles and video guides to go through when you run into a speed bump. It has literature on everything from design inspirations for your property to creating a strong listing to success stories of professional hosts.

The community center 

What better way to get answers to your questions than from those who already overcame it. Airbnb’s community center is a forum where you can find answers to your questions in discussions that have already taken place or ask your own questions.  
Note: type in keywords from your question in the search bar at the top of the page to find out if your question has been discussed before. 

Live chat with a Superhost 

If you have questions regarding your listing or any other hosting process you have the option of connecting with a Superhost. This method connects you with a Superhost in a similar time zone who will be dedicated to helping you with hosting your property. 

Other  

Most of the time you will already have all the assistance required in the help center, resource center, or community center. Additionally, they have a webpage dedicated to questions regarding updates to the Airbnb website and mobile app. 

The different methods of contacting Airbnb: 

There are many ways to contact Airbnb depending on the nature and urgency of your situation. Listed below are ways to call the OTA.

Email:

Contact Airbnb through their email support @airbnb.com if you are not in too much of a hurry. Be prepared to wait a day or two or three. Make sure your email is as comprehensive as possible to be clear so you don’t have to engage in a chain of emails as the Airbnb agent requests for further information.

Call:

If you are in a situation that requires Airbnb’s support urgently, it makes sense to call Airbnb support via the numbers provided for your locality. If you are based in the US the Airbnb support phone numbers to call are 1-855-424-7262 1-844-234-2500. Make sure you have all the information for questions you may be asked when you get through to them.
Additionally, keep a notepad and pen on hand so you can take notes of your customer support agent’s response. Don’t always expect to have the issue resolved with the one phone call however as you may be asked to upload/email certain documents/images to relevant people at Airbnb admin.
Note: For most regions, this support is available 24/7. As this is a busy community network for vacation rentals, it is indicated that the wait time to speak to a representative is about 12 minutes. 

Live chat with Airbnb:

If you haven't had any success getting through to Airbnb via a phone call and don’t have the luxury of waiting for a response via email. You can always try chatting with Airbnb. Just go to their main “Contact Us” page and describe your issue in a few sentences without including sensitive info like credit card numbers and other personal details to the Airbnb bot. Once it is clear what your issue is the bot will connect you with a member of the support team. 

Twitter:

Airbnb support is known to be very active on Twitter. And direct messaging them there has been known to garner a faster response. Direct message their dedicated customer support account @AirbnbHelp to receive the support you require. 
Note: Airbnb also has a Facebook and Instagram account. However, these are generic accounts and will not guarantee you a response as fast as their Twitter account 

In Conclusion: 

Due to the sheer number of hosts and guests using the Airbnb platform, it is not a very enjoyable experience contacting Airbnb. We suggest exhausting all literature and other support tools, especially the ‘Ask a Superhost’ live chat provided by Airbnb before committing to contacting them just so you won’t be wasting your time.

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