Airbnb's new position regarding security deposit

[Kevin Lefeuvre]

Those of you here since a while have read my rants about Airbnb practically not having any security deposit, and how this has been abused by some irresponsible guests. 

I believe (and my 4 years STR experience supports it) that the simple existence of the security deposit, without even having to use it, forces the guests to take better care of the property and to respect house rules.

It looks like they got the message from the hosts. Here's the email I received today from airbnb:

Update about security deposits

How this affects you

Because one or more of your listings require a security deposit, please review the amount you require. It’s important to do this since it may be displayed more prominently and will need to be authorized on each guest’s payment method 48 hours before check-in.

This is still not as strong as the VRBO system where the host can hold the deposit in full or partially and the burden of the dispute is on the tenant, just like in a traditional long term rental. Airbnb will still be the judge in case of dispute.

Anyone else receiving this message today?

[Valerie Rogers]

I received the same email from Airbnb.

This link https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140/how-does-airbnb-handle-security-deposits?q=security%20deposit says (addressing the traveler):

"Two days before your stay begins, an authorization hold for the security deposit amount will be placed on your payment method. You won’t be charged, but the hold means that you won’t be able to access these funds until the hold is released. For example, if you’re paying with a credit card with a total credit limit of $5,000, and there's a security deposit of $500, your credit card limit would then be $4,500 until the hold is released.

If everything goes as planned, we’ll release the hold 14 days after you check out.

Your reservation will be subject to cancellation—up to 36 hours before check-in—if we’re unable to place the authorization hold. It’s a good idea to make sure your payment method has enough money available to cover the security deposit. (If you’re not able to do that, Airbnb is not responsible for any associated fees, including overdraft fees.)

If it turns out we can’t authorize the hold for the security deposit amount, you’ll be notified by email and will have 12 hours to try another payment method. If that doesn’t work out, we’ll cancel your reservation and you’ll be refunded."

Sounds like if the guest forgets to make sure they have enough money in their account to cover the security deposit (in the case of a debit card) it could lead to Airbnb canceling the booking if the guest can't come up with the funds on short notice. That's a bummer; I wonder if they will refund the guest for the booking or not, if our cancellation policy says no refunds so close to check in.