All Forum Posts by: Tanya Solomon

Quote from @David Sicherman:

You need a specialist to deal with that kind of situation. Most regular real estate attorneys will not be able to drag that pile of grief across the finish line in a favorable way for you. You need someone to battle both the HOA and the mortgage and YCG, sounds like a lose-lose for you as you mention there's no big paydays, I assume this house is in StoneBridge, the HOA there is a nightmare.

Nope Boca Grove. Also a nightmare to deal with. HOA, POA, micro HOA with in the main HOA that is farmed out to a 3rd party property management co.

Believe it or not, I do not find them to be a total nightmare. If you want an example of a fifth ring of hell here on planet Earth, have a project with the building and planning dept in San Mateo Co (Silicon Valley). THAT is a nightmare!!! They can ignore, be incompetent, and malfeasant and they are the ever and ALL powerful GOVERNMENT. They can ignore LAW bc there is NO ONE holding them accountable. They are even in the same building as the courts. How do you sue the Gov? To give you an idea of my fortitude for these type matters, I have not only prevailed in SM co but set precedence. 

Here, I have a great Board cert attorney with 25+ yr experience in Palm Beach Co. I talked to him and the Asset Management co on title is out of gas but doesn't have anything to lose by just ignoring the property and deal. They HAVE to pay the 150k. There's NO WAY OUT FOR THEM. They cant get $ from HUD or FHA bc those issues were resolved in other lawsuit/cases and they have no leg to stand on to expect $ from HUD/FHA. ESPECIALLY for a fee from an HOA. HUD/FHA would only insure the loan and the HOA fee has NOTHING to do with the HOA stuff. HUD is not going to pay that.

It all is what it is. My options are to walk or wait. The prob with REOs is a well-known prob. The asset management Co ppl that have decision-making power are buried DEEP within the labyrinth AND there are layers of rigmarole around them like layers of an onion. They can and will ignore bc they can. There is no accountability. 

My attorney said that the contract could be as simple as a few sentences. "we the "bank-asset management" co can and will do whatever we want, whenever we want to do it. You (the buyer) have no power or recourse to sue for damages bc you know what you were getting yourself into with an REO." It could be a doc 3 pages long max bc at the end of the day, it is so simple. The only reason why there is a 27pg addendum from the bank attached to the offer, acceptance and "deal" is to have a bunch of legaleeze that intimidates most ppl.

I could pull the deal but I should do that only when I need the $ or just want to be 100% done and free. My EM is safe and a miracle could happen where all might Oz of the asset management Co finally decides to accept reality and get this deal done. This asset mngr is like a queen bee in a nest surrounded by hundreds of worker bees. The worker bees can want to close this and can be motivated but until the queen moves, this will just sit. 

Hello, My Bigger Pocket peeps

Can you help a sister out here? I do not feel like I am my usual A-Game self lately and would appreciate other views, ideas, and or thoughts.  My mom recently (2 weeks ago today) died of cancer. We knew it was coming, but I was/am unprepared for how mentally disorientating it has been. "Normally," I am a pretty self-assured business person. I have made some good chunks of $ by being a hard worker that does a LOT of due diligence and trusting my gut. While I have been lucky in life (bc aren't we all to some degree? 1/3 the world's pop doesn't have access to potable drinking water), most of my "luck" was when opportunity met with my preparation.  I earned every $ I have. 

I am from NorCA and have bought and or sold about a dozen homes in the last decade. I can and have been creative and enjoy remodeling projects. Everything from gut remodels to light "fresh up'' where you paint and do easy things like light fixtures, drawer pulls, etc (isn't crazy how different a place can look with a few tweaks?) I NEVER overpay and EVERY purchase has to make sense financially, or I do not do it. I'm not the kind of person that would buy something just bc I really want it. 

Now I will say something that will probably sound diametrically opposed to my last statement. I am considering buying a home in an expensive "exclusive" golf country club community. The community I want to buy into (bc I think it is where we stand the best chance to be happy /WALKING DISTANCE TO SYNAGOGUE=Super important) is cheaper per sq ft but has a crazy MANDATORY "buy-in" of 150k AND HOA dues of around 45k a year....Are you still there? Yes, I am serious. Yes, it is a poop ton of $. Yes, it is 195K the 1st year- "right out the gate" Homes in this elite community range in price from the low 300s for a small duplex (no recent sales in the last 2 yrs) to 6 mil+ for a huge luxurious mansion. The avg home is around 850k-1.4mil plus the 150k buy-in and 45-50k a yr HOA. A good % of homes are bought with cash in my zip code.

I was in contract to purchase an REO home in this community that was over 1000 sq. bigger and in a more desirable location within the community = a better investment. But that deal fell through bc the Asset Management Co did not have their act together, told multiple lies, and wasted 2 months of my life and a few thousand of my $. *A big THX to all the ppl that helped me speculate what could be the hold-up on that transaction

****Here is the scenario and what I need help with. Say I have a 1 mil budget. Should I buy a cheap/small/least desirable area in the fancy golf course HOA home for 375K (2350 sq ft DUPLEX) and spend another 100-150k to remodel to not only make it nicer but max utility (500k+150k=650K all in), then buy a small investment home somewhere. OR wait until a bigger single-family home (one recently sold in about 2 weeks that was close to 3000 sq ft for 900k) with a better location comes on the market?

I HAVE 3 MONTHS B4 WE HAVE TO MOVE. 6k month rental =72 per yr (no security, no amenities) we have been in for almost a year is selling. I dislike the neighborhood, and they also want 1.6 for the 2400 sq ft home. The neighborhood the rental is in is a very low HOA but super high home price. It has a ghost town feel bc so many ppl snatched the homes up as vacation homes decades ago. Nobody sells unless they get crazy high $ or they have to sell.

My biggest issue, and what I want advice on, is how bad is it to buy the cheapest home in a super expensive area. There are 2 homes on the same street for sale. Both have not sold for months. bc they were grossly overpriced. Both are chasing the market down. The other one was beautifully remodeled (I'm guessing at least 150k remodel) and it is only 125k more. The remodel is the popular WHITE AND GRAY my nightmare CONTEMPORARY. I cant STAND this style!!! Im guessing that at this price range, ppl that can afford a 150k buy-in AND 45k HOA per yr do not want to live in a small duplex home. Also, it is hard to find comps for these homes bc there is only one street with about a dozen duplexes in the community.

Also, how do you make an offer on a home when there are no comps or if the comps are not really comps? 

. Thanks!!!

Quote from @Albert Hasson:

Quote from @Bob Stevens:

Quote from @Eugene Fedotov:

Anyone dreaming about being a land lord should be ready for something like this

https://nypost.com/2023/04/15/...

 It happens when you do not screen properly. I have taken over PM for clients where the tenants actually knocked the garage down, with their car, YES knocked it down. How about the house exploding as there was a meth lab in the basement, Google meth lab blows up house Cleveland. Others steel the HVAC. How about those that leave there dog in the basement for TWO WEEKS,!!  Some are just animals, but the left says we must treat all with respect, yeah ok, 

 This has nothing to do with screening. These were people who illegally entered a house and chose to live there.  And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with treating everybody with respect at least until they prove you otherwise.  This also isn’t a left vs right issue, this happens everywhere.  This particular incident happened in a red state.

IN GENERAL: 
Ill probably regret posting this and don't trip on my soap box....
With all due respect, Blue cities actually significantly contribute to entitlement thinking bc the laws so greatly benefit the tenants rather than the landlords. 
Getting a tumultuous divorce with kids is cheaper and easier than getting a bad tenant out of a rent-controlled house in a city like SF. Now, the entire state of CA has rent control. I get it that it only applies NOW if specific criteria exist, but one HAS to appreciate that the Gov is interfering AND dictating how much someone can own and how. Also, the middle class is fleeing in droves away from states like CA and NY. 
Politicians are the only ones that benefit from "programs" like rent control. They sell rent control as a way to "level the playing field," like Robin Hood economics. In cities like SF, 64% of ppl are renters and the NARRATIVE is that "rich techies" have driven up the cost of living. Yes, many tech companies in the Bay Area make millionaires overnight every year, but the Bay Area has always been an expensive and desirable place to live. Before tech, everyone blamed "ppl on Wall Street" 
The high housing price is due to the simple economic equation of more demand than supply. That coupled with crappy public transportation and zoning laws that make areas 90% RH1 (single family homes) suburban filled with NIMBYs that show up to every Building and Planning meeting about NO changes to their neighborhoods (buildings with multi units, expanding footprints on existing homes, converting RH1 to mixed housing and commerce, etc). 
Blue cities are typically filled with "bleeding heart libs" that like to separate responsibility from rights. They want to see some people get rights but do not want to witness or hold them accountable for the responsibilities that go hand in hand with those rights. Typically, no one cares that the gov and the advantages it "redistributes,'' the $$$$$$$$$$$ wasted, and the MANY programs that spoon-fed ppl in the hope that they learn how to feed themselves ARE MASSIVELY FAILING in most blue cities. 
Red States/cities are FAR from perfect, but in my experience, putting the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the person enjoying the right is a much better motivator than having the gov interfere. Also, a smaller safety net makes converting a safety net into a hammock harder. 
One thing I KNOW is that "open-minded" ppl do not exist in either. I am 5th gen CA and my kids are 6th. I became much more conservative after starting my own business and buying my 1st homes and subsequent investment properties. I have lived most of my life in Blue Cities until recently. We like many, have moved to FL. Ppl like to compartmentalize and simplify complex human conditions. 
WE ALL WORK SO HARD, AND TAKE SO MUCH RISK. How much work or risk should remain a choice not be imposed by gov.  

I am in a similar situation and it is dragging out. The Bank and their crappy Title co DO NOT CARE. 

Is the property in a county that has legal records available online? Sometimes, you can super sleuth yourself to see the chain of docs regarding the property. I would not let this act or be a substitute for getting an attorney to look into it for you. While you could be throwing good $ at bad, would you rather lose a few thousand in legal fees or end up with an extensive legal battle and holding the "bag" (in this case a property with a "cloudy" title) 

Yes, there is "title insurance" but there would not be a need for title insurance unless it happens enough that insurance companies write policies and make $ doing so. Insurance Co make their $b when they DENY claims, so you must be very careful. 

If you are not in love with the property and or it's not a GREAT deal, I would walk away. 

Nathan Gesner is right that they cant keep extending without your permission. If they are as bad as my case, you probably are technically out of contract and can get your Earnest $ back but if you are using "their" title co (banks use horrible, incompetent co for title) you might have a problem getting your $ back. Again an attorney would be the best route, especially if you are not well-versed in this world. 

I wish you the best. 

Quote from @Wayne Brooks:

@Tanya Solomon
I’m familiar with some of the high “buy in” subdivisions in Boca.  A couple of questions though….

-You say the bank/current title holder “takes back title..” in Jan 2023. I assume you mean they got it back at the actual foreclosure auction, that they initiated to foreclose? Yes, I just reread the court docs and this seems like the case 

-Yuong Clueless Guy bought the property at the hoa auction….not realizing the first mtg stayed with the property….it happens often. I assume the bank foreclosure had been filed before this, so the bank had no obligation to modify the action to include the new YCG as a new title holder. This sounds totally plausiable. YCG is only "on record" (ANY court or county records) in the single doc  HOA;Mrs. Owner v. Mrs. Owner;HOA 

- when a bank takes a property back at foreclosure, they are only required to pay the hoa either 12 mo.s of back dues Or 1% of the original loan balance, whichever is less.  The hoa has to eat the rest. It sounds like the hoa is also trying to enforce/collect the $150k buy in from the bank, as a new title holder. I’m guessing there a state exemption for this, but some hoa’s will try to collect dues they aren’t legally owed. My husband and I hired an attorney. He has 25+yrs of experience in our county/ Board Certified. The 1st thing our attorney did was to challenge the HOA demanding the 150k bc if we could solve the Bank's problems for them, this could have moved along (presumably). The HOA's attorney has answered back that the HOA CAN and WILL charge the 150k. It IS legal for them to do so. The Bank has acknowledged and agreed that they have to pay. The Bank's ppl are claiming that HUD/FHA is going to reimburse them and will include the 150k in that reimbursement but they have no proof that this is an HUD property. I have tried calling HUD and they are pretty good for a gov agency! They get right back to you if you leave a message. If only building and planning dept in the County were as responsive!! HUD has no record of ANY action with this address or the FHA # that was on a doc from 2010 when Mrs' Owner took out a 2nd. 

The bottom line is…the bank is going to have to work this out with the hoa and you can choose to either wait, or walk way. In the future do not Ever use the REO title company…..they suck and do sloppy title search work. If this does get near closing, have Your attorney review their title insurance commitment for exceptions/exclusions. 100% Lesson learned about using the Bank's title co. FOR SURE. IF I ever do another REO, I will pay for the title co so I can avoid these problems. Our attorney will def make sure that title issues are resolved or taken fully into account. 

Yes, I know I can either wait or walk away. We are Jewish and this house is in a community that is less than a mile from our synagogue. There are VERY few homes on the market within walking distance. We need/want a house with enough sq ft, location within the community, etc. and have been looking for almost a year. We are renting and spending a poop ton on rent. The home we are living in (in a neighboring community) is coming up on the end of the lease and I would REALLY like to not have to move more than 1 more time. We have moved 3x in the last 5 yrs and have 2 elementary aged kids. If we sign another year lease, it will cost us 5 figures to break the lease. I have waited for almost 2 months now, hoping something else could come on the market or this could finally go through. I now have about 5 weeks before the end of the lease. I might be able to negotiate staying a couple more months in the rental without signing another lease but need to negotiate this. 

On top of all this my mother died from cancer less than 2 weeks ago and it has helped put things in perspective for me. I am speaking to my attorney on Monday about walking away and Im looking at 2 properties tomorrow. One is in another community and we would have to change synagogues and the other is 100k outside of our budget to buy and in a neighboring community to current synagogue that has a farce of a gate/bad security. Both less than ideal for sure.  

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my posting. I have upvoted everyone that responded to me, except for the poster that basically accuses me of being a drama queen. 

I think I am involved in a crazy REO transaction. I get that they can take a while. I get that the ppl managing the property and the transaction are not in this business and do not care. I get that I am a "pimple on an elephant ***" in that the asset management co/bank is a large entity that has the right hand doing stuff the left does not know about. But, is it usual that when you are buying an REO you can be left i the dark for long periods of time? Is it usual that you get info that does not add up and or is "cloudy?"

Can anyone guide me to a source of info on REO sales and the types of conflicts that usually come up and why?

I can appreciate that I am trying to make sense from the senseless but thought I have nothing to lose but my time to type this up and post it here. Maybe someone has info that would be helpful bc they were involved in a similar transaction? 

Id cut bait (which I can do bc we now have a violated contract due to the Asset management co letting it fall apart) but I really like the home and want to buy it, fix it up (it needs easily 250k worth of work) to live in as our primary and there just is not many homes in the area I want to buy in. 

It is an "ok" deal in the sense of how much the house is + remodeling will = what I could turn around and sell it for in this market. This is not a great bargain. 

Im TRYING to buy an REO property in an expensive golf course community in Boca Raton FL. The home has been foreclosed on 2x in the recent past. Once in 2022 and then again in Jan 2023. The home is in a costly golf course country club community in Boca Raton. Also, the HOA DEMANDS payment of 150k as either a "membership fee" (for use of the country club, golf course and other amenities) or they call it a "capital investment" (the right to charge this in their bylaws and has been confirmed by our attorney) in order to own a property in the development.

The estoppel from HOA came back with 177k we owe (we were expecting this) and 190k for the Asset management co/"bank" They were NOT expecting

History of title (roughly) -Im lucky this is in a county where docs are easily available online

1987 -The development built the home. Mr. Owner bought the home

2007- Mr.Owner puts Mrs. Owner on the title 

2010- Mr and Mrs. Owner take out a 2nd on their home. This loan appears to be related to HUD. Very likely a reverse mortgage.

2011 -Mr. Owner died, but nothing was done with the title bc Mrs. Owner was already on the title. 

2015-Mrs. Owner falls hopelessly behind on the 47k-a-year HOA dues. HOA moves forward to foreclose but I assume in some way Mrs. Owner dodged a bullet for a few more years

2020- Asset Management Co forecloses on the home

2022 -January -the HOA;Mrs Owner vs Mrs Owner;the HOA lawsuit happens and somehow some guy (neighbors, HOA and a couple of docs indicated he was a young guy that wanted to "flip" the house but was in WAY over his head) ends up on title as a result. We will call him Young Clueless Guy (YCG)

mid 2022 -YCG alls behind on bog HOA dues and HOA moves to lien, foreclose, etc. It is not clear how the HOA works with whatever Asset manager co owns/has interest but in the docs, they seem to be "in bed" HOUSE HAS CLOUDY TITLE

January 2023- Asset Management Co "takes back title" of the house by filing ownership of title but there are NO foreclosure efforts filed with YCG name. It seems like he walked away but there is nothing in writing that is filed with the county and or court to remove him officially  

As it stands now, the home is owned by an asset management company that, after acquiring it on Jan 23, 2023, turned around and listed it on the MLS for sale.

There were several bids on the home; the seller agent did a final and best, and I won. We had a 30-day closing date that all parties were cruising along and pretty compliant given the complexity of these cases. My first closing date was Feb 27, but that has come and gone. 

The snag holding up closing ended up being the estoppel the HOA returned with. We (my husband and I) were financially prepared to pay not only the HOA fees but a "buy-in" (in our case it is called a membership fee and gives us golf and country club membership privileges too) of 150k

Apparently, the seller/asset management co was not prepared to be charged this amount also when they sold the home but the HOA is demanding it. The HOA has a legal right to do this and my husband and hired an attorney that got the "bank" talking to the HOA.

The "bank" is stalling and we have NO IDEA WHY. They (Bank) have claimed that they are waiting for HUD-FHA to confirm that their company will be reimbursed but that should not hold up my deal AND I called HUD/FHA and this property address AND FHA case # (that I found on an old document) have no active involvement with HUD/FHA. HUD/FHA has confirmed this not once but twice and has given it to me in writing.

The seller agent refuses to give our attorney the Asset mngr 's info. No email or phone number. Ppl at the terrible title company that the bank chose (Solidifi=garbage title co) have been telling my agent basically gossip in that it all is just words but they claim that the title co ppl are "talking to" the Asset Mng co but the story is now going in circles bc there is no new info. 

10 days ago, the Asset mng co asked for an extension to this last Wednesday but that day has come and gone and there was not a peep out of anyone except the seller agent telling my agent he wants an extension. We are not extending anymore unless we can find out what the heck is going on. 

My attorney sent a letter over two weeks ago to inform them that they are in violation. We got back crickets except for the extension that has come and gone and now we are back to square one with us not really having a contract. 

Does ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE?!?!? 

Quote from @Dan H.:

As @Matt Devincenzo indicated, an ADU can be attached.

I see many responses from People not from CA. They likely do not know the subtleties and rules of your market. They do not know how prevalent bootlegged units are in some areas. There is an area of San Diego (City Heights) that prior to ADU rules more than 50% of the SFH had a 2nd unit against the zoning. The authorities in that area chose not to enforce the zoning rules. My point is depending on your area, what you did could be a common practice. Southern California has many unpermitted units. This is not to say what you did was right, but it also is not the great offense that is implied by many who are unfamiliar with this market.

Statewide ADU rules allow ADUs to be added to virtually every lot zoned SFH.

Your issue is you chose to do it without going through the legal ADU process.

Fortunately for you, the state politicians want to provide additional housing. They do not desire units to be removed if they are safe. Look at SB13 (search for "five" or "5") for what it specifies for unpermitted units. To summarize, if the unit does not present health or safety issues, you have 5 years to get it permitted. It is not clear how much a jurisdiction is allowed to do to determine it is not a safety/health risk. by the way I heard from state Senator Weinkowski on the intent of that section of SB13. His intent is to not have safe units removed. The jurisdictions will interpret the text of SB13 as they desire and HCD appears to be toothless and unable to enforce many aspects of the various ADU regulations.

Good luck

Check this out CA SB 897 It was signed by the governor Sept, 28, 2022 

Dealing With Unpermitted Work

Many cities currently prohibit homeowners from developing ADUs if there is unpermitted work on their property. This can include non-conforming zoning conditions, building code violations, or unpermitted structures. Fixing these issues can take lots of time and money, resulting in ADU development being severely delayed.

SB-897 now eliminates these restrictions unless the unpermitted work is deemed a safety or health concern. If it is not, you do not need to fix it before building the ADU.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca...

(3) Existing law requires a local agency, in enforcing building standards applicable to accessory dwelling units, to delay enforcement for up to 5 years upon the owner submitting an application requesting the delay on the basis that correcting the violation is not necessary to protect health and safety.

I hope this helps. I had a similar experience with a nasty neighbor. Boy, can someone be a total PITA. I got a tiny house and put it on a lot of land that I owned next to the lot that my primary residence was on in Unincorporated San Mateo Co- NorCal. Long story short, this woman (bad neighbor-happened to be an attorney) wrote a letter of complaint to the building and planning dept claiming my adorable tiny house was blocking a nonexistent view of the ocean (beach views are not possible due to flat neighborhood), "decreased the enjoyment" of her use of her property and (my favorite) was interfering with the air circulation in her home, etc, etc. She basically made up what she thought Real Estate law would sound like and just threw anything and everything at the effort to make me get rid of the tiny house. 

Being one not to back down from a fight, I fought and argued that it was an ADU. At the time, the county/Building and Planning dept was woefully behind on recognizing the new CA state legislation re: ADUs and downright maleficent in that it was not going to approve anything unless forced to do it. I was cited 3 times for nonexistent infractions like "tiny house parked on land" and "illegal patio" (there were 3 stairs constructed from wood that came up to a 3 ft square landing they claimed was an "illegal patio") and "structure is a nuisance to the neighborhood." I ended up demo-ing the stairs (after paying a fee for a demo permit $75) and getting some foldable steps that ppl with RVs use to make stairs that can be packed up to go.

It took about 1.5 years, moving the tiny house to be on the same lot as the main house, putting it on a foundation and hooking it up to power, water, and sewer, but I finally got it legalized as an ADU. Bc it was legal, it added 212 sq ft, another bedroom and a bath to the sq footage of my house. With an avg of about $800 per sq ft, it added 160K$ of value. I sold the home, ADU, and lot and made my $ back and then some.

Good luck. If more ppl stand up for themselves, CA will be forced to not only talk the talk but walk the walk when everyone wants to rant about "affordable housing."

Thanks for the reply. 

To be fair, my agent was working in residential and pivoted to commercial a few months ago (I am a "legacy" client so to speak) but you are right in the sense that he is not "pounding the pavements" to find properties. I am and then he writes up the deal, does due diligence (I am a researcher, do my own due diligence and READ everything I sign) and is my "mouthpiece" in the negotiation. 

BTW Im looking at Boca Grove, Estancia and Paseo to be specific. Would these agents know these communities? I have encountered one "Boca Grove expert" that has had over a dozen listings and lives in Boca Grove. I can fill you in on more details off this forum about why I would not go to him. 

I am looking to buy a home in a specific area (Central Boca Raton) that has 3 gated communities, making "door-knocking" next to impossible. Currently living in a rental in nearby but do not like the homes in this housing community. The agent that found my rental we live in until we find THE house to buy works mostly in commercial and I have been the one finding the properties. It seems like everyone "has a great agent for me" but all these agents do is look at the MLS and talk a good game but have yet to perform outside of the norm/easiest MO. I am not tied to any one agent.

I am an intermediate residential RE investor with the bulk of my experience in CA and have bought in hyper, uncertain, "quirky" markets in the past. Adding equity to every property I have ever owned by remodeling, added sq ftage/changed home footprint,  added ADUs (in CA), etc. So, I can see things like good bones or see past minor things that would turn off most primary home buyers. 

Does anyone have any creative ideas on how to find homes that have sellers that are interested in selling off the market and finding these properties when they are in highly secured, fancy gated golf communities? We could do a cash deal, close as fast as the HOA allows or slower if seller needs more time, do a "rent back" for a few months, and are not afraid of a fixer.

In this area, there are a lot of ppl that have vacation homes they do not really use and or are vacant 90% of the time. There has got to be at least one seller out there that is thinking of offloading their property, especially bc one community we like has a 150k initial assessment (this is a deterrent for flippers) AND an almost 50k a yr HOA. Carrying a property in this community would cost at least 4-5k a month even if they own it outright.

I have been actively looking for about 4 months now and have made a few fair but on-the-low-side offers on homes that I found listed on the MLS. These sellers have their properties overpriced and DOM 6 months or more but do not want to come down in price.

Advice, tips or referrals would be greatly appreciated. 

Quote from @Jon Martin:

I imagine that you all got the host survey in the last few days? Had a lot of questions on it regarding host-to-guest interactions and how hosts felt about the support (or lack thereof) from Airbnb in regards to setting disputes. The fact that this has been sent out at least shows that airbnb is aware that there is an issue. Whether they improve the situation for hosts is another story. 

On a related note, I had a booking with VRBO as a guest in 2019. The host asked me to go off site for payment at a discount and I refused. Overall we were good guests and left the place clean and didn't give the host a hard time about anything. Only thing I can think of was that we left some empty  plastic water bottles (not a place with drinkable tap water) on the counter because the trash cans were full. 

When I got my guest review, host gave me 1-2 stars in every category!!! I emailed her to ask her why and she said that her daughter was messing with her phone and must've done it . .. . mmm kay lol. Even then I still could not get VRBO to remove this guest review. So maybe VRBO favors hosts more? 

 Keep asking them to remove the unfair review and use the text about kid playing with phone as evidence. Ratings are so important in these worlds.