Once again Peerspace is denying our request for our studio rules being broken.
A guest has broken our studio rules and exceeded max capacity in our studio. We have it so clearly listed that 10 people is the max capacity during COVID. You can’t even book for more than 10 people. They paid for a small group of 5 but brought in 11, they ignored messages and warnings and all rules. They ignored verbal and written communication stating we will be charging them.
We have a penalty fee of $250 when max capacity is exceeded.
we have photo and video proof.
yet Peerspace said they WILL NOT accept these charges because they don’t pursue arbitrary fines.
why the heck do we have studio rules if we cannot even use them?
Peerspace shouldn’t allow hosts to include rules in their descriptions and listings if they can’t even follow through with them. The entire studio rental industry is based on arbitrary pricing. Penalty charges should be pursued when so evidently necessary
Hi @Smac_M , thanks for your note and we understand your concern. The team is looking at ways that we can objectively enforce rules and include fines.
First, it is important to note in cases like this that Hosts are allowed to end the booking immediately if any laws or house rules are broken. This falls under 3.1 Terms Applicable To Hosts (i. Preparation for and Supervision of Event). Peerspace expects Hosts to supervise and monitor the Space and Amenities and your Guest’s use of the Space and Amenities for the Event, to the extent (if any) you as Host determine in your sole judgment.
If a booking is terminated due to a rule violation, guests will not be reimbursed for time lost and hosts will be paid in full. As is standard for our dispute resolution process, we do ask for as much evidence as you can of law/rule breaking: photos, videos, screenshots, text messages, emails, etc to support your claim. Based on the evidence provided, this may lead to suspension of the user for terms violations.
In general, for all damages/missed expectation claims, Peerspace is only able to pursue actual value (i.e. fair market value), for additional charges. Our dispute resolution process involves the mediation of monetary values for documented damages and repairs that are required to bring a space back to good standing.
When hosts submit damages or additional charges, we need to be able to provide something tangible to the guests to substantiate the requested costs. Fines for violations of policies have been historically difficult for the team to objectively mediate and collect payment for, and there have been instances of abuse because the costs are less tangible and defined differently for each host.
As mentioned, we are investigating a solution for fines we hope to roll out at in the future. We will continue to support hosts with disputes for damages in the meantime.
I understand the reasoning for needing third party documentation for damages/broken items but am still confused how an over-capacity violation falls into the same category of needing proof of fair market value. It’s such a standard rule across the board for all the studios listed on Peerspace. We all have capacity maximums and most of us have rules/fines to enforce for when that is violated. A maximum number of persons in a business is not a unique or unfamiliar rule so how Peerspace is treating it as something that requires monetary value proof is baffling. It should be in the same category as over-time charges.
The guest is agreeing to these rules when they book. It’s a mutual agreement. With undeniable evidence that they made the violation it seems ridiculous that Peerspace cannot enforce this over-capacity fine.
I understand the simple solution and the response i got from Peerspace support was “you should’ve kicked them out” but we gave fair warning and they proceeded to violate that, ignoring the written and verbal reminders. Whether they hit over-capacity for a minute or for the entire booking we expect those fines to be enforced.
Peerspace caters to many hosts with varying procedures on how they run their studios so it’s common that hosts aren’t always directly on site during a booking. Regardless, the guest is agreeing to your studio rules upon booking, they agreed to the set fines.
Understand where you’re coming from @Smac_M , as Lauren mentions we are working on a plan for this. What has been problematic for us in the past is the wide variety of fines that hosts have reported and Peerspace has been unable to collect on your behalf. Across hundreds of thousands of bookings, there’s been quite a bit of abuse from all parties, including for rules around attendee size. We can get there though. So, we plan to introduce a system that makes the levy and collection of fines more transparent, understood, and enforceable in the future. Remember, we will always ask that hosts continue to enforce their rules and abide by the host terms that require supervision and protection of their space. This is for your own protection and to minimize the chances of losses during your bookings.
I’m new to Peerspace but a super host with Airbnb. Does Peerspace not collect the refundable deposit to cover damages as does Airbnb? We set the deposit amount mine being $350 and within 24 hrs. after check out if we discover damages we make a claim against the deposit money.
Hi @Robin_C thanks for joining the community. While we do not currently take deposits, this is a feature that many hosts are requesting and the team has its sights on bringing to you all soon.