5-Star Airbnb Guests only allowed to stay at the property-

[Duane72]

I have been asking Guests with no reviews to please read and also agree to the home's additional House Rules for staying.

Guests with 5-Star Review I accept immediately but those with no reviews I ask them to read and agree.

So far everyone is OK to read and also agree if they have never used Airbnb before for booking a home.

I have had problems with Guests that have less than a 5-Star Airbnb Review not respecting my home, so I have been declining their requests to stay.

Just wondering is this OK to accept only Guests that have a 5-Star Review or Guests that wish to achieve a 5-Star Review.

Just Asking - What do you think - just tired of picking up after guests that don't respect his beautiful home.

[Osama12]

I have simple and accurate house rules. I always ask potential guests to read and accept my house rules. 

[Jonathan6]

It's a business decision, if you are getting the occupancy you want then there is no issue with being discriminating in choosing your guests.  I personally look to maximize revenue so I instant book and yes I have had the occasional issue, but I consider it a cost of doing business.  

BTW: I rented to a family with multiple 5 star reviews and one of the children threw a towel on top of a lamp that started a fire an caused significant damage, so a great review is not necessarily an indicator that you won't have a problem.

[Kate867]

@Duane72   I do understand your way of thinking, but I have hosted some guests with less than five stars or no reviews with no issues at all.  Guests sometimes mark hosts down by a star for cleanliness because they found a cobweb in some dark area behind a cupboard, or by giving a Host 4 stars overall, because they never ever give 5 stars because in their opinion ‘there is always room for improvement’. It is frustrating, but it happens.  However, some hosts can also be ‘picky’ and mark a guest down on cleanliness for not leaving everything pristine and hoovered.. or a star down on communication because they did not message saying they had arrived.  It does not mean they are bad guests.  I personally find the written reviews and booking message much more informative when deciding if I want them as guests in my property.  Obviously, I would not accept a 1 or 2 star guest.

[Gordon0]

I've had some particularly painful experiences with guests armed with all-five-star reviews, @Duane72, so beware of thinking you'll be safe with those types. 

[Duane72]

Yikes, Thanks for the input - it's appreciated!

[Suzann0]

I have accepted guests with no reviews after asking them to please tell me a little about themselves however with Airbnb change to refund policy I am a little nervous and I have also  recently have had problems and will probably only accept 5 star reviews or leave Airbnb.

[Huma0]

@Gordon0 

Ditto that. My worst guests (literally my idea of the guest from hell) had the most 5* reviews of any guests I have ever hosted.

What I should have done at the time was look at the reviews they had left for other hosts. That would have been much more telling. It was certainly not the only problem that I had with them, but the reviews they left would have revealed that they were not suited to my listing, e.g. they felt resentful anytime they stayed at an Airbnb that did not provide catering, regardless of the fact that catering wasn't  specified on the listing.

They are not the only 5* rated guests to turn out to be a pain in the backside.

@Duane72 However, don't think it's wrong though to treat guests with less than 5* reviews with caution. Normally, I will ask them what went wrong with their previous stays and that can also be telling. I have definitely weeded out some very bad apples based on their response to this question. On the flip side, I have also discovered that hosts can leave very harsh ratings for guests when it's not necessarily deserved.

It's time consuming, but if the guest has one not so great review, you can check out the reviews the host left for other guests and see if there is a pattern. Sometimes it becomes clear that it was the host who was the problem rather than the guest.

[Deborah175]

@Huma0 I know it used to be possible ( five or more years ago) to read the reviews guests leave for other hosts, but I don't think I know how to read those anymore. Can you explain how to find those?

[Karla533]

I have decided not to accept guests without any reviews at all. Guests less than 5 star have caused me the most difficulty. 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Karla533 

What about the newbies? We love them! 

[Huma0]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 

I have hosted many, many newbies and most of them have been great. Yes, there may be a bit more education to do RE the basics. At the same time, you don't get a guest who believes they are flawless because they have so many good reviews who then compares you to every listing they have stayed in regardless of the differences, such as location, price, etc. etc.

It all varies too much though to make any kind of accurate comparison. Newbies can be wonderful because they are excited for the experience, positive and wanting to impress and get their first great review. Or, they can be completely clueless and incapable of comprehending how Airbnb works, no matter how many times you explain it to them.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Huma0 

We love spoiling our newbies! We've found that they are far from clueless and have the best manners. Of course, we've had close to 100% of our guests being the same amazing people. We are explicit in our descriptions about what sort of place we have/are, what to expect and what not to. It is a lovely partnership, we cherish it. They help us keep the place going and we provide the best hospitality that we can. We feel honored, and do our best to reciprocate. 

[Huma0]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 

Certainly. I have no aversion to newbies whatsoever and accept most of them. The ones I turn away are the ones who seem incapable of answering basic questions, don't really get that they need to tell me a bit about themselves or confirm they have read the house rules etc. I will give them a few chances, but if they keep ignoring my questions, sorry, it's not going to work out...

The majority are fine though and often more than fine. Many of my newbies have been wonderful guests. I would never turn anyone away because it was their first Airbnb stay.

[Nicole2223]

@Huma0 just curious - what do you do when you discover it's not working out after their initial 48 hour cancellation window has closed?  OR your 24 hour response window is closing...

I have gotten lots of inquiries lately from folks with no reviews, no history and a blank profile. I respond immediately with a few questions to get the conversation going and help guide them towards a successful outcome (booking our place). If they're not quick to respond - it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be terrible guests, but I want to keep my track record of responding in a timely manner.

(Side note: perhaps someone here knows whether just a message serves to satisfy that metric of 'responding within 24 hours' or does it mean you actually accept or decline within 24)

Then there's the case described in my recent post, which was unusual in that it came with a message that on the surface would've seemed great but something just didn't smell right to me (sure enough, they have ghosted me now):  https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Bogus-user-or-Airbnb-glitch/m-p/1600795#M354166)