Advice to avoid bad guests

[Charlotte759]

Hi All,

I would really appreciate some advice as we have just recently put our flat for rent on air bnb and we have a guest that has booked for next weekend. The guest has a new profile with no feedback and is unverified. It appears she is also local. My concern is she is going to use it for a party this weekend. Obviously feedback for us is critical so I would just like to hear from the more experienced hosts firstly how best to deal with the current situation and secondly how best to proceed for future bookings.

I’m thinking of sending her a message asking that she either verify herself or provide us with photo ID. Will AirBnb allow this or will it be very difficult to communicate direct with her? Perhaps I can ask her reason for travel and mention that I have a noise monitor if they were planning a party (I will have to think of a way to communicate this without causing offence)

Any help or thoughts would be much appreciated

[Danielle476]

Hi Charlotte,

Welcome to AirBNB!  Opinions will likely vary on this, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.  I'd suggest you:

-Only accept Verified guests, and make sure this is done before you accept their booking.  In this case, you can certainly ask that the guest Verify their account but they're under no obligation to do so since you've already accepted the booking.  (Also, some hosts place little to no value in 'Verified' guests so this is really just up to your personal preferences.  I like having it if only for the fact that the guest knows they're being held more accountable than a guest who booked using only an e-mail address or phone number, for example.)  You're certainly entitled to request ID upon check-in, but this should be clearly stated in your rules and check-in instructions.

-If you'd like to review each guest's request before accepting, turn off your Instant Book.  This will affect your rankings, however, and likely your bookings as a result.  Pre-COVID, I had it on and it always served me well.  Again, up to your preference!

-Do not accept local guests.  Or if you choose to, ask them what brings them to your home.  In my experience, and like many other hosts will tell you, most local guests (especially those booking same day) don't usually have reservations that end well.  

-If you move ahead with noise monitoring devices, make sure to clearly list them in your house manual/house rules.  This might help ward off guests looking for a place to party, and it also discloses their presence so guests aren't surprised or suspicious when they see them in your home.

-Make sure to clearly state maximum number of guests and 'no parties' in your house rules.  This will help you should you encounter any issues with guests and have to escalate any claims to AirBNB customer service.

Good luck!  It's a learning curve to be sure, but you'll get the hang of it.  My best piece of advice is not to lower your standards of care & responsibility simply to please a guest.  Keep your rules steadfast and clear before someone books to avoid confusion & possible issues.  🙂

[Janete17]

Very nice advises.  

A majority of guests are very nice.  

But a few others make your life hosting difficult. 

Take your time to analyse the inquiry and profile.  

Do not give extra discounts.  

Do not underprice.  

Remind your main rules at your first mail answer.  

Never accept out of site contacts and do all contacts by inbox.  

The way guests communicate from the beginning is good a sign (but not a guaranty).

 Sorry to say but actually dIshonest  guests manipulate from the beginning.   

Their aim is sometimes to stay without paying because they know how to get bnb to refund them from your account from their claims.  

Stay very professional and factual in your answers.  

Good luck.  

[Alexandra316]

@Charlotte759All the things you mention - being local, no reviews, and unverified - are definitely all red flags. I'm assuming that she booked instantly? If so, you can cancel the reservation penalty free. Just contact Airbnb or use the cancellation function and let them know that you're not comfortable with the reservation. 

Before that, though, I would get in contact with the guest as you've suggested and ask them a few questions. Ask them why they're planning on staying and a bit about them. It may help ease your fears: maybe they've just been stuck in the house with their family too long and need a night away. You can also ask them to verify their account, absolutely. Again, their response may make the decision on whether or not you wish to move forward with the booking super easy. 

In terms of screening future guests to make sure you're getting the type of people booking that you want to host, I would use some of the screening tools if you're going to use instant book, or consider turning it off until you get some reservations under your belt. You can also choose to allow guests to instant book only if they've met certain criteria: if they have recommendations from other hosts, or if they've uploaded a profile pic or ID. You can use whatever combination makes you feel safe. Go to your listing and choose booking settings, then guest requirements. I've always used instant book myself, but I do require that guests have recommendations from other hosts. So far, so good for me. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Charlotte759 Technically, during the UK lockdown, you have a legal obligation to understand why the guest is coming. If it is for a holiday then its illegal and you should cancel as one or both of you could be fined. There are situations where it is allowed such as to facilitate moving house or for work purposes.

As others have said its a red flag situation and I would err on the side of caution and cancel if you have any doubts especially if you are not local yourself.

[Helen350]

@Charlotte759  - Just looked at your profile & see you have your first review... Was this the booking you were worried about? - If so, I'm relieved it was a good, trouble free guest & you & she were able to write good reviews for each other!

My observation as an English host, is that we are not plagued by the house trashing, wrong sort of party types that many Americans & a few Australians report. Everyone warns: Party = massive damage, but I've read many reviews from British hosts whose guests have held civilised parties! With only the occasional, rare trashing in the UK (one London host springs to mind, poor chap.) So Yes, ask questions with groups, & supervise, but be mindful that US hosts tend to say "DON'T!" cos of severe trashings, (& shootings.)  

@Pete69  in Los Angeles advised against same day bookings.... I, on the edge of the Lake District have loads of same day bookings, -they are not disorganised bad guests usually, just tourists touring from place to place with flexible plans! - Or folk on long journeys who have come over tired!

- I'm gobsmacked that you managed to host in May at all, seeing as Airbnb have blocked British calendars, because of government bans on leisure travel.... Presumably it came about that they booked before Airbnb extended the block? 

- Were your May guests keyworkers on duty, or with a legitimate reason why they could not  stay in their own homes? - IF you were hosting a jolly, recreation, short break, gathering of people who don't live together, then you were breaking the law in providing accommodation, as were your guests in availing themselves of it.... Sorry to be a party pooper!

[Fred13]

Besides the good advice given above the only thing I have to add is - it is your place so do whatever is necessary to protect it, and do not depend on anyone else to do so. Every time I read one of the 'horror' stories, it always begs the question - where was the host before the fiasco happened?

[Barbara-and-Mike0]

@Charlotte759 New Airbnb properties and owners  can be targeted by local / county lines dealers and also prostitutes. You need to be really careful and take on the wise advice already provided. Also, you shouldn’t be renting at the moment as this is against the current UK lock down rules. You risk antagonising neighbours before you have even started your new venture. Good luck.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Charlotte759  Welcome, good luck hosting!  Hosting locals or semi locals is a new thing for most of us, its been almost taboo to host them up til now.  We hosted an Instant Book couple from 40 miles away in one of our suites last weekend that had a sitter for a couple days so they could catch their breath, they were perfect guests and left the place clean (we live here so if they decided to get crazy, they would have received an immediate eviction).  We had a few message exchanges before I would accept so I could get a feel for their intent and had them accept the rules in a text. 

 I suspect many of us are  going to need to find more ways to assure a higher comfort level with this type of travel for now and I don't know how long due to the Booking killing Virus that infecting all of our businesses.  People especially younger ones are looking for different yet safe experiences and lots of semi local weekends away fits that bill more than huge exposure going big country jaunting or giant pond hopping.  This is a brave new world we just entered without wishing to, there are safe ways we can continue the second oldest profession (Inn Keeper), we just need to seek them out!  Stay well, JR

[Kath9]

@Charlotte759 All of the above is excellent advice from long-term experienced hosts. While the vast majority of guests are great, some are not, especially if you have an off-site listing. There are a lot of red flags for me here, especially that she is a local (almost never ends well unless there is a very good reason). So I would be directly messaging her and asking some questions. Be polite but assertive. Ask for verification. Her response should give you some clues.  Regarding future guests: either switch Instant Book off or only allow verified guests with previous good reviews to IB. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Your peace of mind is more important than potentially upsetting a guest. 

[Sarah977]

@Charlotte759  My advice to new hosts is not to use Instant Book until you get some experience with recognizing red flag guests and how to deal with it, as well as just getting comfortable with all the aspects of hosting. But of course that's up to you.

Just because you use IB, though, doesn't mean you shouldn't communicate with all your guests when they book. The more anonymous you allow your hosting to be, the more liikely that bad guests will try to take advantage. You always need to make sure that the guest has booked for the correct number of people who wil be staying, that they have read through the listing info, that they have read and agree to the house rules, and you can tell a lot about someone by the way they communicate.

Simply having someone book and then show up at the door with no prior communication between you is a really poor idea, and can lead to all manner of problems, both small and large.

Also, I don't see any "No parties" in your House Rules, which can leave you open to having exactly these kinds of bookings. 5 bedrooms, 12 guests and a hot tub screams party house.

And you should be aware that the security deposit with Airbnb is a joke. As is their host guarantee. It's like pulling teeth to get the guest or Airbnb to pay up for damages. Occasionally a host manages to get a payout without a huge hassle, but seems like that's the exception. I hope you have your own STR insurance.

[Inna22]

@Charlotte759 I use a device called "party squasher". it sends me an alert when I have more than a certain number of people at the house. I can even sell you one at a discount because I had to close one of my properties :). I send a message to each guest who is a red flag along the lines of "please do not take this personally but I have this device blah blah". Those who are up to no good cancel immediately, others dont care and are not offended- why would they

[Fred13]

@Inna22 How does it work, it counts the different people? Interesting.

[Inna22]

@Fred13 it counts devices. It is not 100% precise because if someone has a phone and an ipad it will count it as two but my guests do not need to know that. If I have 3 guests registered and I am showing 6- its fine. If I have three registered and it is showing 15- no way each person has 5 devices with them. I do not charge for extra guests so I dont care if someone sneaked their girlfriend in. This is to avoid parties only

[Pete69]

1. Do not accept same day bookings. I even stopped accepting next-day bookings recently. People who book last minute TEND to be people who live their lives haphazardly, don't like to follow rule, etc.

2. REDUNDANTLY repeat your most important rules in your description. For example, I added "non smoking" in my headline. You want to scare these people off from the get go.