After the end of the Covid-Lockdown for Airbnb in our region we only had one regular group of guests; American soldiers, celebrating July 4th in our rooms, partying the whole night and after that giving no rating because they were afraid of a bad rating (underestimating our tolerance).
But all other booking requests that arrived since then have been dubious or criminal.
Most people want to let their employer pay for rooms, they want to sleep at friends and share the profit with the hosts, while not using the rooms.
All of these requests and profiles would be easy to identify. You can be sure, that if there is no proper identification in the profile (passport at least, phone is worth nothing), the profile is very fresh or there is no rating in the profile at all, forget it. They make you complicit in a crime and when they get caught, you can be sued as well.
It would help, if Airbnb would make it mandatory for the guests to proper identify before they can book rooms. Why is this only required for automatic bookings? They want to have a contract with a host, so they are not anonymous and have to identify.
And it would take the pressure from hosts, that are desperate and take every "opportunity", running into danger of being crooked or worse and it would make an end to some of the disadvantages for honest hosts!
Or maybe we hosts should charge Airbnb for the effort we have in rejecting these deceptive requests? Maybe this would help to motivate them to make proper identification mandatory. Since Airbnb makes the contact between the crooks and the hosts.
And another point: Make it absolutely mandatory that the profile owner is identical with the guest and that this one is responsible for proper identification of the guests that book together with him. The next time a guest arrives, that is not the owner of the Airbnb-Account, I'll send the guest away (keeping the money of course, since the room is blocked by the booking).
Next idea: Count the number of reported deceptive requests and accounts by a host and add it to his account ratings.
Next idea: In Germany the reg ions with "Zweckentfremdungsverbot" are publicly known. Airbnb could deactivate offers that break the law and so help honest hosts, that act according to the law. It's so easy: In regions with "Zweckentfremdungsverbot" it is illegal to give full appartments and houses for (under-)rent. In most regions a rate below 50% of the flat's size for Airbnb-offers is obligatory. Airbnb could ask back in cases that are dubious and delete offers if there's no answer or obviously illegal. This would help hosts that follow the law.
Times are difficult enough. Please, Airbnb, help us make it less difficult for all of us.
