Age restriction in our listing

[Sarah-And-Mark1]

Hi everyone.  We are new hosts, having just listed yesterday so I'll probably have some questions as we go along.  I know the age topic has been discussed but not exactly like our scenario.  We have a 1 bedroom suite with a maximum 2 guests in British Columbia, Canada.  We spell out in our listing that it is for 2 adults (18+).  Also in our house policies.  The property is not kid friendly with large sharp rocks in the landscaping and we back onto a deep valley forest.  So, I'm wondering what to do if I get an IB request and see that it's 1 adult and 1 child?  Do I have a way to tell that they have read the policies?  Or just ignored the 18+? I don't want complaints to Airbnb as a new host, but can we turn them down?    

[Anonymous]

@Sarah-And-Mark1  This is where you'd have to take a magnifying glass to the Nondiscrimination Policy.  For hosts in Canada, it says:

• Airbnb hosts may not:
  • Impose any different terms or conditions or decline a reservation based on the guest’s age or familial status, where prohibited by law.

• Airbnb hosts may:
  • Provide factually accurate information about their listing’s features (or lack of them) that could make the listing unsafe or unsuitable for guests of a certain age or families with children or infants.
  • Note in their listings applicable community restrictions (e.g., senior housing), regulations, or laws that prohibit guests under a particular age or families with children or infants.

That "where prohibited by law" is worth investigating for your own protection - it's important to know whether your locality considers your type of rental to be bound by the rules that exist for public accommodations or housing. And even if it doesn't, if a guest lodges a discrimination complaint, that could result in your listing being temporarily suspended pending "investigation," which in turn could mean a loss of income. So while you always have the right to decline a booking you're uncomfortable with, you might not want to be too explicit about the reason.

Now if you're choosing to use Instant Book despite having an age restriction, it gets more problematic. There's no such thing as an "IB Request" - the only way to get out of an IB is to cancel it, and you're limited in how many times you can do that without penalty. Leaving IB turned off gives you the freedom to assess each party for their suitability before committing to a booking, and leaves you far less vulnerable to complaints.

[Sarah-And-Mark1]

Yes.  Thank you Andrew.  I've tried to turn the IB off but it's like AirBnb doesn't want me to.  Kept giving reasons to leave it on and didn't turn it off.  I'll have to play with it some more I guess.  And I'll have to add some wording in the listing to maybe discourage under 18.  Our property really isn't suitable for children.  Although IB is good one way.  So far, I've received 2 requests that I can't approve as they have not provided ID to Airbnb so I'm not give the option yet to approve or decline. So there's that. Thanks.

[Sarah977]

@Sarah-And-Mark1  I'm not sure you understand how requests work. When you get a request, you have 24 hrs in which to accept or decline it. There is no such thing as not having the option to approve or decline a request because a guest hasn't uploaded ID. If you fail to accept or decline within 24 hrs, it  will be registered as a decline and yoour response rate stat will also take a hit.

Are you talking about an Inquiry, as opposed to a Request? 

Do you understand that the requirements you can check for IBs are not applicable to Requests?

And pay no attention to Airbnb's dire warnings about turning off Instant Book. I've been hosting since 2016 and have never used IB.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977  There is such a thing as @Sarah-And-Mark1 describes - I had the same happen this week.  A woman messaged asking me to accept her reservation request, but I had no option to accept or decline - it simply said "awaiting guest ID."  She uploaded her ID but still nothing came through.  In the end a helpful CS withdrew the reservation request for her and then the guest's husband set up a new profile that they used to book.  Obviously this can seem sketchy to a host but the guests were just struggling with Airbnb's glitchy system until they and CS found a workaround.

@Sarah-And-Mark1 I have a cottage that I limit to two people, no children, and state that the house isn't childproofed and is really best suited to one or two people seeking a peaceful retreat.  In seven years no adult/child pair has ever booked.  The two-person limit seems to do the trick.

[Sarah-And-Mark1]

Thanks Sarah.  Yes, it was a request, they were not inquiring.    It happened exactly as Ann72 said.  I could not accept it as it said "awaiting Guest ID".    Long story short, in the end they did not upload any ID.  

[Sarah977]

@Ann72 @Sarah-And-Mark1  Thanks for the correction. I have never had this happen before.

[Ann72]

Oh just wait until you start hosting again for the first time in a few years @Sarah977  - lots of fun new plot twists!

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  I actually have my first booking after along Covid hiatus. It was an accident- I had been slack about blocking off dates as they became available and got a two week booking for the end of April! 

I had a good convo with her, asked if she was vaxed and she said yes, double vaxed and boosted, she's not a newbie, she has good reviews, she's a middle aged surfer, has been to this area before, so doesn't need hand-holding and won't complain about seeing an ant, and her booking got confirmed immediately after I accepted.

So far so good. 🙂

[Sarah-And-Mark1]

Well, as a new host, all these things that are happening will be chalked up to experience for us.  The Help Centre and this forum have been my close friends this week. 🙂