Guests with 0 reviews

[R-Theresa0]

Hello all! 

   I have a question about hosting.

   We have made the decision to not host any guests with 0 reviews. This is not making a lot of people very happy! We have chosen to have this rule due to an experience we had with previous guests. 

   Is there somewhere I can note this new rule, so people looking to stay will see that?

Thank You, I look forward to some feedback

[Anonymous]

@R-Theresa0 You may note it in your listing description or House Rules, but a guest who sees this when attempting to book would have a very legitimate complaint to Airbnb that might not end well for your listing.  People with zero reviews are not a protected class under the anti-discrimination policy, but if every host did what you're doing, it wouldn't be possible for new guests to use AIrbnb.

Rather than discriminating against first-time users of the site, I would suggest establishing some screening requirements. For example; all guests must have a complete profile with verified ID, supply the names of all guests in the group, and explain the purpose of their visit. You are free to ask follow-up questions in the 24-hour period before you have to make your decision about whether to accept.

It would be a shame to miss out on the chance to provide a great introductory experience to someone trying out Airbnb for the first time. And on the flipside of that, some of the worst guests of all time have positive reviews on their record. All the more reason to change your screening method to one that's more effective for you and fairer to the guests.

[Awa4]

@R-Theresa0  I think that is discrimination. We all have been there with no reviews. My best guests were people with no reviews. Tip: Try making your rules and expectations as clear as possible and hope for the best. Take care 

[Linda108]

I see you are relatively new to hosting on Air BNB, @R-Theresa0 ,  I see the review from the problematic guest and would suggest that it violates the Air BNB Content Policy by mentioning your claim for damage to the septic tank.  Look at the policy yourself and if you agree, contact Air BNB to see if they agree it should be removed.  I do see that your review, while to the point that you would not choose to host these people again, your review, when seen next to a positive review, is curious and could be more helpful to the host community with a bit more detail.

In my experience, I have usually established a decent rapport with the new guest through the message system and am able to decide whether my listing is a good fit for the guest expectations.  I use Instant Book with a requirement of positive review, so a guest can book without contacting me first.  Still I use some screening language to ascertain fit and have found they misunderstood the listing in some way and by my catching that issue they were able to cancel without penalty.  Saved us both from a problem.  Both @Anonymous and I agree that new Air BNB guests can be a very positive experience.  That this guest did not know how to deal with a septic system may not be a common issue for most guests,, especially if you provide sufficient orientation to the system.

[Russell49]

In your settings you can arrange it to the guest needing at least 1 recommendation. This is what I have done so then I can navigate the booking request a bit better by asking questions before approving the guest's stay.

[Jenny838]

@R-Theresa0 A lot of hosts do not leave reviews for their guests so it’s hard to tell if they’ve previously used the platform. Well over half of our guests do not have reviews and the vast majority of my guests leave our space in excellent condition.  I’ve had two bad guests, one had no prior reviews and the other had 15 glowing reviews but left our space a wreck.