Pre bookimg visit

Answered!

Pre bookimg visit

New host and someone asked for a drive by before booking.  First instinct, confirmed by posts here, is to say no.

My questions are...   Do I respond at all?  Do I report them somehow?  Do I tell them to book and let them cancel?

Any advice welcome.

Top Answer
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Michael-andQuot-MuttandQuot-0  A little more information would be useful. Is this the first communication from the guest? Is it in the form of an Inquiry or a Booking Request? You have to respond in some way to Inquiries and Booking Requests, you can't just not answer. If it's an Inquiry, all you need to do is message back once to the guest within 24 hours, that fulfills your obligation. You don't need to click either Pre-approve or decline. If it's a Request, you do need to either accept or decline it within 24 hours.

There's no reason to report this guest. While some asks to preview the property may mean they're up to no good, some are quite innocent. All you need to do is to is say"Hi XX, I'm sorry, but I don't allow pre-viewings of the property- it's a security risk for hosts. If there is anything you need clarified that isn't answered by reading thoroughly through the listing description and viewing the photo gallery, please feel free to ask."

And no, you should never approve a booking you have doubts about and then ask them to cancel.

2 Replies 2
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Michael-andQuot-MuttandQuot-0  A little more information would be useful. Is this the first communication from the guest? Is it in the form of an Inquiry or a Booking Request? You have to respond in some way to Inquiries and Booking Requests, you can't just not answer. If it's an Inquiry, all you need to do is message back once to the guest within 24 hours, that fulfills your obligation. You don't need to click either Pre-approve or decline. If it's a Request, you do need to either accept or decline it within 24 hours.

There's no reason to report this guest. While some asks to preview the property may mean they're up to no good, some are quite innocent. All you need to do is to is say"Hi XX, I'm sorry, but I don't allow pre-viewings of the property- it's a security risk for hosts. If there is anything you need clarified that isn't answered by reading thoroughly through the listing description and viewing the photo gallery, please feel free to ask."

And no, you should never approve a booking you have doubts about and then ask them to cancel.

Absolutely not!!! They get the address when they book. I don’t trust people as far as I can throw them