Protecting Yourself from Bad Guests

[Joe2762]

We are new to hosting.  Any recommendations on things to do to protect your rental property from bad guests?  We have three different reservations coming up, and we just want to make sure that this whole adventure doesn't end up costing us money due to abusive guests.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

1. listen to your gut feeling
2. don't accept 1-night bookings and long-term 28 + nights bookings . Try with min 2 / max 14 nights for a start.
3. don't underprice
4. if you allow instant booking then restrict it to guests with verified ID and recommendations from previous hosts
5. meet your guests in person at arrival and take a photo of their IDs. You have to know who has a key to your property! (Don't forget to mention this in your house rules.) Don't rely on Airbnb's so-called "verification"
6. write your own, additional house rules and make sure your guests read them before booking or before arrival
7. don't host large groups, think twice about hosting families with kids and pets
8. Additional good insurance is a good idea

good luck 🙂

[Joe2762]

Thank you. So we did the instant booking (They almost made it hard not to) and didnt know enough to only allow verified...🙄 Ill make sure we greet them. 

[Mark116]

@Joe2762  Everything @Branka-and-Silvia0  said, and I would add that prevention is your best course of action, so pay attention to how the prospective guest communicates, or doesn't.  Guests who don't read your messages or respond reasonably promptly should be a red flag.  Guests whose first message is abrupt, like 'we'll be there at 10am, or is there parking' are a red flag.  

If possible, take phone video to document the state of the units before each guest or get your cleaners or co host to do it.  I'd also recommend sending a message the morning of the first full day to say hello,  make sure everything is good...this helps cover you w/Airbnb if  there are any later complaints, and if there are things that guests have to do for check out, send them a message the day or night before.

Good luck.  This board is very, very helpful.

[Joe2762]

Why is it a red flag if they ask about parking?

[Joe2762]

Thank you by the way.

[Sarah977]

@Joe2762  It's not specifically parking- that was just an example. When guests ask about things that are clearly mentioned in your listing, that's a red flag, because it means they didn't bother to read the info provided.

And I think what Mark was referring to are guests whose first message to you is curt and all about them.

When a guest sends you an initial message like "Hi Joe, I saw your listing and it looks great. My wife and I are coming to the area to do some hiking and just have a relaxing break. We'll be pulling a pop-up camper so we can do some camping on the way, so I just wanted to check that your parking space will be long enough to accommodate that. Look forward to your reply." - that's the sign of a good guest. They addressed you by name, they complimented your place, they gave some info about themselves, and asked a legitimate question politely.

Someone whose first message to you is just "Is there parking?" is a red flag. What else did they not bother to read? They haven't shown any social graces, they are acting like you are just an answer robot and it's all about their needs.

You don't necessarily have to decline a guest like this- I've found that messaging back in a friendly way, asking if they've read the listing info and are aware that ... ( fill in the blank), and asking a question or two can often ellicit a better response. But if they ignore your message, or carry on in the same vein, beware.

[Anthony608]

Just remember that these are strangers who are not your friends and that you are in a business arrangement.  Guests will often try to take advantage of hosts, asking for perks such as discounts, letting them check in a bit early or check-out a bit late.  In more extreme cases, I have had guests do things like ask if I could watch their bags for a day or two after checkout, saying that their flights are delayed, or asking can they keep food in my house until they come back next time, or drive them to the bus/train station/etc.

The best advise is to simply have very firm rules and stick to them and, if possible, have them be automatic.  In my residence, we have an electronic door code that expires at checkout time.  If a guest wants to stay late, they *must* pay a late checkout fee or the door will simply remain turned off and if they are found in the house after that they are asked to immediately leave.  Since our door code is on a timer, this removes most talk about doing guests a favor, let us back in for a minute, do us a solid we forgot something, etc etc.

The same thing about leaving things in our house after checkout.  Guests are advised we have a housekeeper, rooms are thoroughly cleaned, abandoned food thrown away and bags considered abandoned if a guest leaves them in the house after checkout (we do make exceptions for things accidentally left behind which we are contacted about, but do not hold bags or luggage for guests).

Just remember, you are not their buddy and not their pal.  You are their hosts, you are being paid for a service, and just like any business there are procedures and rules that must be followed.

[Michael6533]

Morning is there a way to confirm an age?  Simply request photo id's at the booking?  Or can it be setup on your site

Can you somehow only allow other people with ratings the ability to  book your home on your site or do you just do it manually.