Concerns over Instant Booking

[Kelly177]

I am deeply concerned about AIRBNB's "INSTANT BOOKING" option.  As a new host using AIRBNB I was shocked to come home from work and find an uninvited guest in my home.  I am equally shocked to find AIRBNB provided him with my address even though the reservation had been cancelled within minutes. The individual entered my home without permission in my absence.  It happened my front door was unlocked when he arrived.  I had made arrangements with my son the previous night to come in a pick something up and therefore my door left unlocked for that purpose.  Although "INSTANT BOOKING" is extremely risky it is promoted by AIRBNB.  Addresses are provided as soon as AIRBNB receives payment.  This should not be an option. AIRBNB policy should be to require sufficient time to screen potential guests.  AIRBNB "verified" the individual's phone number? When the rep tried to call him to let him know he was in violation of their policies the phone number he listed on his account was not a working number.  I informed her the only way she would be able to contact him is if I handed her my phone because he didnt have one! His mother was to have paid for his reservation with a credit card.  He had no phone and  although my place is located in a rural area he had no transportation.  His story was he was selling a house and needed a place to stay while he was waiting for it to close.  and his mother lives in the same city he claimed to have the pending sale of his house yet his dad dropped him off at my home 20 miles away.  The story just wasnt adding up! 

He entered my home approximately 2 1/2 hours prior to my discovering him.  I was shocked when I opened the door and discovered this half dressed male laying in the bed.  When he raised his head to answer me he had one of my towels wrapped around his head. He helped himself to my kitchen and food, took a shower and moved into my guest room.  He had removed items from the shelves and replaced them with his belongings, the window to the room open and curtains closed and a boom box plugged in and placed on the top of the bed.  Upon arriving home I found the door to my guest room closed.  After he left I found the damp towel on the bed, on top of the brand new memory foam mattress topper I just placed on the bed the week before. 

***[Post Title Updated]

[David126]

I think you need to snooze your listing and work out how best to set up your listing to meet your needs.

I use Instant Book, certainly not for everyone. I do not allow IB same day, I have it set so within 3 days they need to contact me first.

Sounds like Instant Book is not for you.

[Andrea9]

@Kelly177

Well you got a lot of good advice from all other hosts.

I have another to add - adjust your settings to not allow same-day bookings to give you better protection. It sounds great to be able to host on the spot, but criminals, esp. the ones who steal credit cards have discovered this lovely Airbnb  loophole.

[Kelly177]

Thank you Andrea, seems you best understood the point I was trying to make.  It goes beyond leaving a door unlocked.  The opportunist starts with the booking, the unlocked door was frosting on the cake. 

[Rachael26]

@Kelly177

OK Kelly - sorry you seem to want to avoid the main point of all the previous great advice and opinions of all the experienced hosts (@Alice-and-Jeff0 @David126  @Wendy-and-Frank0  @Andrea9) that have taken the time to respond to you - but that's your perogative of course.

I will just add my voice to the previous to suggest you withdraw your listing and start again. I would advise you to take some time to prepare your property with security safeguards (and make sure you use them!), review other great listings in your area and rewrite yours and read more experiences of other hosts and learn, learn, learn. I advise this as you have really attracted a lot of views with these repeated posts using (however unintentioned) inflamatory words like 'convicted felon' (that alone requires some better understanding of equal opportunities and discrimination laws!) - anyway, you may not have been aware of this, but all these posts ARE SEARCHABLE IN GOOGLE and other search engines. So, although it might be a stretch,  it only takes one person to read these posts, look at your profile, get your address, because they have read that you do not lock your door and are often away from the property....... not a great start.

Best Wishes.

[Kelly177]

At what point in my writing do you see me suggest I would refuse to lock my doors while away?  While I appreciate the suggestions I dont need advise on how to keep me and my home safe and secure.  I have plenty of common sense and clearly understand what I need to do for my safety.  While advice is great, and I am sure well meaning, that was not the purpose of my post.  My post was to warn others who may not understand they are vulerable and need to be aware.  

Again, I did not suggest the visitor I had was a felon.  I have already explained I is in response to another host in which her subject line is what you see.  Not mine.  

I appreciate the responses but it seems the content is not being fully read before responding.  

[Rachael26]

I rest my case!

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

@Kelly177,

Did you not say you left the door unlocked for your son?

There is no "RE:" in your subject line.

We have a hard time understanding if this experience is yours or someone else's.

We are trying to help.

You are getting defensive.

This is when we stop trying to help.

@Rachael26 is resting her case.  Can't blame her.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Kelly177 - " I have plenty of common sense and clearly understand what I need to do for my safety."  

The point we are trying to make for you is that you've posted your home on a public website that anyone in the world can search.  The "bad people" can find you whether they book with you or not, whether they instant book or not, whether you cancel them or not.  If you don't want this liability or exposure, you should not host. You've already had one guest come and go and yet you chose to leave your door unlocked - for me, this is not smart or using common sense. There are hosts who do this regularly, we've stayed in 2 properties where there was a no-locked-door policy.  Frankly I think they are lucky that they haven't been robbed yet, especially one property that has had more than 800 guests and been doing this for years.  That's a lot of people who know their door isn't locked. We won't stay there again.  We can't because we value our security.  

The reality of this situation is that this guest entered without a reservation.  This could happen even if the person just happened upon your property that day and tried the door. It could have happened if someone saw your property on the sight and went looking around Troy for your home.  The fact that he was provided your address by Airbnb when he booked certainly made it easier for him to find.  Entering without permission is extremely rare and strange - not normal by any means. Why he thought it was okay is as curious as to why any random stranger might enter your home when the door is unlocked.  The only thing you can do is limit your liability which is why I suggested that the reason this happened was because of the unlocked door, he wouldn't have been able to enter if it had been locked.  You think it's because Airbnb gave him your address, which they are going to do for every guest who books with you.   

So we've all offered up a number of suggestions to make you safer, only some of which have to do with door safety. Consider them to help limit the opportunities for guests to get your address.       

[Kelly177]

Again, at what point in my writing did you read I am refusing to lock my door?  Can you go back and find that?  While I appreciate your input and suggestions.  I would also appreciate those responding stop insinuating I have wrote that I will not lock my doors.  Yes, it tends to make one defensive when the information quoted is inaccurate.  "You've already had one guest come and go and yet you chose to leave your door unlocked - for me, this is not smart or using common sense".  Nowhere did I write I keep my doors unlocked 24/7 and certainly I lock my doors when I have guests.  I dont live in an area that requires me to live in so much fear and distrust that I have to lock the door every time I go out it.  And yes, if someone wanted to come in and do harm a locked door isnt going to stop them.  

The purpose of my post was to warn others of the risk. People need to be aware of and understand what the risk is prior to making the decision to allow "instant booking".   

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

The Instant Book function is not the cause of this person being in your home.  

And you still have Instant Book turned on for both of your listings.  

[Jennifer178]

A common scam for whole house listings is to book (either instantly or after a conversation) and then cancel a few days before the stay.  They may have had your address for weeks.  They know that the chances of rebooking so quickly are small.  So they know the place will be empty.  All bookings can be risky.

For a private room listing, they can still have a conversation with you, book, get the address weeks in advance and then cancel.  Then  rob you later.  Bad people do not need unlocked doors to do their thing.  Maybe their info was fake or stolen.  There is no 100% sure way of getting rid of all danger.  I would be more worried about a guest not unplugging the iron. Instant book is not a problem for me. But it is certainly not for evereyone. Do not like it, do not use it.  Watch me get strangled next week. I am not trying to make light of legitimate concerns, but I cannot freak out over everything.  

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

@Jennifer178,

My iron has automatic shutoff.

But the potfiller over my stove does not.

One day I'll buy you a beer and show you the photos of the damage done to my hardwood floors in my kitchen when an asshat forgot to turn the thing off.

I would have gone after ABB for a deposit.

But in this instance, the asshat was my son!

[Jennifer178]

@Wendy-and-Frank0, I just went and looked and my iron has automatic shut off!  Years ago I had an apartment flooded by the moron upstairs who turned his spigots on full, got no water due to a water shut off, and left the apt without closing the spigots, and then the water was turned back on.  I couldn't ground him, hopefully your son was given all the horrible chores.  

An even worse concern is how my guest who just left could have been so directionally challenged that I had to clean up pee stains off my wainscoting next to the toilet.  He must have been swinging that thing. I can't help but be disgusted and giggle at the same time.

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

Honorable son had to help me lift all that friggin' hardwood and lay new floors down.  Seeing him on his knees was payment enough.

Let's talk about ManPee, shall we?  We need to invent a compass.

They're not as big as they think they are, they need to stand closer, and no one is behind them whispering so there is no need to turn around.

I walked into a what looked like a lemonade stand once and told the guest he needed to help me clean up the mess.  He did and he was so humbled so we got into a discussion about how this $hit happens.

HE TOLD ME!

He leans against the wall and pees.

W.  T.  F????

I'm glad you have a 21st century iron, @Jennifer178.  Otherwise, I'd have to bring you one.  Planning a trip to Philly soon so I can go to the farmer's market and buy more food than I can eat.  I'll do it midweek and would love to stay with you.  I'll save you on my wish list.

2017 is the year where I meet at least 20 hosts!

[Jennifer178]

@Wendy-and-Frank0, and a cocktail or two with would be a delight.