Last minute booking request from guest with NO verifications

[Alexandra316]

So I just got a last-minute booking request from a guest. They had absolutely no information on their profile, and zero verifications. ZERO! Not a cell phone number or email address, even. I asked why they wanted to stay, and they said that they're locals and their landlord needs to fix their bathroom. Yeah, no, sorry. What I can't get over is that Airbnb would even let them send a request with absolutely no verification of their profile. I really feel like Airbnb is starting to take the piss when it comes to guests.... we aren't able to do even the most cursory of checks on them because they now block all info before the booking is completed, and apparently they're not doing any checks either. It takes the giddy buscuit.

How much does Airbnb value our safety when they are allowing guests who have not provided any personal information whatsoever to book with the platform?

[Alexandra316]

@Emilia42 thanks for that: very helpful! 

[Jennifer1421]

Holy cow, @Emilia42 , this is exactly what I have been looking for!!! Thank you so much for sharing this little nugget. I've had my listing paused since I found out that real names aren't required, and I've totally been fretting about risk.

It's unclear from the discussion that follows on this thread, but does this mean that guests MAY NOT even send a booking request (let alone IB) without having uploaded id?

[Emilia42]

@Jennifer1421 

In my experience, since I clicked that little box, I have not received a request to book. All guests have instant booked and they have all meet my requirements and been verified. I updated my requirements to include a government ID but then was getting more requests to book (guests without ID so it was prompting them to 'request) then I was getting instant bookings. What is the point?! My guess is that since I clicked the "verify all guest" box, now guests are actually required to provide verification before they proceed.

[Alexandra316]

@Emilia42 I just did it. You're right: it's absolutely impossible to find. I still couldn't find it through navigating through the options: I had to do what you suggested and find the help article, then click on the link in the article. Bizarre... definitely feels like they don't want us to use it.

[Jennifer1421]

That's fantastic! Sounds like your "guess" is likely a fact. Presumably, guests who don't want to verify, are kinda stopped cold at their request by a "you must verify to proceed". I like it! A LOT!

Hmm, gotta find a friend who isn't currently verified, and test this out. "Awesomesauce" as the geeky kids say 🙂

[Ann72]

Goddamn it if @Emilia42 doesn't do it again!

[Ann72]

@Emilia42 I just checked, and it turned out I had that box ticked all along.  That would explain why I've never had a booking without a verified ID.

However, surely ANYONE can request to book?  I mean, what's to stop them from making a request?  If they make even the most rudimentary and sketchy account, they could go to any listing, put in a date, and hit "request to book," couldn't they?

[Emilia42]

@Ann72 

, I don't think so. If you use Instant Book there is no option to request to book. The guest only sees "BOOK" or "contact host" to send an inquiry. UNLESS they do not meet your booking requirements. BUT, my thinking is that once the little box to verify all guests is clicked the guest will get held up in the booking process and they will not be able to proceed any further until they verify themselves.

[Ann72]

@Emilia42 Oh, I get it.  I couldn't imagine there was anything stopping them from writing in and asking to book, though.

But here in this screenshot I'm in an incognito window, not logged in to Airbnb, therefore with no account, and it says "Request to Book."

When I click that I get three options:  Google, Facebook, or sign up with Airbnb.

Choosing to log in with Google, I was then given a screen to create an Airbnb account.

I didn't want to go farther, so I stopped before I could find out if you'd be required to verify ID or upload a photo in the next screen.

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42  I ran across that box by accident not too long ago. But I don't have verified ID on the site myself, and am not tech savvy enough to know how to do it, so I'll have to ask some techie friend to help me.

You ask why it's hard to find- it seems to me that while Airbnb does allow us some tools to vet guests, they seem to make it hard to find where they are, maybe because they'd really prefer we didn't use them?

My 14 year old granddaughter could set up a more intuitive, user-friendly site, where everything was organized and easy to find. 

[Mike1034]

@Sarah977 I have to laugh :-). Just found out that you don’t have verified government ID. In this case, you will not be able to require a guest to have verified government ID.

Two years ago, when I signed up on Airbnb and I did not upload the government ID either because it is not required. (I think that Airbnb intentionally to leave that optional). Later when I started to turn on Instant Booking On. There is one checkbox of requiring verified ID. I checked that. But Airbnb prompted me to upload my government ID in order for me to have verified ID check.

But Airbnb still allows guest sending me booking request without a verified government ID. I have to ask guests to upload the government ID before I accept. I have to make sure the person I accept to stay in my house to have no anomity at all in order to reduce the risk. 

[Sarah977]

@Mike1034  Yes, I'll do that someday:-) I honestly get guests who I don't feel wary about at all, so I've never felt the need for verified ID. They send nice, informative booking requests, have clear face profile photos, message back in a timely fashion (mostly) and all have had phone numbers and email addresses, and most have had previous good reviews. Lucky so far.

[Emilia42]

@Mike1034, try checking that little box that all guest have to be verified. Like I said, I don't know why there are two ways to say all guests must be verified or how it is different from requiring a government ID (on IB settings) but they are too separate things. It's as if requiring a government ID to book means nothing and is a joke. Fin the All guests must be verified box and you shouldn't have a problem.

[Mike1034]

@Emilia42 That is a great finding! Not sure why it is not attached to any menu items and it is not associated with the booking settings of the listings.

Now I am intended to think that Airbnb intentionally to make loose the control of requirements in order to facilitate more bookings. They really don't care about the potential issues these may cause and have already materialized.

And they can also provide the evidence that these safety and security requirements are in their software if they get sued for not having them. They can blame that you hosts or guests are not diligent enough to study and use them.

[Helen3]

From memory @Sarah977  it was quite easy to upload my own verified photo ID.  I just scanned in the photo page of my passport on a screen airbnb provided. You can also use your driving licence or national ID card. 

I think it's also fairly easy to find , how as a host,  you ask for your guests to have certain ID.  You simply go into your Listing and from there go to the Reservations Requirement page and then tick the boxes you require.

As hosts who run our airbnb business being familiar with how Airbnb works, does take a certain amount of time, particularly as they change things so often. For me it is simply a cost of doing business and helps me ensure I am getting the most out of the platform.