A guest is asking to view my property before booking.

[Aya2189]

Hi. A guest is asking to view my property before booking  (she wants to book for a whole month), and now she is asking for the address.  She explained to me that she is moving to my town with her family of 7 very soon and I am guessing she wants to see if my house is big enough for her family.  But I just realized her identity is not verified and she has no reviews.  I had agreed to show her my property but now I am second-guessing if it's a good idea.  Am I even allowed to show her my property before booking?  What should I do?  

[Johanna394 · Accepted solution]

@Aya2189 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/47/when-a-guest-asks-to-visit-before-booking

[Aya2189]

@Johanna394  Yes!  I saw this article when I was doing some research and I told the guest about the policy.  She said she totally understands! 

[Lorna170]

@Aya2189   We never agree to show the property.  In 20 plus years, showing the property has resulted in maybe one rental, whereas those who read our ad and view the numerous pictures we have posted are thrilled and give us 5 star reviews.  

Also be wary of a month long booking for a family of 7.  What are the laws in your state, I.e., when does a guest become a tenant?  Most states it is 30 days.  Tenants are hard to move on when they don’t pay the rent.  

[Aya2189]

Lorna,  your information is super helpful.  I would've never thought to look into "when a guest becomes a tenant!"  

[Gwen386]

Hi @Aya2189 

Your home is absolutely beautiful and very spacious. And anyone can see from the pictures what to expect. Absolutely, I would not show the property. These are strangers visiting, possibly casing your home, and you don’t even have a reservation. In my utmost opinion, cancel this showing. Just text her stating that you have thought about it and feel very uncomfortable since she has no reviews and identification hasn’t been fully verified. 

[Aya2189]

Thank you so much for your input.  

[Aya2189]

A guest and I thoroughly communicated and everything worked out.  She actually apologized to me for not thinking about the situation from my perspective.  She also told me the reason she wanted to check out the house before booking --she, unfortunately, had a bad experience with booking a place last year as a company used fake photos and she lost a lot of money so she wanted to make sure my place is genuine.  I ensured her my place is 100 % real, and her identity is verified now.  She just booked my place and everything is all set.  Having good communication with the guest was the key to this situation. Thank you for all your expertise!