Ugh - I need some help please

[Tamara682]

Everything I do is in good faith. Given that, I try not to cross over platforms or anything like that and I do not take platform bookings and try to convert them to private bookings to save a few bucks. That's just now how I work. But I am on 2 platforms because for the first month, I didn't get any bookings.
What that has gotten me is one scam on ABB to 5 scams on VRBO.

My 1st and only booking from VRBO is this weekend. They seem like lovely people. They are also family and the biggest booking I've ever had. We'll see what the condition of my place is when they leave. But I love the family vibe.

Anyway, out of the blue VRBO sent me a prepaid, IB for end of June through all of July from a guy who said it's him and his daughter working on a project where I work and she's interning before going back to college.

I look him up, he's the CEO of a what appears to be a solid company that won a contract from a federal agency with which I'm very familiar. 
Here's the sketch:

He's only acknowledging a couple of my questions and his answers are really brief (fine, engineers and scientists - especially ones who are mucky mucks can be very arrogant). BTW he didn't tell me who he was, I found it from his email address. His profile is simply new in 2022 and VRBO doesn't allow hosts to see guests' reviews (I don't get that at all).

Anyway, so he half (if that) responds to my ?s (and there are like 3 questions seriously) on the IB chain. Then on an inquiry chain he starts asking about bedroom windows, which I assure him I just put in brand new windows to bring it up to code and for emergency exits. Then, on the same inquiry he asks for pictures inside and out. By now I'm starting to catch on to the difference between the threads.
I return to the IB thread and tell him everything he wants to know he can find on my ABB profile (because VRBO simply limits info & esp pics way more than ABB). I also told him I was extremely uncomfortable with the difference in threads and therefore, please scan and send me his ID.

Lastly, I told him I require this because I am concerned the CEO of this company or me or both could be getting scammed.

I mean his questions make no sense. I get asking about the windows, as someone whose grown up in real estate and managed properties it's a big deal legally for what you can all a bedroom. But for a scientist/engineer, owner of a growing company, what? Beyond safety, wth? Plus he asked for pics of the inside AND outside of the windows. That just doesn't even make sense. Why would anyone care about both sides of my windows.

I'm so upset that this is a much bigger scam then the 'my company pays for my vacation'. This one actually says he's prepaid for 34 days (and I have a 28 day limit or so I thought). In the meantime, the hottest dates of the year are blocked.

Help please? Who does that?

[Z-2]

The VRBO guests put more attention to your house instead of hosting.

[Tamara682]

@Z-2 I just had my first one this weekend, a family. They were awesome, on first glance I couldn't even tell they had been there when I walked through after they left.

All of my guests have been really great and most come from ABB.

I am very grateful.

[Z-2]

Yes. Most of guests are good. So my initial respond to them are always trust them first.

[Tamara682]

Hi all - just an update:

I called the phone # and received a vm with no message, which I find unusual for someone running a business but not impossible.
I sent a platform email stating there are red flags on the reservation and that I cannot confirm ID. I requested response asap and to submit a valid, current state driver's license or ID. I also stated I need to make some modifications on his reservation.

I do not expect a response (and I did not leave a voice mail) and will cancel the reservation in a couple of hours. (Bummer that was really good $ but not if it is a setup to further access my banking information, which I recently read happened to another host.)
If this turns out to be legit, I will let you know that too.
Anyway, again thank you all so much for your time and insights. I sincerely appreciate it. It helped so very much - all of it.
Tamara

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Tamara682 

Sounds like a good call. 

[Tamara682]

Just another update (helps me stay grounded lol).
Guest and I have texted and he's agreed to send me verification of identification soon. I also responded that in host circles there is a scam regarding windows requests and my only interest is his protection and mine. Then I asked him to update his reservation # to 4 to cover the platform insurance.

We'll see how it goes from here. I'm feeling more positive but ofc if he doesn't send it, that changes things but with our text exchanges I am a little more optimistic.

I cannot emphasize enough how much your input has helped including how lack of communication isn't all that uncommon.
I also made sure that any off-platform conversation (trust me - wasn't even a paragraph) was reiterated in platform.

Will let you know the result because at this point it's really in or out. I am super uncomfortable stalking future guests lol. And I am even more uncomfortable being completely ignored by them.

Thank you all.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Tamara682 

We each have different comfort levels, and need to do whatever we need to feel safe and comfortable. 

[Tamara682]

Ok well this will likely be the last update I will have until the guest arrives. After much research I was able to verify that the phone # provided does in fact belong to the legitimate business that guest includes in email address. Which means the texts are valid forms of communication, albeit lousiest communication I've encountered to date.
I did call VRBO to see if they could break the reservation into 2 stays, but it would charge a 2ndary set of service fees and I do not want to risk that going to guest for approval. However, it does occur to me that if it turns out guest is not who he says he is, tenant/landlord laws won't apply anyway because fraud will be the order of the day along with ID theft, etc.

And if he is who he says he is (which I am now thinking he is), then he's not going to have any reason to want to squat here. His company has a significant contract with the gov't and the gov't doesn't really want to contract with squatters if ya know what I mean.
I'm still waiting for the ID and don't expect to get it. I've asked him to change his reservation to 4 people and if he doesn't, I will have VRBO call him when the wife and son arrive and will decide then whether or not to charge him extra or have him change his reservation at that time (the more likely choice).

There will be no more sending of any information on my part unless or until I receive his ID. That's his choice. He's prepaid and already past his 100% cancelation part of the policy.
Wish me luck and thanks again for all your info. I am and will continue to keep a very close eye on this one. And I have learned a ton for reservations moving forward. I am definitely going in and limiting my stays to 28 days so they cannot IB for more without asking.
Oh and I did summarize everything in the VRBO mail chain so it is documented.

[Z-2]

If you do approve his 34 days stay, it definitely need his ID. I am comfortable with not showing ID with STR, but won’t take any chance with going to a LT with residence right. Everyone does have different comfortable levels to different thing.

[Tamara682]

Excellent news! Not only did I get the ID, but he happened to be in town today and said he was going to do a drive by. I offered one better with a walkthrough. Super nice person, totally legit, and clearly is NOT checking his platform mails. (I bet he does not make that mistake in the future when finds how hard I was trying to reach him!)
Anyway, I am now very excited about this stay. Turns out he grew up here and we went to the same schools about the same time; even lived in the same area. I am so relieved.
I have taken all your excellent advice and am incorporating it into my policies and procedures moving forward. I'll be updating my listing this weekend.
Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it.

[Loretta126]

@Tamara682  There is no maximum stay setting on Vrbo.  You can use one of your three house rules for it and then cancel on a guest if they book more than your limit. 

Happy for you that this is working out. 

[Tamara682]

@Loretta6 Good idea - thank you!