Guest ID

Guest ID

Hello,

I am a new host and my first guest is arriving tomorrow but I am getting a little nervous. It says that Airbnb verifies guests by making sure they have a photo and email address. This person has neither. She also does not have a last name listed. Is this normal? She asked me if she pays through the app and I said yes. 

11 Replies 11

Should I be concerned?

And now it appears they are not coming anymore because there is nothing on my calendar and it says I have no reservations..If they were approved to stay did they receive my banking information? I'm really concerned now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Why would they have your banking information? If your calendar shows the dates are available, then a reservation was not made. 

@Sam110

Please go do your homework as a new host. Read the new host section on this community centre and also in the on the Airbnb help centre  on the booking website. You are at risk to run into a lot of problems if you are not sure how hosting on Airnbn works. Please inform yourself. The guest does not need your banking details at all. Airbnb will pay you. Please Please Please read up and don’t open up your listing before you are not confident and sure that you know how it works.

Thank you, I read the new host section and am still confused. That is why I am posting. The dates on my calendar were blocked and now we are not but I never received a cancellation notice. I am unable so see this persons account anymore and I am very confused. Not even sure if they received my address or not. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

I you can't see anything of this person and the dates are open on your calendar then the booking is not confirmed. Were there any messages between you and the guests that you can reply to? Not sure what happened here

@Sam0 - I also must emphasize that you must do much preparation and work BEFORE you list with Airbnb.  You need to be ready to stand up this business and understand how the website works.  All of the information is here - in the Community Center and Help Center.  You need to know how this works because something important will come up and you won't know how to respond or manage it.  If you do your research and prepare, you will.  Good Luck.

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

I think there must have been verification issues - guests with new accounts have 24 hours to complete their verification - meanwhile the calendar remains blocked.  If they fail to complete their verification, the request will expire and calendar unblock.  

Airbnb probably disabled their account due to lack of verification or concerns such as the ones you already noted.

 

When someone inquires or reserves your listing, you may ask their full name and where they live and look them up on social media or Google them to do your own verification.

 

If they seem suspect they probably are suspect.

 

Guests who are going to be good guests are very communicative about themselves, their companions, their travel plans, their identity and their excitement at meeting you, their host.

 

If they seem weird and reclusive, they will likely be weird and reclusive.  If they won't give you their full name and where they live (city and state or country, not their personal address) then you can and should decline them.

 

You can also review the  verifications they have on the site and if they are not to your liking you can ask them to provide more.  You can require a good photo and decline them if they provide a picture of a potted plant.  However, many reasonable people do not use their personal photo (like me:)   for various reasons. 

 

Be wary of locals trying to get a place to stay.  They are often in dire personal straits or have been evicted, or plan to party, or get high, or even die in your home.  I have had two different friends recently allow pathetic homeless aquaintances to stay with them (not through Airbnb and not their close friends) and had the person die while staying, one from a heroin overdose and one from a massive heart attack and bleeding out (on blood thinners?) in the guest bedroom! 

 

I recently allowed a pathetic homeless acquaintance (friend of my friend's daughter) to stay two nights in my listing but decided to evict her on the third day after she was arrested for shoplifting a few minutes before I was supposed to pick her up in town to bring her back to stay another night.  Long story, no good deed goes unpunished . . .

 

Good luck.

Kerrin

City Limits Ranch

 

 

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Sam110

Here's a link to a previous thread that has all the links you'll need as new host:

Contains essential Newbie links

 

And if you bother to go back in time and read posts here on the Community you'll get an amazing crash course in hosting - believe me, it will keep you busy for a while but will save you $$, headaches, and more!!

 

Plus my mantra:

Do. An. ID. Check. On. Arrival. Like. A. Hotel!!! Write down address and ID #. Tell guest you need this according to your local regulations and for your own safety, whatever. No hotel except for the worst dives would ever let anybody near a room without this.

 

With time you'll probably also automatically find yourself tightening up your house rules.

 

 

Thank you everyone for the helpful tips! I will def be doing some more research. 

 

Also the first guests did arrive safely and they were new to Airbnb as well. Still not sure what exactly went wrong but It was marked on my calendar again just before they arrived. 

 

Also thank you @Andrea9 I am definitely going to have guests show their ID upon arrival and write down address and ID number!