Help! How to handle first time guests

[Nikki185]

I received a request to book my cottage for the Canada Day long weekend by a user who just signed up for Airbnb and has no profile picture. They did not provide any information about themselves and their group, just 10 people on their annual cottage vacation. This is generally a party weekend and we have a very clear no party rule, however we have has guests disregard the rules in the past.

I am wary of first time guests because we had a very bad experience last year. I am no longer confident hosting guests with no reviews. Not having a profile pic or providing info makes me even more uneasy.

Any advice? How many bookings can I refuse before it reflects poorly on our listing? I have only refused one before and it was for the same reason.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Thomas--and-Martha0]

I make sure my guests meet a certain criteria where they need reviews show a profile government idea etc ur not going to look bad or is going to reflect poorly on ur listing because at end of the day your only covering yourself it's your property on the line when I first stsrsta I let someone in with no criteria at all I was new to Airbnb said he was one person it wind up being 5 people they broke my bed blood all over sheets broke glasses my place was upside down and instead air bnb getting my back automatically they wanted receipts for everything it cost to get back to normal the pictures said it all which should have been enough so now people need to meet a criteria thank God I didn't have a guest that night because I would of have to cancel make sure you make people meet a criteria it's ur neck on the line ever since I started making people meet my criteria haven't had one issue since.

[Ann72]

@Nikki185, that sounds stressful.  You could ask the guest outright to put in a picture and tell you more, or message them in a way that sounds official:  "Nice to hear from you and I'm glad you found the house.  Once you've uploaded a profile picture and given some details about your weekend plans, we'll be able to proceed to the next step."  Official but vague - you're not promising anything.  This also establishes your authority from the get-go.  And once you've established your authority, the guest is less likely to push boundaries.

Regarding declining, you could choose the "I'm not comfortable with this guest" option, but I honestly don't know if that will give you a demerit or not.  Anyone else know?

[Jo460]

I am brand new to airbnb, and have set up my listing to accept instant bookings..   I have had a couple of those and they were excellent guests.  My question is what should i be looking for if someone just requests to reserve....how do I figure out what part of my conditions they do not follow?

[Gabrielle135]

I have a "private room in a private house". A few months ago I had a run of first time users with no reviews, they turned out to be fine and good guests. Although,  this was annoying as it clearly states in the description that I only accept guests with reviews.

I have taken off instant bookings so that I have more control.  It's working fine. The other issue is third party bookings I fellow booked a girl from Europe he sounded fine I took the risk and she turned out to be lovely but it still bothered me.  Then two weeks ago another third party booking this time I declined however the person was also a host with a property in the UK he pleaded with me and I checked his profile which was excellent so I took the risk and the guest turned out to be a very nice gentleman old school.  But I have taken off instant booking just the same.  The space is only for solo travellers so far so good. 

[Nikki185]

I don't use instant book either, too nerve wracking! Glad to had some good experiences with newbies, I'm going to measame them and see if I can get some more information

[Helen3]

If you don't want to book guests without reviews, you can tick a box that only guests with reviews can IB @Nikki185 

Make it clear in your listing description that this is not a house for guests wanting to party but a place for families, groups of friends wanting to explore the local area and enjoy your amenities such as board games.

I also have it in my IB and house rules that only guests with a clear photo of themselves, who complete the profile/tell me a little about themselves/who is joining them/why they chose my place/plans for their stay can book.

I would message the guest and say that you have had difficult issues in the past with parties/damage (sorry don't know what your situation was) and  are understandably nervous about large parties of guests staying. Say you would like them to complete the profile, let you know why they chose your place and plans for their stay.

Remind then that it is in your house rules (hope this is the case) that no guests who haven't booked and paid to be there can be on the premises, and that you have quiet time rules between XXX and XXX to minimise disruption to your neighbours.

Remind them you have CCTV or similar,  (again I am assuming you would have this for a large property) if hosting remotely, and that violation of the no extra guests rules/late night noise is likely to result in their booking being cancelled and them being asked to leave immediately.

If you know your place is likely to be used for a party house during spring break, you could just block out the dates.

It is not about how many bookings you refuse, it's also about how not refusing lots in a row. If it is just an inquiry, respond and if they don't come back let it expire.

[Nikki185]

Thanks for your advice, it is very clear that there are no partiesi and it is a family-friendly space however we have still had large groups come through and wreck the place.

I considered blocking off those dates, and will likely do so to prevent anything from happening again in the future.

I have also since found out that Airbnb is moving towards eliminating profile pictures to prevent discrimination, which I don't think is effective. It also makes me feel like I have no way of knowing who will be staying in our family cottage, which I am not comfortable with. Apparently there is some controversy amongst hosts over this issue.

I will message them and see if I can get some more information thanks.

[Helen3]

I think you have misunderstood the change to Airbnb's policy @Nikki185 around guest photos. They certainly haven't eliminated them. The only change is you see the photo once the guest has booked (you need to tick the box on the listing to say you only accept bookings from guests with photos.

If when they book and you see the photo for example because they are photographed with a gun or right wing imagery you can ask Airbnb to cancel.

[Nikki185]

You're right, I did misunderstand a bit. Thank you for clarifying

[Helen3]

Yes do message them and say you need this information to consider the booking, if they don't provide it within the 24 hour period you have to decide, then just decline the booking.

[Kate-Mary0]

You can always ask them a couple of questions regarding their stay/plans. It could help you to get a better idea of what kind of guests they are and then you can make a more informed call. Maybe this post about screening guests will help you: https://www.airbnbtips.com/hosting/how-to-screen-airbnb-guests/

[Emilia42]

@Nikki185

There are some weekends during the year in my area where I worry about this same thing. I think the key here is communication. I use instant book so most guests automatically confirm. For these celebratory weekends I always reiterate that I want them to enjoy the festivities but the neighborhood does not tolerate loud noise past 9pm and that I am renting the space to the X amount of people on the reservation and there can be no more guests in the house. I tell them that I live right across the street and can be available if they need anything (aka I will know if there is a party going on.) I’ve had guests’ cancel that were not willing to follow these rules (Airbnb allows guests to cancel within first 48 hours of booking for a FULL refund) and the guests who assure me there will be no problems have all been really great people. This is not a 100% guarantee that all guests will behave but in my experience, if there are clear expectations, for both guests and hosts, fewer problems will arise.

[Dana282]

This always makes me very nervous. When I get a booking request from someone like this, I message them back and tell them they need to upload a government ID, a profile  pic, and verify themselves to Airbnb with email as well. Many of the first time guests I've had who've requested,nthen subsequently followed theee instructions, have been wonderful! Two of them were 28+ day rentals.