How can I trust a house that is newly listed on Airbnb and has no reviews?

[Georgia147]

We are hoping to book a large house in August 2019 that is newly listed and relatively expensive (about $1000/night). There are ten of us and we do an annual getaway every year.

The host of the house we are interested in has been on Airbnb since Jan 2019 and has no reviews yet.

It's a big house and the area is seasonal so it's not a huge surprise. The house appears to have bookings in June and July but of course those haven't occurred yet so we know nothing about the house yet and whether everything is legit. The cancellation policy listed is a full refund within 48 hours of booking.

I've booked several times on Airbnb in the past without any issues - but how can we be assured that this isn't some sort of scam and is total legit and exactly as stated on the listing?

What are Airbnb's policies on protecting people using their website to book properties? We are nervous to spend over $2000 when we don't know if this listing can be trusted. Please help! Thanks in advance.

[Sarah977]

@Georgia147  Just as every new guest deserves a chance to book even though they have no reviews yet,  all hosts have to start somewhere. As you yourself aren't new to Airbnb as a guest, I'm sure you know how it all works and haven't found this place on some fake Airbnb site.

One way to set your mind at ease about booking a place is to send the host an Inquiry message before committing yourself to a booking. If the host responds in a timely manner, and is forthcoming and friendly in their responses, and answers any questions you might have in a straightforward way, you'd get an idea if this was a place you could book with confidence. Don't be shy to have a couple back and forths with the host to clarify things and get a "feel" for the host.

I've not yet used Airbnb as a guest, but if I did, I wouldn't ever Instant Book a place myself unless it had a string of glowing reviews- I'd always want to communicate with the host first.

[Georgia147]

Hi Sarah, thanks for your reply!

Yes you're absolutely right, I'm in agreement with what you said. I'm sure there will be some communication with the host before the house is booked. However, we would have to book soon to confirm we get the dates we want - and with only a 48 hour cancellation policy (and a getaway that doesn't take place until August), that doesn't give us much recourse if for some reason something is fake or untrustworthy about this listing.

I tend to  assume the best of people but there are always people trying to take advantage of others - I was just wondering what Airbnb's policy was to provide assurance that people are protected if someone tries to scam. It seems easy enough to do so if there are no safeguards in place by Airbnb.

Anyone can post fake listings with fake photos and be paid well in advance and then simply disappear.

[Emilia42]

@Georgia147,  if you pay within the Airbnb site, the host does not receive the money until the day after you check in. Any money that is taken from the guest beforehand is held with Airbnb. If there is a problem with listing... say the host is legitimate but they get a few horrible reviews or someone reports their listing for any reason, Airbnb will likely shut them down and cancel your booking. It could be 3 weeks before your check in date or when you are 3 miles from the property, it could even be 3 hours into your stay. You will be refunded and likely given a 10% rebooking coupon. This is true with any booking. There is always a risk.

[Georgia147]

That's great, that's really all I needed to know. I wasn't aware of the process and when the host actually gets the funds. Thanks for clarifying, that puts my mind at ease!

[Sarah977]

@Georgia147  No, hosts don't get paid in advance. Airbnb retains guest payments until 24 hours after check-in. So if you book a place for August, the host will not be paid until after you arrive in August.

Could you post the URL of the ad here so other hosts can check it out and tell you if we detect any red flags?

[Georgia147]

Hello again, no I think it's all good. Now that I've had it clarified for me, I'm not concerned. I just needed to understand the process of how and when the host gets paid in order to protect visitors from illegitimate  listings. My mind is at ease now. Thanks for the help.