How would you handle this person?

[Jessica850]

This is my first week being a host. I have set my listing to instant booking and I’m happy with that.

But I had an inquiry from a young woman with severe environmental allergies, asking for lots of details about my space. I’m eager to get as many bookings as possible as I have gone into debt to turn my garage into a studio specifically for short term rentals. So I answered every one of her questions honestly, and offered that she could stop by and check it out between guests. 

When she came by today she said the place smelled too new. I had just cleaned it and I’ll bet she was smelling cleanliness. But I didn’t want to be confrontational so I suggested it might not be right for her as it was not set up for long term stays (there’s no storage or closet). She said she felt like she had to take what she could get and would be in touch about booking some time in the future, after the new smell was gone. 

I don’t want want to take away the instant book option, but I don’t want to host this person. I am pretty sure she would be very fussy and hard to please. I was thinking I would send her a polite message saying it was nice the meet her, but that I felt like we would not be a good match. But if she still books with me, what can I do?

[Jessica850]

Ok, I appreciate your advice. I’m changing the maximum length of stay.

[Letti0]

@Jessica850  I have instant book on. I personally would flag her and block her, she's gonna be high maintence. I would also recommend against long term especially when you are just starting out and not really experienced at vetting guests yet. There are two issues with long term, if the guest is a pain your stuck and they become tenants, not guests with all the rights of a tenant. I have had guests with great reviews trash my place. Many hosts do not review guests as they should be reviewed, please do not become one of those hosts. It's important for us to be honest to warn other hosts. Also NEVER let someone pre-booking on to your property, it's against AirBnB's terms of service you could be delisted for it. Do not have your cancellation policy set to flexible you want at least moderate, so the guest has some skin in the game too, not just you. 

[Jessica850]

Oh dear, I didn’t know that, thank you for letting me know that it’s against the terms of service to let someone on your property. 

I’ll change the cancellation policy too, I already had one person cancel on me. The night were immediately booked by others, but still, I’m not sure it makes sense to have it set at flexible.

[Brian638]

As others have said make sure you check the box to require the guest to go through verification. I just got burned big time because I did not have this checked and had instant book on. The guest booked for 1, showed up with 4 at 4AM  well past check-in time, smoked pot in the space and then they would not leave.  Took me two hours past checkout to get them out and the police were called to space. Don't want to discourage you but I missed this and am very surprised Airbnb lets guest book Instantly without being verified. 

[Jessica850]

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up. I just added that ID is required. Once I get more reviews, I’ll add the requirement that they also have positive reviews too. 

[Sandra126]

I would add that right away, they can still book with you, but they have to contact you with an enquiry first. The main reason for having IB in my opinion is to have visibility on the site which you will have regardless of how many restrictions you place on the IB.

[John1080]

@Jessica850 As @Sandra126 said, I would add all the requirements now. That's what I meant earlier when I said she might not be eligible for IB. If you set the requirements high, it will weed out some people, but if they want to book they will still contact you, but you will have to accept them - I highly recommend it. 

[David126]

Anything long term you need a lease.

[Laurel47]

@Jessica850 " too new" your paint,  the floor, the shower curtain, etc, off gas. Many new products leach toxins for quite some time and she obviously is very sensitive to it. Not healthy for anyone really but she's hyper sensitive. Your cute space will suit many, just not her. 

[Sandra126]

That is formaldehyde and VOCs, happens with all new renos/builds/furniture/carpets etc. Leaches out for ages, personally I love the ''new'' smell but it is a real thing that some people are hypersensitive to and since she knows she is one, she must not ever stay anywhere not aged. The older and worn the better! Which she would well know.

[Sarah977]

@Jessica850  Aside from the leagl aspects of renting for more than 28 days, as Letti and others have alerted you to, I would really suggest that new hosts don't accept anything more than a 1-2 week booking for the first little while. There's a learning curve to hosting, and these are strangers you are welcoming into your home- do you really want to get stuck with someone you can't stand, who turns out to be demanding, messy, and/or disrespectful for longer than a a week or two? Hopefully you will get great guests, and requiring certain verifications, dialoguing with prospective guests through messaging, etc, can help with that, but it's always a crap shoot. 

Once you've been hosting for a year or so, if you've had a wonderful guest who wants to come back for a longer term, that's different- they and their habits and personality are already known to you.