Pre-approval

[Richard158]

Hi, our listing is set to accept instant bookings, yet we are being asked if we want to pre-approve a guest who has simply contacted us with some questions. What is the point of the pre-approval process when the guest can book instantly if they so wish?

Thanks, Richard

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

It is another pathway to making a reservation.  Typically this is used when the guest has (1) specific questions about your property that will effect if they want to book or (2) they don't meet the minimum standards you have set for someone to use the Instant Book process. 

[J25]

But how does one contact the Airbnb if one has a question or the profile pic they have put in gives the wrong impression.  Like the bed is a large single and would not have 2 pillows.  I want only 1 person in the 1-bedroom.

cheers J

[Richard158]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 Thanks for that. So, as this guest appears to meet our minimum standards, there is no advantage to us, and no risk of deterring  a booking if we do not pre-approve.

Is that correct?

[Clare0]

@Richard158 Yeah, Pre-approvals are kind of counter intuitive if you have IB enabled.  If it were me, I would not Pre-Approve Inquiries since an Instant Booking could come in at any time and if the Inquirer takes their full 24 hours to decide, the place could become unavailable.  The Pre-Approved guest then gets angry since oftentimes they think the host has reserved the dates  which isn't true.

I would simply respond to Inquiries and tell the guest to book through IB if they want to proceed with a booking.  

[Richard158]

@Clare0 Thanks Clare, yes that makes perfect sense. Thank you for resolving my confusion!

[Ritchie5]

So if I respond to enquiry within a hour via text message as I live in Cuba with no internet but have text service and dont pre approve because i need internet to do that it will not effect my ratings or where im placed in search results ??? 

[Sheila187]

I sure hope someone responds. We have only had two bookings. Now the third one is in a few days. She created her profile only this month (April 2018) and wants pre-approval. She does not have an ID provided. I don't understand??? Why can she ask for a pre-approval if she has not been "veted" by AIrBnB? What is the purpose of a preapproval. Why doesn't she just do a "book instantly"? Please help.

[Matthew285]

@Sheila187 it is possible the reason she has to ask for Pre-Approval is because she has not yet provided her ID.

For someone to do an Instant Booking, they have to meet your criteria. If you require government ID to do Instant Book, then this person cannot do an Instant Book. However, they *can* send you an Inquiry, which you can Pre-Approve. If you Pre-Approve their Inquiry, *then* the guest can book... because you would be saying that her lack of ID is OK.

[Sheila187]

Matthew, 

Want to thank you for your replies. They are very helpful. You're and old hand I can tell. Did you see my follow up question? I am not sure how to find it in the thread but shortly after I reached out for help from the community her booking came through on IB even though she had no ID. Now I am unsure what to do. I checked the settings and for some reason the "ID  required" was not checked. I have fixed that. I wrote her and asked her to update her profile with ID and to reassure me she was at least 21. In the picture she looks very young and her email talks about coming with her boyfriend. I know we can't control partners but neither do I want to encourage teens using our Tiny House. Your advice PLEASE!

[Matthew285]

@Sheila187 if she is booking via Airbnb she will be at least 18.

If you really are uncomfortable with the situation (even with the information the guest provides), you can contact Airbnb support and ask if you are able to have a penalty-free cancellation because you are not comfortable with the guest.

However, do not use the guest's age as a reason; that is a violation of the non-discrimination policy and a definite no-go. If you do choose to try to cancel her reservation, you would need to rely on some other reason.

[Sheila187]

Matthew, again I am grateful. As a newbie I don't want to mess up. The dilemma resovled itself in a funny way. She was new to AirBnB and didn't know how to manage her ID so she sent me a scan. She is 41 years old! LOL. In the picture she looked so young.