Screening guests

[Elsa10]

Hello!

I am a new host and, a few hours ago, I got a reservation request, without any message, from a guest who just joined Airbnb this month and who not only has nothing written on his profile about himself but has a picture of a cartoon devil as his profile picture. Do you have any advice for me on how to handle this situation?

Thank you!

Elsa

[Danny9]

Yup. Start talking with him/her, and ask the guest to fill out as many verfications as possible. 

The lack of both verifiactions and reviews is a very COMMON problem the hosts encounter. Urging the guests to fill out their profiles is actually not our business, and it is somewhat annoying. 

I have made it a House Rule that all my guests MUST have their ID verified online via Airbnb. I have a template urging the guests who are sending booking inquiries to do so. No ID verification - no booking approval! This applies to everyone! 

I am neither trying to be difficult nor am I keen on reducing my own business as a host. But I strongly believe that people tend to behave in a far more responsible manner if they know that they are NOT anonymous. Verified ID is NOT a universal panacea but it is an added layer of security that I need before I entrust my property to my guests. 

Protecting my own property is not the sole reason for the guest screening process I insist upon. I am trying to protect my forthcoming guests, and their bookings, too. If a present guest wrecks the property, and I have to go into a lenghty and expensive repair process, more likely than not, I will have to ask Airbnb to relocate my next guests. These guests have planned their stay with the location and the facilities my properties offer. Relocating them is not only a loss of income for me but a disruption of their plans, too!

SC

[Deidre0]

I totally agree with Danny.  Msg him and ask that he verify his ID 🙂

[Elsa10]

Thank you so much for your help, Deidre! I will do that. Elsa

[Elsa10]

Thank you so much for your help, Danny! I will do that. Elsa

[Andrea9]

@Elsa10 Elisa,

It seems as though bad eggs target new hosts, and your experience confirms that in my opinion. You are absolutely right to need to know more about the person! If you scan the community, you will find a huge plethora of similar issues from other hosts.

I cannot say how educative this community board has been! It's worth it to go through past posts, and you will instantly grow through it, like I have  🙂

If this person does not reply within the 24 hours time you have before you get penalized for not accepting/denying request, you can always flag the person (little gray flag in the person's text box in the message thread) which makes Airbnb aware that there is something wrong with the person or profile.

Also best to deny the request.

Also make sure that your booking requirements state that ID verification is required. It's not a guarantee, yet extra work and submission of ID that may weed out most bad eggs.

Hope that helps!

Andrea

[Elsa10]

Thank you so much for your help, Andrea! I will do that. Elsa

[Fiona2]

Hi Elsa, welcome to hosting. I host lots of new guests without reviews but won't accept anyone who isn't Verified as the others have mentioned. In addition, I won't accept anyone who doesn't communicate well - not including a message is not communicating well! I'd 1) reset your reservation requirements to only accept Verified guests and 2) write back to this person saying thanks for their interest and you would like them to tell you something about themselves and the purpose of their trip. If they don't respond or don't make you comfortable with their communication then decline. I personally don't care about photos but someone with a cartoon devil as their avatar would make me extra cautious, especially as a new host. No guest is better than a bad guest, really. Good luck.

[Jolanta1]

FYI.... Recently one of my listings wad used for escort service!!!!! Trust me! Be careful and don't feel bad to turn somebody down... If you think something is wron- it usually is!
I had to shut that place down and retur it to its owners. At home I can watch things and still have liars getting in. Thank Hod, I'm 6'1 and former pro athlete ... Just saying

[Lesley11]

Can someone please help me understand where I see that a potential guest has a Verified ID.... had a strange request from a man on behalf of a friend of his who had no internet, and I couldnt see anything except his request for accommodation.  Am new to this! Many thanks.

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

I would not consider a potential Airbnb guest booking a 3rd party. Simply put, I would have no idea who I am dealing with. Anybody could walk in. 

Of course, there are always people who will claim that their 3rd party pal is not internet savvy. But  if they are pals, why not bring the third party up to speed?

[Heidi155]

I prefer to speak with my guests. I did this with a guest that was traveling with a group of 4 and found the age bracket was between 19-20 . We are not catering for this demographic. I thought you had to be 25 yrs + to use airbnb?

Does anyone else speak (not through email) to their guests?

[Miriam120]

I received an Airbnb e-mail saying "You declined the last 5 requests. Your listings could be suspended if you don’t start accepting more guests. "  In fact, my listings are blocked for over a year.

I'm proud to be an EXCELLENT host.... because I love what I do.  It seems Airbnb does not like that I screen possible guests.  I recommend that everyone screens future guests before accepting them. 

Why did I do this?

1) I hosted an ex-convicted who was 15 years in jail.  His friends rented my property for a "Welcome Week" I do not want to give details about this terrible stay.  I've rejected different ex-convicts, and other non-desirable persons. 

2) I hosted groups who prepared "wild parties".

3) I hosted ladies who work in the "oldest profession".

4) I hosted a "family" of 21 members (and others of 15 or 12 members) when my house has a limit of 6 occupants per stay.   I cannot accept more persons that the max. allowed by the City of Fort Lauderdale. 

For all these reasons, I take the time to research and screen people who want to stay at my properties.  They are located in an upper-middle class neighborhood, where I live since the year 2000.   This is a family-oriented neighborhood, and I'm proud of it and its values.  Therefore, I want to remain being a good neighbor and an excellent Airbnb Host.  I must say that most of the Guests have been excellent, specially when they are families.

As said to Airbnb before, I could accept any guest if Airbnb makes itself FULLY responsible, to me and to my community, for the Guests' behavior.  Don't I have the right to screen possible guests before accepting them?  Does Airbnb has the right to punish me by blocking my listing for screening possible guests?   Is Airbnb's screening policy (checking a phone number and an e-mail) good

[Heidi155]

Hi new to airbnb and also want to screen my guests any tips on screening?

I like to talk to my guests as i am a diligent interested host before accepting the booking