The Reservation Profile Is Not The Person Staying

[Gerard183]

I've had a few of these, but each time I'm concerned about who is actually going to stay as a guest in my home.   The newest reservation comes from a person from South Africa, but the gal is not the person that is going to stay in my home.  Rather, it's her mother that is going to stay.   The reservation profile does not have any prior reviews and a new AirBnB customer since July 2018.   I only have a 24hr timeframe to accept or decline.

The reservation also states that there will be one adult and one child.  I don't allow children under 12 as per my profile.   I've also messaged the person back inquiring about these concerns.

Do you allow people other than the person listed on the account to remain in your home?   Generally, usually, normally, these pan out to be somewhat less of an enjoyable hosting opportunity.

[Monaco1]

Don't do it. In the past, I used to bend my rules but I've noticed that these guests tend to be difficult to please. I would decline and tell them that Airbnb does not allow proxy bookings and Grandma needs to sign up for her own account to book - alone!

I would say something like this:

Hello NAME,

Thank you for choosing my place. I'm so happy you inquired and I'm truly honored that you love my house.

However, I cannot accept this reservation because I do not allow proxy bookings on this listing. If your mother is interested in staying with me, she needs to create her own profile and then request a reservation. 

Also, I do not allow children and infants under 12 years old in this listing due to safety concerns. However, there are other great listings in the area that offer such amenities.

Good luck and stay safe. Please let me know if you have more questions or concerns.

Gerald

I also don't allow people to book unless they have ID verification. I think it's now required for all bookings but when I started as a host - it wasn't. Sometimes we cannot let the desire to please and server others or to make extra money get ahead of our sanity and safety. Best of luck and hope everything turns out great for you!

[Salem2]

@Gerard183

Decline the request, and don’t feel bad about it, stick to your rules. This person is already trying to get around conditions you have specified.

Its not hard to set up a profile, usually people borrow profiles out of laziness or because there have been issues with their own in the past, red flag.

[Rachel0]

@Gerard183 Third party bookings are not allowed in the TOS and if you accept you will not be covered by Airbnb.  

If your house rules do not allow children under the age of 12 decline the booking.  It is your house, your rules and if you start allowing potential guests to break them, you will have problems.