Tips to get Approved to Guest by Hosts?

Tips to get Approved to Guest by Hosts?

Hi hosts! 

First time using this site, and also first time using Airbnb. I just turned 18 and was looking to book a graduation trip for me and my friends within my general area (1-3 hours from where we're located in the city). We've gotten our inquiries turned down or saddled with unaffordable advanced(?) deposit requirements, and I want to know if there's any way I can approach better or what I could do to help convince hosts to give us a chance.  I understand there's a lot of hesitancy and liability concerns towards teenagers and that nothing I say may change that notion for hosts, but it's incredibly frustrating to get rejected by location after location on the premise of age.

After our first failed booking, where we were told that someone with reviews must book and that we would be subject to a deposit of around 50% the total cost of the trip, I decided to start reaching out to inquire before entering the booking process. I've sent messages with full transparency explaining our plans (mainly just to have everyone cook at least once, stargaze (if possible), and play board games), our travel routes and predicted arrival time, and recognizing the immediate concerns towards teenagers and assuring that we are, in fact, not the party types. 

Some of the barriers we've faced, other than outright rejection, are the following:
- Requiring that a parent, with reviews, book (none of our parents utilize Airbnb, this just feels super unfair to us)
- Requiring that one of us, with reviews, book (how can I obtain reviews if no one will rent to me, and I'm newly 18 in the first place?)
- A deposit fee (so far we've been told $3000 and $2000 on stays roughly $6500 which we are fine to agree with under or at $2000 but not more, as we don't have that type of money to be freezed right before a trip)

I don't know what I can do to make myself seem any more trustworthy than I already perceive myself approaching as. And it's incredibly frustrating to find that this site allows utilization from 18, yet, it seems impossible to find people willing to rent out, even in cases where age is not specified within the listing itself. We really want to go on this trip, but every rejection or request we cannot meet just feels discouraging. If any hosts have any tips on how I can better quell host concerns and at least get a booking down, I'd appreciate it a lot.

And also as a secondary note, we're attempting booking for any full week this July, so it's not like we're trying to book last minute weekends or stays. My account is new as I'm the first person in my group to turn 18, and we wanted to book as soon as possible to guarantee our plans. I'm getting really tempted to, out of frustration, spend my own money to start booking single night stays for the sole sake of gaining reviews.

20 Replies 20
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Michelle2914  While I know it seems unfair, I imagine you can understand the hesitancy. Most 18 year olds, while they may not be irresponsible partiers, also tend to not know how to look after a home. That's not a put-down, it's a natural consequence of being 18 years old. So you and your friends could easily do things like cause damages to furnishings, simply through inattention or not understanding what can cause permanent damage. 18 year olds do things like fire up the washing machine on full load to wash one pair of jeans they want to wear that night. Take 1 hour showers, strew glitter around. 

 

I raised 3 daughters, so I speak from experience. They certainly weren't destructive, and I used to let them have parties at our house because their friends were nice kids and my daughters always cleaned up afterwards. But still, some of their friends would do thoughtless things, like one who mindlessly carved his initials into our coffee table. And a couple of times word got out that there was a party, and all these random kids my daughters knew from school, but who weren't really friends, would show up and things got out of hand.

 

It's actually a really good idea for you to book a couple places for a few nights on your own or with just one friend to build up a few reviews. Look for studio apartments attached to a host's home, so they won't be worried, like a host of an entire place might be.  It would certainly give hosts more confidence in renting to you if you had a couple of excellent reviews.

 

For your grad gathering, you might try to look for places where the host lives onsite- like a place in the countryside where the host lives in another dwelling on the property. Hosts of those situations are more likely to be open to giving you a chance, because guests can't get away with bad behavior, as the host is nearby and can see if things are getting out of hand. 

 

I'm surprised that hosts told you " Requiring that a parent, with reviews, book (none of our parents utilize Airbnb, this just feels super unfair to us)", because that is actually totally against Airbnb policy- it would be a third party booking, which are not allowed. The person who books has to be among the group that is staying.

 

Another thing I would suggest is that you update your profile blurb. Your profile write up is supposed to be a little mini-bio, not a description of what you are trying to rent. It should be about you- your interests, your schooling, part time jobs you have or have had, volunteer work you might do, your general life attitude. In other words, giving hosts a sense of the kind of person they are dealing with.

 

But I have to tell you that this is a relatively recent phenomenon, where teenagers want to rent a house to celebrate something. Even back when my daughters, who are grown now, were teenagers, if they wanted to do something like that, they all went camping somewhere. Which is something you might consider as an alternative- it can be a ton of fun. You can bring camp stoves, folding tables and chairs, good tents and real foamies, blankets and pillows, games and other amusements, plenty of food, and enjoy yourselves without having to try to convince anyone that you'll be responsible. 

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Michelle2914 Sarah has some great tips for you. Camping in particular is brilliant. So much fun, and you get to do all the things you mention like cook, stargaze, play board games and more. 

Where were you thinking of going? You’re welcome to come west. Stargaze your hearts out and go play in the mountains. I’ve hosted many groups of young people and all have been great experiences. Best of luck with your plans!

Lorna170
Level 10
Swannanoa, NC

@Michelle2914   I would recommend that you speak to a local realtor in the location that you wish to go to regarding homes that they have available for rent.  Most hosts are heavily invested in their properties and will not rent to persons under a certain age (in my case, 25) even if the guest swears to be exemplary.  

 

You might be lucky and find a campground with cabins to rent.  I know that my local KOA Holiday has several really nice 2 bedroom cabins available (but bare bones -- i.e., bring your own bedding).   In a recent trip from the east coast to the west, many of the RV campgrounds that we stayed in had cabins to rent.  I don't know where you are located or where you want to stay, so these are just some suggestions.  

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

@Michelle2914 @Lorna170 @Colleen253 @Sarah977 

 

The first thing I look at when someone wants to book is their profile and their history.  If they're both empty or their history isn't great, then I go into vetting mode. Ask questions. How many people? What age group? What's the nature of your visit? The answers tell a lot. 

 

@Sarah977 describes it perfectly. 18-25 year olds are statistically in a very risky demographic. And unsurprisingly, hosts have been burned over and over again. 1000's in damages and other expensive clean ups. So, they've become exceptionally careful. Rightfully so. 

 

Whether you or anyone in your party actually exhibits those risky behaviours is irrelevant until you've completed the booking and have proven otherwise. 

 

So, that's it. If you want to avoid being declined or demands for hefty security deposits in the future, you'll need to establish a good documented history. 

 

Book Airbnb, pay the security deposits if you must, respect the property, house rules, and leave the place in good condition... And the reviews will mostly take care of your problem.

 

And... Fill out your profile. Completely. Get verified ID. And a photo...of you, not your dog or your favourite car. 

 

And when a host asks you about the age group, tell the truth, explain that you understand why, and how you don't fit that profile, and then refer them to your many good reviews. 

 

That's guaranteed to help immensely. 

@Sarah977 @Elaine701 

 

Thanks for the feedback and I’ll definitely what I can apply to my profile and our search. But the answer here is pretty much, either spend money (that I don’t have) on shorter stays (that I still will struggle to find because of my age) until I feel as though I have enough reviews to have at least one host approve. The reason we started trying to book in the first place was because a lot of our choices were already partially available next summer. I’m a full-time student, and my province is in lockdown, it’s impossible.

 

Or reach out to enough properties, where at least 1 might say yes and allow us to book with an affordable-enough security deposit. 

Or just don’t use Airbnb. We’re not campers in the slightest, which is why we already planned for Airbnb and broke down how our costs, travel plans, and itinerary would be.

 

Regardless, thanks a lot for the feedback. We definitely understand the concerns, just sucks that nothing much realistic can be done on our side to better our chances on a greater scale. Also sucks that hosts can’t(?) or won’t specify in their listing if they’re above 21 or 25. Everytime we find a property of interest, we do a cost breakdown and analysis, so it’s getting tiring to do so without actually being able to book a place.

* to add, camping is also an additional cost investment of camping equipment like tents, air mattresses, mats, sleeping backs, cooking stoves, etc. that none of us will be able to use after the trip due to the fact that we will all live away from home in dormitories beginning in September.

@Michelle2914 

 

I'm empathetic of your dilemma, and you certainly exhibit the honesty and integrity of guest we prefer to have.

 

But we hosts also have to jump through hoops to avoid getting burned. It's become a rather common occurrence, and not just by young adults. Although young adults tend to be problematic, in the ways that Sarah mentions. And unfortunately, there's not much we can do about it if we get burned, so the emphasis is on prevention. 

 

Other platforms may be easier for you. Booking.com, for example, doesn't take the guest profile into consideration, and hosts on that platform are obliged to accept any booking. So you may have better luck there. 

 

Hosts on VRBO might be equally as protective as on Airbnb, since these undesirable situations frequently happen on that platform as well. So, you may have the same problem there.

 

VRBO has a minimum age filter for hosts. Our minimum age on VRBO is 25. Airbnb doesn't have that filter, so you may be often going all through the process only to be ultimately rejected, which I'd expect to be frustrating. 

 

Anyway, Good luck... 

Thanks for the suggestions for alternatives.

And yes, once again completely understand the concerns. We'll look into the other platforms. We originally wanted to go abroad, but due to the pandemic, there is no guarantee that a trip abroad won't get cancelled. It seems that booking closer to home is no less challenging, though.

Kind Regards,
Michelle

@Michelle2914 "We’re not campers in the slightest, which is why we already planned for Airbnb and broke down how our costs, travel plans, and itinerary would be."

"to add, camping is also an additional cost investment of camping equipment like tents, air mattresses, mats, sleeping backs, cooking stoves, etc. that none of us will be able to use after the trip".

 

I understand that not everyone is interested in camping, but your responses indicate that you have a set idea of what camping is, which isn't the sort of camping I was suggesting.

 

There is "roughing it" camping, which it how you seem to picture it, with air mattresses, or thin camping mats, sleeping bags, some thin aluminum camping pots and pans, etc. 

 

Then there is what I call "car camping"- going somewhere you can drive to so you can bring whatever you want. Personally, I hate roughing it, but love "car camping". No air mattresses, no sleeping bags. I'm talking bringing nice comfy 2-3 inch foamies, sheets, down quilts, pillows. Comfy bed just like at home. Bringing good pots and pans. That sort of thing.

 

And you can rent camping gear like large tents that are big enough to stand up and walk around in, some even have interior walls that divide up the space for privacy.

 

I doubt I've convinced you that camping can be great and not an experience of deprivation. 🙂 Just wanted to explain that I wasn't suggesting some wilderness adventure. But I know that some people would be miserable if they can't have a hot shower twice a day and style their hair with a hair dryer, or would have a giant freaked-out meltdown if they see an insect. 

 

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Michelle2914 I think the blurb in your profile is hurting your chances. It makes me feel uneasy, and I rent to young people all the time. When you communicate with hosts, perhaps stop describing this as a "high school graduation" trip. But rather as a vacation where you will catch up with old friends before your busy lives start. You're hoping to cook, stargaze, play games, etc., etc. If your intentions are pure, you have no reason to oversell them. Another option is to filter your search for "instant book" listings. No approval from the host is necessary. 

Hi!

I just changed my blurb to be more tailored towards myself. And also to add, I didn't have the blurb yesterday night when I was sending out inquiries, rather added it out of frustration when the dejection started kicking in. Please let me know if it's any better. In terms of overselling my intentions, I struggle to find a balance between that and transparency. The first booking we attempted to do, automatically assumed that we would be hosting a party, when I explained our plans. So I think, by default, afterwards, I just presumed that maybe I should specify that we wouldn't in my inquiry messages to avoid that misinterpretation.

Me & friends is myself + 8 people (9 in total). And we're looking at places around 1-3 hours outside of the greater Toronto area but still within Ontario. Mainly, we're looking at cottages.

Thanks!

And for instant book, we read about it and it seems that many hosts will cancel the instant booking if the guests don't fit their liking or their criteria. We are much less willing to get rejected AFTER booking than rejected prior. It would feel significantly more upsetting, and so we'd just like to get confirmation before hand.

@Michelle2914 

 

Instant book... It's rather iffy. 

 

We have instant book enabled, but all filters on.. You must have verified ID and profile.. And photo.. AND most importantly, good reviews (no bad ones). In our case, you simply wouldn't qualify to instant book.

 

If another host hadn't set those filters, you might qualify, and in that case, they might cancel you afterwards. And yes, frustrating. 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Michelle2914 

 

Your profile still doesn't give any real sense of who you are. I would follow @Sarah977 's advice:

 

"It should be about you- your interests, your schooling, part time jobs you have or have had, volunteer work you might do, your general life attitude. In other words, giving hosts a sense of the kind of person they are dealing with."

 

Most guests don't actually fill out the profile introduction, but it's actually very reassuring to a host when they do. Here are some examples from my previous guests:

 

"Professional who travels for work and pleasure. Run my own business focused on wellbeing and leadership. I am very respectful and treat all homes like my own. Pretty quiet and often you won't even know I am around."

 

"An undergraduate student in London and part-time barista! Can’t go through a day without my daily dose of coffee. I love traveling, meeting new people and learning about different cultures :)"

 

"Norwegian, loves traveling in the style of living across the globe. I take care of my rentals like my own place in Norway, and expect the same when having guests stay at mine. Adore nature, photography, art, culture, architecture, food, music, yoga, plant based living."