Unusual Request?

[Jane243]

I have just listed space on airbnb. Never participated as a host. The first request is from a young'ish man who is new to airbnb and he needs the space from 8am to 10pm and is willing to pay for 1 night.  My radar says "no".  But am I being paranoid.  I am live alone and am female. 

[Linda108]

Hello and Welcome, @Jane243  You can either go with your gut and decline the request or you can seek more information from him. Some questions I have are:  Why would the traveler need to let you know he only intended to use your place for 14 hours?  If you have a check in time in the afternoon, are you willing to accommodate such an early check in?  Are you on site during the time he is there or are you going to work? 

I am also a single woman and have never felt uncomfortable with a single man renting my room, but there are some hosts who restrict the guest to single women or couples only.  

I think you might pass this one up primarily because he is new and there are no reviews.  Until you get more experienced, I suggest you only accept those guests who have a positive review record with Air BNB.  After a while you will have more confidence about how to vet a guest.

[Lawrene0]

Hi, @Jane243. 8 am to 10 pm actually messes up two nights for you. You have a noon checkout, so you cannot have someone the night before, and the 10 pm checkout effectively takes the next night off the calendar. 

Do be sure to ask what's up, because it will help you going forward. 

For instance, since you are in Markham, and your rate is very reasonable, he might be a student filmmaker. That is hugely invasive of your house and is the reason houses used as film sets charge hundreds and more per day. 

Or he might just need an odd time to sleep because of flight connections, and that might be okay, but still he should pay for two nights.

I would ask him, but go with @Linda108's cautions. It is definitely okay to say no if you are at all uneasy. 

Stay safe. Will you let us know what you end up doing? 

[Peggy-And-Mike0]

I had the same request this week and declined.  The one thing I've read over and over in this forum is that hosts should trust their instincts.  He could be fine and further conversation would relieve anxiety, but then you will feel the need to explain why you decline, if you do.