Viewing before booking?

[Svetlana96]

Hello everyone! I am relatively new here so please forgive me if my question seems silly... What should I do if a potential guests (or local relatives of potential guests) want to see the apartment before booking? Quite innocent request, right? But the guest doesn’t have any reviews. I am not sure how to respond. Any piece of advice here? Many thanks! 

[Radka5]

Hello Svetlana, I have started with the aribnb just this month and exactly the same situation happened to me. This one guest contacted me through inquiry, having lots of questions about the place(not a problem), 0 reviews and just e-mail verification. She asked to see a place first . At the beginning  I was considering letting the guest come and visit the place as she wanted to book the place for her and her family for a period of 2 months. Then she started to be really pushy to come and see the place even when she knew I have already guests in the apartment and she knew she has to wait until they leave. Then I have reached out to a friend that works for airbnb and she told me to never ever show the place before the booking. It is for our safety and it diminishes risks of ...basically everything. Frauds, unpleasant offers to agree on the price out of airbnb... 

What I did - I informed the guest I would be very happy to welcome them at my place, I can answer all her concerns / provide photos , whatever but it needs to go through airbnb all the time. Since that time she never responded. 

Regards,

Radka

[Svetlana96]

Thank you so much! I have an uneasy feeling about it, too. Especially if they become pushy... It’s great to be able to share your experience here! All the best! 

[Sarah977]

@Svetlana96   Of course it's not a silly question. Guests do this sometimes and you should always say no, whether they have a bunch of good reviews, or none.

It's most often done when the guest is going to try to make a outside deal with you, trying to avoid paying Airbnb fees. At worst, it could be someone casing out houses to rob, and looking for new hosts who may not be hip to this. It would be just like allowing a complete stranger who knocked on your door into your home.

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't allow pre-viewings. It's a security risk for hosts. I've made my listing description as complete as possible and between that, the photos, and asking me any questions you may have, you should be able to ascertain if my place will be suitable for you."

You'll probably not hear from them again, which is just as well.

[Svetlana96]

Thanks a lot Sarah! Very helpful and reassuring. I do believe it is easier to set the rules in the beginning than to deal with any unwanted consequences you actually could avoid.)) Have a great day! 

[Elena87]

@Svetlana96 

Generally airbnb advise against viewings - for security reasons but mainly they don't want to be cut out of a deal 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/47/what-should-i-do-if-a-guest-wants-to-see-my-place-before-book...

I think it really depends if the booking request is for a substantial amount of time. It's mutually benefical if a prospective long term guest gets to see the place and what they are getting in to and you get to check out the guest for your own peace of mind before committing. It can pre-empt extreme situations where a guest tries to break out of a long term contract using nefarious means

For short term lets, I would ,and have, refused rare requests like this to view in advance citing that there are enough photographs and reviews for a guest to make an informed decision. It's likely an overfussy guest rather than criminal intent, both can't be ruled out though.

[Svetlana96]

Dear Elena, Thanks for your help  and for the link, much appreciated. I think you are right, even if it’s not a criminal intent, it’s better be safe than sorry.