Hi @Start-Capetown0,
It appears (in my opinion) someone may be taking advantage of you and they know you are new to Airbnb. I would highly recommend doing a lot of research and one post which I highly recommend you read is from Deborah who has some great posts over at her GlobalHosting Forum. (This will take you to the first post I would read). As she states:
"Have a security deposit that will be adequate to cover damages. Do NOT assume that the Host Guarantee will cover these -- it will not. The Airbnb “Host Guarantee” is NOT meant to cover routine damages to property – it is for vandalism, burglary, and criminal acts – really serious, unusual circumstances.To read about a case that was covered by HOst Guarantee see here -- a case where host was burglarized by a guest".
I think you have a right to ask for documentation from any of your guests. It is your property and you have a right to know who is staying there.
One last thing , a lot of hosts, including myself, will not rent to people who are local. You may also look at your Landlord and Tenancy Acts for your area and found how long a person has to rent for to be considered a "tenant". This is important as it could be hard to get rid of people over 28 days in some places. If you rent to people who are travelling, they are less likely to stay beyond their checkout date. I am thinking this person also knows what he is doing since he somehow got you to give him a 40% discount.
I hope things work out for you with your first guest but I do worry. Please keep us updated and if you see any problems, be sure to contact Airbnb to have your guest removed if it comes to that.
Happy Hosting!
Dave
David
Superhost Ambassador ~ Host Club Community Leader ~ Community Expert ~ Experienced Co-Host