Guests need to provide accurate information during inquiries/booking requests

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

When guests submit an inquiry or reservation request, they are not penalized later for having incorrect or false data. This is why there are guests that lie about their child's age, or having a child at all. There are so many horror stories about guests sneaking in more people than allowed, or claiming they have allergies when the host clearly mentioned that there are pets. 

Hosts are expected to provide detailed descriptions and lay out house rules clearly. The same rule should apply to guests. 

When guests want to submit an inquiry or request, guests should not only put in the dates, but also total # of guests with an accurate count of adults, children (between 2~12), infants (between 0~2), and information about no. of pets (dog/cat/other and is it a service animal or not). Also, they should be required to state information about special requests or allergies in their inquiry/booking request so that hosts can properly determine whether I can meet the needs and expectations of potential guests. 

It should not be ONLY the host's responsiblity. Guests need to be held responsible for proper communication as well!!! 

And guests need to be rated on accuracy of information they provided prior to booking. Also, there should be a rule that guests cannot claim for a refund if they did not communicate specifics and get confirmation from the host in advance. 

Seriously..... in what universe is it acceptable for a person with a reservation for "2 adults" to show up with a 5 yr old toddler and 6 month old baby and a pet toy poodle that the guest claims is his wife's emotional support animal??? 

[Ron103]

I charge for all warm bodies.
I make it clear in the house rules and several other places, children and animals need to be included in the Adult Guest count.
If they don't do it, they are trying to put you in the "bad position" of inforcing your rules.
Inforce them, you are the only loser if you don't.

[Kelly149]

yes, many things are unbalanced

i.e. cancellation policy, reviews, resolution center...

I would love to see standards in all areas applied equally to guest and host

[Kelly149]

i'm not holding my breath though

[David-And-Frances0]

Yes, it is a good point.

What a system Airbnb could be if there were boundaries on each side.

A community of trust emerges.

And it was emerging but has been somewhat put back by recent emphasis on numbers of bookings rather than standards of procedure.

Seriously, we noticed that the action had declined recently and the platform is part of that, yes.

We made a rule that anyone that shows up with more people than are in the booking, would be cancelled without  a refund. And yes, that is in the rules, and so Airbnb HAS to back it up.

Cheers,

Frances

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

I also have very clear rules 🙂 and I've never had this type of problem happen to me because I screen my guests prior to arrival - but I hear about this type of thing happening to other hosts. The fact that Airbnb does nothing about "GUEST" responsibility is what bugs me. Why is this all considered the HOST responsibility????? Why should this even be a concern at all?!?!? 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

I also have very clear rules 🙂 and I've never had this type of problem happen to me because I screen my guests prior to arrival - but I hear about this type of thing happening to other hosts. I also state in my house rules that if anyone other than the registered guest enters my home, the reservation will be cancelled immediately.The fact that Airbnb does nothing about "GUEST" responsibility is what bugs me. Why is this all considered the HOST responsibility????? Why should this even be a concern at all?!?!? 

[Aggie1]

 Hi @Jessica-and-Henry0

I am a new host and would appreciate it if you could give me some advice on how to screen guests.

Thanks

Aggie

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Aggie1

First and foremost, you need to make sure you have very clear house rules and always check in detail and specifically if the guest has read everything and they understand and agree to respect those rules.

People asking repeated questions about stuff I have explained extensively in my listing details or asking to be the exception for rules I've set always get a polite but firm "I don't allow that so I think my listing is not right for you./ If you read my listing details you will know that my place is clearly not what you are looking for. Good luck finding a place that suits your needs better." - end of conversation. 

Some great advice I got from other hosts is "under promise, over deliver" and "don't break your own house rules"

My experience was guests who are open about the purpose of their visit that provide a nice simple introduction of themselves are usually okay - regardless of whether they have prior reviews or not. 

Also please take the time to read the HELP section and familiarize yourself to policy and rules about reservations, cancellations, payments etc.

Good luck~!