Background checks on a potential tenants before they book?

[Jeffrey370]

Folks, sorry if this has already been answered elsewhere but but I wanted to ask, is it possible to run a background checks on a potential tenants before they book?

I was reviewing this post and would want to avoid this at all costs: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/FYI-hosts-run-your-own-background-checks-Airbnb-s-checks...

We just listed a 2BR 1BA bungalow on ABB for 30 day or longer rentals only (focusing on travelling nurses and similar folks). It will be available in about a month (early Jan 2020) and we've had 3 people inquire about it so far but have not booked any one yet. I can see their names but what other information do you normally need to do a background check? I've never run one before.

If so, how are you all doing checks prior to the booking? Do they normally agree to this even without seeing the place in person first? We are really trying to be careful and get good tenants in so any advice is appreciated! 🙂

[Helen3]

Bottom line @Richard-and-Isabel0 if you want to require your guests to complete background checks, you will find most of your potential guests won't consider you and will go with one of your many, many competitors, where they can Instant Book or wait a minimal time until their booking is confirmed.

Whether you can cancel penalty free or not, will be the least of your worries. Much more important will be whether you will get bookings for your STR business.

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

We aren't running an STR business.   😞

Our rental home is a bit unique in the sense that it's half of a duplex, but the buildings aren't connected nor touch each other. In fact one building is across the driveway from the other, so not even the yards are connected. 

We were renting one unit short term very successfully, we had great guests who were happy with our very hands-on hosting, since we were literally present at our property during their stay!

But in spite of being permitted, apparently the local ordinance has imposed on us to stop the short term rental as they're only allowing long term tenancies! ...with all its tremendous risks with which we have struggled horribly in the past.

So no more actual vacationing guests for us!   😞 

Unless they're coming over for an actual sabbatical of 31 or more days.

After almost losing the roof over our heads over past long term tenants who maliciously damaged our home and took months to get rid off, we were very happy to have successfully hosted good people from all over the world. 

But the local ordinances have now dictated the area where we live as a STR prohibited zone!

You have no idea how painful it is for us to have to revert to exposing ourselves to the malice the State of California allows anyone renting long term to inflict on homeowners who all they want is to be able to keep the roof over their heads and live where their family is.., where they work, where they raised their kids.

I am literally still reeling in from the major loss this represents to us both financially and in life quality since now we won't be able to access our home's other half like we used to. 

You could very correctly say I'm mourning!

They can go to my competitors with my best wishes for good luck.

I can't risk someone who isn't willing to go through a very convenient and quick background check to waltz into my home with automatic tenant's rights granted to them by the effing State.  

Just the thought makes me nauseous.  😞

[Dustin124]

I just wanted to add that we are just recovering from a HUGE ordeal with tenants who were felons! They were trying to squat in our house, and left our house trashed after our co-host had to literally kick them out. They stole 30-50 items, broke things, smoked at least cigarettes and possible meth in the bedroom, and left food everywhere and trash all over our driveway.

Airbnb does NOT do anything to protect hosts. They are only in the business of making money.

We have had to call the police in 2 different cities, notify Uhaul of potential child trafficking, spent over 15 hours dealing with banks and Airbnb's terrible customer service for hosts, changing locks and hiring people to fix the yard and re-paint, and here's the kicker: somehow WE are the ones of the verge of suspension because these guests wanted to send us money through Zelle! (When we were negotiating a long term rental at the beginning - even though not a cent came through!)

After this experience, we will never rent to another guest or tenant without a background check. Airbnb hosts beware, this company is on the side of tenants at all costs.

[Kenneth12]

Short-term transient guests are not tenants.

Airbnb runs a variety of fraud and criminal activity detection.

While I am sorry for your experience,    from the guest side,   Airbnb is often on the side of hosts no matter what,  which has led many travel sites to now recommend against Airbnb.

[Kelly149]

@Jeffrey370 I don't think what you're wanting will work with ABB guests and honestly I wouldn't recommend ABB for long-term tenants. Too many loopholes.

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

I am in the process of re-building/re-listing our space as a 30+ minimum stay. I am not there yet as one key I am missing is the ability to include the entire text of our lease agreement somewhere in the description. 

Yes... that lengthy behemoth must be visible to our prospect tenants BEFORE they book. 

I have found great web services for both: background checks and lease generators. But holy crap... I can't find a lease which text I could simply copy and paste onto "things to not", or..."house rules....  all those beautiful web leases....are protected from copying and pasting!!!    :'(   

[Kelly149]

@Richard-and-Isabel0 my listing requires they sign a rental contract... the listing says so, but does not include the full text. I say that if they'd like to see it first to send a message and I will copy/paste into message thread. No one does, bc no one reads anyway....

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

I appreciate this information soooo much!!!  I keep scratching my head trying to figure out how to comply with this one thing. 

We desperately need to have them sign a lease agreement because we've had scary tenants in the past who have raked us over the coals. We just simply can't expose ourselves to not having a contract as a prerequisite.

Thank you @Kelly149   !!

I hope to have our listing back up tonight!  🙂

[Jeffrey370]

>> I can't find a lease which text I could simply...

Idea: upload your lease to google drive and include a shareable public link to it?

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

Yuh, but the thing is that our listing descriptions and pre-booking messages don't show links. Once a booking is a booking, then the free-messaging party can begin without links being basically censored.

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

Sad... I just saw we no longer have our superhost badge!

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

I guess that's what happens when you're forced to pause your listing to modify into compliance with the local ordinances. 

What an extremely bad day I've had. 

[Sarah977]

@Richard-and-Isabel0  You don't lose Superhost for pausing your listing. But if pausing it resulted in you not meeting the minimum number of reservations for the last period, then yes, that would do it.

Sorry about your bad day. Hope tomorrow is brighter.

[Richard-and-Isabel0]

Thank you Sarah!!! All good vibes are infinitely appreciated!!!

[Sarah977]

@Richard-and-Isabel0  In the past 2 months my powerwasher, my phone, my fridge, and my car battery all died. This morning my Chrome browser crashed. And I had to buy a new wheelbarrow because the rusted hole is now too big to move dirt in. It's been a rough and expensive couple of months 🙂