I am a first time host who has a first time guest, need advice.

[Heidi125]

I am a first time host with a first time guest in my home (an apartment).  he has no verifications or recommendations.  Would you trust this?  I am really super nervous.  

[Isabel203]

@Heidi125, you definitely want to have some level of confidence with your first guest! First important consideration: is the reservation confirmed already or are you just at the Inquiry stage? That's important because cancelling a confirmed reservation has a whole host of consequences you need to consider. It is much easier to decline an Inquiry than cancel a Reservation.

FYI, I require ALL guests to have a verified gov't ID. Guests can only IB my space if they have verified gov't ID and have no negative reviews (that does not preclude first timers from booking, but helps screen out people with a bad track record) If someone asks to book I let them know my rule about ID and let them know I will hold the space for them for a short period of time while they take care of it. If they don't feel comfortable doing that, I would let them know that I understand their concerns, decline the inquiry, wish them well, and suggest they look for another host that does not have that requirement. So far, I haven`t had anyone decline to do the verification.

I always liked the addage "Start out as you mean to continue." Excitement about booking your first guest shouldn't lead you to lower your standards. You'll get other guests. And your job is not to be "nice", but to be a responsible host.

[Heidi125]

Is a governement ID a drivers license?   I am so excited!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Heidi125 I was recently in your position and no reviews/recommendations I can understand - because that was me! But no verification whatsoever is worrisome. Did your guest inform you of what brings him to your neighborhood, and has he acknowledged that he read and agrees to respect your house rules? If there wasn't any communication and that is part of the reason you are nervous, if this is an IB then you can decline to host without penalty claiming "uncomfortable hosting this guest".

Please take the time to read the Help Center and FAQs. Good luck~!

[Heidi125]

He is literally only staying here from 6 at night until 9 am the next day for a Yoga workshop nearby.  I just asked for his drivers license. When should the person pay?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Heidi125

Please go to the HELP center and read up. You need to and will want to know what you are getting into BEFORE you accept any guests. Hosting is a lot of work and a huge responsibility. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/topic/197/deciding-to-host

https://www.airbnb.com/help/topic/234/how-payouts-work

[Isabel203]

I agree wholeheartedly with @Jessica-and-Henry0, @Heidi125.  Your questions suggest that you may not have done all your homework yet and that can set you up for some bad experiences. Start by reading through ALL the information modules provided by AirBnB through the Help Centre on the website. Then spend some (considerable) time reading through the various posts on the Hosting discussion board. Here are some frequent issues you should be prepared for BEFORE your first guest arrives:

Guests make a reservation and later request that you "help them out" by cancelling it from your end.

Guests ask that you make an exception about one of your house rules.

Guests break one of your house rules.

You get a reservation request from a local.

Someone asks to come and see the space before making a reservation

Someone shows up to check in who is NOT the person who made the reservation

Someone doesn't show up at check-in time

Someone doesn't leave at checkout time

You expect a payment from AIrBnB that doesn't show up

Someone breaks some of your stuff or some of your belongings disappear during a guest's stay

I should say that, so far, I have not had any major problems as a host. But, reading through the posts on the boards here, these situations are not uncommon and many problems do seem to arise from hosts NOT being ready for them.