Identity of guest

[Marc529]

The picture of the guest is not clear (face covered by a dog). How can I get clear picture about who will be staying at my space without asking the guest. Not sure how Air BNB verified this person's identification based on a picture with no face.

[Donna240]

The verifications are an email account and phone number, nothing with a photo was necessary for hosting, so I believe the same is true of verifications for guests. Government ID can be as simple as a drivers license number or passport number, again, I doubt that anyone at Airbnb go past that and never actually see the documents. My host photo is as old as the hills, since I have not taken a photo in years.

[Marc529]

Thank you Donna.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Marc529 Hi ther - it's quite usual to ask the guest to upload a photo - just word your request politely along the lines of: thanks for booking, so that I  recognise you when you check in can you please upload a photo.

Or, now that you have guest's name, try searching for in on social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn - amazing what you can find.

Good luck

[Seema43]

Can we ask guest for full IDs?

Its quite scary that just about anybody can come into your home. 

I am reconsidering renting a room in my home if I don't find greater security  measures in  place by AirBnb.

Just had an strange enquiry which looked suspicious. I asked not to be contacted again but the guy still went ahead to book 1 night, which ofcourse I declined and reported to AirBnb to block the person. Is this possible?

[Sarah977]

@Seema43  Yes, you can ask to see ID when the guest arrives. You should state this requirement in your ad and also reiterate in messages to booked guests. 

I would also advise you to turn off Instant Book. As a home-share host myself, I have never and will never use  IB. My guests are required to send a Booking Request, so I have an opportunity to check a guest's past reviews, if they have any, and communicate with them before deciding whether to accept the booking or not.