Potential guest seems a bit sketchy.

[Mitchell1]

I had a potential guest inquire a couple of months ago with something simple, like "i'm looking from March through August. What it cost for a month." Now, three months later, he inquired again with the same "i'm looking from March through August. What it cost for a month." with the same typo/gramatical errors, only changeing the first month from March to June. The profile photo almost looks computer-generated and he has no profile. He has one verification (email address) and no reviews. His profile says he has been a member since February 2016 and it's basically a blank page. We exchanged messages back and forth, but I declined him last time because he took too long responding. Don't guests have correspondence histories like hosts do? Doesn't it seem odd he wouldn't remember having submitted an inquiry to me before? Why wouldn't he know what the monthly rate would be?

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but this seems a bit sketchy to me. Has anyone seen a virtually blank profile page like this? Does anyone have any feedback for me? Should I click the Report This User button? Any information would help.

Thanks,

Mitchell

[Clare0]

@Mitchell1 First of all, I would set Verified ID as a reservation requirement (to the left of Manage Listings).  Second, in California I would not even contemplate a stay over 30 days as guests develop tenancy rights with that kind of stay.  Read this: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/805/what-are-some-things-i-should-consider-before-hosting-long-t...

Since I'm in California too, I've set my maximum number of nights at 21 to avoid the pitfalls of Long Term Stays. 

Third, if this person's profile picture is unacceptable, tell him you require a proper photo.  I had a guest with a profile picture of a dog. He changed it when I asked him to. Turned out to be a great guest. 

Fourth, I'm not sure without seeing his profile if it is worthly of flagging.  He just might be confused.  If he says something that strikes you as a scam attempt, then by all means flag him/

Bottom line, if you are not comfortable, just decline the inquiry. 

[Mitchell1]

Thanks, Clair,  for your advice and information. It was very helpful. I am pretty new to Airbnb.

I have made adjustments to requirements, etc. , and limited the length of stay.

By the way, I DID decline him because it all looks pretty sketchy, but I did NOT flag him for the reasons you mentioned. I don't want to mess him up if he's legitimate.

Again, your advice has been very helpful!

Take care,

Mitchell

[Dede0]

I'd decline and ignore. Unless you're desperate, you don't want this sort of guest. Especially not for the extended time. In addition, this sounds like it's liely to be some sort of scam.

[Mitchell1]

Thanks, Dede. I did decline him. Something just seemed off!