Hi Nini
I too am currently experiencing a situation where an individual named Chaz has requested a preapproval on behalf of someone else who he claims is a friend coming from overseas to visit him here in Hawaii . Chaz joined Airbnb in Jan 2018 , there is no photo , no short description of who he is or if he does in fact live in Hawaii , no reviews as of course it appears he has just joined . The reason he requested a pre-approval is because he said that he wants to view the apartment before he books it on behalf of his visting friend . The correspondence with Chaz has been respectful so I agreed to the viewing but I also declined the pre- approval based on several factors . One there is no photo , no attempt at transparency. Two unless it is a travel agent or travel broker booking on behalf of someone else there is no guarantee that the potential guest information will be revealed to me , that the actual guest is aware of all my terms and conditions prior to booking . And third without reviews on Chaz , no photo , no histology on previous bookings , I too feel uneasy . So tomorrow when Chaz comes to view the place I will tell him that I can not accept a booking from him but only directly from the individual that will be the guest . And that the individual will have to have an Airbnb profile that has a photo , description of who they are , location of where they live and at least have had verified email address and phone number . Some host require that they will only accept guest that have verified their ID but if you go that route then you too would have to submit an ID that Airbnb digitally stores all the while observing privacy laws . That sounds well and fine however with the resent identity issues with personal information being vulnerable I am less then keen to submit my ID to Airbnb and trusting that they will never be hacked into . So really for me it is all about building trust with in the Airbnb community through reviews , photos , open communication and some level of transparency. I owned and operated a lodge for 15 years and as the owner I was also the credit card merchant . Before a client would book at my lodge they would have to submit a credit card as a form of security in the event if damage or cancellation. All potential guest would of course agree to terms and conditions first before submitting credit card details which would then form a type of agreement between host and guest . In the Airbnb format host do not have that sort of leverage as a hotel or lodge does . So therefore you do have to rely on the trust based system Airbnb is encouraging.And always listen to what your instincts are telling you . If it does not feel right then hit the pause button and listen to that . Another thing I have done is with in my listing there is a section about guest requirements . In there I have outline that I will not accept a booking from an individual that does not have a profile picture and that does not have a brief description. I also stipulated that unless you are a travel agent of sorts that I will only consider bookings that are from the actual guest not a third party .
The good news is that most guest are great and no problem . That was something I learn after 15 years of operationing the lodge and after one year with Airbnb. But it does always pay to be descerning , and here in America to have an insurance policy that covers you totally in the event of something going wrong is what I have done to protect myself . I would not rely on Airbnb on that front . You have to be a responsible host and not only look after your guest but also look after yourself first .
