First request no reviews

[Miranda250]

Just listed on Airbnb… chalet in the mountains. My first request is a local woman, no reviews, has been on Airbnb since 2015. No ID verification, but that she has an email and phone number. Says she’s booking a late Valentine’s Day trip for her and Bf. Airbnb apparently doesn’t tell me if she has a photo on profile.

 Everything I’ve read here says those are red flags. 

How can I request ID verification? I have instant book turned OFF.  How I set my booking settings to only accept guests with reviews ? Or do I just have to screen myself ? 

Newbie jitters here …. Help 🙂 

[Colleen253]

@Miranda250 There is no setting to screen out unreviewed guests. You can require guests to have verified ID. If you don’t have instant book turned on, there is no box to check in your listing editor, but you can get there through this help article. Do not be reassured that verified identity actually means you are trouble free, though. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/272/can-i-require-guests-to-be-verified-before-booking

If a guest has a profile photo, you will see their first initial in the grey photo circle. If they don’t, it will be blank/greyed out. You can require a photo, through your settings. You can also ask the guest to complete their profile and upload a photo.

The only potential red flag I see is the fact she’s been a member since 2015 with no reviews. It could mean previous hosts have been afraid to review her if she’s a load of trouble. But it could also just mean she’s never actually used her account, or has had stays but not been the booking guest. Ask her. 

I can see your place being attractive for a somewhat local couple looking for a romantic valentines getaway. It’s small, cozy, and affordable, in a romantic setting. A big red flag would be her booking for two if your place screamed “party here”, had many more bedrooms/a higher occupancy and  a price to match. 

Besides all the above, and being mindful

of red flags, the best way to get a sense of the quality of the guest is often through any questions you ask, and in examining their answers and assessing the quality of their communication.

Have you asked for a listing critique yet? You should, if not. It’s a valuable way to get insight into your listing, and useful tips. Your house rules really need paring down. No one will read them if they’re a novel. Distill them down to the most vital info, and save house keeping notes for a house manual. 

[Sarah977]

@Miranda250 I've accepted guests with no reviews, and I've never really paid much attention to whether they had verified ID, as that really only means they've uploaded a driver's license or something, which is zero indication that they will be a good guest. I guess it does show that the guest at least took the time to fill out the information on their profile and upload ID. 

I've also had guests who had had accounts for years and no reviews. When I asked them about that, it turned out to be quite innocent. One had had 2 Airbnb stays but her hosts hadn't bothered to review. Another had joined planning to go on a trip, but it had never panned out. Another had stayed in lots of Airbnbs, but she had always travelled with her husband, booked under his account, this was her first solo trip. And she liked having her own account- she liked to peruse Airbnbs all over the world, like you'd leaf through a travel magazine.

All of these turned out to be great guests. But they had also taken the time to do a bit of a profile write up about themselves, had real profile photos of their face, and good, informative communication with me when they requested to book.

So no reviews with long-standing accounts are not always a bad sign, but certainly something to take note of and nothing wrong with asking them about it.

I also don't use IB- it is the way a guest communicates with me, how long it takes them to answer, if they answer any questions I asked or ignore them,  that is what I base my feeling about whether to accept a guest or not, coupled with any reviews they may have. 

But I have a private room home-share listing- I don't have to be nearly as vigilant as off-site hosts because there's really almost nothing guests can get away with in a home-share. I guess they could nose around in my things when I wasn't home, or steal something they think I wouldn't notice right away, but that has never happened. 

I would just dialogue with this guest until you get a sense of whether you feel comfortable or not that she is being honest about her intentions and understands and agrees to your house rules.

[Elaine701]

@Miranda250 

There's no rule that says a guest with no history is going to be a bad one, and they usually aren't. Yet the bad ones often have no profile or history.

But it's always wise to ask questions. It's really not out of line to ask, "I see you have no profile or history. We prefer to know something about our guests, to ensure they'll be happy with their booking. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about yourself and the nature of your visit".

The answers can be revealing. Or totally benign. But you don't know unless you ask. 

[Miranda250]

Ladies @Colleen253 @Elaine701 @Sarah977  you are all so **bleep** good at this!! Thank you so much for the sage advice. 

@Colleen253 thank you for clarifying the letter in the circle means they have a picture. Also, where do I ask for the critique ? This forum?

I know the house rules are loooong…. I will try to trim the excess. 

[Colleen253]

@Miranda250 You’re welcome! Yes, just make a new post asking for a critique. Check out the ‘New to Hosting’ board on here. Spend some time perusing posts in the forum here, and make sure you read the Airbnb TOS and all the help articles in the resource center. This will help you avoid making some painful mistakes. 

[Naomi141]

The challenge is that, unless I am missing something, a host is compelled to accept or decline a reservation. How are you, other hosts, dealing with this? Accepting and then communicating? Declining and then communicating?

Easy of course to communicate with people when they are merely making an inquiry which, if I feel comfortable with the individual, I will encourage them to book with me.

[Sarah977]

@Naomi141  Yes, you are missing something. You communicate with guests before  clicking on accept or decline. I'm rather confused as to how you have over 80 reviews and aren't aware of this. Were they all Instant Books?

When a guest sends a booking request, the host has to either accept or decline within 24 hrs. This gives you plenty of time, in most cases, to look at the guest's past reviews and exchange a message or two with them. Which is exactly how you make the decision to accept or decline- it is the reason some hosts do not use Instant Book and require Requests instead, so they have the opportunity to vet guests before a booking can be confirmed. 

And while you do have to either accept or decline within 24 hrs, if the guest is asking for something you don't provide, or indicating they want to do something you don't allow, you can encourage them to withdraw the request asap so they will be free to look for a listing which meets their needs. If they withdraw it before the clock runs out, you won't need to decline.

[Naomi141]

I just got off the phone with AirBnB support. I missed the message symbol which allows hosts to communicate with potential guests before accepting or declining.

Like so many other hosts I now check reviews and use as part of my basis for accepting guests. Fortunately many wonderful guests outweigh the very-very few disrespectful guests from hell. 

[Elaine701]

It's a "button press" world. Which one do I press to make it "go"? Oh, that one. 

Be advised, that's how many guests are, too. They see a photo of a place they like, and press the button. It's gonna be like Disney, for sure. I saw it on the internet. 

Ready, fire, aim. That's the world we live in 😉

[Jennifer1897]

Welcome to hosting @Miranda250 

It is good that you are aware of potential red flags as a new host.  It also appears you turned off instant book, which is good if you wish to screen potential guest before determining if they are a good fit for your listing. You can also set requirements guest must meet in order to book. This can be things like an ID, previous reviews, email, etc. However as other hosts have said these are not necessary determinants of a good guest.

Personally, I think communication is the best way to screen a new guest/user of Airbnb. I have had newbies who have been an absolute pleasure, and veterans that were a headache. One of my favorite regulars is actually a local who lives in an older home with a faulty AC. She stays with me a few weeks during every summer.

Don't ever hesitate to ask questions or kindly request that guest upload an ID. Most individuals that have no ill intention are going to be happy to communicate their plans and share information. 

Lastly, you are about to get your second request. I absolutely adore your place and you are only about 3 hours from me. 😃

[Miranda250]

@Jennifer1897 I found that guest to be very responsive and personable while communicating about her inquiry. I did send the ID verification link, but also said she could follow us on our social media page to give us peace of mind of accepting an unreviewed guest. Not sure that’s ok with Airbnb? Anyhow, she did immediately.  I accepted her request… I’m hoping all will go smoothly. Yes come on up the mountain! March is all open. We’d love to have you!