How to turn OFF guest requirement for positive reviews.

[Alexandra-And-Dirk0]

I just set up our listing and selected the option to require guests to have positive reviews in order to book. Now I have a friend of a friend with a brand new airbnb account, and thus no reviews, who can't even see our listing (though it is visible to me in traveler view). How do I turn this guest requirement off? It is not where I turned it on under guest requirements. Help! Thanks in advance!

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra-And-Dirk0  That sounds weird. Your friend should still be able to see your listing, regardless of whether he has reviews or not. All that requirenent should do is prevent him from Instant Booking. Plenty of new guests with no reviews have to, and do, send Booking Requests since they don't qualify for IB, so obviously they can see those listings.

Did you send him the URL for your listing? Maybe he's just not inputting the right filters to get your listing to come up.

Believe me, if you are planning to use Instant Book (which I wouldn't recommend new hosts to do), you do not want to turn that requirement off. You'll end up with bad guests who trash your place and come up with bogus complaints to scam a refund.  Those sorts of guests target new hosts with new listings.

Oh, I just took a look at your profile- it doesn't appear that you are new hosts, as you have 14 reviews from guests. Did you have a different listing in the past?

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra-And-Dirk0  Oh, I just took a look at your profile page and see you aren't new to hosting, as you have 14 guest reviews. Did you have another listing in the past?

Are you aware that your listing says it has 1 bedroom, houses 3 guests and says it has 0 beds? Also, you haven't described the place at all. I would really have no idea what I was booking. 

The place looks quite nice, but can you make the bedroom a little cozier looking? Curtains on the window, some art on the walls (so many photos on the bathroom wall, but none anywhere else?), maybe a colorful throw rug? No bedside tables or reading lamps? And you say it's good for work, but I don't see a desk and chair anywhere.

[Alexandra-And-Dirk0]

Thank you, you are so sweet to take the time to give me tips!! ❤️ We just threw this up so our friends friend could book through airbnb. We aren't done and will put up finished photos when we get all the furniture in. Same goes for the description. I have to fix the bed thing too. But yes, you're right we can't figure out why he can't see it. I figured out the feature was linked to IB and I was able to switch it off but I feel so supported that you answered my question so quickly! I'll send him the link - good idea!

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra-And-Dirk0  Oh, I love looking at fellow hosts' listings and giving unsolicited advice 🙂

One thing I like about this forum is you sort of get to know other hosts who post regularly, as much as you can online, and I know who I'd want to stay with all over the place, if I ever travelled there. 

It did actually occur to me after I posted that, that you maybe hadn't really finished decking it out and filling in all the wording, but since you said it was live, it seemed like that was the final listing.

I see from the dates of your past reviews that you were hosting back in 2015- 2017. That warning I gave you about requiring positive reviews for IB is because things have changed a lot since you last hosted. Long time hosts have been reporting here that post-Covid, they've been getting the worst guests they've ever had. Lots of newbie guests, who don't bother to read all the listing info, sneaking in extra people and pets, leaving a mess behind them. Then there are now blogs and other online coms where guests tell each other how to scam a free stay by claiming there were bedbugs or hidden cameras, etc. And customer service is abysmal now- it's all farmed out to third party contractors overseas, the reps are ill-trained, don't even know Airbnb policy, and often give out completely erroneous info and bad advice. Having to contact them about anything is something you'll want to avoid if possible. 

There's still plenty of great guests out there, but just be aware that things in Airbnb land aren't like they used to be. You have to be way more vigilant these days about who you let in the door.