Can I cancel Underage renter?

[Ruth1362]

I have a guest that has booked our house for spring break(mid March).    I am worried about his age.  In his profile pic he looks about 12.  This is his first booking with ABNB.  We are new to ABNB.  Did not have anything in rules about age requirements.  But I am very uncomfortable keeping this booking.  We just received superhost status.  I have since added age requirements to my listing.  What can I do to cancel this reservation without being penalized, and what are the penalties?

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ruth1362 

Hmmm...you are wise to use caution here; especially if your property is near the beach and is known for spring break partiers. Is this a new guest to Airbnb?  Do they have other reviews?

Guests cannot create a profile if they are under 18yrs old. Airbnb is supposed to verify their ID. It's good you added your age restrictions to the listing, but can't go back now and cancel the reservation on that basis. You can express your concerns that the guest is not 18yrs old to Airbnb. Guests are not allowed to misrepresent their age per Airbnb Rules, but people do use fake IDs at times. You are allowed to ask for photo ID when they arrive, but only if you have disclosed that on your listing in House Rules:

"The Host may ask for ID after booking if the requirement is in the Host’s house rules at the time of booking, or where required to comply with applicable laws or contractual obligations applying to the Host."

If you are not able to get Airbnb to cancel the reservation, I would send a message to the guest "Welcoming" them and advising that you don't allow parties at the property and only registered guests are permitted. You can then require that they add all their guests to the reservation. You can get Airbnb to cancel the reservation (without penalty to you) if you have proof the guest intends to break one of your House Rules.

Security Camera Disclosures

I would also update your security camera disclosure under the Guest Safety Section as you don't have the required wording that meets Airbnb policies. You need to add whether an active audio/video recording is taking place, the number of cameras and where they are located. It can really be an issue if the Guest does try to hold a party and you contact Airbnb. One of the first things they look at is your proof there was a party (camera video). If your cameras have not been properly disclosed, your listing can be suspended. Reporting parties to Airbnb can also be a "Catch 22" for Hosts. Usually your listing is suspended while they investigate.

Informing Guests About Security Devices

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2914

[Ruth1362]

Thank you so much for all the advise.  I really appreciate it.  I will use your recommendations.  Hopefully this will work out for the best.  

Cheers and Thank you

Ruth

[Joan2709]

No problem @Ruth1362 !

I have been a co-host for other properties & know it can be a challenge for owners to proactively setup & manage their listings to head off issues before they happen. It can be a bit of a “minefield” especially for new Hosts. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ruth1362 As long as the guest is 18 it is too late for you to do anything penalty free. The penalty for cancelling will include the dates being blocked so you will lose these dates for good if you cancel.

[John5097]

@Ruth1362 

If you can't cancel without penalties you could message them.

"Thanks so much for your reservation. We try to keep the listing as accurate as possible so that gust can find the right place for them  but please feel free to look over the listing details again as sometimes guest may have missed something.

Here is a link for the house rules. (Link)

The house is in a quite residential neighborhood and only registered guest are permitted. We also have a security camera that has been disclosed on the listing per Airbnb policy.

We wish there was more flexibility but mid March being Spring Break we also have a responsibility to our neighbors to monitor our rental property.

We really hope this is a good fit for you trip but if not, and you need more flexibility and plan to have unregistered guest over,  it's not a problem if you want to cancel for full refund.

Thank you again!"  

[Ruth1362]

Thank you for your help.  How do I get a link to house rules?  Sorry I am really struggling with this.

I really appreciate all of the help

Ruth

[Joan2709]

Hi @Ruth1362 

I think there is a short code for House Rules in Quick Replies & Scheduled Messges in the In Box 🤔  I haven't used it but believe it's there. You can just create a Quick Reply and add the short code for House Rules to it.  You can then use the Quick Reply again in the future and just edit whatever you need to:

Short Codes For Quick Replies

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2898

[Alex1485]

We are in a college town,  some of our most fastidious, gracious,  rule following and  Uber tidy guests were 20 and 21…