Can / should I require photo of driver's license prior to arrival?

[Donald225]

We're new hosts, a little more than a month in.  So far, we've had good success (or luck).  5 completed bookings so far, all great guests and all have given us 5-star glowing reviews (and vice versa).  We'd be happy to have every one of them back.  But I know sooner or later the party will be over.

We have a Ring doorbell and we do take a look when the guests check in just to make sure everything looks on the up and up, but that's it.  What if things go sideways and we have to make a police report (or file suit, etc.)?

Should we require a photo of the driver's license of the person making the booking, and perhaps the make/model/license number of the vehicle(s) that will be parked on our property?  When you check into a hotel this is standard procedure.  They are booking the entire house and we have self-check-in with an electronic door lock, so we can't collect that info at check-in.

I know we can't ask for that info prior to booking, but I'm thinking we should say in our house rules that we need this info within a certain number of days after booking or it will be cancelled.

And yes, I understand there are situations that require you to obtain id, but we're not in a condo or HOA, etc. so we're not contractually or legally obligated to collect such information.

I don't feel as property owners that Airbnb gives us any real sort of protection.  Certainly, they don't give us any real info about the guests.

[Debra300]

@Donald225,

Are you too far away from the rental to do an in-person ID verification, or just don't want to interact with the guests?  You should check your local privacy laws regarding the collection and security of guests' personal information.

[Donald225]

No, we're less than a mile from the rental, and it's not about interacting with the guests.  If a guest needs one of us to come over for some reason we certainly will.  If it's a stay longer than a few days we check in with them via text or email to make sure everything is ok, but otherwise we respect their privacy and leave them alone.

It's not about verifying anything; I don't want to do background checks or anything like that.  It's just about protecting our property in the event something goes really wrong.  What if we need their info for a police report?  I'd imagine the first thing the police would ask for is their name and address and probably make & model of their vehicle.

There would be no reason to keep this information once the guest checks out and everything was left in good order.

I'm on the fence about this, but in a way, I also feel like I'm not doing proper due diligence.  I've never rented an Airbnb, but I certainly have no problem providing that information when I rent a hotel room. I feel the hotel has a right to know who they're renting a room to.  Shouldn't we as hosts know who we're renting to?

[Sarah977]

@Donald225  A lot of guests will balk at sending copies of ID online. And that's not too hard to understand, considering that people do sometimes experience identity theft. And just because a host tells them they wouldn't keep that info once a booking is over, the guest has no assurance of that- you are a total stranger to them, as they are to you.

Also most guests don't realize that the ID they upload to Airbnb isn't visible to hosts. 

If you want to see ID from guests, which is quite a reasonable request, it is better to let them know, both in your listing info, and reiterated in a message, that you require to see guest ID when they check in and check them in personally. While it's important to respect guest privacy, a brief host  check-in process can alert you to them showing up with extra guests, undisclosed pets, etc, and some personal interaction with the host tends to make the guests more respectful of the space. 

And knowing that there is a host check-in will help ward off those with bad intentions, who look for listings with self-check in, off-site hosts and no personal interaction.

For many hosts who live far from their listings, this isn't possible, but as you live so close, it might be a good idea. If the guests are arriving past your bedtime, you could arrange a quick introduction and ID check the next morning.

[Donald225]

It's not that I want to see ID from guests.  I trust that Airbnb has vetted people in a manner that's sufficient for most cases, and I believe that most people are honest, and respect others' property.  Hope I'm not being naïve.

What I'm concerned about is that (I hope) one in a thousand booking where something goes horribly wrong, e.g.:  the place gets trashed, things are stolen, some sort of illegal activity happens, etc.  If we need to file a police report for example, I do not expect that AIrbnb will provide any info about the guests or help us in any way.

We would prefer not to be there at check-in.  Maybe that will change in the future, but we do have a Ring doorbell and excessive activity at odd hours would raise a red flag.  Also my neighbor at the property would let us know if anything looked suspicious.

Of course, if we decide to require id, we will make that very clear in the listing and house rules and wouldn't ask people who have already booked.

[Sarah977]

@Donald225  I agree that the majority of guests are not thieves, are not going to trash your house, or use it to deal drugs out of. I.e., there would be no need to file a police report, etc.

But yes, you are being naive about Airbnb's vetting process. They don't really vet guests. Just because a guest submitted ID to Airbnb doesn't mean they will be an okay guest. Hosts have gotten guests who had warrants out for their arrest, who were "known to the police", who had criminal records for assault, etc.

And only the primary booking guest submits ID to Airbnb. You have no idea, nor does Airbnb, about the other people who may be included on their reservation.

[Donald225]

Ok, so what do you do to protect yourself?  That's really the question I'm trying to get answers to. 

What do other hosts do (regarding guest IDs), who aren't required to obtain ID because of condo rules, HOAs, etc.

I've been doing a quick google check on the person's name just to see if anything really horrible turns up, but even then you can't be certain it's the same person.

[Elaine701]

I've always been confused about this fuss. 

When you check into a hotel, don't you have to produce ID? Don't they copy it? If not, then isn't that rather dangerous? 

Here, it is a legal requirement to copy every (adult) guest ID. It's expected, and nobody questions it. 

What's the fuss? 

[Donald225]

I think whether it's a fuss or not largely depends on the individual person.  For example, my wife had a stalking incident a very long time ago, so she was initially not very supportive of the idea of asking guests for ID.  Someone who has been the victim of identity theft could feel the same way.

But then again, if I order a box of nails online from Home Depot, I have to show my ID when I go to pick it up.  Doesn't bother me; there's a lot of fraud in the world and I'm ok with proving my identity for legitimate reasons.

[Gillian166]

you show your ID, you aren't emailing it to some stranger. 

[Gillian166]

@Elaine701 Because, you need to be giving people the assurance that you will not store their ID, and somehow also that your computer and email  is secure.  Are you able to make that promise? 

That's the fuss. 

[Elaine701]

@Gillian166 

Under the law here,  we are obliged to copy the IDs of all guests, enter them into a police database, and keep them on file indefinitely. 

I don't enjoy the hassle, and I don't believe it should be necessary, and no, since I am not a data security facility, I obviously can't guarantee the copies will be "secure", but it's the law. And no guest has ever expressed any concern about it. 

I think it might be a difference in cultures. For example, Americans we've known personally have expressed surprise about this. The British don't even have IDs (other than passports) and also have expressed surprise to have to produce identification at all. 

Over here, people freely give out their identity and bank information. For example, if somebody is buying something from you, you give them your account number and they send you the money. Virtually any businesses publishes their bank account details on their website or any other documents, such as invoices. We have tax ID number that required for many types of transactions, particularly for tax deductible purchases. I think Americans call this a "social security" number, and are supposed to keep it "secret" (?) 

Equally, personal IDs are part of daily life here. Nobody seems to fret about having to identify themselves or leave a record of it. 

Some people we know from North America have expressed shock that anyone would so freely reveal such data to a stranger. But it's common practice here.

This might explain why it seems like a tempest in a teapot to me. 

[Gillian166]

people hand over their bank account details freely here, and now you can just send money to someone's account with their phone number. 

When we went to Japan I had to send the host copies of our ID so I sent her a copy of our passports with some details redacted. 

[Gillian166]

The Brit’s don’t have ID?!! Haha. That’s not true. 

[Elaine701]

@Gillian166 

Until I left the UK, there was no such thing as a government issued ID card in Britain, but perhaps that's changed. There's driver's licence, which is not accepted as identification for the purposes required by law here.

Passport is accepted, or a government issued ID card, which virtually all Europeans have, but I've never seen a British guest produce one. Ever. In fact, it's been a topic of debate in the UK for years.