Do you accept guests that are new and have no reviews?

[Cheryl706]

How do we protect ourselves or handle a situation when there is no information about the guest that wants to book? I have had so many bad situations and am tired of it so I do not want to accept people without reviews. I rent a part of the home that I live in so it is more important to me than those who rent an empty dwelling. 

I also accept pets. But if I message the guest and they will not tell me what breed and size dogs they are bringing, I don't want to accept them but I get in trouble with AirBnB. I think that this is unfair to hosts. 

Is there any AirBnB contact that will help us? Is there a way to decline without getting in trouble with AirBnB?

[Kristina584]

Yes, I contact Airbnb every time at 844-234-2500 and asked them to help verify the inquiry.  They usually ask me to ask questions to find out more about the guest.  If the guest does not reply with a satisfactory reponses, Airbnb will check it out.  Every single time the conversation between the guest and I suddenly closes and the guest account is deleted.  

Regarding pets, I would be as descriptive as possible of what kind, size and weight you accept with dogs, if you allow cats indoor only,  and if they do not give an answer honestly then you will not be able to accept there pets.  If they show up with an animal outside of the scope of your description there will be a fine of $250.

Also, you can call Airbnb CS and tell them you do not feel comfortable accepting someone that does not respond to your questions about their pet every time it happens.  They will work with you and not penalize you.  

I have had to call Airbnb CS several times and now they only give me verified guests!! So the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

[Martin3344]

@ Cheryl706

Personally I have no problem in principle to accept guests that are new or have no previous reviews. Every guest has to start somewhere. For me it all depends on the communication. This is why I choose not to use Instant Book, so that I can ensure that I am comfortable with anybody who wishes to come to stay.

If I have any bad feelings about the nature of a booking, or the communication, then I ask for further information at the very least before I accept the booking. I simply decline any booking request that I don't feel comfortable with. You will not be penalised by Airbnb for any rejections where there is a legitimate cause for concern about the booking or insufficient information provided to you by the guest despite prompting. It is your property after all and you have to look after it and have  respect for your neighbours.

Hope that helps. Sorry that I can't really help much with the pets part of the question as I don't allow those, although some guests still ask me all the same ! It seems to me probably a bit unfair to reject guest bookings on the basis of size and breed of dog if you haven't been transparent in your listing in the first place about what is acceptable to you. Then you would be wholly within your rights to decline bookings with other types of dog, or where insufficient information is provided by the guest to re-assure you. Again you would not be penalised by Airbnb as you set your own rules in your listing.

[Cheryl706]

Thank you for your response. How does AirBnB know that I have a legitimate concern to decline? There is no way for me to tell them that online.

I was also thinking that I need to check what I wrote in the listing about acceptable pets. I have my own pets, which I disclose, so it is important to me that they will get along.

[Joanne952]

I believe the legitimate reason to decline is simply the fact that you are renting a part of the place where you actually live- therefore you can make much more choice over whomsoever you accept.

I also rent a room in my home.

This evening I had a request from someone with no reviews, but on Airbnb since 2016. Also they wanted to come with someone else who is not even listed as on Airbnb.

I'm very dubious about accepting their request. I'm a person who lives on my own. 

I've written back asking them for more information before I will consider their request to book.

Weirdly they asked me to explain how Airbnb works. (Have they been living under a stone all these years?!) I referred them to the website for general information.

I'm erring towards rejecting their request and it will be the first time I have done that.

[Cheryl706]

Thanks for the AirBnB phone number. I will try calling to discuss my concerns.