Hello Community; I am a new AirBnb host but come with 4 years of experience hosting au-pairs/live-in nannies so I leveraged some screening practices from that into my AirBnb hosting.
I do Instant Book but on my “Greeting” I have a questionnaire that guests are required to fill out. This is done under the Guest Trip information. I require verified ID. I do not require recommendation from previous hosts.
Making guests fill out out 5 essential questions before arrival can help you weed out duds. I’ve enclosed them here and my advice as to what to look out for:
Guest Questionnaire:
1. Full names of guests on reservation.
WHY YOU NEED TO ASK THIS QUESTION: if the guest does not want you to look them up on Google, LinkedIn, or Facebook, they will not give you their name. Asking for names is a reasonable request to ask because it is a confirmed booking and you need to ask for ID upon check-in
2. Occupation/Work Profession of guests on reservation
WHY YOU NEED TO ASK THIS QUESTION: Stable people have careers or are happily retired! People who hold jobs and show up to work have a predictable routine! Stable people do not do things that will make them lose their jobs: robberies, illicit drug use, stay up late to party/play video games and sleep in (ie: show up late to work)...basically guests you don’t want inside your home. Most tourists have day jobs back home. I do short-term stays and only want stable people in my home; and people who will not mooch around my home all day long doing nothing or squat forever! Local drifters who are unable or unwilling to hold a job will not answer that question.
3. Have you &/or guests used Airbnb before? If yes, how many times & dates?
WHY YOU NEED TO ASK THIS QUESTION: if a guest answers all of the other 4 questions and you’re happy with their responses along with a profile pic but just started using AirBnb in the past month; you should consider hosting them! My first two reservations had no Airbnb reviews yet answered all my questions and had decent profile pictures. They had no reviews because they just started using AirBnb but their hosts were either too busy or too lazy to write a review. They were great guests and I got my reviews!
4. Reason for being in the area?
WHY YOU NEED TO ASK THIS QUESTION: If your goal is to host tourists or working professionals; they need to have plans to be out and about during your stay. In my area those reasons should be: I’m in the area for skiing, job training, attending a conference, going to a show, catching an early flight or visiting extended family — A (wo)man should have a plan! A red flag answer to this question is not answering this question or saying something like “Oh I’m just winging it with my plans”.
5. Why you are interested in this accommodation?
WHY YOU NEED TO ASK THIS QUESTION: “Why Us?” you are one of hundreds of Airbnb options the guest is looking at. There’s always going to be an Airbnb that’s better than yours in terms of location, price, amenities, more privacy etc. The answer given to you should be genuine, something you believe to be valid.
***The first answer out of their mouth should NOT be the cost!!***
If they give you that as an answer; be suspect and know this is a red flag guest. Just like in job interviews, we interview because we know the job pays more but we don’t give “It pays more” as our answer, there is something else besides the money that makes us want to interview. Likewise, people go to AirBnb because of the cost but their motivation to book an Airbnb out of all the other options available needs to go beyond the cost.
Your guests need to give you a better answer than “Yours was the cheapest to book” or “I sold my house and living in motels and Airbnb is cheaper and decided to give it a shot”....answers I’ve received and denied. Especially if it’s coming from a local...if a local really want to save money, why can’t they stay with family or friends in the area?
The answer you should be looking for should be tied in with their answer given in the forth question. “It’s 11 minutes away from my job training”, “It’s close distance to the airport for early flight”, “My daughter lives 6 minutes away”, things like that.
If they are serious about booking your accommodation and have nothing to hide; they will answer all 5 questions.
If I’m satisfied with their answers, I go ahead with receiving them. No problem guests so far! Those that did not answer my questions or dodge answering my questions with asking me questions that are not about them, “Do you have TVs in the bedrooms?” most likely have something to hide and I decline the booking.