Hosts, beware first-time guests

[Kristina247]

Hi everyone,

I just want to inform you all of a nightmare guest I have come across recently. I blame my own complacency somewhat in not personally vetting this guest more closely; he was a young male from the UK called 'Bob' and he looked like a normal chap so I went ahead with the booking despite the fact that it was a first time booking and therefore he didn't have previous reviews - I simply presumed Airbnb would have requested his ID and other details.

Closer to the booking I asked him if he was definitely travelling alone - the reason why is that I have a 2 bedroom apartment in Central London so thought it unusual that a single male would book a 2 bedroom apartment. He confirmed he was alone and looking forward to his trip.

I'd better point out at this point I have a key box and self check-in as I'm not usually around.

Thankfully there was no disturbance reported from the neighbours but when 'Bob' checked out it was clear some kind of party had gone on in my flat. Furniture had been moved into the bedrooms, both bedrooms had been used and littered with used condoms.

Clearly I complained and requested that Bob pay for carpet cleaning. Airbnb called me and said that 'Bob' was operating under different profiles and now this profile had been deleted. The phone number he gave me was also deleted. Airbnb were very apologetic and refunded me the money for carpet cleaning but I asked how it was possible for someone to operate under different names when  photo ID is always provided. They admitted that they don't enforce the guest to provide photo ID until the second booking. I was outraged - was anyone else aware of this rule?

Who knows who Bob was but I strongly suspect that something highly dubious occurred i my flat that weekend that could have involved drugs/prostitutes/people trafficking... I'll never know but why else would 'Bob' go to such extreme lengths to set this up? I shiver at the thought.

Anyway the moral of the story is beware of first time users and ask for photo ID before you accept a first-timer as clearly Airbnb have reduced their security and this puts us hosts at risk.

 Kind regards,

Kristina

[Christopher187]

I've lost many potential bookings by asking questions (such as number of people) and reciting house rules to suspicious guests.  I consider this money gained not money lost.  If someone inquires and you get a bad vibe, ask more questions.  If they dissappear or want to cancel, they likely had bad intentions to begin with.

[Helen-And-Mario0]

Exactly! the save of time and energy to clean up the mess is the money gained! 

[Diane1552]

The big red flag for me is when they ask “will you be there”?  This is an instant declination!

[Cathie19]

So sorry Kristina that you had this happen. But from your comments here, your instinct questioned a single person in the space.... for peace of mind, learn to trust yourself. if a remote host, document in your listing that you have external CCTV and require Govt I.D.in you house rules.

@Kristina247 & @Christopher187 @Branka-and-Silvia0

Airbnb have reduced their security checks; that’s not new and a constant angst with “classic Airbnb hosts” on this forum.

Whilst dodging the bullet of a bad guest can be luck, it is generally down to being astute and writing those rules; communicating firmly but friendly for the information you need. I have accepted the first time users if my checklist is met, and the gut stays silent... and they have been fantastic! We’ve all got to start somewhere, all the time!

But, if the information is weird or not forthcoming, then better an empty house than a bad tenant. If your gut says no... listen to it! Even if the booking is for a longer stay.....

I also don’t do one night bookings for the space could attract a party.

My settings don’t allow same day bookings, but if they contact me and the checklist is met, well it’s a case by case decision.....

I will always question why a local needs the space if they already have accommodation, even with a two night booking. The cynic in me says, yeah, they’ll book for two but stay for one....... 

Ask them to agree to the house rules on the message board, and state you require copies of verified govt ID for all guests and visitors before entering the space. Up to you if you were to follow through. So far this has stopped. them. in their tracks!

They could have been perfectly legitimate, but we were obviously not the best match up..... so a win for both of us.

My home, my house, my vetting process...

[Susan151]

If I refused all new AirBNB guests, I wouldn't have any guests! So far, it has all gone well. It does make sense to "listen" to the flags and respond. But to automatically turn away any new profile will limit your potential pool. [This is one of AirBNB's greatest challenges– retaining guests after they have a bad experience using the platform.]

[Susan1028]

@Susan0  If airbnb has trouble retaining guests due to bad expereinces, they should make it safer for everyone, not more risky.

I was in customer service for decades and have seen all kinds of "recruitment campaigns." Removing safety factors and not vetting ID's and requiring photo matches increases risk, stress, and the odds of a bad experience for hosts and guests and in the long run creates more harm than good for every participant and in PR/media sectors.

These latest mandatory "relaxation of policy rollouts" are a pre-IPO campaign to generate membership/revenue.  airbnb could care less about what happens to individuals as long as thier numbers are up this quarter...but it won't pay off in the long run in terms of reputation and loyalty.  The criminals and scammers are onto this, and why not?  Its the cheapest, easiest rental space there is, with no ID checks or up fromt deposits, and if you complain or cancel...it's free! 

Many long term respected, conscientious hosts are moving on for safety, better service, and and net profit.  Many long time guests (most of my guest pool) are NOT happy with the changes and how they are destroying the grass roots vibe and making it harder to search/find the actual airbnb home-share stays amidst the increasing commercial listings.  They're even letting seedy motels list now!

I'd love to see the stats for the number of complaints/damages/problems/media coverage after the latest...relaxations in standards for this pre-IPO revenue campaign.  I'll bet anyone here that it's at least doubled.

[Susan151]

@Susan1028. It is the guests that have bad experiences..... there are a lot of really bad hosts out there.

I am not part of the "dangerous, criminals, and scammers fearful group."

[Susan1028]

@ Susan

Thank you for your input.

This thread concerns severe damage to a host property.

My post mentions guests and hosts, and the increase in scammers looking for (and getting) a fee stay on airbnb because it's reality.  Airbnb is the next best thing to Craigslist these days for an easy mark due to lack of industry standards for vetting guests, and hosts are not being supported according to policy when things go awry.  

New short-sighted policies, dwindling host support, relaxation of guest requirements, and negation of safety issues by airbnb has creating a lot of issues and loss for hosts with no backup or policy enforcement from support.  There are thousands of posts about this in other threads.

The current focus on relaxing "safety and trust" policy to attract as many new members as soon as possible to make the upcoming IPO as profitable as possible is hurting everyone for the long term...including airbnb, creating hosting and customer service nightmares.  It's not helping corporate an host public image and with zero reply to thousands of posts from corporate, it would appear it doesn't matter, so maybe airbnb plans to sell out and simply doesn't care.

[Susan17]

@Susan

Nail on the head. 100% accurate, every word. 

[Sandra126]

We all want more guests, and that means having more users of the system, which means more first time guests. Hooray! I have a few, and they rarely understand things and don't read the listing. Have one coming today, who certainly didn't read the listing. But I am bending over backwards for her and hope she will love what I am providing for her and that she will continue to use Airbnb.

Yes, they can be trouble but not as dramatic as Bob.

[Susan1028]

Yes, Sandra, and I do the same time-intensive "educating"...as long as they are willing to agree to the house rules, answer a few questions, and complete thier profile, just as I have mine, I' ve had delightful expereinces with new guests  and continue to do my best to create wonderful experiences for everyone who chooses to stay with me.

[Ralph102]

I agree about the light Airbnb screening - we saw that too.  We're new to hosting, renting a room in our home, and seeing how lightly Airbnb screens guests we decided to check IDs on check-in.   It's mentioned in the message they get before they book, as well as the "Thank You" message they get immediately after booking.  We also require a photo to be in the guest's profile in order for them to instant book.   Understandably we may lose bookings, and we're already not the cheapest out there, but we hope this will deter the more undesireable guests looking for a place to party / trash / booty call.     

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ralph102

It should be in your house rules, they have to agree to.

we hosted the first timers / no profile photo / no description and a LOT of very young guests from around the world. We have instant booking option.

I have to admit WE PREFER YOUNG GUESTS. They are much less picky and demanding then middle age - older guests and more neat than families, specially families with kids. Young guests are happy with their lives, happy to be on vacation with friends, to travel ... and happy people leave good reviews 🙂

Until now (knock on wood) in 2,5 y. of hosting, we didn't have a really bad guest  (heavy drug users, big trash party, stealing, lying to get a refund...) We are lucky, Zagreb is not a party destination and registering guests is obligated in Croatia.

But... THE bad guest may be just around the corner...

[Ralph102]

Thank you @Branka-and-Silvia0 - I added it to the rules list.  It was in the house manual and other places as well but you brought up a good point.

[Cormac0]

@Kristina247

he sounds like a customer for Olga in the ukraine (its an in joke some people will understand it)