How trustworthy is the verified Id check of guests who haven't been on Airbnb that long?

[Maria20813]

I have someone from overseas who would like to stay for over a month, but it's my first year as a host on Airbnb, and I usually like to rent to guests who have been on Airbnb longer.  Are there such things as fake accounts on Airbnb? How can I ensure it isn't some sort of scammer or someone trying to squat?

Thanks so much,

Maria

[Goldie-And-Alexa0]

The obligation of hosts is to register all guests, and even though, we explicitly added this sentence in our rules: "All guests are asked to provide their ID upon arrival in order to be registered at the local authorities".

Regardless whether this is mandatory or not in your country, write details from their passports/IDs. To prevent fake accounts, write some rule similar to ours. In addition, before the arrival (e.g. a week), send guests a polite reminder with everything they need to know, including this one in a subtle way.

First, this is a filter that will repel those who think they can accommodate anonymously. Second, those who stay in your place will refrain from doing something you wouldn't like as you have their details.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Maria20813 Don't worry too much about all the horror stories you hear about Airbnb. 99.999% of all stays must go without a hitch or the platform would have shutdown long ago. That said you do need to protect yourself so I would start a dialogue with the guest (perhaps even discussing your concerns) and see what they say. An honest guest will have no issue with this.