I'm a guest and the host asked me for my personal home address, is that normal?

[Eric224]

Hi I booked an airbnb out of state and the host asked for my home address and my email.

I was wondering if it's normal for an airbnb host to want to know my personal home address as I don't see any reason for it. 

"Can I please get your full address and a direct email for our reservation?" 

[Andrea9 · Accepted solution]

@Eric224

Not sure about the US, but in a lot of places hosts have to record this and register the guest (for ex. in some EU countries even in advance of arrival) with the local tourism office.

Normally Airbnb issues a special email address for both guest and host. I've occasionally had cases in which my guests didn't receive them, so because of that (and only in those cases) I asked them if they would send me an alternative address to send the info to.

I would only be willing to provide address information for guest registry upon arrival (this is often mandatory as short-term renting is usually subject to this as are hotels, motels).

You could ask the host why they require it and that you will be very happy to provide your address during check-in procedure.

[Wim56]

Hi, 

I've already stayed at a location in Greece three months ago but now the host asks for my ID number (that's normal), and my home address as well? 

I've never had to give my home address while staying in other places in Greece...

[Valerie238]

The new rules do not apply in Europe

Europe is doing a much better job at protecting citizens protections

expecting people to allow strangers into their home their most valuable assets and mot know their real names and info is crazy

[Marit-Anne0]

Some hosts/establishments practise self check-in - in such cases it can be handy to have the info needed in advance.  

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

I wouldn't say it's "normal" but also not out of the question for the host to request the information.  Some hosts like to run their own background checks on their guests so knowing their address could help with those.  Other counties or cities requre the host to provide guest information for taxation purposes. 

I would ask the host why they require the information and let them know you would be happy to provide upon check-in.

[Vee-Gee0]

https://www.airbnb.co.in/help/article/1641/guidance-on-foreigner-registration--frro--process-for-ind...

If you are a foreigner and visiting India and staying in any hotel or Airbnb guest house then as per immigration rules, all details of your passport, visa, your address and mobile number in home country and in India has to be provided to the host and he has to upload your details on the indian immigration site within 24 hours of your checks in. This is also endorsed by Airbnb for indian hosts and you can see it mentioned on their site . 

[Shirley26]

Our Public Health Department requires that all guests be registered using their true names and addresses into a registry and made available to inspectors for current and prior year.

We are a global world and it is important that, should there be a food borne outbreak, Public Health and regulatory officials, not only work quickly to find the source of food borne disease outbreaks, but also take action to prevent more people from getting sick.... One of the most important actions public health officials can take to prevent illness is warning consumers quickly about a contaminated food. 

Therefore, the registry that I am required to maintain would allow all individuals staying in my home, to be notified.

[Kevin1322]

Hi @Eric224 as a host I'm not that interested in a guest's home address.…...But if they wanted to share a space in my personal  own home family address and wanted to keep their own address a secret if I asked for it for a legitimate reason that would not go well with me at all. It could be any random weirdo with a thriow away email and a burner phone number. 

Trust is a two way thing in peer to peer hosting.

I wouldn't want to be seen as a random wierdo with a burner sim card. Do you?

[Deborah350]

What information do you give when you stay at a hotel? 
I always have to give address, phone number and email and car registration number if I drove.

why would an Airbnb be different?

[Nancys0]

I like to know where they are from and what time zone they are on incase I have to call them prior to their arrival or when to expect an answer if I email them. Phone numbers are portable so they often do not tell you where they guest lives now. Also, right now I like to know if they are coming from a Covid hot spot. 

[Nancys0]

So the email from Airbnb dated August 19th regarding changes to their off Platform Policy removes an important safety option for hosts. 

 Respecting our hosts and guests is a top priority for Airbnb, so we’ve published new guidelines around messaging between our guests and hosts based on feedback from our community on how they’d like to receive messages and share contact information. This policy is part of Airbnb’s Terms of Service that all hosts agree to, and will be enforced more stringently going forward which could result in account suspensions or deactivations.

More details can be found in the link above, but as a reminder, the following behaviors are generally prohibited on Airbnb:

• Asking guests for their contact information

Airbnb has proven over and over again with huge parties, shootings, rapes, etc, that they do not care about hosts or the homes we are responsible for, they only care about getting their commissions. They tell us we can not get a guest's address to do a background check but yet they have a disclosure that we should not trust their background check and they encourage us to do a web search on the guest's name and to search US federal and state sex offender registries but without a home address there are usually dozens and even hundreds of people with the same name. 

The guest can know our address but we can't know theirs? I often do a websearch on a home address to see if it's a valid address if I see red flags on a reservation but now they are taking that option away from us. As someone else said, it's easy to get a throw away email address and a burner phone so home addresses are a more valuable and trustworthy tool. 

[Lisa6055]

Thanks for the information @Nancys0.  So sad to see Abb continue to erode host protections.

[Valerie238]

Obviously there is no care or concern for hosts on this platform anymore! Hosts are opening there most valuable asset REAL ESTATE the most most government controlled and taxed asset with dire consequences if something goes wrong!  They expect property owners not to have full legal names and addresses for the strangers that will occupy their property? They must be smoking something up there at headquarters. Places Like Miami Beach NYC Vegas are not a forest treehouse in the woods somewhere in the world We need safety. I had people try to book without legal names but with an alias 

I am so disappointed