New Strict (with grace) Period Option - Physical Property Security Concern

[Marie677]

Hi - I was presented with the option to turn on the STRICT (with grace period) option for my listing.  I would be comfortable doing it (because I think it is right for the consumer) and taking the financial risk but I am VERY concerned about protecting my physical location and entry instructions from folks who are NOT confirmed guests.  This is one of the main reasons I choose strict...I figure unscrupulous actors will not risk a financial penalty and instead go after "lower hanging fruit".  I use lock boxes and electronic locks for the ease of check in for my guests.

Can anyone let me know if/when Airbnb displays the property Address and Entry Instructions to folks within this 48 hour free cancellation window?  I am happy to "opt-in" if Airbnb is committing to protecting my physical property by holding back this information for the full 48 hours.

[Mark26]

There are hundreds of people that walk past my home on a daily basis.  They walk their dogs, they stroll hand in hand, babble incessantly into their cellphone.  They ride bicycles. They haul carts full of fishing gear, and bags full of beer. They ride skateboards, hoverboards, motorized mobility scooters, and those new-fangled tractor-seat Segway thingamawhatzits.  They jog by in packs, pairs, or by themselves at all hours of the day and night.

Should I be worried about these people knowing where I live?

[Marie677]

@Mark287 You may only airbnb a house YOU live in (renting a room in your home?)  I Airbnb full units so for random people who walk by, they don't necessarily know my house is for short term rental.  These are a higher target for theft, vandalism etc.  Someone just walking by may think a guest is a normal tenant vs just a short term guest so they pose little risk to me.

[Mark26]

I rent vacation apartments. People know I rent vacation apartments.  I'm notorious in the community.  I'm not hiding anything, and I'm not afraid of people knowing that I rent vacation apartments.  You can see my calendars on line. 

I honestly believe that surfing the internet, and pretending to make a reservation is far too much work for any criminal who wants to just drop by and kick a door in.  It's a non-issue.  I worry more about drunk fishermen walking by at two in the morning than I do anyone who finds my listing on the internet.

I sleep soundly by the way.  I'm not worried about those fishermen.

[Marie677]

To each their own @Mark0.  We all operate in different markets, with different levels of criminal activity and each of us has different risk tolerance (both financial and physical).  I am not sure why you are responding the way you are, quite condescendingly, when there is clearly a way Airbnb can play a role using their technology platform to put reasonable rules in place to mitigate risk to owners.  Airbnb only has a business if hosts feel comfortable hosting.  A simple action of holding more critical information back until AFTER the waiting period seems like a more than reasonable request....

[Mark26]

I just honestly can't believe that there is a criminal willing to put in all the work necessary to reserve a house, condo, apartment, guest house yurt, or Airstream, and then cancel....  Just to find a place to rob, when all they have to do is walk down the street (Or bicycle, or skateboard, or rollerblade) and look in the window. 

Regardless of where in the world you live, criminals are lazy opportunists.

[Ange2]

"Can anyone let me know if/when Airbnb displays the property Address and Entry Instructions to folks within this 48 hour free cancellation window? "

@Marie677  My understanding is the minute they book they get all the information. Something I think they should change.  Best you could do is delete codes, entry instructions and wifi passwords from your listing and send them via email just before they arrive  Also asking for Government ID seems to be a good deterrent but again not foolproof.

@Mark26   "book, get lockbox codes - cancel- break-in", was all over the news a while back to the point that even the police is some areas started issuing warnings. I remember Florida as being particularly hard hit.  Maybe things have been beefed up since then.

[Mark26]

Book, come see me, get the keys.  Flight dealy?  No problem, I'll wait up.  Make noise,  disturb the neighbors?  I'm upstairs, and I'll be all over you like a cheap suit.

[Jacquie2]

I dont put anything on the site, all I say is "instructions for check in will be emailed to you" and then they dont get anything from me until a couple of weeks before check in, and always AFTER they have paid.

[Teresa31]

I do the same thing, I don't give passwords, key locations etc on the site. I email them to the guest a couple days before check-in.

[Dina93]

Do those people work for the hotel lobby?  If so - YES.  Since we know the hotel lobby is trolling NYC properties to pressure hosts to leave Airbnb it is essential that they can't just receive ALL of our addresses via the platform.  

[Helga0]

@Mark26, the people passinn by do not have your keys or lock codes and don’t know the layout of the house and the content of the rooms. 

@Marie677, I have the same concern on Instant Book with a moderate politicy. They may still cancel a week out. What I do is not to use the automatic instructions, manuals etc for a complete information, as all these are accessible right away.  They get enough information to approach to 2 minutes distances, the rest is sent seperately after more information from their side and preferably within the period where they already have to pay something. 

That said, strict with two days free cancellation does not make sense to me. 

[Mark26]

Got it...

The people who want to rob me aren't going to walk by and check things out.  They're going to go through the process of generating an AirBnb account. Then they're going to send me a reservation request, and pay for a stay with a credit card. Then, once they've got my address, they're going to cancel. Get their money back. And come and Rob me.  

Seems like a lot of work, but I guess things are getting rather hard for theives, and they need to find new ways to break in while no one is home.

[Helga0]

Lol, @Mark26, they could block a long period or your minimum stay, hope that it is wedged in by other bookings, cancel and watch your calendar to know, if your house is empty. 

But the main concern may not even be well prepared burglars, it’s rather people , who might be annoyed in the following conversation, then they cancel and then they might be staying close and have time to walk over and do some harm. Sometimes guests get ideas, what might be included and be annoyed if it is not. If the stay is cancelled for such a concern, it’s reassuring if they cannot walk over and lay in wait for you. 

I had a guest, who wanted to upgrade the offering from shared room (kitchen) to shared bed. I would have liked to have a Wipe button, to remove all codes, address and phone numbers from his account, phone and brain. 😉 

Some get their interesting notions immediately after booking, so witholding the last details served me well a few times. 

[Mark26]

Oh dear god...

If I was that suspicious I'd cancel my listings, and go hide under my bed.