No information on guest profile

[Jane1122]

I have just listed with Air B&B and taken my first booking for 3 days over Christmas. However, now I am looking at the guest profile I see that they have been a member since 2017 but there is no information apart from a photo. No reviews. I am wondering if there is something odd about this lack of information.

[Helen3]

Lots of people register on Airbnb and then don't go onto make a booking until some time later so I wouldn't necessarily see that as a red flag. @Jane1122 

what information did the guest send you when they made the booking request? 

what vetting questions do you ask guests when they make a booking? 

you can for example ask guests why they chose your place and who is accompanying the guest on the booking. 

[Jane1122]

Thank you @Helen3. Well I haven't asked any vetting questions yet as this is the first booking I have taken for my cottage. I used to do AirB&B years ago at home but that was a little different. The person is on their own with 3 dogs. The cottage sleeps 4 people but I've had people stay on their own or with just one other person. I will definitely ask a few more questions. I am probably just a bit nervous as bookings previously have come via friends or the holiday company. 

[Helen3]

I would have been hesitant to take a booking from one person in a house that sleeps four with three pets . @Jane1122 

do you charge a pet fee?

what size are the dogs ? 

i wouldn't accept a booking without vetting questions particularly from a guest booking in the circumstances you described. 

[Jane1122]

The dogs are small and she did ask me beforehand as I usually only accept 2. I do charge a pet fee but for some reason this did not appear to get added to the booking. I am feeling a bit nervous about it but worried that I will be penalised for cancelling my very first booking. I really should have done my homework and not rushed to accept the booking. Darn.

[Joan2709]

@Jane1122 

Airbnb no longer lists the pet fee as a separate line item. It is now included in the nightly rate spread over the nights of the reservation. 

BTW, you can make a photo a requirement for booking by going to preferences and turning that on. 

[Jane1122]

Thank you for your help. @Joan2709 

[Joelle43]

Oh my goodness @Joan2709 - learned another new thing from you thank you!  No pet fee showing now - what comes next?? Cleaning fee I imagine?

Warm regards
Joëlle

[Joan2709]

@Joelle43 

Always something right? 🙄

…yes, your’re right. I have heard the cleaning fee is prob next.

[Jane1122]

Just wanted to say a big thank you for your support with this issue. All resolved now.

[Helen3]

That's great @Jane1122 how did you resolve things? 

[Jane1122]

I spoke to someone at ABB about my concerns and he reassured me that the profile had been vetted and that there would be no problem. However, about an hour later the guest cancelled. Despite ABB reassurance I do feel happier now and will be more diligent in the future.

[Joelle43 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Jane1122 

As you've already noticed, Airbnb has changed quite a lot in the last few years and there is much to learn as you will see from my comment to Joan.  Cancelling is not an option really as not only will you be fined, your calendar will also be blocked off on Airbnb.  Not to mention that the algorithm will probably have a melt down and will hold this against you in the search results so it might be a question of bitting the bullet on this one especially if you have said that 3 dogs is OK to this guest.

As others have said, don't be afraid to ask questions and you can just explain your concern by saying that as they seem to be new to Airbnb, you want to be sure that your place is a good fit. You need to be sure that it will really be only them coming for insurance purposes for example.  Do you charge extra for bringing additional people to the cottage?  Some people say they are coming alone to avoid the extra fees involved.

All the best
Joëlle

[Joan2709]

@Jane1122 

Noticed you said you usually only accept two dogs? However, I was able to add 5 pets to a reservation for your listing? I'm assuming you want to limit to 2 dogs? I would edit the max number of pets just to be on the safe side, even though you mention it in your House Rules. Many guests don't even read the house rules. 

"...The dogs are small and she did ask me beforehand as I usually only accept 2..."

Airbnb defaults the number of pets to (5). To change that, go to your House Rules:

[Jane1122]

Thank you @Joan2709. I thought I had actually set that at 2 so maybe it reverted. I have adjusted it now. Really appreciate your time.