Is there any reason to be worried about a local guest?

[Jennifer1423]

I'm new to this and someone booked through instant-book without my realizing what happened. Now I've changed that setting but am worried because the guest is a local who says that she sold her house so needs a place for two weeks until she moves into her new place.

s there any reason why I should worry about this or is this the norm? 

[Lawrene0]

That sounds like a reasonable explanation for a local booking, @Jennifer1423. 

[Mark116]

A lot of people don't like to book locals as they feel the listings are used for parties, you might want to keep a closer eye than normal on this particular booking if that is possible to check on if there are more cars or people at the listing than were booked.

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

Usually I am NOT renting to "locals",

but a good explanation from a guest will be always put into consideration.

I agree with @Lawrene0 BUT I ALWAYS WOULD CHECK THE STORRY!!!

@Jennifer1423 The world is crazy...

She could be evicted, kicked out, lost her house in auction...

In case you want to consider to take her in, double check her story!

Also,  your "house rules" are not very strong to protect you

from bad guests (feel free to look over my listing/rules).

Yes there are many good reasons NOT to rent to locals:

1st in your mind would be:

What they want to do IN YOUR HOUSE,

they couldn't do at home??? 😉

Technically you lucky that she Instant Booked,

if you don't feel comfortable with an IB, you always able

to cancel (or better call CS to cancel in behalf of you)

without getting penalized.

REASON ALWAYS HAS TO BE: NOT COMFORTABLE 

Does your guest has an ID verified account???

If not, check your IB-Settings.

My reply to her would be something like this:

"... Hi xxx, thanks for info.

Usually we are not renting to locals,

but I'm happy to help you out.

Please send me a link to your "For Sale" Listing.

Short ID/Address check will be required upon check-in.

Your message with explanation of your situation

from xx/xx/xx will be in addition to all stated house rules

part of our rental agreement..."

[Jennifer1423]

Oh this is excellent. So are your house rules. I didn't even know I could cancel without being penalized. I spoke to AirBnB and explained that it was a mistake and they never mentioned anything about cancelling. Thank you, I will write my prospective tenant.

[Giedre-and-Andre0 · Accepted solution]

ABOUT IB SETTINGS / Cpopy from Airbnb:

https://www.airbnb.com/host/instant-book

We have your back

Guests who don’t meet your requirements will send a reservation request. If you’re ever uncomfortable with a reservation, before or during a trip, you can cancel penalty-free.

---

In your IB Settings @Jennifer1423:

How guests can book

Choose how guests will book your home.

How guests can book

O

Guests who meet all your requirements can book instantly. Others will need to send a reservation request 

RECOMMENDED

You can cancel 100% penalty-free if you’re ever uncomfortable with a reservation. 

How can I control which reservations I get with Instant Book?

When Instant Book is on, the following settings can help you control which guests can book and when you’re booked:

• House Rules: All guests will need to agree to your h0use rules before booking. If you’re uncomfortable with a reservation, you can cancel penalty-free online, anytime.

• Additional guest requirements: Guests will always meet all of  Airbnb requirements before they book. With Instant Book, you can add more guest requirements:
  • Government-issued ID: For added security, you can limit bookings to guests who’ve submitted their government-issued ID to Airbnb.
  • Recommendation from other hosts: You can limit bookings to guests who’ve traveled on Airbnb and received only positive reviews from other hosts.
• First Message: As an Instant Book host, you can write a preset message to your guest with any questions you have about their trip. Guests will see your message and respond while booking. If you're ever uncomfortable with any responses, you can cancel penalty-free.

• Advance Notice: To avoid last-minute surprise bookings, set how much notice you need before a guest arrives, and we’ll automatically block days in your calendar.
• Same day (with cut-off time)
• At least 1 day
• At least 3 days
• At least 7 days

• Trip length: Avoid reservations that are too long or short by setting your minimum and maximum night stays. If you don't set a maximum number of nights, we'll automatically apply a 14-night maximum stay to your listing.

View this article in the Help Center ›

[Christine615]

See if you can find her on Facebook. The home selling before expected does happen. When I first rented out one half of my duplex, it was a couple who put their house on the market right next to retail shop parking lot. They figured it would be on the market for a while, it sold quickly. There was one problem - they weren't planning to move out of state for a year. So I rented to them and they were wonderful.

The "party" problem seems to be most common on weekends, or when the person only needs the place for a single night (or two nights) and is local.  On the other hand, what if they're having work done on their home and need to be away from the fumes?

Either way, ask for more details but Facebook can sometimes yield some interesting clues about the guest.