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Hi Everyone,
We live in Vancouver BC and are listing our home for the first time while we travel. My first guest request came from someone who’s first name did not match their profile name. Their profile photo is quite grainy, featuring an attractive youth woman. There message contained a number of spelling errors, and they they were new to Airbnb–with no reviews and limited verification.
I asked them to add some verification. They added an ID. But, it is still seems kind of fishy to more.
I’m I just having newbie Airbnb fear or should I be concerned? Any tips?
Hi Brian.
I was nervous when I started too, and turned down my first request because he was male and asked for a discount. I rent out my own bedroom while I stay in my lounge, so I got scared me might not respect rules or boundaries, and I was worried about having a strange man in my flat as my first guest. I just told him I’d prefer my first ever guest to be female. In your case, just say you only rent to people with reviews, that’s it, problem solved! It’s best to start hosting with the safest and easiest possible guests while you’re in ‘learner’ mode.
Guest or host, we all have to start somewhere, Brian
But if you’re renting your entire home with your own precious belongings, then you’re right to be cautious. Our rental is a separate apartment in the same building as my own apartment so I can keep an eye on everything. So I might be inclined to accept new guests (I do, often) but in your case, it seems as though you’d rather be more comfortable with guests who have good reviews.
Will your place be left entirely at the mercy of the guests or do you have a neighbour or manager who will be around for emergencies?
Yes, we have someone who will look after the place and do the cleaning. But I think it is good advice to initially work with people who have good reviews. Thanks
Can you see their Facebook or other social media? That might give you more of an idea of what kind of person they are and put your mind at ease (or tell you that they are too dodgy.)
@Brian_Postlewait We get ALOT of requests like this, names different, no reviews, no photo, a few verifications, and very misspelled words. First, I tell the guest they need to go through the entire verification process (come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I changed that setting, so they must be fully verified) and then I start a conversation about why they are coming to my city, what they plan on doing, who is travelling with them, etc. This usually weeds our actually scammers and people just new to Air that are not fluent English speakers.
@Brian_Postlewait - I know what you mean. When I joined airbnb in 2012 I added a ton of info about our family - I thought that a host looking at renting to a family with kids would want to get a good idea of who we were. Imagine my dismay when, my first booking request had a photo of a pineapple with sunglasses and absolutely no information. I called my airbnb muse, my first host, and asked her opinion. She thought it was ok.
The young man turned out to be the best guest - absolutely a gem. Took out the trash, wrote a thank-you note, brought a gift. He was maybe 20 years old. Some of my best guests have had weird profile photos. Some of the most annoying seemed like they were going to be great.
Still, trust your gut and be as cautious as you think is right for you - I just want to give you a view from the other side of the wall. I actually accept almost everyone - very few exceptions - and have not been sorry. (This is renting rooms in my home).
Always go with your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t accept the booking. There will always be more. And, you don’t owe anyone an explanation. You can just not like the crazy look in someone’s eyes and decide you won’t be comfortable with him. If it doesn’t feel right, just decline.
If you don’t feel comfortable don’t accept , but the only thing is the mistakes in spelling should not alarm you that much.
I make spelling mistakes in all 5 languages I speak and I travel the world with Air for 6 years
We just started as AirBnB host and I thank You all for these conversations: it’a been a great help!
I have been able to re-write my house rules after the first guest (the experience was ok:)) and think about the boundaries for the future. Thank You!
