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I already find the verification process lacking. I may compare amentities to a hotel but that is where the comparisons stop. I am not a hotel. This is my home and a single guest can cause damage that could be catastrophic.
In fact, Iin addition to the clear photograph, or in lieu of it, I would like Air to return to when you could see the guests’ personal email, and EVERYONEE SHOULD HAVE TO SHOW ID, regardless of settings.
You cannot rent a car or a room or anything else without identification, but on Airbnb you can have a fake name and an email address and you’re good to go and stay in someone’s home??, with new hosts being none the wiser. That is ridiculous.
I adore Airbnb’s non-discrmination policy and think the wording is wonderful, however hosts carry ALL THE RISKS, and having strangers in our private homes should come with as much info on the strangers as possible. That’s how I feel about it. But we had a number of scammers with a orevious listing (and all were booked through Airbnb, mostly about four years ago), so maybe I am a bit overly sensitive about security.
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I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I’m not saying it’s rigorous though.
It was in June, but we also had another last week when we turned off Instant Book and nothing else was set as a requirement. Just an email address and a first name.
I ask guests to change their photo. I had someone third party book and the only way I found it out was because of the profile picture. If Air doesn’t make it a policy, I will make it my own.
I think it’s something that only comes after a lot of experience with guests. I used to be quite cautious in the early days but now I realise that you just never know who will turn up and what they will be like. Hosting in your own home can be seen as an increased risk but actually I see it as the opposite - I’m right here and god help you if you start with any bad behaviour! It’s much harder if you live off-site and can’t monitor things directly.
In fact, we’ve had a number of guests already stay with us, whom we later learned had only an email address or phone number as their verifications. We went through and checked. It was dozens. It is possible.
We called Air to double-check this is a glitch, and they said it is not a glitch, there is no policy from them that requires a valid ID (only a credit card), then showed us how to set our own settings as ID required…but that is only available with Instant Book, which we turned off.
Maybe there are different regulations in other countries? I’m in the states. This is what it looks like over here, under Booking Settings, then Guest Requirements:
Airbnb standard requirements
Confirmed phone number, email address, payment information, and agreement to House Rules.
Government-issued ID INSTANT BOOK ONLY Not Set
Recommendation from other hosts INSTANT BOOK ONLY Not Set
There is nothing stopping you from also requiring non-instant book guests from also having a govt id verified with airbnb before accepting the reservation.
We have started asking/requiring ID from guests, but with mixed results. First, we added that into our listing. If they still didn’t do it and made a reservation request, we asked via message that they verify their ID, so we may put their reservation through.
If it’s a new user…they’re happy to get verified every which way.
Others have flat out ignored our message/requests, just waiting for the reservation to be accepted. Note: We only asked guests who didn’t have any/just one review(s). We then experimented a bit (since we didn’t want IB back on and also didn’t want loads of declines bumping down our listing…or worse, having to call Air because we “already have three declines this year”)…and asked a few guests to show ID in person, [in a very friendly and matter-of-fact way], and after forewarning in the welcome message. (We know guests don’t always read descriptions, but they always get messages, especially with us because they need that arrival info, and none has asked us how to get in or exactly where to park–like as if they didn’t see the message).
All left less than five stars about something trivial. Also interesting is that these guests were also our least favorites, comparatively speaking. Not necessarily demanding or difficult. Just generally curt or dismissive. Interesting, eh?
Any guest who has a problem uploading ID because they’re lowtech is one thing, but someone who takes issue with it in general is extremely suspect in my book, and I don’t want them in my house [anymore]. I would never find it odd to have to have identification when booking an accommodation, since it’s standard when checking in to even the lowest price motel [in this country].
Not sure what the solution is to this, but I do think requiring all users across the board to verify Identification is not a bizarre or burdensome request in any way, and could very easily be made a requirement to use the service. Airbnb hosts assume much greater risks than hotels. It seems [the least] that can be required to help ensure hosts safety…of ourselves and our homes.
I’ve never turned down a guest based on a photo. Instant booking, and all.
If you want to maximize revenue, and I do, you accept who comes and pays. It wouldn’t change anything for me, though I hope a picture would at least come after booking. I have three guests on my calendar right now without photos uploaded. One stayed already a few weeks ago. The other two have future trips. I’m only mildly annoyed, and it won’t last.
Answer explanation: No, I wouldn’t stop hosting because I really couldn’t care less if they have a pic of themselves shown to me or not. However, I do want their ID, address and photo verified …somewhere in the system. If there is true “verification,” then I will feel/sleep a lot better. Case in point: we just had something stolen from an Airbnb guest, but when we tried to contact the guest we realized they had no ID or even phone number verified, just an email address (we were none the wiser as they instant booked bc they had a review). That’s what sparked our investigation into this issue and we were stunned that anyone could book an accommodation in a private home with only an email address and pay by various untraceable means (i.e. paypal, prepaid credit cards, maybe bitcoin eventually, which is even more anonymous). Airbnb does not have ID on this person either and because our cctv footage is lacking…guess what> SOL for us!
I save every number, not because i care to have it after they leave, but because I use it to create a code for the lockbox. I use my iCal on the computer to track all traveler names, how many beds, breakfast order, phone number, day start, day end, and estimated arrival time, with flight no if applicable.
It sounds like a lot of work, but I find it takes no more than five minutes spread over weeks.
On your post you are showing that you do have the option to only take guests with government photo ID but have chosen not to set your listing so that you do so.
So yes this is an option open to any host who has IB, as far as I know anywhere in the world.
I was responding to your saying that my statement that it is possible to book on Airbnb with only an email address or phone number is “not correct.”
It is, and they can.
I already said that I don’t have on Instant Book, and you must use IB in order to have it set to require ID.
Airbnb needs to start taking identification from all guests, whether or not we are using instant book, or at the very least, allow hosts to use this setting without using their instant book feature.
That is not going to happen. This is one of the carrots they are holding out to get hosts to switch to Instant Booking. To them, this fits their business plan to a ‘T.’
Also interesting is that these guests were also our least favorites, comparatively speaking. Not necessarily demanding or difficult. Just generally curt or dismissive. Interesting, eh?