Potential guest wants to visit property before booking

Never allow anyone to visit the property before booking. If there’s something they’re concerned about you’re probably better off losing the booking. Besides, it’s against Airbnb policy to communicate outside of the website until you have a confirmed booking. Protect yourself, just don’t do it.

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I get a lot of requests to preview the room from direct bookings. I explain that the room is presently booked and I must respect their privacy, adding, “I am sure you will understand.”

They line up 4-5 appointments in a row and that gives me a low probability. It’s not worth my time.

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I am so glad this was posted. We actually encountered this scenario this past summer. We have a very descriptive listing and very accurate complete photos of our listing. Snowbirds (and first-time Airbnbers) staying at a local (not so great hotel for a month) this summer wanted to rent our cottage for 30 days in January. We had excellent communication through Airbnb. They secured their reservation. At that point, with a confirmed reservation, they were provided access to our telephone number. They phoned stating they were in town and wanted to see the property before leaving town in a couple of days. We were very uncomfortable with this for several reasons. We also had current Airbnb guests in the cottage. They persisted. We phoned Airbnb support and were told we did not have to oblige this request but that it may be beneficial to both parties. We decided to allow a meeting and told them they would be able to see the outside/grounds but that we were only available for 15 minutes and we had current guests. They were appreciative and friendly on arrival. They were very complimentary of the grounds and cottage and were very excited about their stay this winter. They were also however very pushy about changing our House Rules to accommodate them. We reviewed these to make sure there were no misunderstandings. A month later, they canceled their reservation due to our policy of not allowing 6 additional people to come visit and stay in our two bedroom 1300 sf cottage.

We do not plan to ever make this preview inspection a practice in the future; however, in this one particular instance, we most certainly avoided 30 days of issues and problems.

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@captainsquarters - I don’t see how letting them look at your place saved you from headache. Since they cancelled because you wouldn’t let them violate your max occupancy (presumably very clear in your house rules), it seems to me the time you took to meet with them was a complete waste of your time.

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I would never gladly meet anyone at a Starbucks as their coffee is so pants and they are always full of yummy mummies who let their brats run riot (but I get your point :slight_smile: ).

I don’t do long term lets so am not interested in showing anyone around my place.

I truly believe my comprehensive listing and images giving them all the info they need and I am happy to answer supplementary questions.

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I’d rather stick pins in my eyes. Their coffee is soooo bad. But then again I’m probably biased as the coffee in the small cafe round the corner from me cost €1 and, to my palate, is perfect.

Even my oldest daughter who is a bit of a brand fiend (Starbucks, Apple etc) agrees that their coffee is good. Unfortunately, we also have a school close by so the yummy mummy (or should that be mamá deliciosa?) issue does sometimes rear its head.

JF

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I like Starbucks blonde roast & Pikes Peak (with extra milk). We each have our own tastes. I wouldn’t insult yours. It is ok that we don’t like the same things.

BTW meeting at Starbucks is because as @Poppy stated personal contact information exchange isn’t permitted on the Airbnb platform. However I can tell a potential guest, I will be at the Starbucks at 3 pm if you want to see the condo. If they want the unit, they book through Airbnb.

I do mostly 30-90 day rentals because my market has changed.

My pictures do show exactly what the condo is like plus I’ve included a copy of the floor plan. 30-90 days is a long time to stay in a rental. I want my guests to be happy.

You are in a different market. If STR is your niche that is fine. If you do not preview your rental, it is yours to do with as you wish. The converse is true too—my unit is mine to manage as I wish.

“Checking out the listing will cost you USD 50,00, that will be discounted once you book.”

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I wasn’t insulting your taste in coffee @Annet3176 I’m just saying I don’t like the chain for the reasons outlined in my earlier post. As you will see from other UK host responses about Starbucks, it’s not a well regarded chain in the UK. I’m sorry you felt that I had insulted your taste in coffee.

I live in a city that has a huge amount of great independent places doing coffee so prefer to give them my custom.

We live in different countries so you may well have a different experience. On the rare occasion I have been in a Starbucks the coffee hasn’t been properly made - not hot enough, tasted bitter and in the UK it’s really like being in the middle of a nursery.

Of course it’s up to each of us to manage our listing in the way that works best for us.

Personally on the rare occasion I have taken long term booking, I have had them book for a few days to see if it is a good fit and only then have I considered a long term booking.

I have heard many hosts comment that guests who ask to see the place before they book haven’t gone onto book, wanted a discount or to book outside of Airbnb to save money. I am glad that hasn’t been your experience.

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I understand why she felt it saved her a headache. Chances are if they guests had not met the owners before their reservation they would have arrived with extra guests and there it goes. Perhaps by seeing the place and meeting the owners they realized the rental was not a good fit.

If it saves the host from a difficult rental situation spending an hour on a preview isn’t a waste of time.

I have had a couple of requests like this but the request was from a family member who lived nearby inspecting before the relative booked the place.
Burlington VT, USA is a relatively small city and they could figure out from my airbnb page where my house was and how to contact me. I have a distinctive looking house. I think the family member just knocked on my door at an appointed time we had set.
In one case they liked the house and the booking went through although they (a wedding party of four women) were rowdy guests who disturbed the neighbors.
The second time it was a pregnant woman who’s family was coming to stay for the birth. She decided the bathroom shower which has a low ceiling, did not suit her tall family.
I did not find it an uncomfortable request because if was from a member of the community doing the inspecting.

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Our listing shows very accurate photos and description of unit. That along with over 100 positive reviews, many of which are detailed, should be enough for a guest to make a decision. Our listing state that no bookings accepted for more than 6 months out and maximum stay is 7 days.
In spite of that I have had several emails from a potential guest who wants a 5 week booking over a year away and is demanding that they come to see the accommodation. They have also put in a booking request for a date and length of stay that is available while at the same time telling us that they only did that in order to further the emails. I accepted that request as I did not want to be hit with penalties, but the response time on their part expired but the requests still keep coming, and I still reiterate the same thing in response.
Will we be penalized as we have not accepted (nor denied) the long term, booking request, but have responded within 2 hours to each reequest?

If it’s a booking request I would accept and then let them cancel and deal with the consequences, IF you have strict cancellation. If not, change it to strict before accepting.

However you may not want them to have your address if you think they don’t yet know it and will actually come uninvited. You could still accept and let them know that if they come to your property outside of that window you will call the police for trespassing and then will NOT accept them for ANY reservation again.

Just some quick thoughts. Ultimately probably flag the guy with Airbnb and call if you want some assurances.

I had a very demanding annoying and entitled person ask to view the property ahead for an expensive 1 month high season stay.

I told him that I was not in the area but could arrange a visit with my property manager but it would be 30 euros for a call-out for someone to open the door and show him the place.

He responded that he did not agree to pay a fee he considered he was making an investment of a large sum of money for his vacation and thought it normal I should pay someone to let him in to see the place and decide.

I told him sorry, that is too complicated for me, you can’t see the property then, good luck on your search have a great vacation and blocked him. He also wanted free services and a list of other things.

Several weeks later he had been to the area to search for a holiday home and did not find anything else to his liking.

Since he was blocked he couldn’t get in touch with me so he had his wife contact me pretending she was another family!

Of course I recognised her because dame dates same number of people same home city…

After ensued a nightmare of these people asking for all kinds of special treatment outside of my standard service offer, complaining about my price policies, asking for special treatment.

I tried to blow them off many times they kept calling back and insisting. Every time I conceded something they were nice then came back shortly after asking for something else. I finally agreed to rent them one month high season sight unseen. We’ll see what happens!

I’m dreading August.

Next time my policy will be to go with my first impression. Block them and move on.

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This is what they call “Living life dangerously”!
So why did you agree to have them in the end?

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Not a chance in hell!!

That’s what I was wondering too? And why give all the concessions?

This subject keeps cropping up every so often and I still don’t see a) what’s wrong with people seeing the property from the outside and b) what they expect the host to do with the current guests while they are showing the property?

I admit that I sometimes tend to think ‘oh, so I’m lying in my listing?’ but if people want their minds putting at rest then okay. If I’m available, which isn’t often admittedly, then I’ll even meet them - it’s just another sales opportunity. Usually they book so it’s not a waste of time.

I know I keep asking that myself!

IT was crazy, they were sooo insistent every time I threw them out through the door they came back through the window!

I guess it was the money, they took 4 weeks high season full price, meaning I would have no gap days between reservations.

I’m sure I could have rented it well but often you lose a few nights between guests… I guess I have to get better at this.

Also they are from the country where my airbnb is I know they are reliable people and will not be crazy partiers or do too much damage but they will just be very annoying.

And they are looking for somewhere to come back to every year.

We’ll see! If they are aweful they aren’t coming back! And they are on another plaftorm not airbnb so they can’t leave a review if I tell them off during their stay.

Probably because I’m a wimp!

And it was early on in my experience.

And they were SOOOO insistent I’m not good at standing up for myself!

And it was not all at once, each time they got one concession they waited a bit then came back for more!

And they had a way of stating things like “We require a full set of 18 extra sheets to be left on the property in case we get a stain on one of them” (my policy is sheet changes are done by professional laundry service - paid for by guest - she didn’t want to pay for that since she’s coming with her slave oops I mean Nanny).

Well live and learn I’ll get better at this, still hoping maybe things will go OK with these people because the apartment is exactly what they want in high demand they won’t find another like it.

I guess this is how they were able to call you. I was going to say how did they get your number if they hadn’t booked yet.