Screen Airbnb guest

How To Screen Airbnb Guest In Three Simple Stages?

Finding the answer to ‘how to screen Airbnb guest?’ will keep you safe. Screening Airbnb guests is extremely important. You cannot let a stranger stay on your property without any proper screening. Imagine if you skip to check a guest and end up with a drug dealer smuggling drugs from your property. Some hosts skip screening Airbnb guests and later regret when they have to pay for the damages.

All you need to know about Airbnb ID verification read here.

Short term rental business includes various risks but allowing the wrong guest is the biggest one. You have taken every step carefully to ensure that you and your property are safe from fraud. Your safety is in your hands. Don’t worry you can easily find out how to screen your guests in just a few steps. You will have three stages with your guests and a few measures at each stage will help you eliminate the doubtful guests.

1. Before Interaction

Specify The Details

It is important to reach the right audience to attract the right guest. If you have an apartment for Airbnb business guests, then you might not want a 5 members family to book your property. This will lead to unsatisfied guests and bad reviews. So, to screen guests before even interacting with them, you need to specify the details in your listing.

Inform the potential guest that you have a swimming pool and some strict house rules. If you mention all the conditions in the listing itself then the uninterested guests will be filtered by themselves. This doesn’t mean you have to mention the color of the walls but remember to mention if you have stairs or not.

2. During Interaction

Check The Tone

You are the gatekeeper here. You have to decide whom to entertain and whom to not. The best time to screen guests is when you are communicating with them. If your guests are rude and unreasonable prior to booking the listing then they might not be the right choice. Suspicion can be deducted in the tone.

Take The Information Test

The information test is essential in the screening process. This is a simple and effective method for screening Airbnb guests. Before confirming a booking, you might ask for certain information from the guests. This is where you can spot the suspicious ones. If a guest is hesitating in sharing the most basic information such as phone number or full name with you then there could be something fishy.

You have to take this test with everybody and ensure that you know the basics about every guest so that in the future you don’t face any problem. For example, if a person refuses to share his alternate functional phone number and later damages your properties, deletes the Airbnb profile, and vanishes then you will be the one in losses. If a person is innocent, then he/she will not hesitate in sharing the relevant details. So, if you come across guests who appear shady and frown upon sharing, then be alarmed and do your research before confirming the booking.

Don’t Reveal Too Much

You will come across all sorts of guests. The guests who don’t share much and the guests who are more interested in your details. It is understandable to build a friendly relation with a guest to offer the best experience but remember the golden rule – DO NOT SHARE TOO MUCH! If in an attempt to be polite and friendly you reveal excess information then it could be dangerous for you.

Con artists might very smartly take all the details from you and share the bare minimum about themselves. You must be aware of such kinds of interactions. If anytime you feel that the guest is interested in your details more than booking the property, then stop and think twice before confirming. It is not that difficult to screen Airbnb guests if you stay alert and aware.

3. After Interaction

Check the profile

Airbnb Profile is the best and the easiest way to screen Airbnb guests. If you missed the previous steps of How to Screen Airbnb guest? Then also you can be safe with this step. Once you have interacted with the guests it is your decision to either confirm or reject the booking. When you confirm a booking you allow the stranger to enter your property and give him control. So, you have to make this decision carefully.

Before confirming the booking, you must check the Guest’s Airbnb profile. If the profile is complete and well maintained, then it’s a green signal, and might not regret trusting the guests. However, if the profile is incomplete and looks like a temporary handle then you should worry and may research before trusting the stranger. 

Cross-Check The Personal Details

From a complete profile, you will be able to access personal details such as phone number and email Id. Before making any decision first finish the screening process and check the details provided by the guests. You can also use these personal details for running a basic background check and confirming that your guest is innocent and honest. Few hosts also prefer to check the criminal record of the guests to prevent themselves from unfortunate future.

Try To Verify Through Connections

Connections help to check the credibility of guests. You can contact the previous hosts and find out more about the guests and how they are going to treat your property. Connections will help you verify their identity and assure you that your property is in safe hands. Taking precautions is essential to prevent yourself from fraudsters and guests who are there for only bad reviews. As an Airbnb host, you have to be very careful in choosing your guests. You will find a million answers to How to screen Airbnb guest? but the real answer is trusting your instincts. Along with following the three-stage screen process, remember to ask your intuitions what they think? One wrong guest can cause a lot of damage so stay alert and stay safe. Also, be sure that you don’t miss any genuine booking requests.

More information about vacation rental security tips for your Airbnb rental property.