Would you like to have a guarantee that a person renting your property is someone worth trusting? We bet yes.
That’s why Airbnb has an Airbnb guest screening process, which allows it to detect risky accounts and collect additional information about potential renters.
Even though it doesn’t secure you from negative hosting experiences 100%, it considerably reduces the risk of damage. People are more responsible when they go through Airbnb ID verification. And if the damage happens, at least, you are more likely to get reimbursements and avoid paying for repairs out of pocket.
Besides the standard screening procedure, there are some extra ways to spot Airbnb red flags early on and sieve our unwanted guests. Read more about them in our blog post.
What happens if you don’t screen your guests?
Screening, verification, background checks, and Airbnb questions for guests may create extra tension in the booking process. People just want to move to the final step and schedule their stay in the preferred property.
But, as a host or property manager, you must always put your own interests first and get the necessary information from renters.
Inna22 shares why guest screening is worth the effort:
“I have started asking for IDs from all adults about a year ago and has really improved the quality of guests. Airbnb does not verify anything. Years ago a guy registered as “T-rex” rented my house and trashed it. Because of that, I needed to take matters into my own hands. It does not even have to be as dramatic as the T-rex party. I have bigger properties so I host bigger groups. I think before I started to ask for IDs, there was a feeling of anonymity by others in the group. If they broke something, no one would notice or it would be someone else’s problem. The state of houses at departure has improved so much.”
Based on our experience and thousands of stories like the one above, Airbnb guest screening also helps:
- Filter out suspicious guests from the start
- Reduce the risk of property damage and hold guests accountable for anything they do
- Protects neighbors
- Be more likely to win disputes
- Avoid considerable financial losses and keep your rental business profitable
- Minimize the risks of unfair negative reviews
What if you don’t check guests? You may already know the answer. Without guest screening and background checks, you are more likely to fall victim to dishonest or irresponsible people. The risks of unreimbursed property damage, Airbnb scams, fraud, and other bad rental experiences grow exponentially.
Airbnb guest screening rules
Airbnb doesn’t have an overly strict Airbnb vetting process. Users need to go through the following checks:
- Identity verification. Guests provide a photo of a government-issued ID (e.g., passport, driving license, or national identity card), their legal name, and address.
- Personal profiles. Guests fill their profiles with personal details and add photos to provide more information about themselves.
- Risk assessment algorithms. The platform has an internal software system for Airbnb guest screening that automatically detects and flags suspicious bookings.
- Review system. Hosts and guests can leave reviews about each other that provide additional information about their real-life experiences.
- Additional booking requirements. A host may ask guests to accept the house rules clearly stating what renters can and cannot do.
Speaking about background checks, according to Airbnb policy, the platform may run a background check for some US-based users and India-based hosts, but it’s not mandatory. The platform doesn’t disclose more details on who is checked and how meaning you don’t have a guarantee that Airbnb will verify your guests.
Read our recent article on Airbnb background checks for more details.
Blind spots of the Airbnb guest screening process
The Airbnb guest screening allows hosts and property managers to get basic information about guests, but it’s far from perfect.
First, hosts cannot request a guest’s ID before accepting the booking. Despite being a good thing that protects users’ personal information, this policy also considerably limits your ability to run a background check.
You can ask for an ID only when you accept the booking, and cancelation comes with a penalty. Of course, it’s better to pay a $50 cancelation fee than to let in someone with a criminal record, but why do you have to pay at all?
Second, background checks are not mandatory. Airbnb directly states in its policy that you cannot rely on them alone to decide whether the guest is suitable. Besides, gaps in databases and outdated records often make the results questionable.
Third, choosing to rent or not to rent is always challenging with new users. An Airbnb guest with no reviews or few reviews is a risk.
6 tips for more profound manual guest screening
Now that you know what Airbnb guest screening can and cannot do, it’s time to take everything into your own hands. You can use several easy tricks to learn more about your guests before letting them live in your property. They don’t take much effort while saving you from considerable financial losses and stress.
- Request an ID photo
Airbnb collects but doesn’t share the guest’s government ID with a host when they book. ID details are gathered for internal Airbnb guest screening and security checks only. In other words, you will not get a copy of your guest’s ID.
However, the platform allows hosts to request an ID after booking if you have indicated it in your listing description. That’s how you can get the ID photo to protect yourself from possible fraud or damage.
If you don’t want to gather ID details every time manually, you can use property management software like Know Your Guest.
Pippa & Benoit, a luxury property management business, has connected the platform to implement an extra layer of guest screening and verification. Now, they automatically send guests a verification link for automated checks and enjoy minimized rental risks. Read the full story of automated guest screening implementation.
- Google your guest and check their social media
That’s an obvious step, but not everyone does it since such checks may seem too intrusive or personal. Yet, there is nothing wrong with checking publicly available information about someone you let into your property. You will see only the information people willingly share about themselves.
One of the ways to learn more details is by using reverse address or phone number services to check if the guest’s name, address, and phone number match. You can also type their name to find social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Social media may show you whether the future guest is a real person and help check if their profile photos match.
Such screening takes 10-15 minutes only, but it’s pretty effective to spot Airbnb guest red flags early on.
You can also automate your screening process by applying vacation rental guest screening software.
- Check guest reviews
Reviews are among the most valuable insights you can get about guests. If someone is a good person who obeys the rules, takes out garbage, and doesn’t ruin others’ houses for no reason, their past hosts will tell you about that. If not, you will know it too.
However, you shouldn’t be overly judgy when people have no reviews. They may have just registered on Airbnb and you are their first pick, or they may travel once in a few years. So, despite being an effective way for guest screening, reviews shouldn’t be the only source of information:
That was the case with Alina127:
“My first two reservations had no Airbnb reviews yet answered all my questions and had decent profile pictures. They had no reviews because they just started using Airbnb but their hosts were either too busy or too lazy to write a review. They were great guests and I got my reviews!”
Sarah977 also says no reviews are not a problem, while bad ones are definitely a red flag:
“I would never accept a guest who I saw had bad reviews, unless it was a one-off and the host seemed to be nit-picking about things that wouldn’t bother me.
But I have accepted quite a few guests with no reviews and they have all turned out to be lovely guests. It’s all about how they communicate with me, and I don’t just mean that I put questions to them.”
The strategy you take is up to you. We recommend taking a MUCH closer look at someone with more than one negative review. Bad feedback is there for a reason, and it’s better to minimize risks and decline a booking request.
- See what guests say about their previous hosts
Checking guest reviews is a standard move for manual Airbnb guest screening. But have you ever wondered what people say about their previous hosts? These reviews may be even brighter Airbnb red flags, letting you detect a scandalous person before they ruin your property’s reputation.
You can use a Chrome extension like AirReview to check guest reviews. If they slander others without a valid reason or leave negative reviews only, think twice before dealing with them. A negative review is the least bad thing you may get out of it.
- Ask additional questions
Text your guests and learn more after they book. Use the opportunity to message renters to learn more about their expectations, needs, and preferences and, most importantly, minimize hosting risks.
Jett Kirk, a law-degreed Airbnb Superhost, believes Airbnb questions for guests can be a dealbreaker:
“Sometimes guests will actually tell you why you should cancel their booking! I always ask what brings them to town, and in one case was told flat-out that a group of fairly young guys (early 20s) wanted to host a bachelor party at my place. I have a no-parties rule, period, and having been to more than a few bachelor parties myself over the years, I know that they’re some of the worst of the bunch!”.
Here are some standard questions to ask Airbnb guests:
- Can you provide the full names of the guests on the reservation?
- What is the goal of the stay?
- Have you used Airbnb services before (questions to ask an Airbnb guest with no reviews)?
- What attracted you to this listing?
- Where are you traveling from?
- Do you have any extra or special requirements?
- How do you plan to spend your time during the visit?
- Be careful with local address owners
A local address is one of the renowned Airbnb guest red flags. Because why is someone looking for a place to stay in the same city where they live? Maybe they have just broken up with their partner and cannot stand living with their ex anymore. But what if they need an apartment to throw a party with a bunch of friends? Gently asking Airbnb questions for guests can help you understand the guest’s intention before it’s too late. If the answer sounds suspicious, be sure to ask for a security deposit and remind them about your property rules.
Automate guest screening with Superhog
If the listed steps sound cumbersome and tiring, you can use Superhog to automate guest screening on Airbnb and other platforms. We offer a unique combination of screening, damage deposit, and damage protection services to filter out questionable booking requests and cover your expenses in case of property damage.
Know Your Guest frees you from the need to check every guest manually and rely on weak Airbnb guest screening procedures. After you integrate Guest Screening and ID Verification, the platform will automatically authenticate your guest’s details across multiple databases and send a unique verification link that gathers basic personal information to every guest.
Book a demo to learn more about using Know Your Guest for guest screening, ID verification, and damage protection.
