How to Keep the Bad Airbnb Guests Out by Screening Effectively
Summary
This article discusses the importance of screening potential guests to avoid problems like rule violations and criminal activity in your short-term rentals. It provides a screening process by outlining questions to ask and red flags to look for. Hosts should consider implementing a screening process and evaluating the booking channels they use.
Key Insights
- •Out-of-province phone numbers, long stays combined with high ADR, and guests who never answer the phone but reply via SMS are potential red flags for criminal activity.
- •The article highlights two types of risk: general (rule violations, additional guests) and criminal (fraud, identity theft) when it comes to STR guests.
Action Items
- ✓Hosts should consider the pros and cons of different booking channels: Airbnb (good fraud detection, higher general risk), Booking.com (high risk for fraud), and VRBO (high general risk, less payment risk).Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Hosts should establish expectations at the booking stage and make sure the guest's story makes sense.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Hosts should screen potential guests by asking questions such as: What is the purpose of your stay? Why are you interested in this property? Where are you traveling from? What is your experience with STR?Effort: lowImpact: medium
Tools & Resources
- →Autohost: The article mentions Autohost as an AI tool for screening guests.
Common Mistakes
- ⚠Failing to effectively screen guests can lead to issues such as rule violations and criminal activity like fraud or identity theft.
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