When Guests Insist on Viewing Before Booking… Do You Allow It?

[Chizoba Ani]

There are some guests you’ll come across who can be quite demanding—and knowing how to handle them is key to protecting your time and your property.

I recently had a potential guest who wanted to book a stay for herself and her siblings. Before booking, she insisted on viewing the property in person, despite the listing having clear photos and strong reviews.

As standard practice, I explained that the unit was currently occupied and that in-person viewings aren’t permitted due to privacy and security reasons. I also reassured her that the property is exactly as presented in the photos and description.

She ultimately chose not to proceed without a viewing and I was completely fine with that.

Not every inquiry should convert into a booking. Part of effective short-term rental management is setting clear boundaries and filtering out guests who may not be the right fit.

Have you dealt with similar situations? How do you handle pre-booking viewing?

[Lauren Kormylo]

I have not had that request for a short stay, but I would refuse.  I'm 2500 miles away, and I'm not hiring someone to show the place for me for a few day's booking.  I would never show it while guests are present or during a turnover day either.  You have to think about Airbnb and Vrbo being around for years now, and millions of people have used them successfully by photos and reviews.  Why would this person insist on seeing it?  I've heard of scammers wanting to find out the exact address and take video to make up a fake listing on Facebook Marketplace that they use to scam guests out of money.  And there's the fact that showing an empty house to a stranger can be risky.  Airbnb and Vrbo don't really vet their guests. 

I did show mine to a few potential long term guests on Furnished Finder a few years ago.  At that time, I was staying 1.5 hours away.  They didn't end up booking, so that was (2) 3 hour round trips wasted.  

@John Racine the reason not to communicate off Airbnb like that is because they could ban you if they find out the guest is trying to book directly with you.  The reason a guest would want to call or text you right off the bat is usually to pay you directly with a stolen credit card or bad company check.  And now, Airbnb doesn't give you the guest's real phone number even after booking, and the guest doesn't get yours.  They give virtual phone numbers that expire 2 days after the stay.  If you try to message the guest a real phone number or email, even disguised in text, they will block it.  They've even blocked numbers in a message that weren't an attempt to send a phone number, they're getting very aggressive about it.  Vrbo still gives out phone numbers and emails after booking, however.