Risky Guest Warning Signs

Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions

Risky Guest Warning Signs

Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2017 · 59 posts · 51 votes

Hi all - Thought I'd share some of the "red flags" or warning signs I consider when accepting bookings at our vacation / short term rentals. If several or most of these are present, I won't hesitate to deny or cancel the booking. And all of our "horror stories" can definitely be mapped back to these warning signs. Based on "learning the hard way" I've since updated our settings on Airbnb and Homeaway to pre-empt these when possible.

Curious what others have observed??

1. Last minute booking (1-3 days in advance)

2. Empty profile - no pic, no personal info, minimum verifications

3. No reviews + New account (typically created same month as booking)

4. Local guest

5. No message with inquiry/booking

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Luke CarlPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes

They’re all a problem

Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills

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Mike V.
Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
8y
For me, my biggest red flags are: 1. Asking for a discount, then asking for a payment extension (vrbo) 2. Asking questions that are clearly outlined in listing description and /or expecting me to be their person tour guide.
2 Reply
Michael Greenberg
Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 533 posts · 433 votes
8y
This is a great topic Selena, thanks for posting. I seem to have more issues with guests that try and negotiate as @Mike V. mentioned as well as last minute bookings as you describe. I also have challenges with off-season guests as they pay less and for some reason cause more problems. If a potential guest has no reviews and/or no description of their plans I always follow up with "can you please tell me a bit more about all of the guests and what your plans are for your visit?", and make sure they are all at least 21 years old (I'm considering raising this minimum to 25 years old). I have also set my Airbnb booking requests to accept instant bookings, however the prospective guest must have at least one positive review. Unfortunately VRBO/HA doesn't have this option for instant booking, but I do converse with them as well for additional details. I also set my damage deposit high and if they negotiate or complain about it - red flag. Hope this helps a bit and gives some additional ideas.
Mike
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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
8y
Look at the vehicle they are driving. If it looks like it is worth less than $5000, you'll probably have problems.
1 Reply
Peter Sanchez
Real Estate Investor · Washington, DC · Member since 2014 · 236 posts · 328 votes
8y
Yeah, we only accepted an in town booking once (their apt was being repaired) because we want to avoid people trying to rent our house for partying.
We try to avoid new people (no reviews) because they have never used AirBNB so they may come with expectations that it's like a hotel and give us less than 5 star review. The only 3 or 4 stars we have gotten have been from new users.
People coming for a conference are the best. They usually just come back to the room to sleep, don't make noise, and give great reviews.
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Luke CarlPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
They’re all a problem
Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
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Tara Wright
Bay Area, CA · Member since 2018 · 27 posts · 16 votes
8y
@Lucas Carl ack! Don’t say that! I’m working with your lovely wife to find a cabin to STR. I thought it was easy to manage. Now I’m worried!
0 Reply
Luke CarlPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
@Tara Wright it was a joke. Unfortunately I’m not funny ;)
Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
8y
Originally posted by @Luke Carl:
Most are a problem
Fixed it for you Reverend.
1 Reply
Mike V.
Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
8y
I rarely have a problem. There’s only 1 serious headache that I’ve had so far and luckily they were all bark and no bite. Rarely have any damage over $50... mostly a broken dish or forgotten beach towel. Stuff I don’t bother charging over. Most have been great overall. But I do really hate the people who ask 1000 questions and expect me to be a tour guide. They usually end up leaving very nice reviews but I provide more info than most need and they clearly didn’t bother reading it. This also happens when I get a frantic call asking for the address or lockbox combo. I have it written in like 3 different places... very annoying but not serious. I think @Lucas Carl is just grouchy today ;)
1 Reply
Mike Shemp
Rental Property Investor · Stewartsville, NJ · Member since 2016 · 419 posts · 280 votes
8y
You also want to avoid people without a profile pic, and last minute bookings, and 1 night bookings.
We also have the max security deposit on our listing, and also have our guests sign a rental agreement which indicates they will be responsible for all damages.
Mike
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Nancy Bachety
Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes
8y
Good topic. People are still joining Airbnb and are new. For them, if they are of a certain age, I don't jump to conclusions but I do reply back telling them we require a governmental ID and photo ID verification. I base decisions on how fast they act on that. So far, for them, they all have 5 star guests.
Everything else you mention is spot on, especially the no message part.
@Luke Carl is probably the nicest host out of all of us, he's all talk just to make us laugh! And his wife must be very tolerant! Don't be nervous, @Tara Wright, we just bought a cabin from @Avery Carl and the seller was one she'll probably never forget. She is a pro too.
2 Reply
Avery CarlBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · USA · Member since 2016 · 909 posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Hahahaha @Tara Wright don't worry about @Luke Carl his sense of humor doesn't translate well over the internet.
@Nancy Bachety the case of the disappearing seller was definitely one for the history books. But we got 'em! Thank you!
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Luke CarlPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
Has anyone ever asked a guest with no picture to add a picture? I trIed it a few days ago. No reply no pic.
Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
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Luke CarlPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
Do you find yourself passive aggressively discouraging guests from booking if they ask dumb questions such as “are these dates available” or “is the entire fee due now or later” I feel it’s ok to ask one stupid question but once they cross the two stupid question threshold I prefer they go on their merry way. Perhaps folks in less occupied areas will tell me I’m nuts. Your thoughts?
Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
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Joe Garvin
Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 94 posts · 46 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Luke Carl:
Has anyone ever asked a guest with no picture to add a picture? I trIed it a few days ago. No reply no pic.
I am so glad this thread was started. We received a reservation notice 2 days ago. It came thru AirBnB and was for 2 guests for 6 days in October. The guest had a brand new profile and just happened to live 30 min away (supposedly) but also had an odd international number and the only verifications were email and phone number; even though we require government ID as well. I sent him an email asking to provide some form of picture Identification, but never got a reply back. I got AirBnB customer service involved they informed the guest that we required providing a government ID and that we also were considering having them sign a Short Term Rental Agreement as well. Turned out the guest flat out refused even though they seem to have never rented on AirBnB and they cancelled the request on their own. Luckily the thread topic was fresh in my mind and we struck with out gut feeling that something didn't seem right. Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Oh yea- Lucas I also did SUGGEST that Robert add a picture to his profile so as to get better results.
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Andrea Cole
Real Estate Investor · Summerfield, NC · Member since 2016 · 56 posts · 55 votes
7y
@Luke Carl Here's my one stupid question for this thread... how does the guest provide photo ID verification? By adding a profile pic? I understand providing the government ID for ABNB to check but I'm unsure how I cross-check the photo ID.
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Mark Futalan
Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2018 · 263 posts · 95 votes
7y
@Selena Walsh
So far I’ve had 2 bad experiences with guests and both of those were last minute bookings. Typically people plan ahead for bookings, so those trying to get a last minute discount is definitely a sign. We now set our rates to not go below a certain amount so that we don’t attract the wrong crowd.
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
@Andrea Cole Just look for the Government ID verification checkmark on the guest's profile. There's not a way for you to cross-check it yourself (unless you require them to send you a photo of their ID, which would probably get push-back).
It does require trusting that AirBNB is doing a good job of verification (debatable), but I view it as, if they're not willing to even submit their ID to AirBNB (they don't necessarily know AirBNB's methods for vetting) then I don't want them. Yeah, it's possible they submit a fake ID, but I view that as unlikely.
Today I got a request on VRBO from a guest who wanted to book several days in April but wanted to pay by company check or certified check, since supposedly his company was covering the vacation. I told him to take a hike. Asking to pay off-platform, ESPECIALLY via check, is super shady - not to mention his story was nonsense. a) what company pays for their employee's vacations, and b) even if they did, they'd reimburse, not pay up-front.
1 Reply
Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
@Julie McCoy You should have told the guy that your check processor is Helen Waite, and that he needs to go to Helen Waite.
3 Reply
Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
@Paul Sandhu hahaha I love it! Missed my opportunity for sure... but no doubt there'll be another one down the line
0 Reply
Rhonda Blue
Real Estate Broker · East TN Loudon/Lenoir City/Tellico Village · Member since 2014 · 363 posts · 222 votes
7y
@Selena Walsh I mainly seem to find that guests who ask a zillion questions before their stay are never satisfied. The Local guest issue hasnt been that for me at all with Pigeon Forge Gatlinburg because with my cabins we have so many honeymooners. Locals who get married and stay in our cabins. I love it.
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Selena Walsh
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2017 · 59 posts · 51 votes
7y
@Julie McCoy I got the exact same inquiry on VRBO yesterday! I didn't even respond - we've gotten one or two of those in the past and it's typically pretty obvious it is scammers of some sort.
0 Reply
Chuck Kramer
Orlando, FL · Member since 2017 · 241 posts · 254 votes
7y
I have had a few bad experiences so far, but its a small percentage. One turned out to be a frat party and it was the Gatlinburg POlice that contacted me. Some student at Tenn had an uncle book for him. Had about $6K in damage and insurance only covered $3K.
There were zero red flags on the booking.
Others have been like @Peter Sanchez and @Michael Greenberg related above. I will say that offseason guests who stay at low rates are my single biggest headache. They need tons of care from my local team, tend to leave big messes, and more damage/theft. Inraised prices on 2 of our cabins to avoid it even though utilization will suffer. Like they say, peace of mind is too valuable.
I also installed exterior cameras this summer as a result of the issues. They paid for themselves this oast weekend when I had 13 people try to crash in my 3 bedroom cabin.
1 Reply
Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Mike V.:
I rarely have a problem. There’s only 1 serious headache that I’ve had so far and luckily they were all bark and no bite.
Rarely have any damage over $50... mostly a broken dish or forgotten beach towel. Stuff I don’t bother charging over.
Most have been great overall. But I do really hate the people who ask 1000 questions and expect me to be a tour guide. They usually end up leaving very nice reviews but I provide more info than most need and they clearly didn’t bother reading it. This also happens when I get a frantic call asking for the address or lockbox combo. I have it written in like 3 different places... very annoying but not serious.
I think @Lucas Carl is just grouchy today ;)
would It help for you to have a FAQ for your place up front.. ??? My dad was an onsite manager for a time share property on Maui for 6 years ( in his retirement years) he loved it gave him something to do in retirement.. However he would kind of act like a tour guide giving a Saturday morning presentation on what to do on Maui with donuts coffee juice fruit etc. he used his own money for it. but the folks coming to the time share LOVED it.. He called it his orientation meetings. so Maybe ( and I don't know since I only used a BNB once and it was not a good experience) but maybe you can head the folks off.. by answer the most frequent questions.
and out of curiosity where are your short term rentals I see your in Campbell.
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Selena Walsh:

@Julie McCoy I got the exact same inquiry on VRBO yesterday! I didn't even respond - we've gotten one or two of those in the past and it's typically pretty obvious it is scammers of some sort.
Not surprised - I'm sure those guys hit up as many people as they can. Though this person had actually inquired about the house a week or two ago, it wasn't until the second message that he sprung the check thing on me.
I always respond because I want to maintain my response time rating. But I was like yeah no. LOL
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