Honing your guest vetting process and sharpening your ability to spot potential red flags is one of the best ways to host great guests and protect your property and neighborhood from those who might accidentally or intentionally skirt your rules. On the flip side, ignoring warning signs can land your home on your town’s 311 complaint line for nuisance issues, or worse, and put you at risk of permit revocation or even an anti-short-term rental ordinance.
As a short-term rental owner or manager, the responsibility is on you to make sure your guests are nothing but great neighbors. The good news is that knowing the red flags can greatly reduce your risk of inadvertently accepting a questionable booking.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Booking red flag #1: Fraudulent bookings and scams
Don’t rely solely on online travel agencies such as Vrbo and Airbnb to verify your guests’ identities. Those identification verification systems are a good layer of protection but offer no guarantees.
Scrutinize inquiries from travelers with:
- Missing profile pictures
- Incomplete or odd names
- Peculiar email addresses
- New profiles without reviews or with only one review
Check the guest’s credit card information. Does the name on the credit card match the guest? Is the credit card issued from the country where the guest says they’re located? Make sure the credit card isn’t flagged for fraud or prepaid.
Still in doubt? Look for the traveler’s social media accounts. Call your guest on the phone to see how they respond. If they decline to speak to you and want to restrict communication to email or text, that could be a red flag.
Read More: 10 friendly (but firm) ways to respond to questions about your house rules [+ templates!]
Booking red flag #2: Potential parties
Watch out for:
- One-night bookings, especially on a Friday or Saturday
- A large group of unrelated adults, particularly during popular gathering times like spring break or New Year’s Eve
- Inconsistency between the stated number of guests and the property’s occupancy
- Locals seeking to book a property close to home
Particularly when more than one of these elements shows up, they can be early indications of a party. Ask the potential guest how they intend to use the property, and be sure to ask follow-up questions based on their answers. This will alert you to guests who either didn’t read the rules before booking or planned to ignore them.
Let potential guests know before they book if you use noise sensors and security cameras to monitor the property. Guests who were planning to throw a party without your permission are unlikely to book your property because they know they’ll get caught.
Read More: How to make sure your short-term rental is compliant with local regulations
Booking red flag #3: Local guests
A local guest doesn’t necessarily mean something untoward will occur. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be more demand from locals for a safe place to stay while home renovations occur or even to quarantine away from family members. However, in some cases, a local guest can be an indication of plans for a party or criminal activity, particularly if other red flags are present, too.
Booking red flag #4: Ignoring your short-term rental house rules
When a potential guest asks questions or states intentions contrary to rules clearly featured in a property listing, it could mean the guest is shopping around and hasn’t yet taken the time to read the policies. But it also could signal that your guest plans to violate the rules.
Read More: Communicating Vacation Rental House Rules Effectively [+ templates!]
Booking red flag #5: Out-of-the-ordinary or suspicious requests
Last-minute reservation requests, a booking for someone else, and requests to pay with a cashier’s check or other payment forms not offered on the property listing are the kind of odd requests that should automatically trigger additional screening.
Above all, listen to your intuition: If something raises your hackles, it’s probably a red flag.
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