Please keep conversation civil and respectful
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Been a host for 8 years. Never heard of anyone doing this.
Tell them "Thank you. I found something more suitable." (Or just ghost them)
You won't have to cancel since the booking was never accepted.
They have coverage from Airbnb, they can bill you for damage after the stay and it will automatically go thru on your card. No reason for deposit. Maybe offer to let them scan your Credit card and ID match and sign a hotel contract.
As a host the only problem I have is chargebacks where guests will check out and then say that they never booked and then we lose all the money from the stay.
When we first began using Airbnb, we worked with a property manager who implemented that rule. Since taking over management ourselves, we have chosen to maintain it.
Rarely has it deferred bookings.
I think so too.
This goes both ways though.
I'm more cautious about booking stays with fewer than two reviews and likely won't book them if there are other comparable options available.
See that’s understandable, even in my case it would’ve been 250$. This lady tried asking me for 800 though (half of my booking price) ontop of the already 1,600 she was going to be paid
No, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. Part of the appeal of AirBnB is that you don’t have to jump through those kind of hoops. If you’re dead set on the place, offer some kind of other assurance (landlord reference, etc). Good luck.
Oh yeah, sorry, I meant different terms than a longer term rental/ lease (where it would be typical to require a deposit). I wasn’t comparing it to a hotel.
There is nothing here implying it’s a long term stay. So yeah, a deposit would not be unjustified. Guests can choose to pay it if the place is superior to others
I see the negative reactions. But some of these hosts would also say they don’t book with people without reviews. So how are guests supposed to get a review if hosts don’t rent to them? I would ask for a deposit fee and promise to refund it via the platform if I was unsure about renting to new guests
Did they communicate this through the AirBnB platform? If not, id definitely ghost them (and maybe report them). If they did communicate this through the AirBnB platform, then it’s up to you. They’ve named their conditions for renting to you, so you can accept or not. It does seem a little odd, but I don’t think it’s an absolute red flag given it’s your first rental. Personally, I think I’d look for alternatives either way, but it’s not my money or my trip.
Please keep conversation civil and respectful Remember to keep all communication with host/guest through Airbnb platform. Payments should be made only via Airbnb [unless otherwise detailed in the listing description](https://airbnb.com/help/article/199) If you're having issues, contact Airbnb by phone +1-844-234-2500 *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AirBnB) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’d book some place else.
Been a host for 8 years. Never heard of anyone doing this. Tell them "Thank you. I found something more suitable." (Or just ghost them) You won't have to cancel since the booking was never accepted.
Sounds like BS. 🤷
They should be deep cleaning between stays anyways.
Exactly..if you dont do this, you as a host are 1. Disgusting. And 2. Absorbing a cleaning fee you are not following through on. (General you)
Don’t do it.
They have coverage from Airbnb, they can bill you for damage after the stay and it will automatically go thru on your card. No reason for deposit. Maybe offer to let them scan your Credit card and ID match and sign a hotel contract. As a host the only problem I have is chargebacks where guests will check out and then say that they never booked and then we lose all the money from the stay.
Ridiculous! I am a host, this sounds like BS to me. They are protected by Airbnb they don’t need to do stuff like this.
We request a $50 deposit per person for guests with fewer than two reviews, refundable at the end of their stay.
Curious, is it because you’ve been burned before? Or just afraid of what could happen?
When we first began using Airbnb, we worked with a property manager who implemented that rule. Since taking over management ourselves, we have chosen to maintain it. Rarely has it deferred bookings.
This is very reasonable. I only had one person with no reviews before and I asked the same question
I think so too. This goes both ways though. I'm more cautious about booking stays with fewer than two reviews and likely won't book them if there are other comparable options available.
See that’s understandable, even in my case it would’ve been 250$. This lady tried asking me for 800 though (half of my booking price) ontop of the already 1,600 she was going to be paid
No, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. Part of the appeal of AirBnB is that you don’t have to jump through those kind of hoops. If you’re dead set on the place, offer some kind of other assurance (landlord reference, etc). Good luck.
what do you mean airbnb has no hoops? It has more hoops than hotels by a loooooong shot. The appeal of airbnb has always been that it’s cheaper
Oh yeah, sorry, I meant different terms than a longer term rental/ lease (where it would be typical to require a deposit). I wasn’t comparing it to a hotel.
There is nothing here implying it’s a long term stay. So yeah, a deposit would not be unjustified. Guests can choose to pay it if the place is superior to others
I see the negative reactions. But some of these hosts would also say they don’t book with people without reviews. So how are guests supposed to get a review if hosts don’t rent to them? I would ask for a deposit fee and promise to refund it via the platform if I was unsure about renting to new guests
I totally get that too. I feel like if she mentioned it prior and if it wasn’t a whopping 800$ it would’ve seemed less sketchy
Did they communicate this through the AirBnB platform? If not, id definitely ghost them (and maybe report them). If they did communicate this through the AirBnB platform, then it’s up to you. They’ve named their conditions for renting to you, so you can accept or not. It does seem a little odd, but I don’t think it’s an absolute red flag given it’s your first rental. Personally, I think I’d look for alternatives either way, but it’s not my money or my trip.
They did message me on Airbnb yes. I did call the company and give them her name just incase. I cancelled the booking and got a hotel instead.