Last minute guests/ Red Flag Guests

– Questions to ask guest who is trying to book, request ID and credit card. Different between Airbnb and Homeaway
When looking out for any obvious “red flags.”

1. A different name on the reservation vs. on the credit card
2. A traveler whose home address is near your property
3. A stated number of travelers that doesn’t match up with your occupancy (e.g., the traveler says they have 2 people, but they’re renting a 4-bedroom property)
4. A large number of people, even if the property accommodates large parties
5. Large groups of adults traveling without children

All of these can have perfectly logical explanations. A husband may be using his wife’s credit card to make the booking. Someone may be booking a property on behalf of their relatives who are coming to visit. A traveler may not have noticed that they didn’t enter in the number of travelers, so the system defaulted to 2 adults.Regardless, you should ask, and then listen closely. You can usually hear when someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and if you don’t feel the guest is being straightforward with you, do not rent to them. Your gut instincts are often right!
Take a little time to chat with them about their trip and their intentions. “What brings you to town?” is a great, friendly question, and most people can answer readily. People who intend to use your property for a party they know isn’t allowed, however, will have a harder time answering, and that hesitation is your warning sign.If you have concerns about safety, you can go to additional lengths such as asking for a copy of their driver’s license to verify their identity. That said, many legitimate travelers aren’t comfortable sharing this kind of information simply to rent lodging, and vetting strategies often prove more effective to find the rare problematic guest.We can count the number of bad apples we’ve had this year on one hand – and we’ve made over 30,000 bookings in that time! Again: the vast majority of guests are ordinary people who simply want to have a nice vacation, and they’ll generally treat your property with respect. Your most common incidents are always going to be accidental damage, not fraud or catastrophic renters.