How to Keep the Bad Airbnb Guests Out by Screening Effectively

If you’ve had a bad experience with a guest on Airbnb, chances are you did not screen that guest effectively. But if you know what to look out for and what questions to ask, it is fairly easy to determine which guests are likely to break your house rules—and which ones might be engaged in criminal activity like fraud or identity theft.Anton Zilberberg is the Founder and CEO of Autohost, a new AI tool for screening Airbnb guests, and QuickStay, a luxury short-term rental (STR) management company out of Toronto with a portfolio of 100-plus properties. Today, he joins me to explain why it’s crucial to screen would-be guests and walk us through the questions he asks to determine intent.Anton offers insight on the two types of risk, general and criminal, sharing the red flags to look out for and additional measures to take in minimizing your risk portfolio. He also weighs in on the pros and cons of different booking channels and discusses the risks associated with guests coming from Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO. Listen in for the parameters Anton uses to establish a risk score for potential STR guests and learn how to handle cancellations for both instant bookings and booking requests on Airbnb.Topics CoveredWhy it’s crucial to screen your STR guestsAllows for sustainable businessResidential area not like hotel (e.g.: noise concerns)Anton’s screening questions for Airbnb guestsWhat is the purpose of your stay?Why are you interested in this property?Where are you traveling from?What is your experience with STR?Anton’s tips for screening potential STR guestsSet expectations at booking stageMake sure guest story makes senseGet indication of intent (i.e.: birthday party)Anton’s insight on the two types of riskGeneral risk (e.g.: rule violations, additional guests)Criminal activity such as fraud, identity theftPotential red flags for criminal activityOut-of-province phone #, long stay + high ADRNever answer phone but reply with SMSThe pros and cons of different booking channelsAirbnb good fraud detection, higher general riskcom high risk for fraud (establish processes)VRBO high general risk, less payment riskFactors to consider in determining general riskLength of stayBooking channelType of propertyNumber of guestsAverage daily rateDay of weekThe benefit of using Airbnb Instant BookNo penalty for cancellation with valid concernMore information to run guest risk scoreHow Anton handles Airbnb booking requestsRun risk score with information availableRun again once booking confirmedEstablish strict rules if score changesInvite guest to cancel for full refundConnect with AntonAutohostQuickstayAnton on LinkedInResourcesSTR Legends LiveNoiseAwareTo subscribe to the podcast, please use the links belowClick Here to Subscribe via iTunesClick here to Subscribe via Stitcher (Android users)If you like the show, please consider leaving the show a review in iTunesor Stitcher. A couple minutes of your time can help the show immensely! Thanks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.