I was just trying to book a reservation with Airbnb. They started asking me things which are nuts. Not just stuff like my credit card number or banking information. They want me to upload pictures of my drivers license and passport (both sides) along with a current picture of my face.
I have booked reservations with Airbnb before. I have never gotten bizarre requests like this before.
I have done a quick check online and verified Airbnb is asking questions like this. Because my initial assumption was their site had been hacked.
Is this some bizarre new general policy by Airbnb? Or is this an indication that the person I am trying to book a reservation with is nuts and has requested this kind of information before they accept reservations?
I’ve heard that people have booked houses through Airbnb to host parties that have resulted in property damage. I think they are particularly suspicious of reservations for houses near to where people live.
Don’t hotels require IDs on check in? I’m not sure why it’s bizarre. They need to check to see if the customer isn’t a minor and some locations have regulations requiring IDs.
Yes, we now just book hotels. Airbnb is starting to become a shitshow. The number of people I know personally who have had bad experiences in the last two years is frightening.
Just in the last year people in my extended family have experienced:
Car towed from space where host told them to park (sign said “Reserved” guest assumed it meant reserved for them)
Locked out of building mid stay because condo association does not allow short term rentals (to be fair there were warnings in the lobby and elevators that this could happen)
Code for electronic lock didn’t work and host could not be reached for hours. Months long dispute to get refund after they checked into hotel instead.
Bizarrely, this hasn’t stopped these folks from using Airbnb. I guess one reason they find it economical is that they are not scared off by negative reviews.
We used to try to book Airbnbs when traveling with our dog, but the last few times it seems like we were better off finding a pet friendly hotel.
There seems to be adverse selection going on, where the most undesirable guests are still in the market (six people squeezing into a one bedroom, hosting parties, squatters, etc) and the hosts are reacting to this by imposing more and more draconian checks. It’s not surprising really.
This has been a thing with some hosts for years now. When I used to regularly travel to Seattle and used AirBnB, the corporate owned places wanted the whole ID rigmarole.
I tried to use Airbnb once, and the host sold the property and the rental was cancelled shortly before our trip, leaving us in the lurch. We managed to find a hotel, but most everything near where we wanted to be was booked, and there was way too much drama.
Are you my son? He booked an AirBnB as the crash pad for his bachelor party (was upfront with the host, who was fine with it). The day that people were showing up the property was sold and removed from the site.
Much scrambling to eventually find 2 or 3 hotel rooms on a Chiefs weekend in Kansas City. Never found out what compensation he got.
I know someone in Chile who rented their cabin in Patagonia out to some Swedish university students. The students accidentally started a fire, didn’t call the fire department, and instead drove straight to the airport and flew home. By the time he found out, his vacation home was a smoldering ruin. Now he’s got lawyers and embassies involved trying to get compensation.
No idea, people are getting nutter. I mean, I like the Japanese show Midnight Diner, which is going off Netflix, so Rob wanted to buy me the 3 disc set for birthday/Christmas, and in addition to all the usual address, billing address and credit card info they asked for his SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Sorry but that is screaming identity theft.
It sounds like the Airbnb host may have been scammed or something with past experiences and is super suspicious now.
When I book with Airbnb I am careful who I rent with, my best experiences have been with on site owners or owners who live in the immediate area. I kind of hate when an LLC or other individuals own dozens of units taking them out of circulation from the people who rent and work in the area.
Sounds like a doom loop for Airbnb, pushing the guests they want back toward hotels.
My wife has looked into Airbnb several times, but is always turned-off by all the additional fees - when added-up, it ends up being more than just booking a hotel room, and without all the uncertainty and drama (aside from the issue of how short-term rentals have ruined life for people who live in these areas). We’ve not gotten past that to get to the whole “provide a DNA sample” level of scrutiny.
The answer to the thread title is: people are assholes.
On the one hand you have irresponsible guests who trash (or loot) the place and run. On the other hand you have the residence owners who either try to gouge the crap out of their customers, or who just don’t case and do things as mentioned above like locking their guests out, subletting illegally, or just taking the money and running.
I’m making a thirty-two day rental. If I was planning on trashing the place, I’d be looking to do a thorough job of it.
I’m currently stuck in a loop of frustration. I make the reservation and Airbnb tells me I’m verified and I’ll be receiving my confirmation within twenty-four hours. Then I receive a notification from Airbnb telling me my reservation has been cancelled because I am not verified with them. So I contact the Airbnb help center to get verified and they tell me I already am verified.
A lot of businesses are indeed going overboard. I drop into a drugstore to buy some deodorant, they ask me for my phone number. I just say “you don’t need it” and move on. You have to push back.
That being said, If I’m leasing my property, maybe a half million dollar nest egg to you, a total stranger, you’re damned right I’m asking for every assurance that I’m legally allowed. Why would you expect otherwise? If it’s not agreeable, hotels exist, but they also require ID.
This sums it up. They make people go through all of that because so many customers have been assholes over the years and it ruins it for the rest of us.
They used to be fun where you would rent a room or an ADU in someone’s house and the owner would be someone fun who liked hanging out with people. My friend rented one in Boston for a week many years ago and had a blast with the owner who showed him around and took him to a couple hole in the wall restaurants that he never would have found one night. The rest of the time he went to the museums and sites on his own.
My good friend owns a home with an ADU. He lives in the ADU and rents the home, which is one block from the bluffs in Santa Barbara. He’s basically infinitely booked because people love the place and especially him so much. It’s a shame that so much of it has turned into corporate entities owning all of that property.
The house behind be is up for sale. I hope a nice family buys it and not a rental/airbnb company. They are very kind people and we’ve discussed it and they’d probably take a bit less for a family to buy it.
The length of your stay might be the problem. In some places, staying in a rental for more than a month turns you into a tenant, who has to be evicted if they chose not to vacate quietly.