guests wanting previews

[Tawnie0]

I have a guest who has a reservation at the end of october who decided to inspect my property while i was at work .. they called me with questions about cleaning my yard when they said that i realized that they were in my nieghbors yard They are making me uncomfortable.

[Ephraim0]

That does sound like the begining of a headache. Your best bet is to contact airbnb and express your stalking and tresspassing concerns to see if they will let you off the hook on this one. Good luck!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Tawnie0

@Ephraim0

I agree with Ephraim - this doesn't seem a very good sign to me.

[Susan151]

ewwww.... creepie. I agree with @Ephraim and the others.

[Barb6]

Here is the other side. I am booking a summer place for a family vacation on a lake. I am going to inspect the place as we have 3 little grand children 2 of them are a year old. I need to make sure that it is safe acceptable for them. HOWEVER, i contacted the host and she has agreed for me to come and look the outside property over. That was my main concern as it is on a lake. I really appreciate the host doing this for me. That being said, are there specific reasons that the guests wanted to see your place first? I would ask. The guests should have asked you if it was ok, that was very forward. If the guests has specific reasons then i could kind of understand. 

If they were close enough to visit, why do they need to book a place? 

I wouldn't be upset if a guest "drove by" and had questions. I would be miffed if they drove in and walked around.

Its not open to the general public.

[Anonymous]

The behavior you're describing is one reason many hosts choose to decline "local" guests. The typical hosting procedure is organized around the needs of people visiting from out of town, and our compensation doesn't account for the time and effort of scheduling a "preview" or preparing the property for inspection prior to the guest's check-in.

However, @Tawnie0, your particular case is different. At least one of your listings (Artist Loft Warehouse, which looks awesome by the way). is not a typical accommodation but rather an Event Space. So for this one, locals are the primary market, and it's quite practical for the renter who's organizing the event to have an advance tour; it sounds like you've accommodated these in the past. 

Your guest's dumb mistake was to turn up unannounced, which was a waste of their own time, and made them seem a bit creepy. You need only ask that they schedule a tour with you at a time when you're available to show them around. If they still make you uncomfortable upon meeting them, or you get any indication that their event is unsuitable for your property, you may consider asking them to cancel and negotiating an exemption to your Strict cancellation policy. 

[Danny9]

@Anonymous has raised a very valid point here. Airbnb hosts are not compensated for organizing and running site inspections. As a rule, we do not offer this service. Hotels do, to some extent, and they can at the prices that they are charging. Airbnb is usually very price sensitive and many hosts cannot afford to factor this service into their normal pricing. 

Hence, my default would always be a clear 'No'! I would be happy to accommodate for the two specific scenarios, though. 

First off, people who request site inspection at the time they are requesting to book, and have a very good reason for it: small childeren; special needs, etc. IF I agree to their request I am happy to honor it. Sheer curiosity is not a good reason. Being in the neighborhood anyway is yet another very bad reason. 

Second off, people who are staying for more than 14 nights. I see the point that they may want to see the space and choose what to take with them, and what to leave at home, how to get organized, do better planning, etc. 

Danny

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