Best Questions to Ask an Airbnb Guest (When They Have No Reviews)

As a host, it is important that you trust your guests, despite whether they are renting a room in your humble abode, or renting the whole space.

After the guest’s stay at a rental, a host may choose to leave a review. It is important that hosts try their best to attain 5-star reviews, and the same goes for guests. However this is sometimes not the case and it is hard to know if the person who has inquired about your property can be trusted to care for your place. 

The questions you may ask depend upon who is booking. For example, a group of 3 teenagers or young adults coming to town to party should be asked more extensive questions than a couple who is in town for tourism. There are many questions to ask an Airbnb guest with no reviews. Here are 5 options to consider.

Questions to Ask an Airbnb Guest

What brings you to the area?

• It is always important to confirm the purpose of the guest’s stay and this should be the first question you ask. Why? Because their purpose for staying will allow you to ask more tailored questions. It can also help provide further personalized information that will help you make recommendations for enjoying the area during their stay. 

What brought you to my listing?

• Again, another important question, and the answer could simply be that it is in the most convenient location for the purpose of their stay. It could, however, be something more specific. Nevertheless, knowing why a guest decided to inquire about your property is a reasonable request.

Have you read the rules of the house? Do you accept the rules?

• As a host, your house, your rules. Ensuring guests agree to these rules and abide by them during their stay is critical. You may think ‘the rules are clearly stated on the property listing, so I won’t bother going over them with the guest’. In a sense, yes, however you should always have written confirmation the guest has viewed the rules and accepts them. This simple step could save you and the guest from legal action later on if anything were to go wrong during they stay. 

Have you used Airbnb before?

• Finding out if the guest is familiar with Airbnb, especially if they have no reviews, is a must. It could well be that the guest has had their profile sitting there for a few years and are just now using it for the first time, so the fact that there aren’t any reviews is justified. If they have used the service more than once and have no reviews, then it is time to dig deeper.

Where are you based and what is your occupation?

• Yes, this is a bit personal. However you are about to welcome a stranger in to your home so it’s a give-give situation. Especially if the guest has no reviews and has used Airbnb before, these questions are vital in your overall trust of this potential guest. 

Final Thoughts

If a guest has no reviews, this is not a time to worry or doubt them straight away. After all, at one time, every user of Airbnb, including you, had no reviews and someone gave each person a chance to prove themselves a terrific guest or host.

Instead, consider asking the questions listed above and find out more about them. With Airbnb’s live chat option, it has never been easier to communicate with them until you are comfortable enough to let the guest into your home. Who knows, you might even make a few friends while you’re at it! It is possible to care for your space while also being a welcoming host.