jackal

FWIW, I almost have the opposite view. I actually feel slightly more comfortable with Airbnb bookings, because I know that Airbnb has done at least some level of vetting their identity (whether by driver's license, social media profile, or whatever) and thus Airbnb has accepted responsibility for ensuring payment details are valid. With HomeAway (parent of VRBO), even though I ask for a copy of ID after booking (emailed, not in person, because I allow my guests to check in anytime with a door code and don't meet them in person), I'm taking the full risk for credit card chargebacks due to fraudulent card usage, whereas Airbnb absorbs the risk of fraudulent payment chargebacks.

That said, I do still have a slight tendency towards trusting Airbnb bookings/customers less than HomeAway primarily because Airbnb tends to be prevalent among a younger crowd (where there's a [slight] chance of irresponsible behavior) whereas VRBO/HomeAway tends to attract a more mature audience (i.e. more responsible), though that's not ironclad, of course. I've had plenty of older folks book via Airbnb and haven't had any trouble with the younger ones doing anything to my units.

As a consumer, I much prefer Airbnb having access to my ID than an owner whom I know nothing about and have no reason to trust with my information. For those above (and yes, I realize this is an older thread) who say that they shouldn't have to give their IDs to Airbnb because they don't have to give their IDs to Marriott or Hilton or whatever, consider the fact that:

• as has been emphasized, Airbnbs are not hotels, so what hotels do is relatively immaterial
• hotels typically have formalized check-in procedures, part of which does often include verifying ID, whereas it is often possible to check into an Airbnb without ever seeing the owner
• hotels are typically large operations with professionally-set-up POS/guest management systems and/or corporate rules regarding guest information privacy and PCI compliance

And as an Airbnb host, while it's far from perfect, I appreciate that Airbnb is then willing to "vouch" for the guest who books my unit and absorb some of the risk of fraudulent payment without me having to go through the painful chargeback process myself.

I do whole home rentals as well, but honestly, the old method of using HomeAway as basically a glorified classified listing site where you advertise your home and then potential renters apply for your approval is going away (that much was made very clear at the last HomeAway summit in Nashville--you should have heard the outright booing in some places during CEO John Kim's keynotes). The new generation wants instant-booking a la Airbnb, and HomeAway is working to give it to them. We're in a transition phase now, but HomeAway is moving towards (and in many respects even today already has) a fully automated platform that significantly rewards hosts who use instant booking, HomeAway's own payments platform, and play along with the rules. FWIW, I have instant-booking enabled for both platforms (on HA, I require the maximum--a verified email address and at least one positive review--and on Air, I also require the maximum--verified ID and at least one positive review) and have had zero issues with having guests I wouldn't have otherwise manually approved book, and I have no doubt I've increased my revenue far more than any potential damage could cost me.

Owners who are holding onto the old methods of screening applicants themselves and choosing who is allowed to book their home (and taking a day or three to do so) can still do that, but the booking platforms will lower their listing's ranking and they'll be leaving a lot of bookings (i.e. money) on the table.

Sure, you can scam Airbnb. Maybe some people are already doing that. But as long as Airbnb is willing to (at least in part) assume that risk and protect me against fraudulent usage (protection I don't have when I use HomeAway's payments processor or my own credit card processor, which is why I require ID on those booking channels to at least have some ability to fight back if I ever do receive a chargeback for fraudulent usage), I don't much care whether you scam Airbnb with a fake ID or not, so have at it.

pinniped

This is where we disagree. At this point, 2018, Airbnb is a hotel company. Trying to argue otherwise for the purpose of enabling racist behavior, tax evasion, or otherwise breaking local hospitality laws is an increasing failing argument. More and more cities are figuring this out and starting to regulate them properly.