Collect Photo ID Option in Rental Agreement

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THANK YOU!! Such a great feature. You all rock. 

Airbnb doing supposed "verification" does 0 for the owner in case there is damage or dispute and you have to go to a small claims court. Airbnb will NEVER release the ID THEY have collected to you the owner short of a court order and even then they will fight it tooth and nail.. I do not know why do some owners think that Airbnb will back the owner - Airbnb does "verification" for their own purposes such as to make sure that credit card payment clears. IMO you should keep a consistent ID collection policy across ALL channels that you use: Vrbo, Abb, TripAdvisor, Booking dot com etc etc etc. 

This is great feature!

Will I be able to only require guest to upload ID only for specific channels like Vrbo and Direct Booking since Airbnb already did ID verification?

It can only be included/excluded by property, not by channel or other criteria. You could make the field optional but that would make it optional for everyone.

This is great feature!

Will I be able to only require guest to upload ID only for specific channels like Vrbo and Direct Booking since Airbnb already did ID verification?

Airbnb doing supposed "verification" does 0 for the owner in case there is damage or dispute and you have to go to a small claims court. Airbnb will NEVER release the ID THEY have collected to you the owner short of a court order and even then they will fight it tooth and nail.. I do not know why do some owners think that Airbnb will back the owner - Airbnb does "verification" for their own purposes such as to make sure that credit card payment clears. IMO you should keep a consistent ID collection policy across ALL channels that you use: Vrbo, Abb, TripAdvisor, Booking dot com etc etc etc. 

 reply

I also believe that there should be more flexibility in selecting which channel we require upload of ID. 

Also, unless I am missing something,  I do not want to FORCE potential guest to upload a picture on initial booking since the may not have it readily available for booking. So, I would choose OPTIONAL.

However, later on I want to send them reminder to upload the picture. This option is seems to me missing and I am worried  about that if I force guests to upload the picture on my website at the time of booking I will loose the booking. There must be some other solution.

I do not think collection of ID at the time of digning of the Rental Agreement is required, it is needed to just collect it later for chargebacks.

Paul

I also believe that there should be more flexibility in selecting which channel we require upload of ID. 

Also, unless I am missing something,  I do not want to FORCE potential guest to upload a picture on initial booking since the may not have it readily available for booking. So, I would choose OPTIONAL.

However, later on I want to send them reminder to upload the picture. This option is seems to me missing and I am worried  about that if I force guests to upload the picture on my website at the time of booking I will loose the booking. There must be some other solution.

I do not think collection of ID at the time of digning of the Rental Agreement is required, it is needed to just collect it later for chargebacks.

Paul

If the field is of type BOOKING (which it will be), and you add it to the check out/rental agreement form, that will be when booking already happened and they are e-signing the rental agreement. Actually, I am thrilled to collect ID when they sight the RA, because many don't send it AFTER and I have to chase them by sending repeat emails/texts. The OR staff explained above that you can make the field optional (or not use it at all). Just collect  ID after like you do now (if you do). But for those of us who want a smooth all-in-one process, this is a BIG improvement. 

We are so lucky that OwnerRez has worked hard to give us what we've asked for in the ability to have guests upload their ID so that we do not have to do this manually. This is an amazing tool. If you do not want to ask for ID, then that is fine. But it is best practice to have as much information on guests as possible in case there are issues. I have never lost a booking because we ask for ID. We state it clearly in our listing that ID is required. Also, note that asking some for ID and not others can be seen as a discriminatory practice. All or none. The benefits of requiring an ID of all guests are many, including having their information in case you have to take them to small claims, and for them to be better guests because they know that you know who they are. Add to that the renter's insurance, plus the security deposit, all listed as required in your listing, and you end up with a well-behaved group of future guests. And if a guest backs out because they don't want you to know who they are, be forewarned that you may be dodging a bullet. 

We are so lucky that OwnerRez has worked hard to give us what we've asked for in the ability to have guests upload their ID so that we do not have to do this manually. This is an amazing tool. If you do not want to ask for ID, then that is fine. But it is best practice to have as much information on guests as possible in case there are issues. I have never lost a booking because we ask for ID. We state it clearly in our listing that ID is required. Also, note that asking some for ID and not others can be seen as a discriminatory practice. All or none. The benefits of requiring an ID of all guests are many, including having their information in case you have to take them to small claims, and for them to be better guests because they know that you know who they are. Add to that the renter's insurance, plus the security deposit, all listed as required in your listing, and you end up with a well-behaved group of future guests. And if a guest backs out because they don't want you to know who they are, be forewarned that you may be dodging a bullet. 

What you said!!!!

From reading it is optional. You don’t have to include in the booking. 

It appears can source code can be used in separate email. 

Lol. I don't think Vrbo or Airbnb guests are protected classes from discrimination. 

Every market and business is different btw. You might not lose guests over asking for ID on certain platforms, but others might. 

We are so lucky that OwnerRez has worked hard to give us what we've asked for in the ability to have guests upload their ID so that we do not have to do this manually. This is an amazing tool. If you do not want to ask for ID, then that is fine. But it is best practice to have as much information on guests as possible in case there are issues. I have never lost a booking because we ask for ID. We state it clearly in our listing that ID is required. Also, note that asking some for ID and not others can be seen as a discriminatory practice. All or none. The benefits of requiring an ID of all guests are many, including having their information in case you have to take them to small claims, and for them to be better guests because they know that you know who they are. Add to that the renter's insurance, plus the security deposit, all listed as required in your listing, and you end up with a well-behaved group of future guests. And if a guest backs out because they don't want you to know who they are, be forewarned that you may be dodging a bullet. 

Bren, I am happy they included this but I not asking you to run my business and yes I did lost booking by asking photo ID and I had even bad review because of it and I started this 3 weeks ago. Thank you. I personally think simple upload feature would do it, currently the only option to add the field is on one form and I can choose it it optional or required. Not sure how can I use it if I say it "Display NO" option.

Paul

I am not talking about Fair Housing laws. I'm talking about Airbnb having a very hard line against anything that smacks of discrimination. That is the reason we're made to accept service animals on Airbnb, for example, even though the ADA does not require transient housing to accept them. Anytime you are using different rules for different guests, you expose yourself to an issue with the OTA. I have never heard of anyone losing a guest because they asked for ID after stating it was required on the listing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Insinuating Airbnb will be upset we are discriminating for asking Vrbo guests for ID but not Airbnb guests?

Now you've heard of it! Many times actually through these threads actually. 

If you just started this 3 weeks ago, then my first advice is not to let the guests dictate how you run your business either. And my second question would be, did your listing state that you require ID? Because understandably guests don't like those things thrown at them after the fact. Don't fear the loss of bookings. Target the good bookings. Good guests know that we're allowing them use of our pricey properties and we want to know who they are. And because you are only 3 weeks in, doing so will help you avoid the guests that come in, destroy your property, say it wasn't them, and walk away with no repercussions, ready to do it again to the next host. This business is strengthened by there being a balance of power between hosts and guests. My post above was about this ID maybe not being a good tool for all hosts, but those of us that have been asking for it are so happy to get it. This is a huge addition to OR. Not for you? Cool. But maybe ask yourself why seasoned hosts want this. 

No idea what you're trying to say, chap. 

Insinuating Airbnb will be upset we are discriminating for asking Vrbo guests for ID but not Airbnb guests?

Now you've heard of it! Many times actually through these threads actually. 

No, it is not Airbnb being upset. There is a type of discrimination called "disparate treatment". Look it up. The bottom line, you are safest when you treat ALL your customers in the same manner (i.e apply the same rules) regardless of the source. And not picking and choosing how and when to apply your rules or policies. Best of success. 

While I agree that it is a good business practice to collect IDs, I can see how this creates friction if it is REQUIRED at time of booking. From a business perspective, you do want the booking process to be a simple experience and some guests may be on their mobile phones, not tech savvy enough to figure it out or perhaps don't have their ID available.  Perhaps an option to create a tag for those that didn't provide it and send the request based on trigger (i.e. x days after booking) would provide greater flexibility?

My listing clearly states in description and house rules that ID is required. 

So when someone gets to the booking stage, it is no surprise to them. I weed out people with don’t want to give ID. No problems with booking my properties. 

If I get push back or if guest doesn’t upload in 24 hrs their ID, the booking is cancelled. 

Thanks OR for making collecting ID easier. I greatly appreciate it. 

After all the requests for it, it is here!! Yay. 

This! We asked and OwnerRez delivered! This is an amazeballs tool. 

My listing clearly states in description and house rules that ID is required. 

So when someone gets to the booking stage, it is no surprise to them. I weed out people with don’t want to give ID. No problems with booking my properties. 

If I get push back or if guest doesn’t upload in 24 hrs their ID, the booking is cancelled. 

Thanks OR for making collecting ID easier. I greatly appreciate it. 

After all the requests for it, it is here!! Yay. 

 

 

Yes, Yes, and Yes! I do not NEED guests that have an ulterior motive for not providing IDs. I am not renting a shack, I am renting quite pricey properties. I have to know who stays in them. If they are not OK with ID requirement (clearly stated in house rules and description), then I do not need such guests and they can book elsewhere.