Houfy (direct booking) Hosts: How are you verifying guests and collecting payment?

[Jon Martin]

Just got my first inquiry . . . . No red flags in the messages, seemed like genuine and polite person. Only alarm bell was the international country code but it's the UK, not Belarus or Nigeria. 

Asked for a photo government ID and payment in full via payment app. Is this enough? Are any of asking for anything else in the way of verification?

Thanks in advance

[Jon Martin]

Quote from @Mindy Nicol:

Hi Jon, Haven't heard of Houfy but thanks for posting about this.

How do they verify guests?  Are guests required to add passport info?  If not I think you need to ask for this or some form of ID.  Why did you decide to use them vs Airbnb and VRBO?  Just curious. 

Mindy

 Houfy does not accept payment unless you add a Stripe or Square account. Submitting an ID for verification is voluntary. They are basically a Craigslist for STRs. I plan to have the guest send me a picture of their photo ID. 

I still use AIRBNB and VRBO. The difference is that Houfy is not collecting 15%+ in fees, so I can offer a better price to the guests while also putting more money in my pocket. I don't see myself moving away from them, however I want to have the foundation in place to eventually take control of my own guest lists and not be at the mercy of their rules and algorithms. I also don't like that those platforms collect interest off my guests and my property in the time between booking with full payment and payout 1-2 days after arrival.