How to conduct background check on mid term Airbnb guests and who pays for it

[Jin Zhang]

Hi everyone, 

I just started doing MTR on Airbnb. I have written in my rules about background check and sign a lease. I have a few groups approached and all confirmed understanding the rule. I ask them not to book since there is cancellation penalty for hosts. I want to vest them before booking. But once it reaches the stage of background check, they disappear. It seems like that they do not want to pay for the 45 dollars to go through it. Have you run into this before? Do you ask for background check? If so, do you pay for it or the guests pay for it? 

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Jin 

[Bonnie Low]

I advertise my MTR space on Furnished Finder only. No one has ever balked at undergoing a background check and, if they did, that would be a red flag for me and I'd just move along. Because it's not an OTA but rather just a lead gen funnel, there is no algorithm impacted by you not approving a guest or cancelling one and no penalties. My formula is simple: Step 1, background check. Guest(s) pay for this. I initiate the background check through KeyCheck, which is affiliated with Furnished Finder. The link is sent to them and they pay for it. Results are sent to me. Step 2, lease agreement. I use a state-specific lease generated by Avail. All parties over 18 must sign and return the lease agreement. I give them a time limit. Usually 24-48 hours at the most. Step 3: deposits have to be paid to reserve the property and first month's rent is due the day before check-in. They have to proceed through each of these steps or I move on to the next interested party. Hope that helps.