In my many years as an Airbnb host, one thing I see time and time again is third party party bookings. It’s a common mistake that many hosts and guests don’t understand could be very costly. So, does Airbnb Airbnb allow third party bookings?

No, Airbnb do NOT allow third party bookings. They require the person who made the booking to be the person staying at the property. You must be aware that third party bookings are not covered by Airbnb’s insurance policy.

This is a topic that both hosts and guests need to familiarise themselves with. In fact, it’s so important that I have written this article explaining it in detail. There are some ‘loopholes’ which I will explain below.

What is an Airbnb third party booking?

So what exactly is a third party booking and does Airbnb allow them? Here is a scenario that is the most common third party booking Airbnb receive.

“Your daughter is going to an event in a city close by, she has never used Airbnb before. So, you offer to book an apartment for her and her partner to stay in using your account.“

This seems innocent at first glance right? But when you make the booking, the host decides if they want you to stay. They do this by looking at your Airbnb profile and your reviews.

So they see a mature woman has booked their apartment with an impeccable track record. Then a teenager turns up with their partner, you can see how a host would feel a little misled.

Then, if the daughter were to cause any damage to the apartment, Airbnb’s insurance wouldn’t cover her. This is because she was not the one that agreed to Airbnb’s terms upon booking. I cover this more in my article is Airbnb covered by travel insurance?

So you can see now how a third party booking is risky for both the host and the guest.

Does Airbnb allow third party bookings?

The short answer is no, Airbnb does not allow third party bookings.

Airbnb is quite clear about making sure the person who booked the Airbnb is the one that stays.

Airbnb third party booking policy

Airbnb’s third party booking policy stresses that transparency and trust are vital to the Airbnb experience. A host can only go by your profile page to see if you are a good fit for their property.

Taken from Airbnb.com – “We require Airbnb reservations booked for personal travel to be booked by the person who’s going to stay at the listing.“

So what are the alternatives?

#1 Cancel the booking penalty free

If you find out that your guest has booked for someone else, all you need to do is contact Airbnb. They will cancel the stay for you without incurring any fees or marks against your Superhost.

#2 Talk to your guest

You find out that the people who booked aren’t staying at your property, what now?

One option is to ask for the unregistered guests who are staying to book with their account.

The person who made the booking may incur a cancellation fee. But that’s better than an uninsured trip which could end up costing a lot more.

#3 Ask for ID and sign a form

If you decide to go ahead and accept the booking for any reason, its best to take precautions.

These may include taking a copy of the ID or passport, getting them to sign a waiver form. Or you can message the third party and get them to accept all risk in writing on the Airbnb App.

But just remember, that allowing a third party booking is always going to be a risk. Airbnb will scrutinise these bookings on a case by case basis.

Here is what you can do if you are a guest

#1 Create your own account and get a free credit

Yes, you heard right! If your friend refers you to Airbnb you will get a credit to go towards your first stay. Not bad huh?

I have written a guide on Airbnb’s first booking coupon code should you wish to read more on the subject. And don’t worry. If you don’t know anyone with an Airbnb account, we can give you our special referral code to use.

#2 Transfer third party booking to another account

You may be asking what if I have already made a booking for a friend? If you have only just realised this is not allowed, you do have options. Airbnb may allow you to transfer the booking without incurring any fees.

This does involve calling Airbnb and explaining the situation. Your success will (unfortunately) depend on what side of the bed the customer service rep got up on.

First, get your friend to create an Airbnb account (with your referral credit of course). Then say that you would like to keep the booking, but you want to change it to your friends account. Next, explain to the host what has happened and that you would like to try to change the booking.

Finally, the ideal outcome is for the host to agree and to get it in writing via the Airbnb app. Your next mission is to call customer service and request they change the booking.

#3 Sign up with Airbnb for work

Airbnb has recently introduced a new feature they call their Work Collection. They designed this for work related trips, with third party bookings in mind.

I encourage you to look into Airbnb for work if you are a company of any size. Especially if you have employees that travel and are in need of accommodation. It is the perfect work around for Airbnb third party bookings.

How does Airbnb for Work, work?

Ok first off, what is Airbnb for work?

Airbnb for Work is a genius idea by Airbnb to make booking travel for employees simple and easy. With many employers making third party bookings, they had to come up with a solution, and they nailed it.

Just like a regular account, it is free to sign up and get started. You’ll be able to view the Airbnb for Work dashboard once you have registered an account. Airbnb has broken up the dashboard into four areas, as follows:

Trips:

This section will give you an overview of all the trips that you have booked. It will show your employees confirmed, active and completed trip status.

Reporting:

The reporting tab will show how much you are spending. It will also show the average daily rate and the number of nights booked. You also have the option to export CSV reports for easy accounting.

Invoices:

This is where you can view your invoices for all your bookings. You also have the option to sort the invoices by an individual employee or employee group.

People:

Here you can manage your employee accounts. This includes adding new staff members and editing any existing employees.

How to Book an Airbnb For Work

A handy feature is the Work Trip filter. It allows you to search accommodation for your employees to suit your needs. This filter will bring up work ready properties that must include:

Airbnb for Work criteria:

• At least one business review
• A rating from business guests 4.8 stars or above
• A high overall review rating of 4.7 stars or above
• There must be a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm fitted within the property

You can then make a booking once you have found a property you like. After making the booking, you can then add your employee to the reservation.

The good news is now your employee will be able to see the booking as well. They’ll be able to get their check in time and get instructions directly from the host.

This process is simple, well organised and makes life a lot easier for the employer and the employee.

How do I add someone to my Airbnb reservation?

Adding guests to your reservation is quite a simple process. All you need to do is follow these steps.

Amend your Airbnb reservation:

1. Head over to your trips and click the reservation you want to add guests to.
2. Click on the small photo of the listing to get to your reservation details.
3. Then click Manage which is next to who’s coming.
4. Here you can add your guests full name and email address and then click invite and you’re done.

If you booked for 6 guests but want to add extra one, you will have to change the reservation first. To do this just hit edit guests and then change the amount.

In some cases, hosts will charge extra if you add more people to the reservation. If this is the case, a new total will show once you add the extra guests.

Next you will then need to press continue and then accept the changes. Airbnb will then automatically update your third party booking from their end.

Now go back to the trips page and add the extra guest by using the exact same steps above.

Can I pay for someone else’s Airbnb?

Unfortunately, no, you cannot pay for someone else’s stay as a gift. Just as you cannot book on behalf of someone else as a third party booking.

However, there is a workaround. You can purchase Airbnb gift vouchers which you may redeem at any time by your friend or family member. This way you are paying for their stay without having to make the booking yourself.

And, as an added bonus, if they don’t have an Airbnb account, you can send them your referral code. This will give them even more money to spend and give you a credit in return.

Can you have guests in Airbnb?

Whether or not you can invite friends or family over to your Airbnb is a tricky one.

When booking an Airbnb there is often a list of house rulesthat you must abide by. One of these rules is that there are no unregistered guests allowed within the property. This rule is there as Airbnb’s insurance only covers registered guests.

So in the same way that a third party booking is a big no no, so is inviting over friends. If you plan to see friends or want to host a dinner, make sure to ask your host before you book.

Majority of hosts will allow it, but some will have strict rules and will expect you as a guest to follow them.

Third Party Booking Summary

Now you know why it’s so important as an Airbnb host to not accept third party bookings. Meanwhile, guests should now know the risks they are taking when they are careless.

I have shown you Airbnb’s policy on third party bookings and how it is a big no no. Airbnb will not cover you under their insurance policy if something goes wrong. So why take the risk?

And I have also explained what you should do, as a guest, if you accidentally make a third party booking. Airbnb will happily amend your booking.

A great option is the Airbnb for Work collection. It freely allows you to make third party bookings and is perfect when travelling for work. As usual, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below if you have any questions.

Further Reading