When packing for an Airbnb, bring personal toiletries, medications, chargers, and essential food/drinks (coffee, snacks), but also consider items hosts might not provide like specific kitchen tools, extra cleaning supplies (wipes), paper products (towels, TP), and comfort items (slippers, portable chargers) for a smoother, more home-like stay, plus your booking details and ID.
Five Things You Should Bring With You to Your Airbnb
This could be a driving license, passport or national identity card. You can learn more about the types of IDs permitted—as well as country-specific guidelines. Selfie: We may need to ask you for a photo of yourself in addition to the above photo of your government ID.
Hosts may ask for ID after booking
However, hosts may request it after booking if their listing mentions it is required for legal or compliance reasons per Airbnb's off-platform policy. You can send your host a copy of your ID by attaching a photo or sending a document in your Airbnb messages.
Airbnb's "25+ Rule" restricts guests under 25 from booking entire homes locally to prevent parties, but exceptions exist for those with positive reviews (3+ good reviews) or if booking far from home or private/shared rooms; hosts can also set their own 25+ rules in listings, requiring ID verification, but the platform's policy targets specific high-risk local bookings.
Treat your host's home like your own
Hosts may not charge guest fees for failing to perform specific cleaning or checkout tasks, but they may leave ratings and reviews based on cleanliness. Litter: Guests should put their trash in designated trash receptacles and be mindful of excessive amounts of trash.
Longer minimum stays help maximize earnings during peak seasons and major events, while shorter stays keep bookings flowing during off-season or in hotel-competitive markets.
So, is it normal for an Airbnb host to ask for ID? Yes. ID verification is essential to make online bookings safe and avoid fraud. Guests must share their personal information during registration and may be additionally asked to verify their identities by hosts.
If Airbnb needs additional verification, they may ask you to take a picture of your government ID (e.g., passport, national identity card, or driving license). Selfie. On top of the government ID photo, you may need to add a selfie as an extra step for Airbnb ID verification.
We may also ask you for a selfie to compare and match it to your government-issued ID photo. Don't worry–your government-issued ID and selfie won't be shared with any hosts or guests on Airbnb.
We strongly encourage Hosts to provide these essential amenities in all their listings: Toilet paper. Soap (for hands and body) One towel per guest.
My colleagues aren't alone. A 2021 study of more than 125,000 Airbnb complaints on Twitter found that 72% of the issues were related to poor customer service and 22% were related to scams.
Booking a trip: what to do if you're new
Red Flags When Screening Airbnb Guests
Incomplete profiles. Poor or no reviews. Last-minute bookings. Evasive or inconsistent communication.
One towel per guest. One pillow per guest. Linen for each guest bed.
Many jurisdictions require Airbnb hosts to obtain a business license before listing their space or accepting guests. In some areas, short-term rental owners are required to register and have special permits to rent out their homes on OTA platforms like Airbnb.
Other crimes may result in further review, removal, or ineligibility for some time after the offense if it happened within a certain period. These include crimes like felony burglary and fraud. Cases such as murder, terrorism, rape, or child molestation generally result in permanent removal.
Verifying your identity means verifying certain personal information, such as your legal name, address, phone number or other contact details using trusted third-party sources or your government ID. In some cases, we can do this without any additional info needed from you.
Know that you may be required to re-verify your identity if you edit your legal name in your Account, make other updates to your account information, or for other reasons, like when we detect risk.
As a guest, you'll need to verify your identity when you book a stay, service or experience. Most users only need to do this once and we'll guide you through any steps you'll need to take. This typically happens during checkout – where we provide you with a specific deadline to finish.
The guest must then submit a photograph of the necessary government ID. This can be a driving licence, passport, identity card or visa. Some guests don't need to submit an identification document. Airbnb itself can sometimes automatically verify guests when they enter their legal name and address in the platform.
Why you can't book a stay for others. We require all personal travel home reservations to be booked by the guests themselves because hosts rely on reading their profiles, reviews, and other verifications during the approval process.
Additionally, according to a 2024 survey of 1,376 hotel managers by Wellness Heaven, which asked them which items are most commonly stolen, towels top the list, with 79.2 percent reporting guests nipping the cosy threads. They were followed by bathrobes, hangers, pens, and cosmetics, rounding out the top five.
The 80/20 rule for hospitality businesses
For hospitality businesses, here's what the 80/20 rule means: 80% of your profits come from your most valuable customers (the top 20% of your customer base). The other 80% of your customers only contribute around 20% of your total profits.
If you want to bring extra guests
Some Hosts may have an extra guest fee and require that you submit a trip change request to add any additional guests to your reservation. Other Hosts might have a strict limit on the capacity for their home and can't accommodate any more people.