Quick Navigation
Are you wondering if your parents can book an Airbnb on your behalf?
Whether you’re a student traveling for an internship or simply someone who prefers the convenience of having your parents handle the bookings, this article is your guide to understanding the ins and outs of Airbnb reservations on behalf of another individual.
We’ll unravel the Airbnb booking policies, clarify what is and isn’t permissible, and provide practical tips to ensure a seamless booking experience. So, let’s dive into the details and make sure you’re well-prepared.
Airbnb Booking Rules
When it comes to Airbnb bookings on behalf of another, certain rules and guidelines are in place to ensure safety and compliance.
Understanding these rules is essential for individuals who want to secure accommodations for their friends or family. Airbnb tries to ensure transparency for individuals who use the platform.
Hence, it tries to prevent one from making a reservation for another individual without both of them staying together.
This means that if your parents make a reservation for you, they have to accompany you to the property. It’s either this or they make arrangements for another adult to do so.
According to the platform’s terms of service, only individuals who are up to 18 years of age can make reservations.
The platform also tries to ensure guests make reservations themselves because the host will view the guest’s profile.
The host would have to read the prospective guests’ reviews during the approval process. This allows hosts to have confidence in the guests they welcome into their homes.
More Booking Rules
Booking accommodations for someone else on the Airbnb platform should be a convenient option.
Luckily for you, Airbnb recognizes this need and allows verified members of their community to create reservations on behalf of others.
This grants a level of flexibility and convenience for booking accommodations. As we have already mentioned, if your parents want to make a reservation for you, they would have to stay with you at the property.
However, if you are up to 18 years old, your parents may be able to make a reservation on your behalf and transfer responsibility for the trip to you.
While they do this, all they have to do is handle the reservation requests and introductions, then make payment and transfer the responsibility to you.
Once the reservation is accepted, both you and your parents will join the message thread with the host. All of you in the message thread would be able to receive all trip communications.
You need to make sure that you provide your parents with the necessary documents, such as your contact information and IDs. This would ensure that everything runs smoothly when you arrive at the rented property.
What If You Don’t Have an Airbnb Account?
If you have not created an Airbnb account, your parents can still checkout and pay. Airbnb will send you an email and guide you through both setting up an account and accepting the booking request.
This feature ensures that even if you haven’t created your Airbnb account yet, the booking process can still move forward smoothly with your parents’ assistance.
Process of Making the Reservation
Airbnb tries to provide an easy and convenient way to make reservations. You would need to provide your parents with your email address, as they would be asked for this information when making the reservation.
Your parents would have to enable the work travel option from the Airbnb account section, and then confirm it with their work email.
After this, the next step is to add your email address and name, so a confirmation can be sent to you. The final step is for your parents to make the reservation. Once this is done, the host will be directly in contact with you.
Effective Communication With the Host
Having clear and respectful communication with the Airbnb host will ensure a smooth booking experience.
This will ensure that both your parents and the host are on the same page, and they can address each other’s questions and concerns.
Your parents will have to effectively communicate with the host so that he or she will be aware of the booking details and any other relevant information.
This will prevent any mishaps. If you are not up to 18 years old, it is even more important for your parents to communicate with the host.
The host may not be comfortable with this, but if he or she agrees to it, then everything should be just fine. It would, however, be best if your parents added you as a guest on the trip.
Some Airbnb users have observed that they had no issue when their parents booked stays for them on the platform because effective communication was maintained with the host.
If your parents communicate with the host properly, such a host may be able to accommodate your needs.
Although Airbnb has a policy in place to ensure that bookings are made by guests, so hosts can read reviews and view their profiles, it is important to note that this is a general policy.
There is no strict rule that expressly states that a person cannot make reservations for another individual.
This means that your parents should be able to make a reservation on your behalf if they communicate with the host and confirm that he or she is okay with it.
If your parents communicate with the host and he or she agrees to your stay, please ensure that you strictly adhere to the host’s house rules.
Violating this can make him or her sue you, and in case you are under 18 years old, your parent may be sued as your next friend.
In addition to this, please ensure that your parents provide the host with very accurate information, as this may affect his or her decision.
The host may ask your parents a question, like why they are booking for you. They have to provide solid answers; if not, the host may not agree to the terms.
What to Do if You Are Below 18 Years Old?
If you are under 18 years old, you will not be allowed to create or manage an Airbnb account. This means that you would also not be able to book a rental for yourself.
As we have already stated in previous sections, you can only stay at an Airbnb property as part of a group.
That is if you are registered as a guest on the booking and the reservation was made by someone over 18 years of age. This person can be your parent.
You have to ensure that the booking is made by your parent(s) or anyone above the age of 18.
To add you to an existing reservation, all your parents have to do is go to the trips section, click change reservation, and add you to the booking.
With regard to Airbnb experiences, similar policies apply. The host will be the one to decide if kids under 18 can participate in the experience.
You still won’t be able to make a reservation for an experience. However, your legal guardian is allowed to book additional spots.
This means that if you are within the minimum age specified by the host, the additional spot booked by your parents can cover you. Your parents will have to communicate with the host in order to be given tips that will enable you to have a good experience.
Process of Booking Experiences?
This is fairly easy. Your parents will have to find the “Experiences” section in either the app or website. A specific city or date can be chosen. It is advised that your parents thoroughly review the guest requirements.
This will confirm if the experience is suitable for individuals within your age bracket. If your parents confirm that it is safe, they can go ahead and book an additional spot for you.
Conclusion
Your parents can successfully make a reservation on your behalf using the Airbnb platform, provided there is effective communication with the host.
By understanding Airbnb’s policies and ensuring open dialogue, your parents can successfully inform the host of all relevant information so your needs can be addressed.
Safety and communication are paramount as they ensure not only a successful booking but also a safe and enjoyable stay.
