GUEST WITH NO REVIEWS, SHOULD I RENT TO THEM?

Consider this: everyone had to start somewhere, including you.

You were a new Airbnb traveler once and someone took the chance on you when you had no reviews. Likewise as a host listing your first property - your first traveler considered your listing and took a chance despite you having zero reviews. Without hesitation, I have hosted many travelers who had 0 reviews before renting my properties.

Airbnb is still a very new form of traveling for many. Personally, I do not put a ton of weight on the fact that they do not have any reviews or that their profile may be new, but more-so the circumstances around their booking inquiry. A few things that could potentially be red flags to me with a profile that has no reviews are:
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• Is this a same-day, last minute booking from a local?

• Is their inquiry for a very large home for 1 guest?

That's not to say that all guests with the above criteria are going to be trouble guests. I've hosted many, many guests who were new to the platform so they may not have put the correct amount of people or were local but needed a place right away due to a plumbing leak in their home, etc. In my experience, the new profiles with 0 reviews who turned out to be less than stellar guests, typically were locals looking for a place to party with their friends and were booking on short notice. They often were asking for the door code in advance and asking how far I lived from the property, etc.

At the end of the day, you're opening your property up to the public. Not everyone is going to be the perfect tenant and treat your house like their own. It's the risk you take putting your place out there. Knowing this, make sure your property is protected beyond Airbnb or VRBO's Host Guarantee with the proper insurance coverage, etc.