It's not just about the DishesAirBnB Policy Changes and what that means for your next stay

Airbnb has its own identity-verification process, designed to help confirm that users on the platform are genuine. However, an Airbnb verification does not necessarily replace the separate identification and registration requirements that may apply at the accommodation itself.

For guests staying in our holiday rentals, this is an important distinction.

At Coastal Hospitality Property Management, we may still require guests to provide identification and complete guest registration before or during check-in. This is not about creating unnecessary inconvenience. It is about complying with applicable South African requirements, protecting our guests and property owners, meeting insurance and security obligations, and complying with the rules of the buildings and communities in which our apartments are located.

Airbnb verification and accommodation registration are not the same thing
Airbnb verifies users for purposes of operating its platform and promoting trust and safety within its community.

However, the accommodation provider may have separate responsibilities.

Airbnb itself recognises this distinction. Its current policy allows hosts to request additional identity information where this is required for legal or compliance reasons, including local laws, HOA rules and building-security requirements. Airbnb also states that hosts may physically check a guest's ID at check-in where this requirement has been disclosed appropriately.

In other words, being an Airbnb-verified guest does not automatically mean that the check-in requirements of a particular property have been satisfied.

South African legal and regulatory responsibilities

South Africa's short-term rental environment operates within a broader legal and regulatory framework.

The Department of Tourism's Code of Good Practice on Short-Term Rentals recognises the responsibilities of short-term rental hosts and designated persons, including property managers acting on behalf of owners. It also emphasises compliance with applicable laws, building rules, homeowners' association rules and community requirements.

There are also circumstances under South African immigration legislation where persons responsible for qualifying accommodation establishments are required to maintain registers of persons provided with lodging or sleeping accommodation and to provide those registers to authorised officials when required.

For this reason, guest registration is not simply an Airbnb preference. Depending on the property, the nature of the accommodation and the applicable requirements, there can be legitimate legal and regulatory reasons for an accommodation provider to know who is staying at the property.

Insurance requirements

There is another important reason why we take guest verification seriously: insurance and risk management.

A holiday rental is different from a private home occupied by its owner.

When a property is rented to paying guests, the property owner and management company need to be able to establish who was authorised to occupy the property during a particular stay.

In the unfortunate event of theft, damage, an accident, an emergency or another incident, accurate guest records can become an important part of establishing what happened and who was authorised to be on the premises.

Our responsibility is therefore not simply to hand over keys and hope everything goes well.

We have a responsibility to the property owner, the authorised guests, neighbouring residents and the wider building community.

Homeowners' associations and Body Corporate rules

Many holiday apartments are situated within sectional-title developments, residential complexes or managed communities. These buildings have their own rules.

A Body Corporate, homeowners' association or building management structure may have requirements relating to:

• Guest registration
• Security and access control
• Maximum occupancy
• Parking
• Visitors
• Keys and access devices
• Use of communal facilities
• Identification of occupants
• Check-in and check-out procedures
• These rules do not disappear simply because a reservation was made through Airbnb.

In fact, Airbnb's own policy specifically recognises community-association and building-security requirements as circumstances in which hosts may have additional requirements.

That means that when you stay in one of our apartments, you are not only staying in an individual holiday rental — you are also staying within a building and community that has its own rules.

It's about protecting everyone. Guest verification is not intended to make the holiday experience more complicated.

It helps us answer some very basic questions:

• Who is staying in the apartment?
• How many people are staying?
• Are they authorised occupants?
• Do they have permission to access the building and communal facilities?
• Can we contact the correct person in an emergency?

These are reasonable questions for a professional holiday accommodation operator to be able to answer.

It also helps protect guests themselves.

If an unauthorised person gains access to a property or building, having proper guest registration and access procedures can help establish who was legitimately authorised to be there.

We understand that privacy matters. We also understand that identification information is personal information.

That is why guest information should not simply be collected without purpose or handled casually.

Our approach is to collect information only where it is reasonably required for legitimate operational, security, legal, compliance, insurance or building-management purposes, and to handle personal information responsibly in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

The goal is not to collect information for the sake of collecting information.

The goal is to balance guest privacy with the legitimate responsibilities that come with managing holiday accommodation.

Guests sometimes ask:

"But Airbnb already verified me — why do you need my ID?"

The simple answer is that Airbnb operates the booking platform; we are responsible for the accommodation and the specific property in which you are staying. AirBnB is a business in their own right, just as we are and by no means can AirBnB dictate or force a property host to break the law or not act in the interest of their property.

A hotel, guesthouse, lodge or other accommodation establishment may have its own registration procedures. A privately managed holiday apartment can have its own requirements as well, particularly where building security, insurance or community rules apply.

The fact that a reservation originates on one platform does not automatically remove the responsibilities associated with the physical property.

Our commitment to our guests and owners

At Coastal Hospitality Property Management, our priority is to provide a professional, safe and well-managed holiday experience while respecting the privacy and rights of our guests.

Guest registration and ID verification are therefore not intended as an obstacle to your holiday. It is dealt with prior to arrival, done online and takes less than 2 minutes to get done. 

What about Guest Chores?

While the new AirBnB policy puts emphasis on hosts that can no longer ask guests to do chores, we can guarantee you that we do not expect our guests to clean before they go.

What do we ask of guests before departure?

• Pack the dishwasher
• Place the trashbag in the bin outside.

That's it! No washing of linens or towels, no deep cleaning, no extra work. Our cleaners take care of it all.

All we ask is that our properties are respected.