Secure Booking with Identity Verification

Vanio AI now offers enhanced security for your rental properties through automated identity verification and flexible cancellation policies. This feature requires guests to verify their identity before accessing pickup instructions, while giving you control over cancellation terms and refunds.

What it does

Secure Booking protects your property by requiring guests to verify their identity using government-issued ID and selfie verification before they can access lockbox codes or pickup instructions. The system also implements a transparent cancellation policy that balances guest flexibility with your business protection, offering full refunds for early cancellations and prorated refunds as pickup dates approach.

Getting started

Step 1: Enable Secure Booking

1. Go to Properties in your dashboard
2. Select the rental property you want to secure
3. Click Settings → Booking Security
4. Toggle on Require Identity Verification
5. Choose your Cancellation Policy (Conservative is recommended for new users)
6. Click Save Changes

[Screenshot: Property settings page showing security options]

Step 2: Update your listing description

Add a note to your property description letting guests know about the verification requirement:

"For your security and ours, guests will need to verify their identity before receiving pickup instructions. This quick process takes just a few minutes and helps ensure a safe experience for everyone."

Step 3: Monitor verification status

1. Go to Reservations in your dashboard
2. Look for the Identity Status column showing:
   • Pending: Guest hasn't started verification yet
   • In Progress: Guest is completing verification
   • Verified: Automatically approved by the system
   • Needs Review: Requires your manual approval

[Screenshot: Reservations dashboard with identity status column]

How it works

For your guests

When a guest books your property, they receive a confirmation email with a link to complete identity verification. The process involves:

1. Document Upload: Guest uploads a government-issued photo ID
2. Selfie Verification: Guest takes a selfie to match against their ID
3. Automatic Review: The system processes verification within minutes
4. Access Granted: Once verified, pickup instructions and lockbox codes are revealed

What you see

You'll receive notifications when:

• A guest completes verification successfully
• Verification needs your manual review
• A guest requests cancellation with refund details

All verification activity appears in your reservation timeline, so you always know the status without having to check multiple places.

Manual approval option

If automatic verification fails (common with corporate bookings or name mismatches), you can manually approve guests:

1. Go to the specific reservation
2. Click Review Identity in the reservation details
3. Review the uploaded documents
4. Click Approve or Request New Documents

[Screenshot: Manual identity review interface]

Key features

• Automatic verification — Most guests are approved within 5 minutes without your involvement

• Manual override — You can approve guests when automatic verification encounters issues

• Flexible cancellation tiers — Guests see exactly what they'll receive as refunds before canceling

• Grace period protection — Full refunds within the first hour of booking, regardless of pickup date

• Transparent refund calculation — Guests can preview their refund amount before confirming cancellation

• Pickup instruction security — Lockbox codes and access details only appear after identity verification

• Automated notifications — Stay informed about verification status and cancellations without manual checking

Cancellation policy tiers

The Conservative policy offers three tiers based on timing:

Full Refund (100%)

• Within 1 hour of booking
• 48+ hours before pickup

Partial Refund (Late Cancellation)

• Less than 48 hours before pickup
• Refunds trip cost minus average daily rate
• Cleaning fees always refunded

Minimal Refund (No Show)

• 2+ hours after scheduled pickup with no contact
• Refunds trip cost minus two daily averages
• Deposit holds always released

Tips & best practices

Set expectations early: Include verification requirements in your listing description and house rules to avoid surprises.

Respond to review requests quickly: When guests need manual approval, aim to review within 2-4 hours to avoid pickup delays.

Use the grace period: The 1-hour full refund window helps legitimate guests who accidentally double-booked while deterring last-minute cancellations.

Monitor patterns: If you're getting many verification failures, check that your listing attracts the right guest demographic for your property type.

Communicate proactively: Send guests a reminder about verification 24-48 hours before pickup if they haven't completed it yet.

Common questions

What if a guest can't complete verification? You can manually approve any guest after reviewing their documents. This is common for corporate bookings where the guest's name differs from the company credit card. The manual review shows you the same documents the automatic system evaluated.

Do cancellation refunds happen automatically? Yes, when a guest cancels through their trip portal, the refund processes automatically based on your policy settings. You'll receive a notification showing the refund amount and reasoning. The system handles all payment processing and updates your calendar availability.

Can I customize the cancellation policy? Currently, the Conservative policy provides the best balance of flexibility and protection for most hosts. We're developing additional policy options based on user feedback. You can always handle special circumstances manually through your reservation management tools.