How to know before booking if a property will require guests to upload ID docume...

In Dec 2025 I booked an apartment in London for three nights in May 2026 on Booking.com.

The property was advertised as a 'Prime Knightsbridge Luxury Suite' with free cancellation until 14 days before the reservation date. On booking, I was immediately charged the full amount (sadly, I hadn't spotted the small print stating 'the property may charge you the full amount at any time') and received a confirmation message stating that prior to arrival I must complete a check-in form via a link to a 3rd-party website (guesty.com).

The property double-charged me shortly before the end of the free cancellation period. After resolving that issue with some difficulty, I completed the check-in form, which required me to upload official photo ID (passport or driving licence). Two days before the start of my trip, the property cancelled my booking due to 'an unexpected water supply issue'.

I know it's standard practice for accommodation providers to ask for guest ID. However, I would not have booked the apartment if I'd known in advance that I would have to upload my documents online to a 3rd party. There was nothing in the Booking.com listing about the check-in process, and although I've submitted a GDPR request to the property to have my personal data erased, I don't have much hope of a response.

Question: apart from messaging a property before booking to ask about its guest ID process, is there any other way to spot this approach?

EDIT: although the property itself did not reply to my GDPR request, sending the same request to [email protected] was successful, and I got confirmation that all of my personal data, photographs, and ID documents associated with my booking have been deleted from the Guesty platform.

In practice there's no way of knowing. You could contact the people listing the property, but you may not get contact details until after you have booked or until just before your arrival. As you say, booking direct may be better. Alternatively, book with free cancellation so you should be able to cancel if they don't meet your requirements (but read the small print and find out when they take your money, as you've already discovered).

It also depends on what your goal is in choosing AirBnB-style accommodation. If you want the cheapest thing, then you have to use services that save businesses money, such as online checks. If you want cooking facilities or multiple rooms, there are other options.

But it's more likely you'll have to use online verification services in places where there are no staff at the accommodation (when you use a numeric code to open the door or get a key from a keybox, or get a key off someone in a nearby shop/bar/cafe who doesn't work for the business letting the property).

If a place is fully staffed, such as a hotel with self-catering (aparthotel) they're more likely to have someone who can check ID on arrival. Some places advertise that they have staff on-premises 24 hours or till late in the evening. But as I say, it's not certain even then, as companies may prefer to check ID in advance rather than have to turn people away who arrive without suitable ID, or not have staff trained to check IDs.

If you don't want to send ID online, book with a reputable hotel (having checked their policy first: a few bargain/discount hotels do require ID in advance, but with a hotel it's usually easy to find out their policy). You will find some hotels in London with kitchenette-style self-catering facilities. Different business models for different types of business.