Am I actually charged a security deposit?

If the guest asks about the security deposit, here's what to say:

The $2 is like a symbolic "security deposit," which is returned right away. The purpose is to run a payment validation for mutual protection - ensuring the card and booker are not fraudulent, and for the guest, ensuring that their profile wasn't hacked and that the person booking really is who they say they are. You can assure them that even the $2 are not actually charged, it's just a symbolic amount paced on what's called a "pre-auth" and then released within 7 business days.