Controlling Behaviour? Am I becoming neurotic?

I admit that when I ship stuff, they have to pay me for the shipping. I do not charge for my time getting to the post office, the cost of the meter, or my mileage. When did the Post Office get so expensive? I find that Venmo is a good way to transfer funds without a fee.

Actually there are several hosts who post here who rent guest rooms and state that they just rent a room, not the whole house. This thread was started by @Zandra who rents a private room.

Yep but Iā€™m not a landlord type @EllenN. Im simply someone sharing a small space with people. I invite you to enjoy someone cooking in the kitchen while you are lying one meter away trying to sleep. I suspect it wouldnā€™t work for many if any one.

I also invite you to enjoy tripping over the only available floor space because a guest has decided they need to hang their washing out.

Where I can be flexible I will be. Todayā€™s guests kept their room until 6pm (I have an 11 am check out time) because I didnā€™t have any other guests. They were happy I was happy. I regularly allow guests to leave luggage. I do it because these are things I can offer easily and I know as a traveller myself it would mean a lot to me.

But generally my house rules are there for a reason; i say it to ensure my and their comfort. I hate smelling food meters away from my sleeping area. I like walking barefoot. And I donā€™t want pests in the house drawn by food, dirt or mould.

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We have a caterer living next door. Her kitchen window which is always open is across the driveway from our bedroom window which is also always open. I can smell her cooking all the time as she cooks throughout the night. The only time it bothers me is when she cooks pork, but thatā€™s my personal sensitivity.

Right so imagine that smell literally coming from the stove top at the end of your bed. And tell me if youā€™d enjoy it. At least with your neighbour you can close the window if itā€™s bad enough ā€¦ I am sleeping in the same room as the cooker.

It cost me 60 pence (around 75 US cents?) and I popped it into the postbox on my way to the shop. So itā€™s not worth charging for. Bigger things that Iā€™ve shipped abroad, yes I charge for that.

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Just a small charger cost me $8.90 to ship. That is enough to request payment. At $.75 I would not bother.

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Iā€™m guessing that was second class post not next day delivery :wink:

Since @Zandra brought up the type of postā€¦ this was the flat rate. Took three days to reach Ohio [meaning the charger.]

This is when rules are so very important and itā€™s crucial that guests READ the BLEEP listing so that they understand what theyā€™re getting. Like Konaā€™s rules relating to water conservation, many listings need to be specific and guests need to understand and appreciate that. I am lucky in that my house is relatively big, I have my own space and live where water is not a problem (it rains all the bloody time, believe me). But I can completely understand the frustration of hosts who have to deal with guests who ignore the rules and make no effort to understand the lodging that they have booked.

I guess we Brits need to remember ultimately weā€™re in a smaller more densely populated country so generally things like postage services and indeed mobile phone services are cheaper. I was pretty shocked at what passes for reasonable in the states ā€¦

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No, it was first class! They were teeny tiny earrings and going inland to London, their next airbnb. She already left a review before I discovered the earrings and Iā€™ve not written one yet. If itā€™s anything less than stellar, I will be back on here RAGING!! LOL

LOL! The other party in Oliviaā€™s group (mentioned in this thread) asked me to post some vans that they had left behind. I said I couldnā€™t be sure to do it as I rarely go by the post office; then a family member said theyā€™d pick them up. I was glad I didnā€™t post them after seeing her review and 1 star review across the board.

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Plus every space is different. Just as every host is different.

I am not going to get into the subject matter that got locked on another thread, but some hosts (especially) new to the game should definitely NOT be critical of old salts who have been doing it awhile, or suggest absurd things like building changing cabanas and luggage sheds and installing outdoor showers to accommodate left luggage and late check outs and then go on to say hosts like me are putting my own convenience as a priority over the hospitality of the guest and that I am the type of host who wants to do as little work as possible. If the guest wants a 24/7 concierge and a bell desk, they should book a hotel.

At a hotel the customer is always right. Here, not so much.

Again, I rarely get these requests, so itā€™s not like I turn down a bunch of them all the time. Only 1 guest in 200 will even ask.

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I agree. Thatā€™s really the point Iā€™m trying to make. We should be here to support one another.

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30 min showers - wow, hadnā€™t even imagined this problem! Utilities are very expensive here in Melbourne and Iā€™d have a heart attack to see so much water down the drain (no pun intended)! But what can you really do about long showers - grin and bear it, hope the next guest is more reasonable?

Wet clothes in the room - ugh! I would leave no place to hang out the laundry in the room. I plan to share the laundry room only for guests that stay a minimum of 6 nights.

Good idea for you to leave a detailed review with bad guests so that their next host is aware of potential problems.

We are on a rain catchment system, as is all of rural South Kona. We are currently in a dry spell. Weā€™ve had no rain in two months. So short showers are a priority thing in my house rules. ā€œShort showers are requested and appreciated.ā€

But beyond that, when I meet and greet, I show them the tank itself. And say, This is the water supply for the house and weā€™ve been dry so we have to take short showers right now. Or I say, we need to be mindful about water use.

Ever since I started showing them the tank and mentioning the conservation yet again, I rarely have 20 minute showers anymore.

I can hear them upstairs and I also need the guests to finish showering by 1130 or so because the pump wakes us up. (This was after a number of honeymooners began taking 3AM showers.)

I think we are - but itā€™s only natural that we differ from time to time. :slight_smile:
All part of the game.

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Iā€™m probably already known as a flexible (some call it pushover) host too, BUT our rules donā€™t allow kitchen use either. Our kitchen is tiny and really unpractical , and we need it, so itā€™s not for guests. Although with some extremely nice guests, that are staying more nights, I would even be flexible on this, but only if they are willing to cook for us too :grin:.

Hear, hear ! I totally agree with you.

This is a funny reply, NOT one to bother you. I would still like to get along in the end.

I have been to places where due to water shortage are almost absence, I got one bucket of water a day :laughing:. I was totally fine with it, just feeling a tiny bit dirty :sunglasses: after a few days. And the next place I got to, where there was no shortage, I did take my time and used two soap bars in a row.

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