I have been thinking about offering bikes to my guests as part of the room rate or extra charge. I just want to know if any of you do it and if so do you get more bookings because of it .
Would you be renting them your personal bike or something you had specifically for guests?
You will want to draw up some sort of waiver of liability agreement like they do at the more traditional gear rental places.
There is a website you can use. https://www.spinlister.com/
Itās like the airbnb of bike rentals. It might take care of the liability issueā¦
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I used to rent (did it for one summer season) my 2 kayaks to my guests (and it was always a case by case basis, i wouldnāt offer until I had met them) for use on the non-motorized lake that is around the corner. The only reason I stopped was because usually they did not have an effective method of transporting them and I got tired of transporting for them. However, renting out the two sit-in kayaks gave me enough income to buy a sit on top kayak, which is what I really wanted. I finally sold the two sit-ins, because I got tired of storing them in winter, cleaning them out, and I donāt do anything but go paddle around the lilttle lake anymore. Bikesā¦I was thinking of that also, but I think there is actually more risk of people getting hurt on a bike. But I see plenty of listings where people do rent bikes.
In addition to our own rental, I manage another apartment (not on Air) for an attorney. I asked him about bikes once and his legal advice was āabsolutely notā. Hosts ARE liable.
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Hello Jaquo and thanks for that I thought so
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@Gandyv8 - we have lots of bike rental and bike sharing facilities locally. I direct guests to them. Let them have the liability!
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hi jaquo,
Does that legal liability stand even if we donāt charge for the bikes?
Great tip for the website, Iāll add some bikes here too. Will purchase a few old ones. I live in The Netherlands, but donāt even own a bike! lol.
According to my attorney neighbour, yes it does. We have two āhouse bikesā used by full time residents and he said that we shouldnāt allow guests to use these even at no charge.
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My insurance does not cover guests using bicycles if a claim is made.
Check with yours.
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Agree with @jaquo. Despite this might add some value to your rental it will put you into a high level risk. Just think that you must be certain that your bike is excellent condition after each usage, the guest is a responsable and safe bike rider and the city is safe enough and easy to ride a bike.
We have 3 beach cruisers in our Wine Country rental. We donāt advertise and they are listed in the house manual as āuse at your own risk and we are not liableā. We just got them about 2 months ago, and even though we have had many guests, no on has commented on them. So, who knows if they are adding any value. I use them when Iām at the property to go to main street, etc.
Just to addā¦Airbnb insurance also does not cover injury due to biking or canoeing accidents - I received an email from them today stating so. Spinlister was a fantastic tip by KIKC! That thinking led me to Boatsetter - another peer to peer website - to list my canoe and kayaks. Boatsetter offers liability insurance as well. Just checking to see if their insurance extends into Canada. Adding these items to my listing is critical, as Iām right on the ocean and the Trans Canada Trail.
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I have an arrangement with a local company that delivers kayaks and paddleboards on request. They are licenced and insured. I offer to book for the guests but they often do it themselves. I donāt make any commission - itās just an extra service we offer 
Wow how convenient! Iām going to check into that as well, though my options are probably limited. Delivery is likely not available in āthe booniesā but itās worth looking into anyway. Thanks for the tip!
Many guests would like to rent bikes for us. Itās very hard to find a place that can offer it and itās not near our place.
What kind of price do you think we should have?, should it be by half day and day?
Thanks
I agree with KIKC. Keep the bikes separate and list on spinlister or point the guest to the website.
Being a bike geek, I own multiple bikes and do all my own repairs/maintenance. I had thoughts about renting a couple of my bikes on my own but decided to let Spinlister take on the liability. Just about every person that rented my bike already owned a nice bike, but didnāt want to fly with it. Iāve had renters from London and Barcelona, they were very happy not to pack a bike and only had to bring shoes since I have a decent collection of pedals.
Maybe Iāve gotten lucky, but every person that has rented my bike is also a cycling enthusiast and took care of my bike as if it were their own. Iāve not have a problem with a renter, knock on wood. If I do have an issue Spinlister is very responsive. Theyāve been very responsive on other issues Iāve contacted on, such as problems with the app.
If you want to rent a bike then find a lister thatās also a collector youāll know they maintain their bikes like a family heirloom. My bikes all ride exceptionally well and have nice parts. Iāve listed very nice bikes with quality components. My coasterbrake mtb is not for everyone, but the Cervelo, Merckx and Dean are sweet, check out the photosā¦https://www.spinlister.com/profile/9934. Give me a shout if youāre visiting the Venice Beach/Santa Monica/Culver City area and get a discount. Search the 90066 area code and look for my bikes at intersection of Venice & Inglewood Blvd. http://spnl.st/s/eb2fdb
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We have two inexpensive bikes that we allow guests to use at no extra charge. They are an extremely popular perk especially with Europeans who are used to using bikes as transportation. Our current guest is using one of the bikes pretty much exclusively as her method of getting around. Yes, we have had several guests tell us that the bikes were the reason they booked with us.
How did you get the liability insurance from Boatsetters? I want to offer a dinghy to guests who stay on my boat, but Boatsetters does rent dinghies, so Iām wondering if they still can help me to get liability insurance for it.