2 week stay expectations

1

So I’m only a few months in to hosting our single family home and so far it’s been a great experience (knock knock). I’m doing the management and cleaning on my own.

I’m traveling with my family for 2 weeks in July and we had planned to just block the calendar and have no guests. But now we have an opportunity to host a local gentleman and previous guest for that time.

(He had reached out asking for a one month stay and we declined. Then we had the idea of offering the two weeks we had planned to close)

He was a fine guest and understands that we’ll be out of the country. We have neighbors who keep an eye on the house and a good friend who we will employ to be the point of contact should any issue arise.

My question to you all: besides following Airbnb and our house rules, is there anything else we should ask of him or expect? We are booking through Airbnb and will keep all communication through the platform.

2

That’s excellent!

This is a previous guest. So, based on your sense of the guest, choose whether any of these apply:

– Orientation Checklist: If I were you I would develop a written Orientation checklist, a one-pager (maybe double-sided) that quick reviews items that’s important to a guest and that might not be obvious. What is ‘obvious’ is in the beholder’s eyes, and as you are just two weeks into hosting you don’t have the experience of many past guests to draw upon. Maybe here or elsewhere you list trash/recycling day and instructions, any parking instructions, local things a guest might not know as well as where first aid kit, sewing kit, iron/board, cleaning/laundry supplies are.

Possibilities here include your friend offering to stop by (best) and doing a quick orientation, or a FaceTime orientation, or just providing the checklist to the guest and asking the guest to contact your friend if any questions.

– Dry Run?: In a perfect world your friend would stay at your home a few days – without you – and truly learn the house, but this might not be doable or necessary,

– Manuals: Are your appliance manuals all in one place – hard copy or electronically on a Google Drive for the friend our even the guest (?) to access?

– Keys: If somehow the guest got locked out, do you have a lockbox or easy way for guest to get in?

– House Manual: If you don’t have this already, now’s a good time to start this. [Guests love when it includes pictures, and even more so when the pictures are annotated.]

– Key Appliances: Are you confident that key appliances (AC, Fans, Heating, Oven, Refrigerator etc) in good working order and easy/intuitive to operate? If not, maintain and/or document.

– Messaging While Away: I think it’s important (especially if there is no orientation) to send a message asking the guest if all is is as they expected, what questions they have, to please just ask if there’s anything – anything at all - that they have a question about.

– Workers on the Property: Are any workers scheduled to be at the property during the stay – for the grass, etc.? If so, be sure to let guest and your friend know (in writing).

– Time-Stamped Video and Pictures: Even though you likely trust this guest you might want to take a detailed time-stamped video of the property, ideally on the day of check-in. This is where you open the refrigerator, the oven, open the kitchen cabinets and drawers, flush the toilet, turn on the shower, see the thermostat, open the medicine cabinets, run the water, turn on the TV, close-ups, far shots, look at the back yard, on and on to have evidence that all is OK. If you’re like me you’ll find something out of place, or maybe a spot not cleaned to your standards. The app is free.

– Locked or Private Areas: When you’re home, no one would go in your private areas. But what about when you’re gone? Do you want to lock your room? Other rooms? Mark any areas ‘Private’? Etsy has stylish decals you can put on walls.

– Signage: Is any signage appropriate? Not the ‘Don’t . . .’ messages of Tik-Tok but helpful labels here and there (some find this tacky; I think it demonstrates caring), decals that might be helpful.

It’s useful to have a one-page summary of information on the refrigerator with important information, like the address, cross-streets, N-S-E-W symbols, nearest hospital (name. address,); emergency numbers (for police/fire/poison/control/suicide (988 in U.S.)/non-emergency city services #/other, for you, for your friend, utility companies like gas, electric, internet/cable (maybe account #, phone numbers), maybe that neighbor’s name, address and phone [with permission], Wi-Fi password/QR, first aid kit location, things like that.

– Mail: Are you having it stopped while away? Who’s taking it in?

– Batteries: Now’s a good time to consider whether any batteries might need to be replaced (smoke and CO detectors, remotes) and have an accessible supply (at least for your friend to access).

– Trip Hazards: Be sure to clear property, inside and out of trip hazards. [More than 80% of lawsuits against short-term rentals are trips/falls] So clear out walkways if they pots in the path, assume you have all the rails inside and out per building code. Consider whether you want any lights (ideally LED) on inside at night in case guest wakes up to go to bathroom, or fire alarm for oath to egress; motion-sensor lights outside. For more on safety, go here.

This is just a quick start guide for you. I’m sure others will have both more and less to suggest (remember, pick and choose what’s applicable to your situation).

Are you sure you really want to go away ?? Why not stay home and work on this?! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

1 Like
3

Why does the “local gentleman”, who you seemingly don’t know, need your place to stay?

2 Likes
4

@HostAirbnbVRBO Thank you for all that info. I hadn’t thought about the extra key situation. But I should clarify: I’ve been hosting for a few months and this guest will be staying for two weeks.

@muddy That’s a good question. When he stayed previously, it was apparently for a rest and to rejuvenate. He commented that he and his wife recently moved back to the area.

When he reached out inquiring about a month stay, he commented that he’s at a crossroad and in a transitional time and found our house peaceful and relaxing.

I didn’t feel it was my place to pry but maybe it is?

As I’m typing this out, it seems like less of a good idea but the money would be so helpful as we’re digging out of the financial hole of getting up and running.

5

Oh, I misunderstood your original post. You said a local gentleman and a previous guest- I thought it was 2 different people- a previous guest and someone local.

No, I certainly don’t see any need to pry, you already know him as a great guest. Maybe he and his wife are having domestic issues or something, who knows.

A friend of mine rents a caravan on the beach once or twice a year for a night or two that’s a 20 minute drive from her house. She finds it relaxing to be at the ocean, let the dogs run on the beach, read her book or watch a movie. She has a hectic life and when you aren’t at home, you can forget about your endless list for awhile.

6

I agree with @muddy - it’s possible he and his wife are having domestic troubles and he wants to spend some time alone.

A less kind guess is that he’s going to use your place to hook up with another woman. No judgement from me, but if you don’t want anyone there other than the registered guest, you need to make that clear and have a way to monitor and enforce that.

2 Likes
7

Or another guy. Just cause he’s married to a woman doesn’t mean he doesn’t swing both ways.

1 Like
8

Fair enough. But the concept is the same - a second person there with the guest that’s not registered.

9

Thanks all. I appreciate your insight. I tend to err on the side of not prying or asking for too much info so your comments were helpful.

I should have taken the time to be more clear in my original post. I was writing quickly as I had a planned call with the potential guest and I was suddenly getting cold feet.

My husband and I had a nice, quick conversation with him. We stressed our main house rules and how we wanted to communicate only via Airbnb. He understood and then mentioned he was looking at other options too. We said that was great - no pressure - and we’d wait to hear back from him.

I’ll keep you posted!

2 Likes
10

Not that this is that interesting but I figured I’d close the loop on this… the potential guest called me the next day and asked if we’d be willing to do a 3-6 month rental. We declined as we just got out of the long-term rental business. He understood and I offered to reach out to some other local hosts to see if they could accommodate. He was disappointed but understood. I actually feel relieved!

2 Likes