Advance payment for regular visits

1

Hello - I would like to visit London 3 or 4 times a month this year, and would like to pay an AirBnB Host in London for a large number of overnights all at once: insuring the host occupancy and insuring me lower rates (rates of any nights I end up not using by a certain time are foreited to the Host).

Of course, if I simply pay in advance there is the risk the property may become unavailable (possibly for reasons not under the Host’s control - though my simply being cheated is also a possiblity).

I was considering involving a lawyer to manage payments: the lawyer would receive the prepayment and disburse it to the Host on each booking, paying any remainder at the end of the year (or refunding me if the property were to become unavailable).

However, this would be costly: does AirBnB itsself have facilities for this kind of arrangement?

2

I’m not exactly following. Why not just book in advance through Air? I’m not getting what you are trying to save money on? Deposits are a shadow charge and aren’t an issue unless claimed on. Cleaning is something that happens every time, so no scrimping there. As for a volume discount, it’s something you discuss with the host. If you are booking in advance it IS held for you!

You didn’t hear it from me, but after your first stay, why not just arrange with the host to stay off the books for the other dates? I would tell you however, that in order to block off the calendar like that I would ask the guest for a deposit or prepayment. Why not do the whole thing through Air though? What you are asking of hosts is a lot of hassle. A lot of hosts wouldn’t care for all the rigmarole. If you are willing to pay a lawyer to arrange it, I’m wondering if a good old fashioned hotel isn’t just best for your needs.

3

Thanks for the interest Konacoconutz! Just agreeing with the host after getting a feel for a place was of course my first idea. If I were a host, I would certainly be happy to get a couple of unpopular days a week booked for the rest of the year and would extend quite a hefty rebate for the security.

But of course if a host were granting a hefty discount then they would want to KNOW the guest is really going to pay (I mean a guest could just say they were booking for the rest of the year and then renege after a few cheap stays.).

So if the guest just pays up in advance then the host has security; however, how does the guest get security the property will really be available all year? What at if there’s a fire or something? What if the host looses THEIR access to the property? What if the host just reneges and doesn’t make the property available any more?

Let’s say one of these happens and the host fails to refund me: even if I were to have some kind of legal recourse to get my refund (which is doubtful for a variety of reasons) I don’t really want the hassle of going to court- I’d just want a reputable company (or my own lawyer) who holds the money and gives the host security they’ll get paid and the guest the security they’ll get refunded if things go wrong!

I’ve made some inquiries at AirBnB management companies and am kind of surprised nobody seems to have brought up this kind of arrangement before. I know London is a favourite desitination, but still: can a host in London really be so sure they’ll have full occupancy all the time that they aren’t interested in getting a few unpopular days a week booked up all year long?

4

Well Douglas, it almost seems to me as though you are a bit new to Airbnb. Hosts have to honor reservations or face big penalties. Your calendar is blocked off, they drop you in rankings and you also face a $100 cancellation fee and they notate your profile with a terse: “this host canceled the reservation.” No one wants that, and therefore host cancellations are a rare thing.

In addition, you won’t lose out as I don’t believe your card is actually charged until 24 hours ahead of your reservation (but I could be wrong about this)… But bottom line, if a host cancels on you, you won’t have to eat it. It’s a pretty secure way to go, so just stop fretting and try to book a place or two… Try out some to see if you like them before committing.

5

I have someone who stays every other weekend. She does not pay me upfront. She found me through booking. Com not Airbnb. Of course she is paying me directly. I just blocked one month ahead of time fir her but not more. I can see that she is reliable in staying here but I told her unless she pays me ahead of time I can not block the rest of the year.

6

Thanks Kona - I already book with AirBnB often! I was never concerned about a host reneging on a single booking; however, say I paid for 25 two-night stays in advance - that would easily be £20k for a nice place. A host who’s in the process selling his place or otherwise leaving AirBnB might like to just keep an amount like that and not worry about ‘bad ratings’.

7

Thanks Yana: would you offer the regular guest a discount for paying in advance? Booking every other weekend a year in advance could be a lot of money. I appreciate you are honest, but if something were to happen to you and the property would become unavailable, then who would arrange to refund the guest for all the prepaid amounts?

8

Douglas. I would not want my flat booked up with two days a week for the rest of the year. I think it would restrict availability for other bookings. Maybe it’s my location, on the hipster edge of Shoreditch, but we get a lot of short notice work related bookings for a few weeks, or a month at a time. We have been essentially 100% occupied since starting. But if I was inclined, I would insist that all bookings were made through AirBnB and I wouldn’t offer a discount. Taking the risk of the place remaining empty around your 2 days and getting less than rack rate - I don’t see an upside.

I don’t understand what you have to lose by booking through Air, money is not actually passed on to the host until 24h after the reservation starts, and if you have an issue you can contact Air and they will put a stop on payment, and refund your card, minus their fee.

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9

Douglas, I gave her 20% discount of what I could have charged. I am 100% booked on weekends for 20% more than she pays, so in my case I am loosing money but because she is regular I am doing her a favor. Plus she will stay through not busy season also.
Of course there is a chance that if something happened to me she would loose her money, but I do
Not making her pay upfront , I am just telling her how things are and she has no problem with it

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