I do have a commercial liability policy but one of the policies original questions was about other items such as a swimming pool, grill, gym. I do know the insurer went to the website listing and reviewed everything on it. I will have to verify whether it makes a difference. Did not know about the 6ft. distance- thank you.
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Hmmmmā¦ what else do you not know about using your grill? Scary that folks do not know how to use themā¦ oh waitā¦
The 6ā guideline is not an absolute, though it was a law in CA for condominiums, and I have read it elsewhere as a guideline.
Our insurer seemed to be pretty thorough and I think would have noted that we had two grills. They didnāt ask us to do anything special regarding the grills. I probably go overboard on lots of things and Iām not especially concerned about the guests hurting themselves while using the grill, or damaging the house (itās more than six feet away).
We also have hanging outside: 1) a fire extinguisher and 2) a weatherproofed first aid kit (thereās another in the house).
But itās not just about legalities, of course, but hospitality and safety for its own sake.
We did provide these gloves, for safety: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HAU2FAK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
āComprehensiveā means covering every detail, which your instructions most certainly do. Perhaps you mean ānot conciseā?
This can be pared down to:
BBQ tools: found in lower pull out shelf to right of fridge and in the 2 outside bins marked āBBQā.
Thermometer in top left drawer by cooktop.
Note: Do not use any other pans not found with BBQ supplies to BBQ.
41 words instead of 82. I really donāt understand why you feel the need to use the brand names of everything.
I use brand names (and often model numbers) as a way of documenting what is provided.
That way if we need to replace something or the guest (or ourselves) need/want to look up instructions the information is right there.
You might not agree with providing the brand for that reason, but now I hope you understand my reasoning,
I did mean ācomprehensiveā though we could (letās not) debate its conciseness. If someone is reading just the document the words I added give more information to the reader on what they might find. The implicit message is "Take a look. Thereās a lot there!ā
By the way, I didnāt state the brand of the apron but on reflection I think Iāll add it. Why? It has a type of thick, waxy coating on it that gave me the impression that it had a flame retardant. But it isnāt. I just looked it up. If I had mentioned the brand name someone could look that up too. Regardless of whether they would (of course, most would not) in the event of loss/replacement Iād have the documentation right there of what would need to be replaced. For all these things I am not trying to imply (I think this is what you find off putting) that the item is the āChannelā of BBQ aprons; itās just a way to document what is there, specifically.
For example, there was a time that someone asked me a question about using the receiver for the TV/sound system. Well, I didnāt know off hand the model. So everywhere it says the Marantz NR1510 receiver. That way, they or I could easily look it up. I do have in process projects of: a) assembling all the manuals and b) having electronic copies of all the manuals, with the idea of putting them on a website for the listing. Meanwhile, I list the brands and model numbers. Maybe if I ever finish those projects Iāll edit the descriptions.
Fortunately, the gentleman staying there owns his own Home Inspection Company so I am comfortable with him. I now have to wonder how many other guests have used it- whether they cleaned it afterwards and how to proceed from here. Has anyone put in their House Rules that the guest assumes sole responsibility for the proper use of all appliances?
Weāve put that in our House Rules though I donāt know its legal significance without a signed legal contract, but itās arguably better than nothing. The more information you give them ā for example, access to the appliance manuals ā the better position I expect youād be in.
Itās very easy to clean the grate (assuming you have the brush) if the guest does not. Of course, itās another thing to do. Itās more of a nuisance to check and clean the drip tray, which our guests certainly donāt do. So, again another task but not with every turnover.
If you donāt clean the grate or the last guest doesnāt itās also VERY simple and quick (one minute once the grate is hot?) for the next guest using the grill to take the brush and get the residue off the grates. So weāve never been dinged for that.
I love it when the guests USE the amenities. Yes, maintenance/cleaning is greater but I think their experience is better, more likely theyāll come back as they get the hang of the property. Being able to use a grill is something we provide that hotels and many apartments do not.
Everyone has been very helpful. Thank you.
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No need to wonder - they did not clean it. I have yet had a single guest that properly (to my standards) cleaned the grill. So, it is always on the list to check and clean if it was used.
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I understand you yourself keeping notes on your appliances and stuff- I keep all the manuals that came with everything. But as you say, itās not likely that guests are going to go online and look up an appliance by its brand name and model number, so having the brand names in your guest instructions just clutters it up and makes it overly long. It also, to me, comes across like you are touting the things you provide, as if you are trying to market these things to guests. It isnāt necessary to document the brands that are there to guests.
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Probably because itās a cut and paste job 
I understand your view. When I made that post with the brand names of spices you were not alone in being put off by that. I get that.
But itās functional for me to have this information and potentially helpful to proactive guests. But mostly itās what is convenient for me right now. Itās convenient for me to maintain ONE set of books, so to speak. We donāt have all the manuals, nor have them all in one place, and have access to them remotely.
Itās potentially more valuable to me on the admin side than it might seem. If somehow I were unavailable to answer a question and the primary Host needed to answer some of the questions, she would be at a loss without the brand and model number, which sheād then need to ask the guest what that is (an unacceptable scenario).
So I understand that you (and some others) negatively value the verbiage count and what comes off to you as brand-touting more than I can imagine. I offset that with the utility of having that for management of the property, which does indirectly accrue to the guests because we have only so much time to manage the property.
Net net I think the guests are getting an excellent experience but I have heard this feedback from you and others. Once we get the website up, which actually is not a priority for this year, weāll be able to edit our communications and remove brand names. I actually plan to hire an editor on one of the gig websites.
Yes, it is a cut and paste from the guide on this subject.
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An easier solution to something like this would be a simple spreadsheet, shared with whomever you wish. The spreadsheet could include links to online instructions, etc., which could be sent to your guests if they required it.
Well, itās not easier because I would need to spend the time to create it, whereas now I and the Host have the raw model information for the appliances we have without any incremental effort.
We actually have a lot to do that has a higher priority than creating additional documentation or rewriting current communications beyond minor continuous tweaking. Iād like to get on to OwnerRez, which has a number of sub-steps including hiring a lawyer for a contract. Weād like to get that website up and running, both for our use and our guests. We have a number of gardening projects, including documenting our procedures there. Iād like to figure out whether a pricing model like Wheelhouse could be helpful, or whether I should understand better what @JJD is doing and undertake that kind of analysis.
I could go on with other projects that are just more important to us right now than removing brand and model information of our appliances and other amenities offered to our guests.
Well, it can be incremental: staring today, any new information, such as a model number, manufacturer phone number, etc that you acquire from today forward could be entered into your database. Over time, this database will have more and more information in it. It can only be good to have this information in this form.
For example: getting insurance coverage? Export a list of the items in the database and send to your insurance people. Need an inventory for a new airbnb? Export the list and you can delegate the shopping.
Itās not āremovingā. It is adding to your information. And a list of what you have, with links for info, is a very valuable resource for your guests - if it is searchable and email-ableā¦
Well, I am keeping information in a āpileā of papers for new stuff. Yes, that list/database could be part of the website that Iām planning.
The āremovingā is going through communications and removing the brand names as a few here have suggested.
Yes, the searchable e-mailable list you describe would be valuable both for management and guests.
People not knowing to keep the grill a certain distance from things that could catch fire reminds me of a story. A guy I used to work with was grilling at his home and it was raining. So he brought the grill under his patio cover and next to the wall which was wooden siding at that location. His house caught fire.
The punch line: he was an insurance agent.
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I still donāt understand why this needs to be communicated to and from the guests. Why not just give the primary host a list of the appliance brands and model numbers? If the guests say the dishwasher is not working properly, the host just looks on her list if necessary.
But I give up- you seem determined to come up with bizarre reasoning to rationalize some convoluted ways of doing things.
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Wow ā thatās a surprising story for an insurance agent!
Itās human nature (the availability bias in behavioral psychology) that when we have not experienced things (like a fire) either directly or indirectly that we underestimate its possibility. And soon after we have experienced it the recency bias might cause us to overestimate the possibility.
So guests and Hosts alike are vulnerable to these cognitive errors. Thatās one reason why I think it can be more valuable than it might seem to really focus on safety issues around your property: to create a safety mindset both for the Host and guest.
There have been MANY studies showing how all of us are very susceptible to suggestions. So my thought is that, for example, by having a written emergency plan [shared with your guests], suggesting a meeting place in case of fire, letting guests know that certain lights are on 24/7 or motion-sensitive to point to an evacuation route in case of emergency are helpful in creating a safety mindset.
[The primary Host lets me do this but feels that it is ānegative.ā So I understand that there are differing views on this.]