First time host this weekend. Have 4 rooms to rent. All full tonight as Beyoncé is in town. Four friends arrived for two of the rooms. They’ve filled fridge with bottles of beer which they’re enjoying outside. I don’t mind that at all. Except they’ve also put sausages and rashers in the fridge. Does this mean, they’re planning on using my oven to cook up a breakfast in the morning?
I’ve already left bread, cereal etc out.
What should I do. Any advice???
Do you allow cooking?
It’s my first weekend hosting so no idea. Is it usual??? If it is, I’ve no problem but took me by surprise. What about the other 4 people staying. Hope they won’t think it’s for them.
Well it depends. Did you add kitchen to amenities? If you did then that’s your answer. You’re the host. You’re the one that comes up with the rules and what people can do and use.
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I assume that since the OP has left cereal and bread for the guests then use of the kitchen is permitted?
I allow full use of kitchen. But I’d say less than 20% use the fridge. 5% cook. The rest eat out or get takeaway.
Good to know for the next time.
Thanks Paul. Hopefully they’ll cook me breakfast too. Lol.
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When you set up your listing you checked off what amenities are included. You were also given options for house rules. Go to your listing to see what you did.
I don’t allow use of my kitchen as I don’t want cooking but if I am asked I let guests use the fridge for drinks. Here’s a screen shot of my amenities, what’s crossed off I don’t provide.
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Yvonne, we have few threads here on use of a kitchen.
You might want to look into that. You dont mind now, but wait till you have guests like i had in a very begining who used kitchen non stop for hours a day, and basically forced me to not have any time to cook my own food. Not only that. When a stranger in your house starts cooking they tend to burn things. In my case a guy left cutting board on a stove and forgot to turn it off, and whole house filled with smoke. Its a good thing i was home.
They make mess and almost all of my cooking guests never cleaned floors. Drops of food everywhere, and i have marble floors that stain very easily.
Also, if you have 2 separate groups in your home, and one starts cooking something smelly. WHat if another guests is vegeterian, like me, and can not stand the smell of meat or fish. What if theystart cooking in a morning when another guest is a sleep, make all these noise.
There are a lot of issues that comes with cooking, its worth to consider it.
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Do take a good hour or more to peruse all the posts on this site. You will learn so much. I would start slow. Don’t offer to much - wait and see what works for you.
My guests have a small cooking area to themselves. Most don’t use it - even families with kids that I assumed would. However, you can get some who use it and the smells of the cooking can be an issue, depending on your preferences. For instance, while I love Indian food, I do NOT like smelling Indian food cooking at 6 a.m. every day for a week.
Some hosts are totally easy going - what type of person are you? How much are you home, how much do you use your kitchen? Will it freak you out if they leave dishes and guck on the floor? (It would me). Do you believe most people will do the right thing? Will it be your style to have rules posted in the kitchen? Do you like the idea of being a ‘mom’ to the masses and nag them to clean up? Will it rock your world to come home and find that they have helped themselves to your expensive oils, bread, seasonings, eggs, etc?
Also check your local health code as to what you’re allowed to provide.
Get educated as quickly as you can. This forum is a great resource. While AirBnB can be a wonderful experience, but it is sold to us on the “we are the world” idea. Well, yes, we are the world, but some of us are extremely boorish, rude, smelly, pushy, kind, generous, interesting, friendly, loud, take lonnng showers, use all the towels, clean up after themselves, leave the room littered with bottles, leave tips… it’s a huge learning experience. Remember to ask about taxes and insurance. If you are in the United States (and I think, most places) your HO policy will most likely become void if you are using your home as a business (which you are). Also be sure you are aware of all the taxes you will need to pay. Here in Maryland I have to collect and remit the 13% sales & occupancy taxes.
Have fun!! It can be a pretty awesome experience!!
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I see now. Yes I’ll un tick kitchen for next time.
Thanks very much. Totally get you. No I wouldn’t like the smell of Indian food at 6am. I’m in Ireland. I think the tax man will look for 50% of income from Airbnb so will try it for a few weeks till I know more. Too much of a chunk to be getting taxed on.
Also, as far as handling this group, you might poke your head out the door and tell them that you notice they have some rashers, etc., in the cooler and that’s fine but if they plan on cooking in the morning, they must clean up after themselves and leave the kitchen tidy. Set your rules.
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SIgh…thats the thing, for different people "tidy " varies. My infamous cooks thought they were tidy, but left stove covered with animal fat, not wiped properly, floor was always covered with crumbs. They even left dining table dirty. And when i told them to clean up better they did not like it. This issue with kitchen is really such a nuisance for hosts that i wish no guests even expected the full use of it. For me it was big news that guests even think of just freely roam through someone’s kitchen. I traveled with Air for 5 years before i started hosting and i never ever even had a thought that i can have fully cooked dinners in my host’s house. The most i did is Tea before bed, and coffee in a morning, and toast. And i was superhappy if they let me put my food in their fridge and may be warm up in a microwave
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I allow cooking in my kitchen, some people do it other don’t. I provide a few “starter” breakfast items. After they finish it they buy their own. Some people eat every day at the house others don’t.
I try to maintain the kitchen clean so guests follow suit.
You need to decide what kind of hosting you want to do.
Yeah, 50% is criminal. Good luck!! It is a lot of fun and a huge learning experience! I feel I benefit more than the income - but I need the income, too.
If you are vague they will assume just about anything is OK! 
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Interesting very informative thread here. Thank you all. I’m preparing to host - probably
around the middle of August and am thinking of putting a coffee pot, toaster & microwave on
the screened in porch - and keeping guests out of the kitchen. Any thoughts?
Cheers
In my house rules I state “light cooking only”. This is for a private room in my house. I do not mind if people cook but I do not want a big mess and try to limit this with my house rules.
We do not provide any breakfast or even starter items other than bottled water. Although Guests are welcome to use the entire kitchen. So far 90% of our Guests have used the kitchen for just light breakfasts and a couple of small dinners. It was the bookings with kids that made full on dinners and used a lot of pans. Thankfully everyone has cleaned up mostly sufficiently. .
As @Yana_Agapova we never thought to cook when traveling as a Guest.