Callout Fee, do you charge it?

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Hi Hosts,

I newly start a business to manage multiple Airbnb listings. We had few guests locked them out, normally our staff or me will go there to help them open the door, even it’s in the late evening.

Then I input a house rule about the callout fee like other hosts, but nobody pay for that, and I also got complaint that the fee is illegal.

Could you please help and let me know how do you manage this problem.

Many Thanks

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Get an automated key lock - then guests can’t lock themselves out @Han_Yan

I don’t believe you can’t charge a call out charge if it’s in your house rules who told you it was illegal?

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I don’t charge a fee for lockouts or guest issues.

An automated lock you can remotely manage might be a good solution.

Like Helsi says, you can charge a call-out fee so long as it’s disclosed in your house rules. Be aware that guests might be irritated you’re charging it if they feel the lockout wasn’t their fault. That irritation may come up in reviews.

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Hmmm…my first question is why all the lock outs? Is there an issue with the lock or is it just forgetful houseguests. If it is a lock issue, replace it with a keyless entry if possible or repair it. Put in your HR that you charge a minimal fee of XX for forgetful guests.

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Welcome,
Charging an additional fee when a guest cannot access your managed accommodations in my opinion is wrong, you are in the hospitality business.
As of last month I have hosted over 700 guests, the suite is self catering, in that time I have had 2 guests not able to access the suite & once it was my error.
I would suggest that the system you have in place to access multiple listings is flawed or the communication with the guest is not adequate.
As you are operating multiple listings & have staff, perhaps you need to review your business plan & allow for a designated on call person 24/7 to problem solve issues that will arise.

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A friend of mine rented an apartment in Paris. He went out and lost the key. The host didn’t have a spare (or claimed to not have one.) The booking was cancelled and Airbnb put my friend in a nice hotel. Guests will sometimes get locked out and it’s the host/owner/manager’s job to get them back in at no additional cost.

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What a ridiculous notion. If you have trouble with the keys you provide then it’s high time you upgraded your services.

If you have people who go out to let guests in, then this is an annual cost that should be added in when you calculate your nightly fee. So put your prices up.

You could have worked that out, easily enough right?

Absolutely. The problem seems to be that the OP isn’t in the hospitality industry at all; he’s merely a landlord. This is a forum for hosts.

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I read in one of the forums that if a problem happens one time, it is probably a one time problem and maybe the guest’s issue. If it happens more than once, it is my problem and I need to look at what I can do to keep it from happening again. Whenever I begin to get annoyed I remember this and it has helped a lot with my attitude. There are a lot of things that really don’t work with this, but it does answer some of the problems. I keep a keybox, with an emergency key inside, attached to a door on my covered back porch. If the self-entry smartlock malfunctions for some reason, and assuming I am not able to open the lock remotely, the guest can message me for the code and access the physical key to gain entry.

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As a host you can do what you want, but if you want to be a great host, then you need to try your best to do what makes your guests happy. If you charge for a call-out because guests lock the key in their room, don’t expect the guests to be happy about having to pay, even though it’s their own fault, and as @Allison_H said, it will occasionally come up in your reviews.

Also, any issues that happen repeatedly are signals for hosts to make changes. I assume this means your doors automatically lock when you close them. That’s fine for hotel rooms where there’s a front desk with staff 24 hours a day, but maybe not the right type of mechanism if it takes significant effort for you to come out to let them in. Basically, it’s an issue for guests, and it’s an issue for you, but only you can fix it.

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You need a backup. If you really can’t change the lock set to an electronic one, put a key in a lock box locked to the pipe on the gas meter or something. Then write the codes for the lock boxes down in a spreadsheet and give that to your guests only if they lock themselves. Once they use the code, change it for the next guest so they can’t come back and get back in.

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Yes, I can charge a callout fee when guests truly understand it is their fault, and he/she won’t leave a negative review.

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My friends and I bought apartments in the same building so we decided to manage these listings together and hired a casual hosting manager. You are right, if we charge additional fees turns out we are doing hospitality business rather than “Airbnb”. I may need to put this into the job desciption to make it easier, but I can predict the manager will walk away from this job.

Forgot to mention, the apartments use a keycard to entre the front door and also need to use it for the lift and get into the room. This apartments just like a hotel.

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What? Guests can leave a review that says whatever they want and if you make them mad they will even make up lies about the listing and Airbnb won’t remove their reviews.

I hope you and your friends have a back up plan for your investments if Airbnbing them doesn’t work out well.