I know wear and tear will happen, but his dog scratched the floors near the front door. Nothing major, but had there been no dog, it would still look brand new. Maybe if we continue to do this for years, the home becomes worn naturally, I’d be open to dogs. But as now, everything is brand new & I don’t think it’s worth it, yet.
I think the misunderstanding was just that, tone through text can be hard to discern, especially with new people. I value everyone’s experience and replies. Thanks!
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I know what it’s like to have people damage new stuff through lack of care and attention, so I can totally sympathize. It’s quite disheartening.
But Airbnbs need to be fairly bulletproof, because other people don’t treat our homes like we would. I used to think that if you presented things to someone in perfect order they would be inclined to take care with it, but I’ve found that isn’t true.
I do a lot of upholstery work for clients who have rentals in my touristy town. Some of them want white cushion covers, as it’s light and airy looking for a tropical climate. I always try to talk them out of it, but some insist that’s what they want. I did one set of couch covers in white and the first set of guests thought it was fine to apply their blue nail polish while sitting on the sofa. There was nail polish stuck to almost every cushion.
I realize that your home may have already had floors you didn’t want to change out, but generally speaking, tile or smooth concrete floors are fairly indestructible choices for rentals. A wood floor can get scratched easily not only from dog nails, but people dragging furniture or suitcases around and all sorts of things.
You might even consider tiling an area just inside the front door to cover the scratches and make the entrance more durable.
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Lol, it would do no good at all. Air has decided it is their best interest to allow this to happen and that is what matters to them.
RR
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I’m not so sure about that. Airbnb does delete guest accounts and also sometimes send hosts those “This booking has been cancelled by Airbnb due to trust and safety concerns”, or whatever the wording is. I doubt that all of those are based upon the guest’s payment falling through- I think many stem from egregious behavior that has been reported.
In any case, as it doesn’t require much time or effort to report a guest, I would be inclined to do so. It’s not like wasting hours trying to get a revenge review removed or trying to collect for damages.
Yikes. White cushions sound like an invitation for disaster. I was imagining sunless tanner, but nail polish is just as bad.
We bought the house to fix and flip (as we have done in the last) and this one seemed like the best opportunity to Airbnb. It’s within a mile of our home, so we are able to keep and eye and maintain easily. My husband usually lets me choose the upgrades, but he fell in love with his lvp choice and people seem to love it. It’s still growing on me. 
For a STR, I would agree, tile all the way!
Luckily the fabric on those white cushions was Sunbrella, and the cleaner was happy when I told her that she could use nail polish remover on the spots without damaging the fabric. I never did any more work for that place, so don’t know if it all came out.
But white is a dumb color to use in a rental anyway, as it is going to show all the dirt and will have to be washed constantly.
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I’ve had a number of guests with “service” animals stay. Only one of them ever came off as a genuine service animal (well trained, etc.). Because this is a shared space (I list two rooms in my home) I do set some expectations around SAs. First, if they ask me ahead of time whether SAs are allowed I say that AirBnB policy requires I allow them. I then explain that I have my own pets (cats) and they do not respond well to other animals (service or not). I therefore require the SAs to stay in the room and not be allowed in the common areas. I point out that this can be unfair to the animals and suggest a different place might be a kinder choice for them. I also point out that other guests are on the property and I cannot vouch for how they will respond to animals. I never ask questions about the validity of their SA (even the legal 2) because it doesn’t matter and won’t inform my response. And then I always mention the SA in the review and the information about how it went (well-behaved or not, clean or not, etc.). I post nothing about my opinion whether the animal is legitimately a service animal or just a pet.
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This is a great strategy, but we do not live at our Airbnb property. Glad it works for you & I appreciate the feedback.
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Would someone mind sharing what are the 2 questions you are permitted to ask?
depends of course on the sates you are in. But here is general info:
Read the Airbnb Accessibility Policy.