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Hi all, I wanted to get some other hosts opinions on this? I am a live in host, renting out two guests rooms via airbnb. My house is an old terrace house. A guest recently booked a one month stay in autumn. I’m not overly fussed on long term guests as I like my own space but it’s done now. My concern is electricity. Basically my old house tends to be warm in the summer but cold in the winter. There was a back return added to this house in the 60s, it was very poorly insulted with a flat roof. When I bought the house I had it insulated, it’s made a big difference but that one back bedroom tends to be be cold. I have a dimplex oil heater in the room, as an additional heating option if guests find it chilly but it is expensive to run. I know when guests are using it based on the metre, my balance goes down dramatically if its been on for any amount of time. With this cost of living crisis, my electricity has gotten much more expensive, only lasting maybe half of what it would have a while ago, for the same cost. Is it fair to expect this guests to pay an extra fee outside of what he has paid on airbnb for using the heater? I think its a miserable thing to expect someone to do, but I know I will be anxious when he is here about the electricity. I will say, I wouldn’t want my guests to be cold, I know from experience a warm inviting room is what guests want & what I strive to offer. What do you guys think?
If you had it in the listing at the time he booked, absolutely. If it wasn’t, he might balk at it. Possibly you could reach a middle ground of x amount monthly if he agrees but you will run the risk him of him being dissatisfied. Decide if you think it will be a significant enough amount to risk this. And definitely add it going forward.
You need to change your settings so you don’t get month long stays or remove any discount you provide for longer stays. Also, don’t open your calendar for bookings so far in advance during a “cost of living crisis” (as you call it) if things are so unpredictable where you are.
I agree with this.
If a host told me that they hadn’t priced their rental appropriately for my stay, I wouldn’t consider that my problem and I wouldn’t be open to paying more. The only possible exception would be if prices changed dramatically prior to my stay for unforseen reasons like a war in the Middle East that doubled oil prices. OTOH would I expect the host to refund part of the cost of my stay if a different crisis caused a price collapse?
The challenge starts when the OP edits the listing to disclose the situation and the ability to charge for heat going forward.
If I’m the renter (who does not know that the back bedroom is not well insulated but also knows that the Host wants me to pay some of the heating bill so that’s a red flag to me):
– I just don’t know what to expect in heating bills, not just because I don’t know the future price of energy or the weather but I don’t know what the BTUs needed would be in even a ‘normal’ winter at a temperature, say, of 68F.
– Am I signing a blank check?
– What heating is the Host of a short-term rental required to provide under local law? Surely there is a legal requirement for even short-term rentals (requirements for long-term rentals are part of local codes).
– If I might be paying for heat, what heat is provided in the nightly rate? Heat of listing to temp of x?
If I’m the OP my concern is that the guest sets the temperature at some unreasonably high temperature or leaves it on when not home.
I don’t know whether there’s a technology assist: setting the oil theater on a thermostat coupled with a sensor (?) that would maintain the temperature if there is a person in the room. If need be, forget the sensor (after all, a guest could be home all day), and just connect the oil heater to a thermostat such that the temp cannot be raised over x, and the OP pays for the oil heater.
IF as the renter I had the ability to heat it to a higher temperature I might be willing to pay to do so if that were disclosed in the listing prior to booking, if the ‘normal’ temp was reasonable, if I had a sense of what my charges could be (at least the all-in BTU price or a link to find that).
It seems to me that once the OP starts asking for reimbursement for heating that potentially this invites disputes. The disclosure needs to be clear and precise. In devising a policy the OP needs to consider its legal requirements as well as objections that a guest could potentially raise.
Someone needs to bear the expense that the back bedroom is not well insulated. Should it be the renter or the OP?
I agree that any expenses the host may have aren’t the concern of the guests. I wouldn’t ask for extra because it wasn’t mentioned in the listing and to be honest, it shows a certain lack of attention from the host.
Once that’s in a guest’s mind, it’s easy for them to find fault with other issues, opening a whole new can of worms.
In your situation, I’d probably try to be the very best host on the planet and hope that the guest leaves a huge tip.
Hi all, I do agree, the cost of the heating is my responsibility as the host, not the guests. I looked at my booking settings to see if I could add a small extra cost for long term stays but that wasn’t an option & I’m not sure where on the listing to state that, If I even bother. Not all guests look at the details.
You would put it on your house rules section, and if you are going to continue to accept long term bookings, what I would do is set your maximum stay length to 2 weeks, or however long you would feel okay about not charging extra for heat, then write in your listing, "Longer stays past my 2 week maximum may incur extra utility fees and guests expected to provide their own supplies such as soap, toilet paper, etc. after using up the starter pack I supply. Please send an inquiry if you are interested in a long term booking. "
Alternatively, you could raise your nightly rates during the colder months to cover the extra heating bill. I think that’s a better idea than charging guests separately for heat.
I think it’s tacky to try and up-charge a booked guest. Go to your listing now and create a seasonal summer vs winter nightly rate, higher in winter to cover adequate heating. Don’t say anything in the listing details unless a potential guest asks. Then just say “winter rates are higher to cover heating.”
We do Seasonal rates here in Florida based on time of year – higher rates in winter when demand is high, lower in summer when the snowbird tourists go home.
I just recieved notification that my local electric utility is going to install smart meters next year between Feb and July. That will make it easy for me to see how much electric use increases when guests are in the room and adjust my price if I need to.
