Guests want to check in about 4 hours early and check out about the same. I have no problem with it and they said they’d pay extra. But I’m pretty new - don’t know how much. Also my listing says I charge more for each person over two people. They’re bringing two children. I realize I haven’t defined children as people. I already had one infant and didn’t charge extra. Seemed ridiculous. But how about “regular” kids?
Note: you do not have to allow infants - or children under 12 - check your booking settings.
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/433/can-children-travel-on-airbnb
Can children travel on Airbnb?
Yes, children can travel on Airbnb, but some hosts have specified that their space may not be safe or suitable for children or infants.
Infants (children under 2 years old) aren’t counted as guests when you’re booking a reservation and don’t incur any extra costs. Some hosts count children as guests, which can add an additional guest fee to the reservation.
Look for Family/Kid Friendly listings
If a host adds Family/Kid Friendly as an amenity, this implies that infants, children, and families are welcome in their listing. You’ll still need to disclose the total number of guests, including infants and children, accurately when making a reservation request.
You can also ask questions or clarify the details of your trip with your host (such as whether they count children as guests), by clicking Contact Host before submitting a reservation request.
Remember that 4 hours early or 4 hours late pretty much will force you to block the day before and the day after the reservation. Otherwise, you won’t have time to clean and prepare your listing. If you already block 1 day for preparation time (I do this), then cleaning and preparation may not be a problem. How much? What’s it worth to you? I’d say 1/3 of your nightly rate is fair for 8 hours extra, but significantly more if it forces you to block those two days.
[Edited out stuff that Jefferson already posted]
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I charge $30 for a guaranteed early check in at 1 pm (this still gives me a 3 hour window to clean) and a 12 pm check out for $30 but I don’t accept a late check out and an early check in on the same day and make a notation. It’s just too tight. It works out well because most guests decline. I explain in the message about fees that I have to pay the cleaner a rush fee of $30 to get the place ready (I’m the cleaner). I just don’t want to have to wait around to clean the suite and start my day unless I’m paid for my time. Then when the guests decline and most do, I then tell them that if the suite is ready early, I’ll send them a message. I usually send the message about 1 hour before regular check in and I have found most guests don’t bother to show up early.
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Thanks, folks. I do accept children and they were charged my extra person fee. I even had an infant the other night (no extra) - was a little concerned but she was quiet and adorable. Of course, a different baby could be a different experience. But I’m in a college town where families come to see a kid at the school. As for the checkout, I decided to relax and block off the day before and after. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from a back-to-back booking (if I even got one). I’m new to this forum and it’s been really helpful.
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It’s crazy to think a guest is allowed to bring up to 5 infants who don’t count towards max occupancy and incur no extra person fees.
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I’ve had this happen more than once with 4 and I can tell they were not all under 2. Actually it’s usually just 1 that is.
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Yeah, 4 kids under two and none of them are twins or adopted? 
9+9+9+waittaminute! 
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We had a set of triplets that told my property manager they were big girls and 3 years old when playing on swingset and asking her to push them. The idiot parents and the rest of the group of 10 had no clue they had taken off to the play yard by themselves and she was worried about it when she noticed, so she hung out with them for an hour before anyone realized they were missing. She said it was kind of a tell also that not one was in diapers that they were well over 2. Who doesn’t notice 3 year triplets missing for over an hour???
Edited to add: She did call and text them, but they never responded.
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We charge $39 an hour or part for early or late check-ins and thankfully most people decline. With larger houses 3,4 &5 bedrooms it can take us every bit of 4 hours to get them cleaned up between guests.
Rick
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I’d make a prorated charge. My listing is for 19 hours (3pm check in, 10 am check out) so for 8 extra hours I’d charge about 40% of a one day rate. But I probably wouldn’t be able to offer both since I have so many back to back bookings.
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Before I had a chance to respond to her request, she wrote me back and said she’d just read my rules and realized what the checkin time and out were. She’s fine with the “real” hours. I guess people really don’t read that! Even though this is solved, it was very helpful to get people’s opinions. This forum is just amazing. At first I was taken aback by some of the bluntness, but now I appreciate it.
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This is great to read. Most of us really do wish the best for our fellow hosts, that’s why we are here. Take the best and leave the rest as RiverRockRetreat urges.
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I would hope she added the extra person fees for the triplets being children (but my guess is that she didn’t even mention it…) It boggles my mind how so many people don’t even stick up for themselves by enforcing their own rules and letting people walk all over them. Personally, I would rather be hated for enforcing standards that they agreed to than liked by people who use and take advantage of me.
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