The whole reason that I am running this by the group is to gather thoughts, advice and different perspectives.
What I did NOT ask for is a personal attack or snarky attitude. Keep that to yourself.
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The problem is you give them an inch and they take a mile.
The house rules say no and they tell OP they will…
Next thing you know they are not just th err an hour and then they are not just there a day or an overnight, then they are there the whole reservation!
And when you try to charge them Airbnb says they are allowed for free since they were not on the original reservation and because the guest “said” the would only be there an hour. Even when you provide the video footage of the being there the whole time AirBnB says they are allowed unlimited visitors and then as a host we are screwed!
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It is a separate apt - top floor of our Victorian.
I really do appreciate the replies. The different perspectives are helping me to consider when our house rules should be 100% firm and when they might be somewhat flexible - in certain situations.
We have been landlords for a long time. STR is still fairly new and it is nice to get different opinions before we act - so that it is more to our advantage and reduces risk.
We are always concerned about possible liability with an unregistered visitor … USA and Lawyers …
Thanks!
J.
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Do you have appropriate short-term rental insurance?
FWIW I have in my house rules that guests must obtain permission from the host before inviting any additional guests onto the property that are not on the reservation.
I would not book a place if I saw that. No parties, no overnighters but don’t tell me I can’t have a guest over that is over the top controlling.
R
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I have a home share. “No visitors” is clearly stated and respected. In previous incarnations, visitors became a bone of contention re: privacy.
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I wouldn’t either. But quite a few hosts seem to have that policy or something like it. It doesn’t seem to be hurting their business. I just decided that wasn’t a fight I needed to fight. Of course that does lead to incidents like the complete strangers walking into my house last spring thinking they were going into their friend’s Airbnb.
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Me2, I do not need to control everything. I like to have visitors.
RR
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I only ask that they get permission and I’d estimate that only about half of guests actually ask. To be honest, I don’t care as long as long as the number of guests is reasonable . My reasoning for rule is that I can stop some parties before they start and at least Airbnb might back me up if I ever get concerned there are way to many people in my listing even if they claim they aren’t having a “party”. I have said no to a guest only once. The guest asked to have 12 extra people over, and you know the guest might still have been understating the number. There were 8 people on the reservation; add 12 (or more) extra and there would be 20+ people in the house. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see where that could lead.
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So say someone has a nighttime visitor, for a few hours… Not that I would do that but you know, people do hook up while outa town!
RR
As long as the total number of overnight guests is less than the maximum allowed in the listing, I really don’t care. They can even try out all 6 beds.
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@Jefferson thanks for being open to feedback. I know some people got a bit brutal, that probably didn’t help. Regardless, I agree with their sentiment. People choose Airbnb because they want many of the freedoms of home. I’ve had people ask if their grand kid could stay over (not on the original booking), family visit, etc. Hell, this year our Thanksgiving guests made dinner for their family in the Loft. They also cleaned up after themselves. We’ve never had a reason not to allow it, and it makes for exceptional feedback.
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My AirBnB is a home share and my rules about visitors are more strict than those hosts with standalone spaces. I’ve gone through numerous iterations of my rules in an attempt to not be so strict as to turn people off, but also to maintain control of my house and privacy. When I didn’t have a rule about visitors, I had guests bring their family member over and use my shower to get ready, I’ve had a guest sneak in an overnight guest, but I also had very respectful young guests bring their parents in to help them get settled into their room.
My rules have stated anything from no visitors at all, to no visitors without prior approval. I haven’t figured out the best way to word it, because I really would have no problem with someone’s kid or parents stopping by for an hour, but I always ask for visitors to be cleared in advance and I go on a case by case basis depending on how the rest of our communication has been and whether the guest has otherwise been courteous. I’m less likely to grant a request for visitors to guests who have acted entitled or taken advantage of my hospitality, because as @Militaryhorsegal says, “give them an inch, they take a mile.” Also, I host two rooms in my house and it’s not quite fair if one guest is expecting a quiet house occupied by just me and another AirBnB guest, then to be surprised with the friends or family of the other guest to be hanging around.
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Seems very harsh.
I do understand it’s your house rules but they have asked first and its seems highly unlikely they are intending to stay over.
They are literally visiting their parents for a short time.
I dont think they sound the type of guests who will abuse your rules and risk a bad review from you.
If that were the case they would’ve just gone ahead without asking first.
Be gracious, point out that you wouldn’t normally allow visitors but say on this occasion you’re fine as long as they dont stay at night.
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But they have NOT! They TOLD…very different.
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And that’s when a guest will say that their guests just showed up uninvited…sometimes even that they had no idea that they were even coming!
Really? So thy just guessed the address?
He’s not saying you can’t just that you need permission. If you can’t handle that then best for you to go elsewhere.
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I am inclined to agree with @Militaryhorsegal on this topic. I don’t allow guests in my house rules. As an on-site host, I don’t like locals being overly familiar with my property, my family, or how to get into the unit. I may be paranoid, but I did have someone who wasn’t booked with me try to check in once.
And, if I have a no visitors rule, AirBnB will back me up when I collect my extra guest-fee for unregistered guests who are “just visiting” for the entire stay.
However, I’d probably allow the one-hour visit in this case to avoid the bad review. It is OK to start out strict and loosen up when needed. The no visitors rule is not a hill I’ll die on.
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I cannot handle that. I am not asking permission in a stand alone listing to have someone over who is not spending the night.
RR
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Actually have to disagree on this one @Militaryhorsegal - @Jefferson stated quite clearly in a direct quote from the guest that they asked. When they ask ‘is it possible’ it seems quite clear that they weren’t demanding.