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Hello I have a good booking request for a few thousand $$ for nearly 6 weeks, the guests want to view the house before they confirm,
I am fully booked though til February. But I don’t want to miss the booking. The people in there at the moment I sort of know we have became friends.
They go out everyday, would it be rude to bring the people through for a viewing while there’s still guests there? Of corse I would ask current guests for permission.
EDIT thank you for your feedback. I would of corse not let someone Dodgy view the property, I have checked them out and they are a lovely family with children not potential burglars!! Everything worked out fine ! I cleaned the house for them and brought my guests some chocolate for letting me through.
As long as you explain and give lots of notice. Your current guests should understand this is your business and sometimes this happens.
I have had similar conversations with my guests regarding repairs, furniture deliveries and access.
Never had an issue.
I have had this happen a few times. What I’ve found is that if they view the house after I’ve prepped it for an incoming group they will book. If they have to overlook the mess of the other guests they won’t book so you might as well not even bother.
If it is a lucrative booking I would ask/tell the current guests that you will go in and thoroughly clean the house mid-stay (that is a bonus for them) in exchange for allowing you to show through prospective guests.
If the place is occupied, no matter how ‘straightened up’ you can get it, the prospective guests will only see the belongings of your current guests. It’s like when looking at a house listed for sale that is still occupied by the owners or a tenant. The personal belongings are just too distracting.
I would direct them to the photos of the interior of your house and assure them that they can rely on them…and the fact that your rental is booked solid.
JUST SAY NO! I’m not sure of Air’s policy on the subject.Even if you ask, it’s certainly not polite to show potential guests the temporary mess that current guests have made. And now you’ve set yourself up when the current gusts claim that a camera or something else has gone missing – you’re responsible, not the walk-through people. How can you know you’re not be set up for a future robbery?
When I was new to Airbnb and was in a similar situation, I asked Airbnb and they were fine with it. But I didn’t do it. If they don’t believe my photographs that means they don’t trust me so I have no reason to trust them.
Also, it’s disrespectful of the present guests. They can come here, see outside, meet me but NOT go into the rental.
I have to disagree with most everyone here saying no. A 5 minute walk through is not a big deal. And who is going to be bothered by everyday items guests might have lying around? I wouldn’t if I were going to rent a place and wanted a quick peek.
My advice is to do it. It makes good business sense.
…ps…I’ve done it before with our desert condo when it hasn’t been cleaned. Three minute walk through and the deal was done.
I think you said in another topic that you’re a new host? You’ll find that your hosting life will be easier if you don’t assume that potential guests are thieves or are going to cause damage.
There is no harm in doing it if the rental is empty and looking its best. I’ve done it loads of times. But in the case of the OP who has guests in her rental, I definitely wouldn’t do so, even if they said they were okay with it (after all, it’s a bit tricky for a guest to say no). I feel that it isn’t professional and Airbnb hosts should strive towards a professional and friendly approach. As I said above, they can come and see the exterior, they can speak with me but not go into the rental if other guests are paying to be in there.
Years ago, before purchasing a house in Tahoe, we rented in a complex from a real estate company for a month to see whether we liked the area. A day before the rental was up, I got a call from the RE agent who said she had a couple in her office who was interested in renting and would like to see the place.
I told her we would prefer they wait and show it the next day since we were still in possession. She replied that it was their policy to show it under such circumstances and it would be a quick 5 min. walk-through. I let her know I was unhappy about it and to be sure the people did not open drawers or closets during their walk-through.
They showed up and the agent was pleased that everything was immaculate and tried to engage in conversation but she got a bit of a chilly reception. When I heard a closet door slide open and closed in the bedroom, I was beyond seething.
The experience left me feeling irritated by the imposition and invaded. I would never do that to my guests, even if “I sort of know we have become friends.”
If you let them come to your house before they booked, you are giving them your address, it is hidden for a reason until booking is confirmed… you dont’ know those people, they can see the house from the photos, they can make up their mind…
Why would you set yourself up to possible burglary? What if they don’t book? You don’t have their information…
It is also against policy to give out private information like address and phone number before the booking…
Also it would be very impolite to intrude in your current guest’s privacy if you bring strangers into the house while they are paying rent to you… they have the right and expectation of privacy!
Photos are great but they often don’t really depict the layout of the property. Room configurations etc
If I had floor plans I would put them in my own listing.
I saw them in a listing on this forum where a member was asking for critiques on their property.
If the OP has floor plans they could send them to the potential guest?
I have permitted potential guests to view our house before they decide to book many times. This is usually for film shoots, but sometimes for long term bookings. I rent the guest bedroom. I always tell the potential guests that they are welcome to see all of the house except the guest room unless they come during turnaround. If I were in your shoes, I would not permit the potential guests to tour the listing until the current guests have left. The current guests might say okay in order to be polite even if they are not comfortable with the idea of potential guests touring their living space.
They are renting for short period, not buying or long term lease. Some people would like need to check everything but that doesn’t mean that you should break the rules for them. It sounds like you have regular bookings, don’t let people push you about.
There have been many many many MANY posts about this. I have gone both ways, letting someone preview the house and rejecting other requests to preview. The people I have let preview were families with small children, coming from overseas, for 4+ weeks. The people I declined were singles, living locally, with a not so legit reason for wanting to see my house before booking. I have also used the line 'You are more than welcome to book my place, then arrange a viewing. If upon viewing you are not satisfied, I would be more than happy to go OUTSIDE my cancellation policy and cancel at no charge to you." For the record no one has taken me up on that
