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Our bikes appear in one of our photos simply because we stored them on the porch last year (we live in the adjoining suite). Our upcoming guests just asked if they’re available to use. If the bikes are damaged or stolen while being used by guests, would Airbnb cover the cost of repair or replacement? I assume not. Is there a way I could get the guest to agree to replace the bicycles or pay for damage that would be legally binding, but simple?
I estimate that it would cost about $1000 or more per bicycle to replace. Bicycle theft isn’t a huge issue here.
My concern wouldn’t be the bikes themselves. It would be liability for guests getting injured or killed—or causing an accident with someone else. Definitely check your short-term rental insurance policy to see if it covers your liability for the use of bikes that you supply.
Can only concur with both @RebeccaF and @jaquo, check your insurance because the potential for liability is extremely high, especially if someone is using a strange bicycle on public roads.
Ditch the image, therefore problem solved in future.
If it was me, I’d respond to guest saying that they were, but due to liability issues you’ve had to withdraw them as an amenity. Ok, it’s a little “white one”, but plausible and may stop them asking again, if they book.
Don’t let guests see – in photos or in person – what you don’t want them to use. Even once they get here, I have the canoe and kayak well hidden. They see it, they want to drown themselves from it.
Go with everyone’s good advice here, @Holly_84 !
It was nice that the guests asked whether they were available, rather than just expecting them to be. Then you can say no, and thank them for pointing out that they still appear in the photos, say that you will take care of fixing that immediately, tell them well spotted, etc.
Agree lose the photo unless you have specific inkeeper type insurance coverage for guest use of equipment.
Proper Insurance (the name of the company, not an adjective) will cover that, but they’re expensive.
Funnily enough, I just read a post on another forum about a guest in the neighboring cabin to the poster’s, a listing which does provide bicycles, who hopped on a bike while quite inebriated, crashed the bike into the foundation of the poster’s cabin, injuring herself badly (rushed to hospital via ambulance).
Those guests are claiming the bike had no brakes, so will probably try to sue the host, but it’s much more likely that she was just too drunk to hit the brakes.
I used to offer bikes but they were requested so rarely that the one time someone asked I had a flat. We don’t offer them anymore but make the list of places nearby that rent bikes handy. People who travel with their own bikes have appreciated our offer to let them secure their bikes in our shed or front hall.
I do offer a secure dry place to store bikes, and use of my tools and repair stand, but I (and you) don’t want to be liable. Even the storage is at their own risk, and they are advised to lock the bike in place.
If they don’t have a bike but want one there’s a rental shop a six minute walk away. They can afford to carry liability insurance, since most years they take cruise passengers on scenic rides.
So I’m the host who had a guest at a neighboring cabin crash into my cabin. Here’s my post, copied.
Omg y’all! So the weirdest thing just happened. I live a gated mountain, mostly retirement community, I think there are 60-70 homes. About 15 are whole house short term rentals. My STR is one of only 2 that is a STR guest house on the lot where the homeowner is in the main house. So there is a rental next to me that is beautiful but also gets a ton of complaints. It’s very expensive so is usually rented by big groups that tend to be loud and break curfew constantly. So anyway, I’m in town running some errands and my husband calls me to tell me that a woman on a bike had lost control and plowed into the foundation of our cabin. Pretty significant injuries and DH had to call 911. She was transported by ambulance out. So it turns out she was one of the renters next door. The bike(that is provided by the rental from what he gathered) apparently had no brakes. So here’s the shocker, according to her biking friend they started their vacation by doing shots as soon as they’d unpacked. This woman had 5 shots of whatever before hopping on a bike, barefoot no less and careening down the road in the mountains. Makes me totally glad we decided not to provide bikes or kayaks to guests. I wonder if there will be repercussions for the homeowners. Friend of the injured woman was insisting the bike had no brakes, but of course 5 shots of alcohol can make brakes hard to find.
*Update-the guests from the cabin dropped by yesterday with a pot to replace the one that their friend had trashed when she crashed. Nice gesture but totally not necessary, it was a cheap pot that had nothing but soil in it. Anyway my husband asked about the friend, how she was doing, etc. Apparently her injuries were pretty significant as they ended up airlifting her from the local hospital to one in Atlanta. So scary.
