I host a property with a base price up to 4 people and $25 per additional guest. A current guest booked a stay with four people, not including their child.
I feel somewhat duped, but should I? What would you do in this situation?
I donât know if duped is the word I would use. I would assume that your guests are used to their child not incurring extra cost, so they didnât include him/her. Itâs been discussed on this forum previously. In many countries there is no extra cost for children for many things. If I were you, I would send your guests an alteration request adding $25.00 per night and ask them to accept it.
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AirBNB doesnât think a one-year old is a person, just yet.
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/433/can-children-travel-on-airbnb
To charge for a child, and include them in the party count, you must say so in your House Rules. For some reason, I canât find the in their Terms of Service right now. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.
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I corrected it. 20 characters.
They canât unless their House Rules state that children under 2 must be included in the house count and will be charged.
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Unless the child is over two years old.
Live and learn. Change your listing to NO CHILDREN
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As others have said Airbnb has decided that infants shouldnât be charged for.
You can tick on your listing that you donât accept under twoâs.
You can also state in your house rules that all members of a party should be included in the booking regardless of age.
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Thank you. Couldnât have said it better myself. Iâve said it many times on here. You have to make clear in your listing that your home cannot accommodate guests under a certain age. Otherwise this type of thing will happen, and Air will not back you up. Children (especially babies and toddlers) are ten times the liability of adults and yet people expect you to host them for discounts or even for free. Itâs completely backward and offers you ZERO benefit as a host. Just say no to children. Families of screaming, food-throwing, fabric-soiling, vase-breaking, wall-coloring offspring are what Embassy Inn and Suites and Disney hotels are for.
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We love kids in the house, and if they donât need another bed, thereâs no extra work for us.
We clearly state, for infants, guests need to bring their own cot etc, and once again emphasize we have stairs.
There was one guest that messaged us desperately on the day of arrival because their previously booked accommodation cancelled. They clearly stated they had 3 kids, which was over our 4 person (total) limit. In the end they bundled all 3 kids into a queen bed, which was really cute 
and less laundry for us.
So, although we say âunsuitable for infantsâ in our listing, we donât have a problem with under 2âs, as long as the parents take the responsibility and bring suitable bedding.
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How do you really feel?
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Iâve had some families with kids, no problems. Mind you itâs a cottage and Iâm in Canada, so not freaked out about liability suits. Why would you want to give a negative impression for the sake of a few bucks for an infant. If I was them, Iâd pay up, but be prepared for at the least a neutral review and not a 5. It will also cut off any chance of word of mouth referrals. My only damage so far, came from a group of young adults.
Some of us have places that are dangerous and HUGE liabilities for small children. We are located on the ridge of a high hill, with a pool that is cantilevered over the edge. The drop from the back railing is over 30 feet down to the rocky hillside. The back yard is very steep, and someone could slide down a hundred feet or so before stopping -probably by a tree. We have 220V outlets that are 18 inches up from the floor, a perfect height for a toddlerâs inquisitive little fingers.
I donât have an issue with any host that wants to attract families by letting the children stay for free. That is their choice.
I have a problem with AirBnB encouraging guests to not reveal they have small children. Itâs not uncommon that guests in our area just relax and start drinking, and assume our housekeeper will watch their children. Itâs about the safety of the children. I want guests to talk to me about their children so they understand the inherent hazards of our property.
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Now I understand how our (one and only) guest from hell managed to get her infant son here. We were so naive then!
What I am wondering about, for those of us in the UK at least, whether hosts are putting themselves at risk when hosting children without a DBS check,the new CRB. Any thoughts?
I think this is reasonably clear. It can be reinforced in the House Rules wording below this that only âsuitable guestsâ can book - with proper wording.
Reading this thread, Iâve just updated my House Rules to include a rule that the booker must mention all who are to be part of the reservation while booking.
Maybe worded less bluntly.
A quick look on the gov web page brings this up:
Only employers and licensing bodies can request a DBS check.
So perhaps not relevant here as hosts have no real employer, nor has Airbnb as a platform requested it.
You probably have a get-out clause in this guideline I found on the Airbnb site:
If a host adds Family/Kid Friendly as an amenity, this implies that infants, children, and families are welcome in their listing. Youâll still need to disclose the total number of guests, including infants and children, accurately when making a reservation request.
Your guests did not accurately disclose the total number of guests.
And youâve probably not clicked Family/Kid Friendly as an amenity?
It depends on the age of the child.
I charge them extra for the child, or else they cannot get in and I will cancel the booking.
Free of charge or not, they always have to list correct number of guests.
It depends. Did you go back to the original reservation to see if the guest selected â1â infant? If she did, then she did disclose the information. If she did not, then yes you should feel duped.
Air is calling walking children âinfantsâ and allowing them to bring up to 5 to your place for FREE!! So go to your house rules and note that all guests (no matter the age) must be accounted for and will pay the additional guest fee.
Great advice. I just ticked the âNot suitable for children under 2â box and added this to my rules - âIn your booking note/request, identify the full names of all guests and the ages of any children, the relationships among the guests and the nature of your visit.â