How to add a required form for my airbnb guests to complete?

The condo is now requiring me to submit a simple security form with my guests’ information and signature a week before they check-in. It’s just a new obstacle to try to dissuade unit owners like me from short term rentals. How do I send or make available the forms to my guests – is there any way to upload it? Your ideas will be much appreciated. Thank you.

You will need to let your guests know about this in your description. And you can add it to dropbox and send them a link.

@Evelyn – Evelyn, thank you for your response but I thought airbnb doesn’t allow links to be provided…how do I do it?

After the reservation is made you’re allowed to include links.

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After the guest has booked, you can use their AirBnB email adress. (It is in the contact data)
You can send them an email with the PDF included.

I use it to send them a link to an online check in form, to shorten the check in time when they arrive.

The problem is, what do you do if they do not sent it back in time? I do not think you are allowed to cancel the booking because the guest did not return the form in time.

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@Evelyn, @Chris Thank you for your guidance. Alas, my building is making it really difficult for me to conduct my business…

At least they haven’t banned it outright. Just be very communicative with your guests and make sure it’s in your house rules that you will send them documents to fill out after booking and that they need to fill them out and return immediately. Don’t let them know they have until a week prior.

Yes this is a problem but you can sort of solve it by making sure you do not have any availability for less than a week away. And actually, if they book in time but don’t send the form back in time you CAN cancel them. The issue is only that you must make this crystal clear in your listing description. AirBnB have been quite explicit with such things in the past to me, you can have conditions written in the description (such as, guests must sign a contract, guests must collect the keys from a different address, etc) as long as they know about them before they book.

So for example you could write, “Due to building regulations, guests will be required to fill in a separate booking form with me for their booking to be valid.” I would probably also message every guest as soon as they book, restating this and stressing that the form must be received no later than 8 days before the booking starts, etc.

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I would make it even more rigid and say they have 24 hours after booking to return the form. They’re thinking of travel as they’re booking. You don’t want to hold the calendar for weeks (especially since you can’t book last minute with this building requirement) and this would give you plenty of time to find replacement bookings. They don’t need to know it’s needed a week before arrival by your building, they need to know it’s a condition of their booking. :slight_smile:

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What exactly are they asking for on the form. How would your condo know who is checking in and when? It seems this would be hard for them to track.

Maggieroni, I was thinking the same thing. Handle it like you did in high school – fill it out and sign it yourself. Also, you might want to look at your HOA by-laws and rules. Is there a “grandfather” clause? In other words, can they change the rules on you after you purchased the unit? My HOA changed the rules after I bought my place and started doing Airbnb. Prior to me, they had no minimum lease time; for new owners, the minimum is 3 months. I’m grandfathered in so they can’t stop me.

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@Sarah_Warren, @sandy2, @Maggieroni
A new door lock system has been implemented so that unless I submit the form with the guests’ information, the guest won’t have access to my apartment. Sure, I thought of completing the forms myself, and signing it, but if by any reason the building’s front desk decides to check the signature against a driver’s license, then I will be caught in a fraudulent activity. It’s a nightmare, I’m sure laws are being broken but whatever I do the condo association will get a fancy attorney and just fight me. It’s a nightmare.

But bravo for doing your best to follow the regulations and be on the up and up. Not everyone does, but it’s those of us who follow the rules that will be the ones who “survive”.

What a pain these HOA’s are. What will be the process once you get the form to them? Will the front desk have the form and then give the guest the key? Keep us posted!

@Maggieroni, @Sarah_Warren
Naturally, it would be simple for the front desk/reception to ask for identification and check against the completed and signed form, and hand the key to the guest. But no, I have to be there or the key is not released…this is making my life so complicated…

Any chance that a local business would handle the key for you, for a fee? I use a keyless storage locker and text my guests the unlock code to it. But one of my competitors leaves keys with a convenience store. It might just take the front desk out of the equation?

I would add it to Hello Sign or DocuSign and have them fill it out that way. Then its just a simple email to the HOA, and the guest isn’t put by printing, singing, scanning, etc.

I just booked a place in Barcelona for next summer. As part of their hotel regulations (which short term rentals fall under), each guest of a registered unit has to submit a scanned copy of their ID. The wording in the suite listing was very firm stating that guests cannot check in unless the required information is supplied prior to the check-in date.

The host advised me to send the information using the Airbnb email address (because, as stated, attachments, links, etc. cannot be sent via the messaging system).

The wording in the listing did it for me - I know I can’t check in if I don’t supply the information. Perhaps the same would work for this form requirement: a firm statement.

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