I too have had good experiences with locals. I do have a noon cut-off for same day bookings, but that’s more for my own sanity as far as knowing I’ll have to get a cleaner for the next day and making sure the room is 100% ready, etc. The locals I’ve had are people with remodeling, younger people with roommates that had SOs or relatives visiting (or just wanted a night away from roommates), people attending concerts or other events close by, and then I get a whole host of “semi-locals” that live in the suburbs or something that come into town to visit the city or for business. I’ve gotten some good repeat business out of a lot of these folks as they recommend our place to friends & relatives. I’ve only had one semi-sketchy local that may have been cheating on his wife, but it’s really none of my business and I don’t even know for sure.
And some people have open relationships and all our suspicions and judgements are worthless.
Curious…did he act sketchy in some way?
@KKC you know it was a long time ago and he booked late (before I had the noon cut-off) and I remember thinking something wasn’t right, but I don’t even remember the details anymore. Honestly I think early on I was way more worried about the guests. I’m much more easy going now.
@Jcaff12002 I’m wondering if your price point is way too low?
I had a guy book saying he was coming to see his girlfriend. Other reviews in far flung places mentioned different girl names. Messaging was minimal and we didn’t meet in person. After check out a pair of women’s sunglasses were left behind. I messaged him and he said he would let her know so she could come get them. I never heard from her. I suspect he didn’t even tell her. But who knows.
Maybe he forgot which girl he stayed with.
Another reason why I only use the guest’s name in reviews, and don’t refer to their guests unless there is an issue that other hosts should know about. I don’t always know what the relationship is between/among my guests, so I generally avoid making reference to it.
Must be infectious.
That said, none of us host in their own homes, and a lot of the issues we see here are all to do with boundaries, or the lack of reinforcement of them. I have a lot of respect for folks that host a room(s) in there home, I know I couldn’t.
Nor do we host remotely, as in further than you can spit, so to speak. We were considering buying an additional property, purely for STR here, but having seen the issues so many folks have, decided it just isn’t worth the hassle/stress.
Just now, I have an easy life, most of the time.
JF
I’m generally the same. If they have the other person’s name on the account (review Mo and Sylvia now) then I’ll include it.
I’m one of the few here who used to host in my home (2+ years) and now attached but separate (3+ years). I had more things I didn’t really like when I hosted in my home and my only 3 star review then. But I was also much less knowledgable then and didn’t read the forum closely and regularly. I give the forum a lot of credit for helping me avoid problems.
I really don’t know why some people have regular problems and some of us don’t.
I’m guessing the vast majority of hosts don’t have major problems.
Ditto, unless they specifically state, “my husband and I”…sometimes I’ll just refer to the other person as a friend, “Shari and her friend were horrible slobs”…that type of thing.
I used to but not now, and it was before Airbnb. It was in a good old-fashioned B & B and it was splendid. Although we weren’t in a tourist place we were near a specialist hospital, a police training establishment and something or other to do with the army. So guests were more often than not visitors of hospital patients, trainee cops or young squaddies - it was mostly good fun 
He left a message with the agency, I’m sure. 
@Jcaff12002, we have hosted several hundreds guests in 2.5 years—not anything like the volume you have. But we’ve found local guests to be great.
People come to our home to celebrate their anniversary. We have an indoor pool, and we’ve had anniversary couples here more than once. Twice, couples brought a bottle of champagne. We chilled it, and my husband Virgil was their sommelier, refilling their champagne flutes while they floated around. Luckily, we had plastic champagne flutes on hand!
We’ve also had pairs of young mothers multiple times. They came here for a girls’ night out, leaving their kids at home with their husbands.
We have had local guests who came to stay here while they let out-of-town family stay at their house.
There have also been quite a few people from about an hour away who stay here on a night when they attend a late event, like a wedding or a concert.
And we’ve had several sets of local guests who came here for four or five days—using our house as the basis for a sort of staycation.
In every case, it’s been great. We’d welcome all those guests back. And quite a few have been return guests.
I think the fact that we’re priced at the higher end for our area might help. We’re just slightly less than the price of nice local hotels.
As a general rule, I don’t rent to locals. It’s in the rules. If they IB I talk to them and see why they book me.
It’s very rare when I do accept locals. I done that in the past, but it was sort of a friend of a friend and she wasn’t quite a local, but 1 hr distance but she explained nicely her house wasn’t big enough for family reunion - now I dont allow parties either, but being friend of a friend… they left the house sparking clean.
I’ll have a local grandma in oct. she said she’s booking with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate on of their birthday. planning mystery murder dinner etc and that my house is centrally located to all of them, so I accepted it.
But if I see the phone number being local, heck no! I do accept late bookings but I always engage in conversation to see why the late booking and such.
I had a neighbor down the street who wanted to rent my house for one month while having his bathroom redone and bring his cats. I declined for so many reasons. I had some booking, then i love cats but no pats will go into that house and then I don’t do business with locals.
As for the local inspector, my neighborhood requires an occupancy permit and in order to get this an inspector has to come to the house. I passed the inspection, i have fire alarms and monoxide alarms where they needed to be, so I’m fine with that.
It’s becoming much more difficult to determine location by someone’s area code. Many of my younger friends keep their cell phone numbers after college through multiple relocations.
I completely agree! I’d say area codes don’t match current city more often then they do.
I wouldn’t be considered a younger friend by any means but have moved a lot and got tired of changing phone numbers. It’s one of the perks of modern technology, that you don’t lose your phone number.
Real glass flutes /in a pool not a great idea!
Exactly. That’s why we gave them plastic champagne flutes.
We have a mimosa party every year and always have some plastic flutes left.
Well just booked another local. His picture looked good. Linkedin looked legit. He said he visits KC for business and lives out east. Just has not changed city.
Fast forward. He is a convicted felon. First degree murder intentional 2009 conviction.
I will never book another local again! Airbnb working on getting him out. Police notified. He has a warrant.