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We’ve almost had it with renting.
We’ve added 30 plus rules - Then removed them because “TOO”
Now we try to really vet every guest to make sure they are respectful individuals.
We have turned a blind eye to all kinds of things from ruined bedding, broken dishes, broken furniture, malfunctioning appliances, damage to walls/doors etc.
It always comes back to be our fault – can’t win for losing.
Where did people’s common sense go?
Most recent guests locked themselves out in the snow while using the hot tub.
Called us at 11 PM at night.
We had to call caretakers to run up, by which time, guests says they got in using a credit card…hmmmm.
BTW – we have security cameras which we disclose.
Next day - caretakers say door handle was stripped. Window screen damaged (with frozen footprints outside the window), burnt butcher block counter, sink stained, and a few kitchen things on the missing list, blood in snow - so may have to drain the hot tub if it has been compromised.
Guest not fessing up to any of it.
This seems to be our new norm - always fixing/replacing something due to guests negligence.
We have DUUO insurance as well as Airbnb – but we don’t engage either.
Where is the common sense people??!!!
Do any of you experience this?
Do you just chock it all up to the cost of doing business?
Or do you put claims in?
Sorry for the rant – been along day dealing with this crap again!
Thanks for your ear!
The home we purchased (our Airbnb rental) came with a hot tub. The first thing we did was drain it and then open the access panel to hide the cord. We figured it would just cause us trouble.
My advice is to drain it and don’t mention it in the listing. If guests ask about it, tell them it’s broken and not available for their use.
@Ritz3 Thanks for that advice!
We typically don’t have issues with the Hot Tub really – WE DO POST RULES ABOUT THAT…lol — it’s about the only rules they do follow.
It’s more about the small incremental incidentals — they add up!!
Raise your price a little, $20 a night adds up to thousands over the years. And on the bad cases like this person, yes, file claims with Airbnb first then your insurance.
I’m afraid that as hosts, and owners of our properties and businesses - it up to US to have the common sense. If guests are greeted well and told about the property when they arrive then a lot of incidents can be avoided.
Why? I’ve never turned a blind eye when guests are being inappropriate. That way, problems are negated.
I’ve always said here - not always popularly - that remote hosting can only work with a fantastic co-host. Is the caretaker a fantastic co-host?
Also, lock outs can be prevented with a smart lock. If you can’t have that how about a spare key that’s hidden somewhere you can tell the guest about so you don’t have to ping the caretaker for such a trivial issue?
I’ve also seen hosts who charge extra for hot tub usage. I think that’s quite fair as obviously there’s additional cleaning, maintenance and utilities involved. One host mentioned in their listing that theres a separate agreement + release for using the hot tub along with the fee, that could provide an additional layer of screening too. Regardless- I’m sorry that you had such disrespectful guests recently.
@kkc Interesting you should suggest this! We DID raise our price (hoping to ward off those with no common sense) and they just keep booking (which we appreciate!)
BUT- we just want everything to go smooth so we have no incidents to take care of.
I have an acquaintance who had just built a guest apartment. His very first guests went out to the bar their first night, came home late, realized they had lost the keys, and smashed the window next to the door so they could get in.
This despite the fact that he lived right next door and had told them to let him know if they needed assistance with anything.
In the morning when he saw what they’d done, he told them to pack their bags and leave.
Some people swear that higher prices bring better guests. I don’t know if that’s true and it’s rife with a kind of elitist, classist vibe that I find abhorrent. But if you raise prices and still get booked, then keep experimenting until you find that sweet spot.
One thing I’m convinced of is that “common sense” is open to interpretation. Something that makes sense to you might not to someone else.
@jaquo – Thanks for chiming in!
Yes – it’s challenging these days to meet on site with Covid. We do the best we think we are doing to engage with the guests.
We turn a blind – broken glass, soiled towel, stained bedding – we chalk it up to cost of doing business. Maybe we shouldn’t be?
We are hands on typically (we live 5 minutes away)— just the last few weeks we have been away. But these issues have been ongoing.
Appreciate your input and insight!
@HudsonNY Yes we do charge a premium for our property with the hot tub. It does work out quite well. So far we have not needed a separate agreement for the hot tub. For the most part - guests do respect the hot tub rules.
I’ve always bristled when reading “low prices attract low quality guests” because that is definitely discriminatory and not at all my experience. I have what travelers to my area consider a budget-priced listing, have been told by guests that it’s great value, and that it’s worth more for what they get.
But I have had consistently wonderful guests.
I have sort of come to the conclusion that on-site hosts, whether it’s a home share, a private studio or suite attached to host’s home, or the host lives in another dwelling within sight, on the same property, can charge less and still get respectful guests, but entire home properties with off-site hosts, even if they only live a 5 minute drive away, can ward off bad guests by raising their prices.
However, that doesn’t mean that as a rule, wealthier people are more respectful- that would be a false equivalency.
I have read hosts talking about having groups of doctors and lawyers as guests, who, while they may not have damaged anything, had a huge sense of entitlement, endless complaints, and treated the staff rudely, as if they were second class citizens and their personal servants.
Sad but about 80% true to my personal experience. I don’t need “rich” guests, just ones with common courtesy. Prices have been pushed extra high recently by new, mostly PM-run places. I raised my rates to “keep up” but I’m considering lowering them a bit. I want to be a good value and I’ve taken a tiny hit (4 vs 5 stars) in that category lately. And, I don’t blame the guests.
Exactly. I’ve had snooty-pain-in-my-booty, well-to-do’s (most have been cool). Honestly, though, I have had only a couple of those, compared to guests who break rules and do damage, since I raised prices. As you point out @muddy, I am a whole house (and I don’t live across the street).
Definitely. However, I do address or ignore based upon (1) the cost of damage and (2) the rest of the guest’s behavior.
If you’ve been misbehaving, I’ll tally it all up - big and small. If you’ve been cool I’ll usually discount accidents or overlook them.
I love the guests who proactively confess. Those folks I almost always let off the hook or at least give them the best deal possible on repair/replace for pricier issues.
And since @CAL214 brought it up…
I was just fussing to myself about people making off with my hangers, throwing away/taking my washcloths & tossing my silverware. Accidently take 1 or 2 hangers…ok. But 5? I do, however, chalk this stuff up to doing biz. I did stop using the nice velvet hangers. Now it’s thick plastic and cheap “bulk purchase” washcloths. So now I just sigh and move on
<Okay…maybe I did just put up “PLEASE DON’T TAKE HANGERS (5)” stickers in the closets. I don’t care if it’s cheesy. Or petty. It pisses me off. You pick your battles and I’ll pick mine >
– been along day dealing with this crap again!
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