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I wish these guests had not been so disrespectful. Feels like alcohol was involved.
Using a credit card to open a lock can work. Thanksgiving day, I step out of house in jammies, long coat, & sneakers to quickly take the dog out.
Click. Oh crap my keys & extra key is in the house with my cell phone.
Neighbor very graciously invited me in, helped me contact a locksmith, and gave me coffee.
It was going to be hours before a locksmith would get there. My friend Diane arrives to pick me up for Lunch. I tell her my predicament. No problem. She grabs her hospital ID & pops my door lock.
I didn’t know what to be more upset about—how easily it was to open my lock? Or where did she learn to do that?!!!?
I watched from across the road as a guest packed his car with every wooden coat hanger and all the basic foodstuffs out of the pantry.
He was a Dr booked by the local hospital and he left his paperwork behind…….$2000 a day, but he had to get extra value for a stay he wasn’t even paying for……
Common sense is in short supply for some. Our favorite was the guest who liked privacy so left a curtain over windows the AC unit is in drawn closed. She roasted with only an overhead fan for two summer months and was shocked on the last day when I opened the curtain as she was leaving and saw the AC unit. If you rented a listing that noted AC wouldn’t you ask the host (it’s a homeshare) about it? It probably saved my electric bill a summer spike.
I still do. I am masked and vaxed and carry two extra masks in case the guests aren’t wearing them when they arrive. The apartments are small but distancing is still possible. I miss handshaking though.
Linens and towels yes, the cost of doing business. A broken (small) window once every few years, yes.
But if you’ve had damages so severe and frequent that it’s making you want to close your business, then that’s definitely not normal.
I have smart locks but I purchased ones that have a backup key. I have the backup keys (with a note of cost to replace if lost) in a lock box on my unlocked front porch. I don’t tell the guests there are backup keys but if a guest can’t figure out the smart lock or if the batteries die, I’ve got a way to have them get in without having to greet them. Haven’t had to use it yet but glad I have it
I know you always meet your guests but I’m curious about how you get them to arrive at the time they say they are going to arrive. I used to meet my guests but most never showed up on time and never would tell me. I got tired of waiting around. My STR is pretty small and easy to use so I gave up meeting them.
I think it’s probably easier for me than for some other hosts. I work from home so I arrange my schedule around guests. If I know I’ve got guests arriving, I schedule my work from 4pm onwards but don’t schedule in any meetings or conference calls. So if they arrive at 4, that’s great. But if they don’t arrive until 6, that’s okay too because I’ve spent the time working.
Also I don’t give the keycode to the guests before they arrive. So they know that they won’t get in if I’m not there.
I’ll be honest - I haven’t experienced any of that - just one guest trying to scam us out of money by way of an unjustified credit lol. They also did take all of my large bottles of toiletries too lol
I just recently went through the resolution centre for extra cleaning fees, I got the money back and it took around 14 days. Well worth it for the disgusting guest I had to clean after.
Remember, Jaquo is in FL. Would covid conscious people go to FL? I suppose they would in an emergency but given that everywhere they go would be non-masked it’s hard to picture a masked tour being the deal breaker.
I have 4 wooden hangers in each closet, labeled "wood hanger 1of 4 master bedroom… It’s like putting my name on it:). I label phone cords now and they are not walking off either, I have not lost ANYTHING that I have put a label on…
@NordlingHouse HAHA! Love this! You just might be on to something there. No one locks their doors or windows where we live. We’ll bring that up at our next Monday morning meeting …hehe
