I am brand new and green to Airbnb, but I am in the fast lane, trying to learn everything I can; the good, the bad, and the ugly! I am booking up faster than I dreamed possible. Last week I had an inquiry for a 28-day reservation for 2 people, next January. The guest room is one of 4 bedrooms in our primary residence. My policy strictly states ‘kitchen privileges’ are not allowed in this Airbnb. I have asked this guest a few questions about his plan for meals, etc. He has not replied to 2 emails. Is this guest going to be a problem? How have you handled long-term guests in your primary residence?
Lack of response is a bit of a “red flag”, but for us it’s a no. Fourteen days max. For many reasons, my boredom threshold with having same faces about the place for so long being one of them.
JF
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I’ve never had guests in my primary residence as such, but I used to have lodgers, and this feels a bit like a lodger situation made awkward by not letting them into the kitchen. I’m sure I’d crack after a week of seeing them lingering wistfully outside the kitchen whenever I cooked for myself!
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Several big red flags.
Number one - long term rental. All my long term rentals have been more demanding, made more damage, posed more problem, than a series of short termers.
Number two - long term and so long in advance! What is your cancellation policiy? Can they book the whold month and CANCEL ONE WEEK BEFORE for full refund? Think about it! Especially if they ask about the cancellation policy at booking, i usually tell them please don’t book if you are going to cancel on me and they go away.
Number 3 - people who click book and logoff without responding to your requests. Big hassle chasing after them to make sure they understand your policy, check in rules, et.
If I were you I would reach out to these people and insist on some more communication. If they are not responsive go thru customer service to cancel because they are not respecting your house rules. If not done already quick upd
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Jenna, Excellent advice. When new to Airbnb hosting, we don’t know what we don’t know. Your answer makes perfect sense. If I go through Airbnb to cancel, will I get a bad review? Them guest says they are coming from a foreign country to look for housing here in the area. What if they don’t find a house during that time? Why don’t they look ahead of time from their own country, (Switzerland)? Why not hire a company to look for them? The profile of this guest shows an American address… red flags for me too…
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Raise your price. …
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I can’t stand the smell of anything fried in my house. Spatter all over the place and somebody hunched over the stove stinking up the whole house for a fried egg. Here’s $3. McDonalds is 400 meters. Go away.
Pros: If you’re in an area that lacks winter tourism, this reservation is far more lucrative.
Cons: That adage about house guests stinking after 3 days has a grain of truth.
- Be sure you understand tenancy laws in your area. If someone stays at your home long enough to establish residency (especially if they receive mail to your address) you will be considered a landlord and have to go through eviction proceedings to remove them. Some professional squatters know how to work the system.
- Any long term reservation ignores your regular cancellation policy. The long term policy is fairly strict; the concern raised by @Jenna shouldn’t be an issue.
https://www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies#long-term - It takes time as a new host to identify your pain points, optimal pricing, and create house rules that really work for you. For this reason I don’t suggest opening your calendar more than a few months out because you can’t change the bookings - they’re contracts. If you realize you could’ve been charging twice as much, or no longer want to offer an amenity that guests abuse, you’re up a creek.
Perhaps a long-term guest would work well for you, but I certainly wouldn’t start with one that’s less than responsive.
Is 28 days the limit for legal tenancy in your area? Don’t think that squatters won’t happen to you, because it does happen often.
If someone has to be in a rental for 28 days to claim that they are a resident and that the place is their legal home, set your limit at 21 days. Then, if there’s a problem and they don’t leave after 21 days, you’ve still got seven days to get them out until they start to have rights.
If your limit is 28 days and the period they need to claim residency is 30 days that only leaves you with two days. Make sure you have a longer window.
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But why you ask them about their plans for meals? Do you have it in your rules * no cooking"? That’s not your problem what they plan for food. That’s too much worry on your part…let them figure out .
I love long stays but in my house not through Air. I like to interview and see a person .
I had couple of nut cases for long stays with Airbnb .
I get mostly guests from Craigslist for long stays
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1)Yes
2) I don’t accept long term. For me 7 days is a long term. They get bored and start to destroy things.
Only now I see that you are considering accepting long term stays in your own residence! Wow, you are really brave! Are you sure you will be able to put up with total strangers with unknown behaviors and backgrounds crossing paths with you in the kitchen in their pajamas or God knows what? What if they ignore your rules and do use the kitchen to fry bacon but you can’t kick them out because they booked 28 days? In my own house I accept max 3 days. In the total separate house max 7 days!
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