Do you have a preferred way to share the draft document in case they don’t want to sign? I’ve had several back out of the reservation once reviewing my short term rental agreement.
Do you think the way the document is shared will make a difference assuming that the way you do it now is electronic and easy for the guest to sign?
OwnerRez has this built-on functionality.
Alternatively you could create a DocuSign account so that the document is signed electronically.
If you already offer simple electronic signatures then I would think that either there is something off-putting in your rental agreement or that your marketplace is not accustomed to signing short-term rental agreements.
If your competitors don’t require a signed agreement guests might book with them.
I would venture a guess that either your agreement has a long list of micromanaging rules which puts guests off, or else they had intention to break a short list of reasonable rules, like throwing a party, or sneaking in pets or extra guests or smoking indoors. Those are more likely reasons why a guest would back out of a booking than how the document is shared, unless you are asking for a lot of personal information or it requires them to use a third party site (which I believe contravenes Airbnb policy).
This has been my experience. I’ve had a few that didn’t sign and backed out, but I highly suspect it’s because the contract says I can cancel and evict them with no refund if they smoke inside the house.
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I really don’t want unreasonable, sneaky, entitled guests who feel they pay to play by their own rules not matter what I request. If they respect me and my property, we’ll have no issues. I’m providing for reasonable protection for my property and myself as I don’t trust that ABB has fully my back her in my playground of AZ.
However, since we are now experiencing a huge surge of properties saturating the market, I will have to review and adjust. Looking forward to hearing from your best practices.
Here is a recent thread where a guest objected to a host texting them. It’s just one guest and they were jerks, but in a competitive environment it’s certainly worth thinking about which of our requirements are wants and which are needs.
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A guest reminding a host that the airbnb preference is to keep communication within the app does not, to me, signal 'bad guest". An ANGRY reminder from the guest does - and sends a red flag.
Right, but to @humblehaven 's post:
While I’ve read here of many hosts who require to see ID, or even submit it prior to check-in – and some localities require this – I would think that the guest in another thread who objected to a text message off the platform would likely object to showing their ID.
So even though most if not all hotels require IDs (I think it might frequently be a legal requirement (?)), I wouldn’t start in this environment requesting to see IDs.
Don’t know if you’re aware, but there are many countries which require hosts to provide ID of their guests, which has to be registered with the local police.
Personally, I don’t require guests to show me ID, as I only host 1 guest in my home, but I see nothing wrong with a host requesting ID on arrival. If guests don’t want to comply with that, they can book elsewhere. “Best practices” also includes a host doing whatever they can to protect themselves and their property. If some guest steals the TV, it doesn’t do much good to tell the cops it was “some guy named BJ”.
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My ‘?’ was to the variation in local requirements; there are none that I’m aware of in MA.
I understand and don’t disagree. But in a tough market a Host might well choose not to introduce a requirement that their marketplace doesn’t impose.
I agree. I don’t know what Airbnb would do in that situation. Our rules include the following for that reason:
“Guests agrees that Airbnb will release their address and all and any information in its possession relating to the identity of the guests in the event of a dispute.”
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You contradicted yourself by asking for a requirement that the market does not impose. Please explain.
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It seems absurd to me that Airbnb doesn’t provide hosts with the legal name and home address of guests. Like we’re supposed to be okay with accepting a guest who lists their name as “S.” or Mickey Mouse.
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I absolutely agree with you. Big time.
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Here it is: I’ve added a rule that won’t come into play if/until a dispute arises, when I will want to assert the rule.
We have never yet had reason to assert the rule.
BUT, if I require an ID EVERY TIME I have a guest, then this issue arises ALL the time.
Please know that I have no quarrel with Hosts who do – for whatever reason – impose it every time. I would like to join them! But because I don’t see that requirement in my marketplace AND because that rule would become in their face with each rental I have not (yet) required it.
Does that make sense to you and resolve the apparent contradiction?
But you can’t “assert the rule” because you can’t dictate to Airbnb that they have to release the information and they won’t. So it’s a pointless rule.
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Yes, I understand that.
That’s why the rule says – Oops! My bad – I forgot to include the rule:
"Guests agrees that Airbnb will release their address and all and any information in its possession relating to the identity of the guests in the event of a dispute. ’
My bad here (ACTUALLY NOT as I included it above, but might have gotten missed). I’m not asking Airbnb to agree. I asked no one, but told the guests and included it in house rules.
Yes, I understood that. But you can’t make a rule about them agreeing to Airbnb releasing their info- that would be an Airbnb rule, not a host rule. I could see guests getting up in arms and asking Airbnb if they really release all personal info to hosts on request.
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You might be right. My thought is that the listing’s rule say the the guest agrees (not Airbnb, but the guest) that at least the guest does not object to Airbnb releasing identifying information.
Would this rule ‘work’?
I don’t know.
But, faced with either confronting EVERY guest with an ID request OR going with a possibly unenforceable rule, I’ll go with the rule.
It’s not perfect. Not at all.
I recently had a guest whose profile photo was a comic figure. Of course I didn’t see it until I had already accepted. I immediately wrote to them and said that unless you provide a proper photo I will need to contact Airbnb and have this reservation canceled. They immediately changed the photo. I thought that these photos were vetted by Airbnb so that the host has the assurance that the name and person are the same but apparently not.
No, they don’t even require the name and location on the profile to be real or accurate. Even as a host, I could go change my name and my location on my profile to something completely false or completely made up. I could do it once an hour if I was so inclined because they don’t police those.
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