Requests for long-term residence

One thing I get a LOT is requests from people basically asking me to live in our loft long-term, or permanently. They seem to think that Airbnb is some sort of apartment finder. I’d say I’ve gotten 3-4 this month alone. In almost every case they’re brand new members with zero reviews, no profile photo, etc. They do, of course, ensure that I realize that they cannot afford to pay my Airbnb nightly cost. :grin:

I was curious if that happens to people a lot on here? Should I report them or just move on?

Just move on. There’s nothing to report. Airbnb designed their system of Inquiry/Special Offer to allow guests to ask for discounts and stays not otherwise bookable. If you’re not interested, then saying no is trivial.

I can appreciate the it’s trivial in nature, sort of. I would have to disagree with you in regard to Airbnb being design to allow users to send you their email and phone number so you can arrange a permanent residency outside Airbnb. They have big report buttons on each of these.

Having said that, Im still curious if its common for others to get those regularly or not?

It’s not a bad problem. Consider - you are $55 a night, right? So, if you got $1200-1300 a month direct, and they paid utilities, you might be ahead of the game and save a lot of cleaning time.

If a potential tenant looked interesting, they could book and pay for a night and then you get to meet them and see if it’s interesting.

Nothing to report - it’s a good sign.

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Oh yea, if they were willing to pay that, sure. In each case they’re looking for somewhere around half of that. Additionally, that creates all sorts of fun and exciting challenges like losing control over your property, having to evict them if it goes poorly, etc.

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Brian didn’t say anything about sending email or phone number to arrange a booking outside Airbnb. “Stays not otherwise bookable” could mean inquiring about dates that beyond your availability dates or other situations. I had a guest send an Inquiry saying she had stayed just down the block from me the year before, had noticed my place and would love to stay, but the dates she was coming were already blocked by another reservation. She asked me to please let her know if for some reason that guest ended up cancelling.

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Right, and that’s exactly what that sort of thing is made for… My original post had nothing to do with it. It was rather apparent that the users are creating Airbnb accounts to request a permanent rental outside Airbnb.

We’ve been landlords for over 11 years now so we feel very comfortable with it - as long as the numbers work.

Your state allows up to 2 months for security. You can also ask for 1st and last month rent up front. And you are owner-occupied, in a state that “likely” has good eviction laws.

If the numbers can work, it’s a good gig. Owner-occupied you get to decide who your tenant is with no restrictions at all - you can literally decide to rent or not on any criteria you choose.

One idea to test the waters is put together a rental ad on zillow for $1300 plus utilities (any that ARE on separate meter) and see what happens. It’ll keep away the bottom diggers :wink:

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Thanks for the info, but that has nothing to do with my question. I’m not interested in a long term rental, and our zoning laws would prohibit it anyhow.

My question was in trying to determine if other people see a lot of this as well, as it seems to be getting more frequent.

We don’t get those requests but our prices run higher so it’s probably just not practical. Even with discounts for longer stays, it would be more than twice of what a LTR in the area would be. It could be that your prices are too low.

No. I’ve had one request from a repeat guest who is military. None of the situation you are describing. After thinking about the numbers I said no but I did consider it. I only report people who I feel are scammy in some way.

Would be a bit shitty to report someone to Airbnb just because they’re trying to find somewhere to live?

Shortly after our building work finished (Summer 2018) we had several enquiries for LTR, all local folks who’d seen the building being restored. It was difficult turning them away as I know there is a shortage of affordable LTR property in the city centre, and by having two STR apartments we were simply adding to the problem.

JF

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What exactly do you want to report here @WinsomeLoft

As others have said - if the guest isn’t a good fit then just no and move on .

Doesn’t matter if that’s because they are bringing animals, children or wanting a discount for a long term stay.

I live in a city where young people like to live so have at least 10 sets of guests coming to me each year with a view to making the city their home. Often they will extend their stay with me until they find somewhere.

It seems rather mean spirited to want to report someone.

Why not mention up front in your listing that You place is not suitable for long term stays.

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3+ years hosting here. Have never had any requests for LTRs of any kind.

I have received six requests for long term rentals in the past four months. Most are asking about paying monthly for a few months, one asked about paying weekly for a few months. I politely declined all of them and showed them how to look up other Airbnbs that do accept long term rentals. We never got far enough in the conversation for me to find out what kind of pricing they wanted.

This is why I never rented the house out before, and why I won’t rent it out long term now. I am too risk-averse.

edit: I am set for a maximum of seven days rental.

Curiously, the long term rental queries we get tend to come via HomeAway. We’ve had several in the past few months, always for “visiting workers”.

Our max is thirteen days. No more else I start to get irritated by them, irrespective of how wonderful they may be.

JF

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I’ve never had this question in 5 yrs of hosting, but it might be because my place doesn’t have a full kitchen. I do get other oddball requests from time to time, like a photog wanting to do boudoir photos. I just reply no and let the inquiry sit without declining. No need to report unless they’re being rude or obviously scammy.

Do you have a maximum length of stay set? Are your prices too low compared to others in your area, that you look like the best option to hit up for LTR?

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I have my max stay set at 14 days, I have never had a booking longer than 5
I have had requests through VRBO for month long stays which I decline.

I don’t see the issue, just say no and move on.

RR

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Also, if I were getting these requests frequently I’d have a saved message that I’d send. My reply to people who want discounts is “I can book all my available days at full price.” LTR need hosts who feel any amount is better than zero so they discount for a variety of reasons.

Also I already have most of Dec booked and a booking in March. If I weren’t going to be gone in Feb I’d probably have more. All that to say, unless someone is requesting LTR far in the future the room isn’t available for someone else to book and I’m not cancelling on anyone for a different booking.

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I’ve only received one request for an LTR and it was a scam. “I’d like to book for 3 months outside the platform at a discount of 1/4 of your rates and pay by check.”

If someone suggested renting for longer than 21 days at a discount, I’d offer them 1 week at my usual 10% off and then see how it goes. I’d rather have 30 days booked at $1,100 a month than get $400 a month from 2 or 3 guests and then sit empty.

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