What do you do when guests show up with a bicycle/guitar etc.?

Hi All,

So I live in a narrow, downtown house with very limited (indoor and outside) storage space and we can all hear each other quite easily.

This doesn’t happen often, but it’s happened a few times over the past few years. I’ve decided to write about this now because my (very friendly, messy, here for a week) guest -after checking with me AFTER her arrival as she hauled her guitar inside about if it was okay for her to play it here - to which I replied, “It’s okay, but only before 9 p.m. and after 8 a.m.” (as is clearly stated in my house rules where every guest has to confirm that they’ve read them prior to my accepting their booking requests) has just come home and started belting out the tunes.

It’s 10 p.m. Her room is below mine and I can hear her loud and clear (even with ear plugs). She was so loud on the phone the other night (at midnight), that I had to go down and knock on her bedroom door.

My other (lovely, quiet) guest has her room next to this guest’s (hasn’t said anything) but wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for work (as do I, but am sick at home).

I’m trying to be a bit lenient as I know she has an audition tomorrow - HOWEVER, she didn’t disclose that she was coming here with a guitar/for a musical audition, so not my problem, I know. I’ve sent her an email (yes, yes, I hear you, of course, ALWAYS on the Airbnb message stream), reminding her, and she’s still playing, but much, much quieter. I’m tempted to just let it go as long as it’s not disturbing my other guest. She’s here for one more night (upstairs, next to my room as that room she’s currently in was booked from tomorrow prior to her booking). Into which I will pop a little note (that I always do if someone is upstairs next to my room) reminding them about quiet hours.CORRECTION: She stopped playing right away. The new tenants from the house behind mine are playing Patsy Cline very loudly. While I do like Patsy Cline, I’d like her more if it was earlier on a weeknight or on a weekend.

Also? I had a guy show up a few months ago (showing up from overseas) with a bicycle. He showed up at 10 p.m. at night, no prior warning about a bike. I was pretty stunned as there’s no outdoor storage space and I resented the assumption. I managed to find somewhere for him to keep it but was less than pleased that this wasn’t disclosed prior to his arrival. Is this yet something else to put in the rules in my listing? Do you have rules around these kids of things?

Have you had anything like this happen in a shared space/in a way that directly affected you?

:thinking:

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@HappyHost. I have had none of these things happen. AirBNB guests do bring their own surprises. I just try to go along. Big difference? I don’t have more than one guest group at a time.

Add quiet hours to your rules. Add rule that there is no space for large objects.

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Quiet hours are (and have always been, thankfully) in my rules.

Good idea - re: large objects - and then in brackets, I’ll write things like (bicycles, guitars etc)!

Well, I’ve only had this with one person at a time, and even if there was only one guest, it would still affect me…

Do you really care that someone arrived with a guitar, or that they are practicing?

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If they were only carrying it around as an accessory (like a very big purse, for example :smiley:) I’d have no problem. However, chances are that if they’re bringing it, they’re playing it…unless they’ve booked outside rehearsal space, of course. It’s the noise issue and yet one more thing to have to deal with.

Then I guess you need to add a rule that you don’t allow any live music or instrument practicing in your home. Or have a noise statement in those house rules.

Yeah…I already have this: "Since everyone in the house goes to sleep early and wakes up early, quiet hours are between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m ."Almost everyone who has booked with me has commented that they appreciate this and also it helped them choose because they wanted somewhere friendly but quiet to stay in the city.

I’ve just altered my listings to say that if they plan on bringing any large objects (i.e. bicycles) or musical instruments need to be discussed prior to booking with me. I don’t actually have many rules (a total of 9 now) but you never know when a rogue piano might show up! :musical_keyboard:

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This doesn’t cover a flute arriving, and compared to a guitar? This is totally annoying.

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I’ve had guests who brought bicycles and guests who brought guitars. We rent the guest bedroom of our house. We have outdoor storage space so the bicycle didn’t present the same problem for me as it did for you.

Regarding playing a musical instrument, I consider that to be a normal activity. I’ve enjoyed the personal concerts my guests have given me. It doesn’t sound louder to me than when they watch TV/movies on their devices.

If I were a guest, I wouldn’t think that I needed to inform the host of a bicycle or a guitar, so I think you should put both in your house rules if you don’t want a repeat performance.

I have no advice or suggestions for you, Happyhost, but I enjoyed your writing here, and your mind as well :slight_smile:

The loudest unannounced thing that my guests have brought have been their children. :smiley: No one ever brought an instrument. :frowning:

People often bring their bikes as we are located near many nice paths. I don’t have a special storage unit, but my garden is really safe and there is a corner where they can put the bikes and secure them with their own lock. No problems so far, besides a few smartypants who found it convenient to lock their bikes to our garden lattice, despite being shown the appropriate place to keep them. They were promptly warned.

However, if someone is coming to the listing in which one is renting just one room and does not have access to the garden, it is a bit presumptuous to just bring the bike. I wouldn’t allow anyone bringing the bike inside the room. My listing is more obviously suitable for storing a bike and yet in 90% of the cases people ask whether there’s a place to leave them.

Instrument is not a problem, but guest should respect the normal quiet hours, I guess.

Well, it does, in fact include a flag (musical instruments) but I will change that to say or! : 0 )

Let’s face it - we know guests don’t read so perhaps it’s all for nought, however if someone decides to come home drunk late one night and starts playing an instrument/singing/disturbing other people in the house, then at least I might have recourse with Airbnb because it’s in my rules.

What is annoying is that I need a minimum of 2 jobs to try to cover my mortgage.

#Firstworldproblems

Aw shucks!
Thanks @astralita12! I appreciate your kindness! :sun_with_face:

Offer them up on eBay? :kissing_heart:

Thanks @Inna,

Yeah, unfortunately the city I live in has the highest bike thefts of any city in the world (crazy) so leaving it in front of the house or locked to the railing wouldn’t suffice, unfortunately. There are also so many public bike rental racks (and 2 bike companies less than a 2 min walk away) that fortunately it hasn’t happened often, but I like to be prepared!

The guests have no backyard access (for safety issues) - which, is very clear in my listing…

I was renting one room in a house (which clearly stated no backyard access) I would definitely ask beforehand. As well as any kind of instrument, tap shoes, clogging noisy hobbies that may affect others in the house…

Thanks for your support!

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LOL!!! :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

I hope you didn’t let the guy with the bike to keep it in his room! Bikes leave terrible marks on the walls.

I’ve only had people ask in advance if I have room and if it’s okay, which I do: Bicycles and a stand up bass.