Advertise that electricity consumption is extra in the price

[Sonja559]

Hei!

Er det et eget sted å legge inn informasjon om at «Prisene oppgitt er uten strøm, som må betales 7 dager etter utsjekk.»?

Jeg har lagt det under beskrivelse av utleiesteder da jeg ikke får skrevet inn tekst under ytterligere kostnader.

Jeg har en kunde nå som mener at strømmen «alltid» er inkludert på Airbnb…

Mvh Sonja

--

Hello!

Is there a separate place to enter information that "The prices stated are without electricity, which must be paid 7 days after check-out."?

I have put it under the description of rental places as I cannot enter text under additional costs.

I have a customer now who thinks electricity is "always" included on Airbnb...

Sonja

Google translation added by OCM

[Elisa]

Hi @Sonja559 😊, 

Thank you so much for asking this question here, it’s a really interesting one!

I’m tagging experienced hosts who will know best what advice to give you on this topic: @Shelley159, @Till-and-Jutta0, @Helen427, @Tara0, @Shannon1151 and @Hayley185.

Thank you in advance, everyone!

Warm regards, 🌻

[Shelley159]

Hi @Sonja559 

Your cover picture is very inviting, I'm sure you have no shortage of guests wanting to book!

The snowy white cover picture also helps me to understand your problem. When I read your post, my first instinct was (like your guest!) "why don't you just increase the nightly rate and include the electricity for free?". However, there was a host from Finland a while ago, who explained the realities of heating charges in winter. It made me realise how expensive it can be in some parts of the world if a guest's behaviour doesn't take the cost of electricity into account.

I agree with you that, if you have to charge extra, it's difficult to put the extra electricity charge in your listing. The description is the correct place to put it, but you will also have to specifically mention this in the message thread as soon as you get an enquiry or booking. This is necessary because it's highly unusual in most parts of the world to pay for an Airbnb's electricity after you leave, so many guests may be surprised.

Here is the previous message thread that I think you will find very useful. It includes discussions about seasonal pricing and how one can avoid having to charge extra, and also deals with some technologies that may help you:

High electricity cost during Winter - what to do? - Airbnb Community

[Tara0]

Hi @Sonja559 In the UK it is standard practice to include electricity costs, - which are not very high, for just lighting and running a fridge freezer. I've never heard of anyone charging extra, - it would be strange, like a hotel charging extra for electricity.  Have you ever been charged for electricity at a hotel or an Airbnb when travelling?

[Shannon1151]

I'm in the US but I tend to agree with @Tara0 paying extra variable costs outside of the standard nightly rate, cleaning fee seems like it would be a deterrent for booking. I do have the same concerns and have added language to our house rules about keeping thermostat at reasonable levels and not opening windows while AC is on etc. However, I know some hosts opt for having meters on their heaters and AC to control temperatures remotely so that guests can't change it themselves. That might be something to check into.