Heating of the property

[Jumoke5]

I am having issue with a guest and the heating and it seems to be a common issue on here. He insists on having the heating on all night but this is not something that is done in the UK and is very expensive. UK regulation states it needs to be at least 18 degrees and the place is mostly at 19 degs. 

I have suggested he use the blankets provided but he refused as they were not brand new although hardly used and has just been washed for his stay. He sleeps with nothing on and complains it has given him a cough. I have added additional draught excluders to the the room, changed the heating setting to suit his times. 

I suggested he gets an electric blanket / hot water bottles but again refused to do so and wants to continue to use a blow heater which it clearly states isn’t allowed. 

I don’t know what else to do, what do people normally do in this situation?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jumoke5 There is no UK regulation that says 18 degrees. There is a recommendation that 18 is the figure to heat to BUT this is in peoples own homes. Guests expect much higher temperatures (21 degrees or so) and, if they are paying, it behoves hosts to supply this sort of temperature.

[Jumoke5]

I understand this, the issue is I have offered alternative and cheaper means such as hot water bottle, electric blanket and extra blankets but all had been refused. 

Guest insist on having a blow heater on all night which is a fire hazard and clearly states in my house rules that this would not be accepted. If used, it will incur extra charges. 

[Breanna]

What did you do in the end @Jumoke5? Interested to hear how you approached the situation after the discussion here! 

[Jumoke5 · Accepted solution]

Few steps I took to make sure I was doing all I could:

-gave him extra blankets 

-put in better insulation in the room 

-change the heat setting to suit when he got home which is at midnight. 
- put a thermometer in the room to track the temperature and it confirmed heating was appropriate when he is at home. 

I think it was a case of explaining that it wasn’t safe to have the heating on all night and it isn’t something that is done in the UK. I also spoke to Airbnb who confirmed that if he continues to break the rules I had in the description, I could ask him to leave as it’s a breach of contract. 

[Helen3]

Did you supply him with the heater. If so you need to take it back @Jumoke5  If he has supplied it tell him he cannot use it.

You are right in the UK most hosts  have their heating on at a minimum temperature. Mine is 15c during the night and 22.5c during the day. The reality is it doesn't drop below 18/19 at night. 

I provide my guests with heated blankets and a winter duvet.

As you have offered the guest hot water bottles, a heated blanket and extra blankets and he is refusing to use these and insists on using a blow heater which is a fire hazard....

Say to the guest as he is unhappy with the temperature you provide and and the blankets, heating blanket and hot water bottles provided unfortunately your place is not a good fit for his needs and you will ask Airbnb to cancel the booking so he can find a property that is a better fit for his needs. 

Do this today so you can get him out before Christmas .

I hope you have all your conversations on Airbnb so they can see your discussions.

[Jumoke5]

Hey 

Thanks for the input. 
My issue is he wants it on during the night between hours of 11pm - 6am which isn’t safe to do so. He is away throughout the day and I have asked the times he is at home so I can readjust the settings. I feel I have tried multiple suggestions including providing blankets. 

I don’t think there is anywhere that recommends leaving your heating on all night. Is this a normal thing for guests to request? 

[Neil702]

We have gas central heating, set at 20 degrees morning and evening and reducing to 15 degrees overnight and during the middle of the day when most guests are out. The guests do have access to the heating programmer although it is 'locked out' with a code for most functions but guests can temporarily adjust the temperature between 5-21 degrees if they need to (e.g. they come back during the day and want it a bit warmer) or turn off the heating completely.

In reality the temperature never drops below 18 anyway because the place is so well insulated.

I think it's the best compromise, allowing guests some flexibility to adjust, whilst maintaining control of the main programme times/temps.

[Mansoor13]

just tel him to leave the property without any more conversation get worse 

[Heather289]

Okay, so my view is that Guests should be allowed to adapt the heating to suit their own requirements.  

In the case of my own Airbnb, I have the heating on a schedule that suits most people: heating to 21 degrees between 6.30am and 9am and again between 5.30pm and 11pm.  

I have the Hive Central Heating controls, so I can look at the temperature online and adjust it remotely if needed. 

I had guests recently who went out and bought an electric 2KW fan heater, and ran it constantly (despite me saying about the Gas Central Heating) and they doubled my electricity consumption during the week they stayed with me.   They left the heater behind saying it would be helpful for other guests, but I swiftly removed it, as it was a fire hazard, not safety tested, and a guzzler of electricity. 

I've just had people tonight complaining of the cold when, at 11.30pm, the flat is at 21.55 degrees celsius.  They said they wanted it at 25.   I mean, okay, hey, yeh, if they love sleeping in super hot temperatures, great, but it's only 12 degrees outside, and it's going to burn through money to heat it to 25 all night long.  

At the other end of the spectrum, are the people who complain when it's too hot. 

It seems that managing the heat expectations of guests can be tricky, as some of them are very unaccommodating.  

[Sinead75]

Hi Heather, 

This is helpful. Our property is a 3 bed mid-terraced but it only has electric radiators. I am new to airbnb so I need to find my feet, but I set the heating to a constant 19.5 during the day and boosted to 21.5 in the evening. Our guest kept hitting the 'boost' button and at one stage, boosted the temp to 35** The room obviously never got to that as the boost lasts one hour, but the mentality to boost it to 35**. I really need to find something reasonable so that we aren't crippled with our electricity bills. I can control remotely via 'tevolve.' I'd welcome any suggestions!