Host who stay in the House

[Anne-Jeannette0]

I have a large, 3 story home. My AIRBnB quarters are the full second story which consists of two bedrooms (one with a private deck), a joining full bath and a kitchenette. The kitchenette consists of multiple small appliances plus a microwave, toaster oven and apt sized refrigerator. Outside, there are two decks plus a small park.  I frequently stay in my home while guests are here. My suite is down stairs on the opposite side of the house.  I let guests know in advance that I may be home during their visit. However, once I greet them and give them a key, 99% of the time, they won't see or be aware of my presence.  So far, no one has complained or made mention. 

Are there other hosts who stay in their properties?  If so, how does it work out? Are there pitfalls that I might yet encounter?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Anne-Jeannette0 How do you keep the guests from wandering into/around your floor? Also just a thought - The listing says shared kitchenette whereas I would have thought it is just for guest use. Also you have a min stay of only one night - Great to attract guests but you must love cleaning!

[Anne-Jeannette0]

The kitchenette is not shared. I will change that on my listing. Thanks for pointing that out. The way the house is designed, the is a clear delineation of the two areas.  So far, cleaning is not a problem. Most guests come late in the afternoon and leave early in the morning to get to Yosemite. 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Anne-Jeannette0 @Mike-And-Jane0 

We love one nighters, too. They are not here long enough to make a mess so the deep cleaning we do between guests is easy. We are in and out in 3 hours for a one nighter. The time budget for cleaning after longer stays is a big question mark. 

@Anne-Jeannette0-  I see no drawbacks to being a home share host. In all these many years, we've had no issues with rules broken, or guests being sneaky.  This is huge! Guests are respectful, polite, friendly and looking for the many advantages of staying with a home share host. I have stayed with home share hosts all over the world, it is just right for me. 

Good for you, @Anne-Jeannette0 and "carry on"!

[Anne-Jeannette0]

Thanks for the supporting info!  I have found that greeting my guests upon their arrival works very well. Most have many questions about touring Yosemite and appreciate my brief conversations.  I, too, have stayed in places with home-share hosts with both AirBnB and HomeExchange.  That is what gave me the idea. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Anne-Jeannette0 I was actually wondering if you could call it an entire place if it was an apartment with its own door.

[Vanessa-and-Nicole0 · Accepted solution]

Hi Anne!

When we owned a previous home we let people stay in a bedroom of ours. We NEVER left our child unattended, and we had her sleep in a crib in our large walk in closet.

A few things that we learned the hard way:

1) Do not allow long term bookings. We found that guests tend to get too comfortable in your space, and they "move in" much more than a short term guest.

2) Add a security camera to the areas that you do not want guests in. If you ever see someone in an area they shouldn't be in you can politely message them with something like "Good afternoon! We saw that you were in our side of the house. Is there something that you needed or can help you find?" This helps protect your personal items by letting the guest know they were snooping, without actually calling them out on it.

3) Set clear ground rules. Pets or no pets? Visitors? Children? Etc. Make sure to stick to what you are comfortable with. You don't want to bend rules to get a booking, and then end up regretting it.

Cheers,

Stay Local Vacation Rentals

[Anne-Jeannette0]

Great idea about the camera. Thanks! I have cameras outside but worried about privacy issues for any placed inside the house. I suppose disclosing the fact there are cameras "downstairs" might help resolve the privacy concern.

[Helen744]

@Anne-Jeannette0 I believe camaras inside the home are not permitted.also many home share hosts have long term guests . the most notable would be a lady known as Huma0. It is well worth looking up previous posts by Huma0..H

[Ardis-And-Teresa0]

In my community, Madison, WI, you are not allowed to have short term guests, unless you are in the home.  Every quarter I report to the city the names of guests, and that we were in the house the night they stayed.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Ardis-And-Teresa0 

We are allowed to have STR guests only if we are present at all times when they are here. This is a regulation of the county, and our permit says this. Our insurance company appreciates this, as it prevents problems including accidents and fire risk. 

[Suzanne302]

@Anne-Jeannette0 

I've been a homeshare host since 2018 and love it! Lessons learned:

-No long term guests. As was mentioned the longer they stay the more "at home" they get and tend to forget it's a shared space. I want guests, not roommates!

-Like @Kitty-and-Creek0 , I love one-nighters and host MANY! They are low impact on my space and are usually just here to sleep.

-Meeting them or making sure I run into them at least once is key for me. It makes my listing more human, ie, this isn't just a space, a real person lives here. Although I've never analyzed it, I would swear I get better reviews from the guests I get to say hello to in person.

-Be clear about your rules. Since your space is set up pretty private, you wouldn't have to worry about much, but for example, I don't allow cooking and I don't allow guests to use any of my kitchen supplies. I give them disposable cups/plates/utensils if needed.

-"Private, no guests please" signs are great if you have areas you don't want guests wandering into.

Happy hosting!

[Christine615]

We are a hybrid. Our duplex has a single address and front door. But the apartments have separate doors. We make it clear that we’re around but otherwise guests have privacy,

That we live on the premises AND have security cameras at the front entrance. Has cut down on a lot of fraud, parties and “extra” guests.

What it has done is for those guests who want interaction it’s lead to some great friendships. ❤️