I accidentally became an Airbnb host ๐
A few days ago, I listed my unfurnished condo on Airbnb mostly as a joke just to see if there was any demand in my area. I own another condo in the same building with the exact same layout, so I used photos from that unit since it was already furnished. The photos werenโt anything special, and I didnโt even bother posting pictures of the bedrooms. I honestly just wanted to test the waters.
The next morning I woke up to a request for a full-month booking.
Panic mode activated.
Before accepting, I messaged the guest and explained that the actual unit was currently being painted and refreshed, that the photos were from a very similar unit, and that the finished product would actually look better than what was shown. They were completely fine with it and accepted.
That left me with only three days to furnish an entire condo from scratch. No Airbnb experience, no plan, and a booking already confirmed. ๐
The guest had no previous reviews, which made me a little nervous. Theyโre paying more than double what I would have received from a traditional unfurnished rental, and from what I understand theyโre a company from another city housing employees temporarily.
Yesterday I drove by the condo (I live in the same complex) and noticed a truck parked in my assigned stall. Two people got out, so I introduced myself and let them know I was the host and that they could contact me if they needed anything.
So far everything seems fine, but as a brand-new host Iโm definitely a little worried about protecting the furniture and making sure the place doesnโt get trashed. For those of you with more experience, what would you have done differently in this situation? And what are your best tips for protecting a furnished unit when hosting guests with no reviews?
Looking forward to learning from the pros!
