Misc Fees

[Marty228]

Hello all,

My wife and I have recently started hosting through ABnB.  

So far we have hosted two guests.   And so far, the key given to the

the guest (attached to a lanyard) for access to the room they rented, has not been returned.

Therefore, I am going to charge a fee for non-returned keys.   
How would I go about doing that?   I have placed the information in my house rules,
but how do I charge/bill and collect this fee when it is needed?

Thank you very much.

[Anonymous]

@Marty228  The first thing to do is contact the guest to find out what happened to the keys. Sometimes guests leave them behind at checkout in a place you wouldn't have thought to look, and sometimes they accidentally take the keys with them and have to mail them back. But you need to know their whereabouts so you can determine whether you have to change the locks or just get a new set cut.

It's not possible to simply charge the guests for missing keys, but you can request money from them via https://www.airbnb.com/resolutions . Naturally, the way you go about that communication is going to influence how the guests rate and review your listing.

[Marty228]

Totally understood @Anonymous ..  and thank you for the reply.
My "goal" is to NOT nickel and dime a guest to death.   But additionally, I do not want to
absorb the cost of key replacements every time someone checks out.

For what its worth,  I did reach out directly via text, as well as through the ABnB messages
interface.   

I will keep the URL you mentioned handy, just in case...

Thanks again
    Marty

[Mark116]

@Marty228  In our 'thanks for staying, here is what you need to do for check-out' message, we tell guests where the leave the keys.  This might help prevent them from taking them by mistake.

[Anonymous]

@Marty228   If you make a resolution request, and the guest disputes the charge, there's an unwieldy mediation process that will require you to submit documentation and possibly wait weeks for a result. In the meantime, the guest is free to tank your ratings with a retaliatory review. So the conventional wisdom among hosts is that it's just not worth it for small amounts.

If there's a recurring problem with keys disappearing, it might be a sign that you need to refine the checkout procedure.

[Christine3190]

We installed a new door lock with a key code that we change for each guest. It works very well so far and removes the hassle of worrying about non-returned keys.

[Lorna170]

@Marty228   Before we installed keyless entry locks, our cabin key was on a VERY LARGE wooden cabin shaped key fob.  Too big to go in a pocket.  Too bulky to attach to car keys. Too obvious to forget to return.   Never got lost...