Snow removal when living out of area

[Anna-Jean0]

Hello all!! I am thinking of hosting my home in Wisconsin as an Air BNB and although I have a lot of questions to go with it… the biggest one is:

I live out of state so I am not able to remove the snow if hosting during the winter. I know I could hire someone to do the work, but being that weather is not predictable, I cannot always book in advance. As well, there are days at a time where it will continuously snow. 

How have hosts countered this issue, and for people staying at a house, what have these hosts done? 

I have read that someone increased their insurance for accidental incidences which makes sense. I also could book with a company to come out early (ish) on days it snows… but on days when it snows on end, how many times should they come out? At what point is it where the person staying there should get the dusting off or realize it is going to snow a lot?

I could also plan for heavy snow days for someone to come twice but geeze that adds up a lot! 

Could a statement/clause added into the description of the location stating the number of times a service will be done for snowfall and then what the staying member should do be acceptable?

Thank you for all advice!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Anna-Jean0 

This is a legitimate concern for sure!

What do we do here in Northern California ? 

We watch the weather forecasts daily and during the winter we open our calendar only for a limited  number of days or weeks at a time. Same during fire season. Most of our guests are not prepared to deal with complicated weather, our driving on snow and ice.  Since this area, and our ranch, are all about hiking, stargazing, bird watching, and other outdoor activities, rain, high winds & snow are no fun for our guests. Being cautious about taking reservations also cuts down on weather-related cancellations. Naturally, we communicate with our guests ahead of their arrival date, with weather forecasts and recommendations based on temperatures and such. Liability insurance? Definitely!

Let us know what you figure out!

[Karen4131]

Hello Anna-Jean

One Christmas, I stayed in this fantastic house  by a fjord in Northern Norway: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/38577213

There was plenty of snow. I arrived in darkness, couldn't locate the house, the path up wasn't cleared, but with the help of several somewhat distant neighbors and my kind taxi driver, we eventually found it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and took it all in good spirits, but I can see from the reviews that it wasn't the same for everyone.

- I would probably find a way to ensure that a path is cleared to the house, even when you're far away. Alternatively, be very explicit that it will be the first task upon arrival and that it's part of the adventure 🙂

Best regards, Karen

[Angel8318]

Hi, We have a cabin in California & live quite a distance from it, so we know your pain. We have hired a service to come out during heavily snowfall to clear our very steep driveway. We also have notes in our listing saying to bring chains, it's slick, cold, and to check the weather,. We also give warnings that heavy snowfall may cause issues like power outages & we get alerts when the power is out. We also let guests know if a storm is coming & prepare. Over communication helps, because I've gotten a bad review for an icey driveway in January 😕

We used to be kind-of strict about cancellations, but we have been pretty lenient & have given refunds for people leaving early due to weather. It's really just easier than arguing with guests & Airbnb. And it is not fun when a trip in interrupted by natural disasters, so I want to be a good & fair host.

Hope that helps & good luck.