Bad feeling about an upcoming guest

[Rick4097]

We're new to Air BNB and have just had 3 back to back stays with wonderful guests.

However, I have an uncomfortable feeling about an upcoming booking.  It's 2  young couples who've booked for a wedding they are attending nearby.

I emailed him with a reminder that we have a strict no party policy and asked them to confirm that there will be no more than 4 people and no parties in the apartment during their weekend stay. I offered a full refund and if this didn't fit with their plans and they'd like to cancel

I have not had not had confirmation.

What should I do?

- Refuse to give them the key code without confirmation?

- Cancel their booking

- Cross my fingers and hope I'm just being a paranoid nark?

- Other?

[Linda108]

Hello @Rick4097 , You have a lovely apartment listing.  As a new host you need to develop a few initial questions that help you feel comfortable with guests and not be left with the cross your fingers to hope all goes well.  I ask for confirmation of understanding important elements of my listing such as no parties or the actual names of registered guests.  I also advise they confirm they are willing and able to respond quickly to Air BNB messages.  If I do not get the responses that give me comfort about them as guests, urge clarification and response and then I will cancel if I don't feel comfortable.  

Also, it appears that you may have participated in allowing a 3rd party reservations for the parents of the booking guest.  This is against the terms of service with Air BNB.  Your rules need to include a rule that only registered guests are allowed on property.  You also need a way to confirm your expectations such as external cameras which must be disclosed in your listing.

In this case, just call the new guest and refer to your message and need for a response.  It could be that the guest is not set up to be notified of Air BNB messages.  Good luck and keep us posted.  Linda

[Rick4097]

Thanks Linda

Your knowledge and advice is much appreciated. I didn't know about he 3rd party booking rule, thanks.

I may have jumped the gun because I have now  received a friendly email from my upcoming guest confirming no parties and just the 2 couples staying.

I agree it's very important to establish good communication and clear understanding of expectations and where possible to build some sort of relationship with the guest before their stay.

Thanks again. Rick

[Huma0]

@Rick4097 

I agree with everything @Linda108 has said.

Your listing looks pristine and I would also be very wary of anyone throwing a party there or having to deal with a damage/resolution dispute, retaliatory review etc. when you are doing so well so far.

Some guests do not have their notifications turned on and many just book a place and then don't bother to check messages (especially when they instant book). Hopefully, you should have a phone number on the booking. Although you don't normally have the guest's email address, there is an option to send an email to their 'airbnb email' which is basically a way to redirect messages to their actual email address without disclosing it. I would try both of those as the first resort.

If you still don't receive a response, you could try reaching out to Airbnb customer support and explain the situation. Ask them if they can try getting hold of the guest. I have tried this in the past and, in most cases, non responsive guests suddenly respond. They seem to take it more seriously if Airbnb rather than the host tries to get hold of them.

If all that fails, you could ask Airbnb if they will do a penalty free cancellation.

An important thing to note is that Airbnb usually penalises hosts for cancelling guests, so you were right to tell the guests that THEY could cancel and get a full refund. Never initiate the cancellation from your side unless you really need to.

1. If it was a request booking, Airbnb will penalise you, unless they have agreed to initiate a neutral/penalty free cancellation. If you have any hopes of becoming a Superhost, that will not be possible for a year, you will get fined and a notice will appear on your profile letting future guests know that you cancelled and how close to the reservation you did it. It won't give an explanation as to why, so that can look bad.

2. If it was an instant booking, then you can cancel the guests penalty free if you feel uncomfortable with them or feel like they might break your house rules. However, you only get three penalty free cancellations a year (after that, you have to get Airbnb to side with you), so use them wisely.

For future, I would consider outdoor security cameras if you don't already have them and make sure they are fully disclosed on your listing. Also, do not accept third party bookings. There are many reasons why, but one is that you/the guest will no longer be covered by Airbnb's insurance. Another is that it's much harder to have a sense of who the guest is and be sure that they've actually read anything, including your house rules.

[Rick4097]

Wow, thanks Huma. So much to learn!

This is great advice for us as we start our Air BNB journey.

We appreciate you helping  us avoid some of those pitfalls!

[Sarah977]

@Rick4097  Aside from just saying no parties, you should state in your listing as well as reiterating through messages, that no one except the guests registered on the booking are allowed in the apartment.

It's best not to leave things open to interpretation. Just because a guest isn't throwing a "party" doesn't mean you want them to invite half a dozen other people over for a beer and to watch a movie, even if they aren't being loud or destructive. Or 4 gals all styling their hair with their hair dryers plugged in, blowing fuses, and putting on glitter make-up and dirtying towels- "Oh, they just came over to get ready for the wedding" sort of thing.

A "No unregistered guests, no visitors" policy is best. You can always make exceptions on a case by case basis, for instance if some senior couple asks if they could have another couple over for the afternoon for a game of bridge. 

Guests can tend to take advantage if you aren't perfectly clear. 

[Sandra126]

@Rick4097 , I've only had great experiences with wedding guests. They tend to be out a lot, lunch, breakfasts, get togethers apart from the long day of the actual event.  Has never resulted in a party at my place. I think you'll be fine. But sure, be cautious but not anxious. 

[Rick4097]

Thanks Sandra

Great to get a positive spin from your experiences and let the anxiety go!