Can a guest pay separately for water and electricity bills?

[Vera58]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new host and I apologise in advance if the question is inappropriate. I have a request from a guest who wants to stay at my property for two months. Is it possible to arrange the payment separately for accommodation and for bills, so that they pay for the accommodation directly to Airbnb, and pay the bills separately once they are accommodated? Thank you in advance for your help!

[Marit-Anne0]

It would be better if utility bills are included in the rent.  In any case it needs to be agreed upon before the booking takes place.  And you do not have a guarantee that he will pay in the end.

[Andrea9]

@Vera58

Include a generous amount in the rent for in case they end up being wasters. (In case you can actually see how much they used, you can incite them to be less wasteful by telling them that you would offer to reimburse them at the end of their stay if they end up using much less than what you normally calculate.

[Jiw0]

I personally don't like it to have all kinds of unknown extra charges for guests, then having to collect ht emoney.. it's more hassle than it's worth compared to just set a reasonable rate knowing that some guests will use more and some will use less.

However, for a 2 month (!) stay I can see why it would be beneficial to pay the actual.   (And I personally don't like really long stays but that's separate.)

So if you want to do it then you can.  Just that you'll have to chase down payment every month.

[Vera58]

Thanks a lot for your suggestions! The idea to propose a reimbursement if the bills are not huge is great, I will arrange it like that.