Guest Responsibility

[Stephanie552]

I have stayed in several AirBNBs, myself, along with the testimonials I have heard from friends and family.  The stories are usually the same/similar to my own.  I was responisble for the room in which I stayed, bathroom, and kitchen.  The host left cleaning supplies, and expected we do our own dishes and clean up after ourselves.  When I started hosting, i realized it was too much work trying to run my home like a hotel, and I don't think my prices reflected the amount of work I was putting in daily.  Is it acceptable to expect my guests to take care of themselves?  I have a clothes washer, which they are welcome to use along with complimentary soap.  I expect they take responsibility for the the guest room in which they stay, and clean up after themselves in the kitchen and bathroom.  the room in which they stay is small and they pay $30/night, but have access to the shared kitchen, living room, and bathroom.  Thoughts?  Does this sound fair?  I never had a compaint when those things were expected of me.  If I want the hotel experience, i'll pay the hotel price.  

[Fred13]

Sounds fair.

  I would only add that not all guests will fit tightly within the parameters of your expectations (aka 'House Rules'); stay flexible and thus minimize conflicts. If need to raise the price to compensate for certain guest's 'imperfections', best to do so than to get into too many individual battles.

[Helga0]

Cleaning up after themselves is normal for most guests, it’s not a problem to ask it from all of them. 

I would switch on the washing machine but not touch their dirty laundry. Put it in the machine yourselves. Free in a limited number, one machine per 5 days. Don’t leave it free in an unlimited way, you will get people washing one t-shirt or arriving with a huge suitcase full of dirty laundry for 2 nights. Those expect the host to do the work too and will take it to the next good soul, if you refuse to do the work. 

I ask my guests to put the dishes beside the sink, as not everyone knows dishwashers and I hate it, when they wash the dishes half clean under running water.

[Matthew285]

@Stephanie552 your listing seems like what AirBnB was originally set up to be: a way for people to share living space. Not a hotel, not a resort, just a clean and nice place to stay in someone's home.

(By the way, you should be able to skip the whole section about the $100 deposit; AirBnB does not take the security deposit from the guest beforehand, and so does not need to return anything.)

In your description, let people know your philosophy about the type of stay you are offering and guests should have no reason to complain. It sounds completely fair.

(We will skip the discussion about guests that don't read the description...)

[Stephanie552]

Thank you for your opinion!  I will update my description, and remove the security deposite mention.  I appreciate you looking at my profile!

[Sarah977]

@Stephanie552 My listing is very similar to yours in terms of private guest space and shared spaces. Only difference is that guests have their own private bathroom. So far I have been really lucky in that all of my guests but one left their space really clean and tidy, and cleaned up after themselves in the kitchen. Lots even stripped the bed at the end of their stay, even though I don't care about that and certainly didn't ask for it.

I leave a broom and dustpan behind the guest's bathroom door, and show them where I keep a sponge under the sink for bathroom counter clean-up when they arrive and I'm walking them through. I figure if I casually point these things out, they'll get the hint. I mostly get single women, so they tend to be clean. (altho I've known some real slobs, thankfully not my guests, and dirty girls can be WAY worse than dirty guys, what with all the cosmetics, clothes, etc.)

Your expectations are entirely reasonable, just keep in mind that what you consider clean and what others do may vary. So you kind of have to go with the flow.

[Stephanie552]

Thank you for the opinion!  Yes, it does sound similar.  Except, I get mostly guys lol.  They have been quite clean so far.  I will start pointing out the cleaning supplies, like you mentioned.  And you're right, everyone has their own standard of clean!