Hi David
Were your comments in response to my post?
If so, I don't quite understand your points...
"No Security Deposit" - what do you mean? I have a very high security deposit set for my listing in case of damage. It's up to the individual host to set a security deposit to a level that they are comfortable with. Any guest booking is by definition agreeing to the terms/conditions/details of the Airbnb contract. Hosts are also somewhat protected by the hosts guarantee. I have never had to make a claim on the security deposit.
"Trash the place, cancel your payment" - guests on long-term bookings can't cancel their payments, it's automatic fron their credit card on a month-by-month basis with the first month paid in advance, and hosts are alerted immediately if there's an issue with taking subsequent payments. Trashing of places can (and does) happen with short or long-term lets, whether through Airbnb, other platforms or the traditional private rental market. Personally, I have heard of this type of unfortunate event occuring much more within the private rental market. Within my circle of friends who are Airbnb hosts, I have never heard of a place being trashed.
"No contract and it will take the Landlord a long time to evict you." - Each guest, when they book, is agreeing to a contract. This is legally binding. For long-term bookings (by Airbnb definition is 28 nights and longer), the contract is different. Why would eviction time be any different than with a 'traditional' private rental if you were having serious problems?
"Want you (sic) rent back? / Make up some complaints and AirBnB will give you your money back!" (I'm assuming that these two comments are supposed to be linked) - I don't think Airbnb are in the habit of giving guests their money back willy-nilly. A guest would have to prove with evidence that something is very wrong to warrant receiving any refund. As a host, it is your responsibility to present your property as advertised and to highlight any pre-existing faults, damage etc. I always take photos of my property on the check-in day to have a record of the condition/presentation on the date the reservation begins. It's a precaution that I take just in case something arises during a guests' stay.
++ A good idea is to have log-book where guests can record damage / faults / areas for improvement etc. and where the host can follow up by saying what action they have taken to remedy these points before the next guests move in. It really helps to prove that you are a responsible host. In my experience, there's usually not enough time during the check-out process (or sometimes a lack of inclination) for guests to either admit to / remember causing minor damage or breakage during a long-term stay. Even when the host specifically asks 'were there any problems? / is anything broken?' (because there is never enough time to physically go around the entire property and check-off an inventory, you end up relying on their immediate response only to discover minor things like broken glasses later...) Of course, major problems should be immediately evident when you do walk-hough of the property with the guest before they leave.
++ A good idea when you have long-term guests is to be in contact with them on a regular basis throughout their stay. I try to do this with 'Facetime' / a video call of some kind to make it more personal and to also give you a view into the property that you are letting. If you warn your guests that you will be in touch regularly, it won't come as a surprise to them or an invasion of their privacy. It's also re-assuring for your guests to know that they can be in direct contact with the host if needed. I 'train' my guests with this approach IN ADVANCE of their stay by initiating some conversation with Whatsapp or Facetime... I find it really helps. Video calling is also a great way to resolve any practical issues such as: "how do you adjust the heating controls?" - so much easier to do this 'live' with a moving image of the central heating boiler than try to explain by text or email...
++ Another good idea is to have your guest sign a pre-prepared document at the start of their stay which declares that they agree that the property is presented as advertised (could also be with an inventory of contents) and also have them sign another part of this same document upon departure to state that they have caused no damage (but that the host maintains the right to alert Airbnb to any subsequent found damage within the time-frame stipulated in the terms & conditions of the security deposit in order to make a claim).
In my experience, 'prevention is better than cure'. Therefore, as a responsible host, if you do everything you can to pre-empt potential problems, you stand a much better chance of avoiding them altogether. Also, by making things crystal clear in your listing / house rules / introduction message / initial correpondence etc. that you will not tolerate any nonsense, you send a message out that helps to eliminate the type of guest who might pose a problem. Of course, it is not fail-safe, and 'instant booking' does undermine this somewhat, but if we are comparing Airbnb with a 'traditional' rental agency as a platform for sourcing potential long-term guests, I would much rather have faith in Airbnb for all the reasons I have stated previously (robust reviews / verifications etc.).
++ Slightly off-topic, but related, is this issue of self-check-in and self-check-out (which is becoming essential for 'business-ready' listings). I'm 100% against it except where totally unavoidable, because it eliminates the possibility of doing an inspection of the property with the guest AND host present to check an inventory or to agree that the presentation of the property matches the listing (and for check-out to see if everything is ok before the guests depart). Also, it eliminates the possibility of meeting your guest which to me, seems totally against the entire ethos of Airbnb. How can you be reviewed for 'welcome' if there is no welcome?
Daniel
