Can we put a surchage on for the massive increase in utility bills

Nick2547
Level 1
London, United Kingdom

Can we put a surchage on for the massive increase in utility bills

@Nick 

5 Replies 5
Annie1372
Level 10
Montreal, Canada

@Nick2547 

 

There is not such an option for excess utility uses within the AirBNB pricing solution.

 

I see 2 options for this kind of request

 

1. you can state it clearly in your house rules including the detailled fees.

and then charge it at the end through AirBNB additional charges. But there is no guarantee that the guest will pay.

 

then you could do a reclamation through AirBNB but once again, no guarantees that AirBNB will accept to collect those fees.

 

2. Or you could have a higher rate for your house and I forme the guest, at the beginning of your add what amount you willl refund if the utilities have been used below a certain threshold that can be calculated easely by the guest themselves.

 

 

.
Annie
Debra300
Top Contributor
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Annie1372,

 

Our current rates have been adjusted to cover the additional electricity costs, and each rental space has its own energy meter.  We require a small refundable security deposit based upon the duration of the stay (equal to about $8-10 USD per day) that's must be paid prior to arrival via the Airbnb Resolution Center.  We state in the listing details and house rules the amount of kilowatts included in the daily rate (it's a generous amount), and inform guests that they will be charged the current electricity rate for any excess usage above the total amount allotted for the stay.   This has been a great behavior modifier, and we have fully refunded to deposit all guests, thus far.

Don't just believe what I say, check the Airbnb Help Center
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Nick2547 

 

I think @Debra300 's method is great for entire units where a separate meter is possible.

 

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because mine is a shared listing. It's not just me here but different guests staying at the same time. Although I can often tell which guests are wasting energy simply because it's obvious, or because I have a smart meter and the usage does sometimes leap up when certain people are home, it's hard to prove. So, in my case, I just had to put my nightly rate up.

Sudsrung0
Level 10
Rawai, Thailand

Here in Thailand electric is expensive and years ago we did charge for electric, but we were getting bad reviews over it we didn't hide anything we mentioned it in the listing and we have our own contract the guest sign when they arrive and it was on there we even read the meter infront of them.

In the end we just increased our nightly rate save the arguments,

When I look on airbnb in my area many people still do charge

Helen3
Top Contributor
Bristol, United Kingdom

I put my rates up this spring when utilities first started to increase @Nick2547 

 

If you haven't done so already I suggest you do the same .