This is going to be a test where I hope I am right

[Tamara682]

I have my first under 21 reservation. He's reserved for 6 and he's coming for a rap concert where he is performing. He sent me the poster which I forwarded to my son and asked him to forward to his friends.
I've never seen one good thing posted from a host about anyone under 25. I'm hoping to change that but don't think I don't know there might be a universal reason for that. Also, I have musicians in my family and lost the last one to covid in August so I'm a bit sensitive to that. 

Oh, and when I told him that part of my welcome basket included local wine - he volunteered he wasn't 21.
I am comfortable with him, but I don't know who the other 5 people are. And does one make sure those other 5 are going to follow the rules?
So after much thought I sent a follow up message telling him how impressed I am with him, that I've sent his poster for the gig to my son and had him forward it, and that I'm looking forward to proving so many people wrong that under 25 rappers are responsible.
I also followed up with advice that he should cya by realizing that while he may be very responsible, he should understand that if his friends aren't - it comes out of his $500 deposit.
I probably did more massaging in the message than any of you would've done, but keep in mind that an aspiring musician regardless of their choice of music is something I've grown up with. I do believe I've covered my ass with the details. Not sure what the guest will think after reading it.
I'll keep you posted because I can't be the only one wondering how this one is going to go. I hope it's going to go my way obviously lol.

[Loretta126]

@Anonymous  You are correct, AirBnB never actually collected a security deposit.  But you used to at least show you required one so the guest knew they had a certain number of dollars at risk. Now, ABB just tells the guest their payment method might be charged if they cause damage. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140/security-deposits

[Anonymous]

@Loretta126  Airbnb was lying to hosts when it said they could specify a deposit. The lie was effective at tricking hosts into overestimating the protection offered by the platform. But I don't know if the lie was really all that effective at deterring guests from risky or destructive behaviors. They can plainly see in the payment process that no deposit is being added to the charge, so it's not real to them.

[Huma0]

@Anonymous 

When I first started hosting, it was for a brief period in 2012, while I was waiting for the sale of my apartment to go through. I think I put the maximum deposit that the system would allow me, but remember thinking it was quite low, given that it was a three bedroom apartment that had been newly redecorated and was full of nice furniture and furnishings. 

An airbnb rep called me up to ask why I had chosen such a 'high' deposit. When I explained, he reassured me that it wasn't necessary because Airbnb's insurance would cover me to the tune of $1 million, or whatever it was then. At the time, I had no idea that the deposit was never actually collected, so I decided to keep it at the maximum.

When I started hosting in my current house in 2016, I didn't set a particularly high deposit because it was just a private room, not a whole property. Still, I would sometimes have guests  who asked me about it. Once I explained to them that the host didn't actually get any deposit in advance, it was just for Airbnb to collect should there be damages, the guests were reassured and went ahead and booked.

Some time later, guests stopped asking about the deposit at all, and I'm not talking about more recently when Airbnb scrapped it. So, I am not sure if most guests were even aware of it at all and why should they be when they are not actually paying it? The whole thing was pretty meaningless. I think the amount you set was just the maximum amount that you could ask a guest to pay and everything higher had to go via the Host Guarantee claims process.

There was only one time I requested payment for damages, but the guest simply refused to pay. I was reimbursed for it, but I have no idea if any of it came from the guest, or if Airbnb paid.

[Emilia42]

@Tamara682 I usually have really good luck with young guests. I've hosted some great under 21-year-old couples and even a few on getaways to celebrate 21st birthdays. I just recently hosted a young couple who had excellent communication; so polite and thorough. But the house was left a disaster, totally unbenounced to them. So you just never know. I hope it works out for you.

[Terrill0]

I would feel a LOT more comfortable hosting an under 21 couple than say a group of under21 with no reviews. I can only equate this situation to establishing credit score: you start small and establish a good track record to gain trust. I definitely don’t want to feel like my only protection from shenanigans would be to be up late at night. This is the purpose of good reviews and communication: to assure me I won’t have that experience with a guest. Let the guest work to establish their own reputation. Honestly I’m not interested on taking on the risk and stress of hosting that situation. I have hosted young people with no reviews and had great experiences before…but the combination of a group and young people with no reviews is more than I’m willing to do. I also clearly state that a booking will be canceled if there are unregistered guests. Guests need to alter their booking before check in to avoid that (also clearly stated)…

I’m super bummed out to learn about the security deposit!

[Tamara682]

Good morning!

Thought I'd follow up with an update.

My li'l rapper (as I've come to refer to him) was a great stay. They were respectful and stuck to the rules. They did have a few people over late (because of course they were gone until late) but any smoking that was done was done outside and they were all gone by 2:45am. They were quiet and bothered no one.

They did a really good job cleaning up when they left and left me an awesome review.

For a helpful hint - smokers do bring the odor inside on their clothes and such. Pot is legal here in my State and it more pungent than cigarettes (ties with cigars I think). Anyway, I opened the windows and that took care of it. If it hadn't, I would've just set out shallow bowls of vinegar throughout the house for 24hrs and that would've taken care of the rest of it.

Point being: I see a lot of negative posts about smoking outside (no smoking is allowed near the actual unit and definitely not inside). But this is a very inexpensive and quick fix (given you are not doing same day turnaround mind you) and expands my booking circle.

I will let them book again. Turns out it was also his 20th birthday, and he was super appreciative of having such a nice place to stay. 

Thanks again for all your insights and advice. You've really helped to avoid many of the potential pitfalls, and I incorporate all of your information into future booking policies and/or awareness. I hope I can do the same at some point 🙂

[Helen744]

@Tamara 682 I think it is irrelevant if grass is legal or not .Those who do not smoke and choose not to be in that environment will tell you that vinegar does not cut it as a complete cleanse. We know people sometimes smoke outside in our non smoking home . But there is nothing we can do about that . We know because most smokers are careless of cleaning up after themselves has been my experience.they leave butts and vapers inside and out . I once found three full vape doo daas.We  had a long term stay with a group who managed to put such a powerful marijuana smell in the house that it too a very long time to remove it and involved washing every wall.Please remember that a lot of things are legal but your rules should be to protect you and also in this case to avoid offending the next guest . I wonder what your rules are ?H

[Helen744]

also nothing to do with age as many older people use any number of intoxicants .I like to keep them to a minimum with my rules, with future people who have asthma or are in other ways sensitive to smells or nicotine . I always consider if my current guests licence to party will affect my next guest or me or my cleaner and co host H

[Helen744]

Also Tamara it is still currently against the rules  to have a party in a Airbnb

[Tamara682]

Designated smoking outside only (and X marks the spot with a backup corner if the weather turns bad). So far, I find the smokers are super conscientious. And the vinegar works great for the smoke (pot and cigar) that comes in off the clothing or something.
I've never had a guest comment about smoke. Of course, I wash everything between guests anyway.

[Gillian166]

are you a smoker @Tamara682 ?  Those of us who aren't can smell it a mile away. I know when a guest has been smoking, even if you just get a tiny whiff, when you smell the pillows it reeks. 

[Stephanie365]

I simply put it in my listing "If you smoke, please book elsewhere". The odor transfers to furniture and I don't want to smell that funk in my home.

[Jenny]

I've been waiting for an update on this, @Tamara682!. I'm so glad that things went well.

[Tamara682]

@Jenny.
They did! I was really pulling for them, and they came through like champs! lol. https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/534141 
Here's the thing - housekeepers, owners, whoever walks into the place after a guest leaves can smell all sorts of things (Indian cooking for instance - every bit as strong as anything anyone could possibly smoke).
Jenny - I see you are an administrator and I was trying to figure out how to share this information unrelated to this post.
I'm a realist and whatever forum ABB wants to change up is fine with me unless it cuts into business. Taking away half the view loss for being booked through July, it's still gotten massively lower for no apparent reason.
436 average vs 139.
I know you all are under attack, and I sure hope to be able to stick around to support you. You are my first choice.
That said, if this is as good as it gets moving forward - I will expand further and remove myself. I'm really pulling for ABB to figure this out!

[Richard531]

@Tamara682   Loved this update!  So glad it all worked out.  Well done!