1st reservation ever & it is long term

[Patrick2387]

Hey Everyone,

I just booked my first reservation as a host. The guest is there for roughly 3 months and I wanted to get advice on the amount of supplies I need and anything else I might not be thinking about for a longer term stay. They are starting tomorrow (1/23/22).

Thanks! 

[Anonymous]

@Patrick2387  If we had a time machine, I'd recommend going back and shortening your maximum stay. Airbnb only collects the first month of rent upfront on long-term bookings, and all they can do if they don't receive payment after that is cancel the booking. But after 30 days, under California law your "guest" will have the right of tenancy, and it would take a long and costly ordeal to evict them, even if they stopped paying.

Hopefully, your first guests have a legitimate purpose for booking 3 months of accommodation in your area and this won't be a problem. But I'd be suspicious that they chose an unreviewed property for a commitment like that. As far as supplies go, it's ok to just leave a few days' worth of consumable stuff like TP and detergent. You just say during check-in that you've provided a starter pack of the essentials, and advise them of where the nearest stores are when they're ready to restock them. You're not required to leave supplies for the whole long stay, but it helps to be clear in the listing about what supplies you do and don't guarantee for the whole stay.

[Colleen253]

@Anonymous 

“I'd be suspicious that they chose an unreviewed property for a commitment like that.”

I’d be suspicious too. @Patrick2387 they may have booked to get your juicy long term discount, with no intention of staying that long. They shorten the stay once they’re in, paying the long term rate for a short term stay. The other red flag is the fact that it was a short notice booking. Who books a 3 month stay last minute?

[Patrick2387]

Hey @Colleen253 I'm guessing that if they cancelled that they would only pay for the nights they stayed?

[Andrea4731]

Ditto to what @Anonymous said, but also, did you notice that you have an almost 50% discount on your monthly rate vs your nightly rate? Totally fine if you did that on purpose but may also be why they booked for so long.

also might be a good idea to set up weekly or bi weekly cleanings to make sure they are treating your place nicely? Just an idea

[Lorna170]

@Patrick2387   With a three month guest, plan to have a lot of cleaning/repair days at the end of the rental.  This is not to say that this will be a bad guest, but long term guests will spend much more time in the property than guests who are there to see the local tourism sights.  Long term guests will also  "take ownership" and invite their friends over, adopt a pet while they are there, smoke inside, and treat the property with less care than you would expect.   Do you know why this guest needs a 3 month rental?

I wish you luck with this guest ... hopefully they are wonderful, respectful, pay on time and leave when asked.