Do I have what it takes to be a host? :/

[Matthew530]

I am reaching out to the Community for a bit of advice (and maybe just some support). 

I have 1-br apartment underneath my house which I just started to host through AirBNB.  I live in a popular area of Portland and am pretty booked up for next few months.   I have hosted my first 5 guests so far and 3 of them have not been pleasant experiences:  

1.  Three 20-something girls from CA (3 nights).  They were a bit noisy, but nice and communicative.  However, the amount of cologne, fragrances and other scents they were generously applying was so overwhelming, it wafted throughout the entire house and even upstairs to the 3rd floor.  It took me 2 days (and lots of laundry) to air out the apartment and get the fragrance smell out of the sofa pillows and bed linens.  

2.  Couple from Oregon (1 night):  The girl is an AirBNB host herself.  Very communicative and nice.  However, when I went to clean the apartment, the bedroom looked like a murder had taken place.  It took 6 loads of laundry to wash the blood, personal lubricant (and whatever else) out of the sheets, pillow cases, mattress pads, comforters and pillows.  It took  bit of work to get the hand-prints off the walls as well. 

3.  Two 20-something guys from San Francisco (3 nights):   Very non communicative.  In my welcome letter, I asked them when they were going to arrive and if they needed the second bed set up, no response.   I was on my porch when they walked out the other day and said "hello", no response.  They managed to set off the fire alarm burning a pizza in the oven the other night.  They were also extremely noisy during their entire stay.  On their last night, around 11:30p, I had to go downstairs, bang on the door and ask them to quiet down.  When they opened the door, I noticed there were 5 people in the apartment (my rules clearly state, quiet hours after 10p and no parties).  On checkout, they totally trashed the apartment.  Fortunately, they didn't break or steal anything.  However, It took me 3 hours to clean the place (when it usually takes me 45 minutes), delaying the check-in for my next guest. 

Lately, I have been asking myself these questions: 

1.  Am I cut out to be a chamber-maid? (Oh and btw, I have a completely newfound respect for housekeepers and domestic cleaning people who have to deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis).

2.  Is it worth the $35 cleaning fee if I have to wash and dry 6+ loads of laundry for each check-in?

3.  Am I just too old and curmudgeoney to deal with noise in my house from strangers? 

Thoughts, advice, or just words of encouragement strongly needed 🙂  

Matt 

Group 

[Mark1412]

Matthew, it sounds like we have the same set up.. and yes, some of the things you have experienced are not uncommon. These are the type of things hotels deal with on a daily bases.

You are opening your place to people and people will generally let you down. You will learn to expect less from the public and learn to manage your business better. Generally speaking it seems the younger guests tend to be less respectable than middle aged guests.

An ozone machine will remove the oders, some enforced rules will cut down on the noise. As you bring in money, you can put that profit back into the property, noise reducing products, cameras to keep an eye on who is coming in and out of your property.. etc. You will get faster at cleaning as you get a system. Extra sets of sheets and towels makes flipping the room easier.

Tinker with your rental fee as lower prices get more rentals but it also tend to attract more problems. Try raising your price. Tinker with the listing to see if you can find a way to draw the attention of those who you with to rent to.

Much of what you are experiencing is the cost of doing business. The longer you do it, you will learn how to lower your costs and increase your profits. You will learn the best rental fee, where you make the same amount with less rentals and less problems.

Welcome to the world of renting to the public, don't take things personally, focus on the bottom line.

[Matthew530]

Thanks @Mark0!

[Susan1404]

@Matthew530I took a look at your listing and it very nice.  Since you stated you are pretty well booked, and that is definitely a positive, you might play around with your pricing and raise your nightly rate a bit.  Sometimes that can help bring in a little more quality guest.  Of course, it is no guarantee, but I have seen this tactic recommended here quite a bit, so might be worth a try.  Otherwise, you might want to raise your cleaning fee to make it a little more worth your time and effort.  Like @Mark1412 said, it is the cost of doing business and you have to look for the happy medium to make it easier to put up with the less than stellar guests that might rent your place.  I have only been on Airbnb since October 2018 and have raised my rates and applied a minimal cleaning fee, all because I have had a few guests who were just plain sloppy. 

[Matthew530]

thanks @Susan0 !  Reading everyone's responses is very helpful! 

[Gordon0]

You seem to have a a pretty bad run of bad guests there, @Matthew530, but don't give up just yet. While I appreciate there are country/city nuances, I've probably only hosted a handful of guests I wouldn't open my home to again. The being ignored is a particular peeve of mine!

As @Susan1404 says, take a look at your rates. Cheap deals make for cheap guests. 

PS. You have an ace listing there!

[Lisa723]

@Matthew530 gosh, in four years of hosting our daylight basement we have not had any such experience! I think you've had some really bad luck. Re. cleaning: my preference is to hire a good cleaner and pay them the cleaning fee. I'd be totally burnt out if I had to do it myself every time. Your listing is beautiful and in a prime location. I think you could/should raise your rent and your cleaning fee substantially. As others have pointed out, pricing too low really attracts guests you don't want. Also, you can list it as an apartment rather than a guest suite since you have a full kitchen and a private entrance, right?

[Matthew530]

Thanks @Lisa0 !  The option that best describes my place is "guest suite".  I don't have an "apartment" option on the choices.  

[Lisa723]

@Matthew530 you should...

[Sarah977]

@Matthew530  Sorry you've had such unpleasant guests.

Am I cut out to be a host? Depends how you answer the following questions (no need to answer publicly, just to yourself):

Am I able to ask the right questions of prospective guests before approving their booking to assure myself that they will be respectful?

Am I able to distinguish between the fact that some people are just messy and clueless by nature, communicative or not, or being disrespectful?

Am I able to roll with cleaning up the occasional mess, knowing that it balances out with the guests who leave the place clean?

Am I able to speak up at the first sign of trouble to let a guest know that their behavior isn't acceptable, or will I always bite my tongue while seething inside?

Am I willing to charge guests for damages and unacceptable level of filth left behind, or will I be reticent to do that? 

Will I check out a guest's previous reviews and not "take a chance" on someone not recommended by other hosts, just to make $?

Do I understand that everyone doesn't have the same idea of "clean" or "respectful" and can I bend a bit when other's ways don't meet my expectations?

Your 3 less-than-stellar guests:

1. You could have messaged the girls something like "Hi gals, you obviously like your scents and perfumes, I can smell them all the way up here 🙂 Could I ask you to please either apply them next to an open window or refrain from overdoing it?  My next guests may not appreciate the same scents you do and it will take a lot of cleaning and airing out to prepare the space after you leave. Thanks in advance."

2. Totally unacceptable. Charge guests for ruined bedding (they don't have to know that you eventually got the stains out) and extensive cleaning time.

3. If guests don't respond to messages in a timely fashion, contact Airbnb to assist in getting them to answer. When you had to go down to tell them to quiet down and saw 5 other people, you needed to tell them that the other 5 had to leave and stand there until they did. And be prepared to call police to remove them if they refuse. They are trespassing.

BTW if it normally takes you 45 minutes to clean an entire apartment, you're either a speed demon cleaner, or you should be prepared for some low cleanliness reviews 🙂 It takes me an hour and a half to clean and prepare a small guest bedroom/private bath between guests and I move fast and all my guests leave it basically clean and tidy.  But if you continue to host clueless 20-somethings, they probably won't notice.

[Matthew530]

@Sarah977  Thank you for the sage advice!  I think it will just take some time for me getting used to hosting.  I have had a few other good experiences with guests since those first ones,  so that is a nice balance.   As for the speed cleaning, a tiny 1br apartment, concrete floors and a neurotic deep clean when I have a few days between guests really helps me turn the place around when I have just a few hours between guests   🙂

[Sarah977]

@Matthew530  Glad to hear you've had more pleasant guests. In my experience, more guests are lovely than irritating. You might indeed end up loving hosting- it's just a matter of realizing the realities of what the job description encompasses.

Concrete and tile floors rock! Easy peasy cleaning and hard to wreck.

[Sandra126]

you could increase the minimum stay so you don't burn out with cleaning from one nighters. My record is 18 one nighters in a row!

As time goes on, you will get better and more efficient at managing. Also you could block times out when it is all just for you. Alternatively, take that block of time and increase the price considerably so if someone still books, you will not mind.

Most guests are lovely, in  my opinion. Hope you get some of those soon.

[Matthew530]

Thanks @Sandra126 !  Once I become more established as a host, I will most likely move to a 2-night minimum and raise my prices.  Perhaps that will scare off the 20-somethings who are just looking for a crash-pad between concerts and parties. 

[Nathan233]

@Matthew530 I agree with the hosts recommending to up your prices.

When we first started we priced low to get those initial reviews through. Those first few guests were the most unpleasant ones. Since we have upped our prices our guests tend to be slightly older and generally more responsible.