Extra Visitors - Guests of our Guests!

[Joshua289]

Hello, 

I've listed my home a few months ago and it has really been a rocky road for me. I'm currently dealing with Airbnb regarding a couple of incidents that damaged my home.

Additionally, my question for this forum is this: 

Several of the guests have booked my home and indicated a certain number of people on the reservation. However, my home is rather large and can accommodate up to 10 people. I've noticed on our surveillance systems that monitor the communal areas (as our home is in a multi-family dwelling) there always seems to be more than the registered number of guests that either stay the night in my listing or that use the space during the day. 

I would not normally have any issues with my guests having a few visitors after 8:00AM and before 10:00PM, but I've been told by my cleaners that more resources are being used by each booking than initially anticipated. That means that more towels are being used, extra bedrooms are being occupied, extra blankets, sheets, more toilet paper, paper towels, dishes, etc. So, the amount that I've been charging for cleaning the unit after each booking doesn't cover the actual costs. Cleaning after a group of 8 (even if only 4 spend the night, but an additional 3 use the showers and kitchen and bathrooms, etc) is far more work than cleaning after the group of 4 listed on the initial reservation. I don't have surveillance systems in place within the unit itself, as I don't feel comfortable monitoring private areas. So, when I've asked a guest directly if more people have been utilizing the home than the number of people listed on the reservation, I always get a ‘no.’

 Basically, no one has been following my house rules in their entirety.

When I actually try to address the issue with the guests, they get annoyed and I risk bad reviews out of spite, too. So, I get stuck with really high cleaning fees and bad reviews. I'm not sure what to do at this point and I'm thinking of just renting out my home on a long-term basis with a rental contract- as fully furnished.  

[Ricardo85]

@Joshua289

For Airbnb there is no "Visitors".

Airbnb Terms of Use, item 8.3.3:

"8.3.3 You may not bring any additional individuals to an Experience, Event or other Host Service unless such an individual was added by you as an additional guest during the booking process on the Airbnb Platform."

Ricardo

[Joshua289]

Thank you, Ricardo, for addressing my question. I understand that it's against Airbnb policy to prohibit individuals, who are not listed as additional guests on the reservation, from accessing the accommodation. The reality, for me, is that family and friends of registered guests seem to always use my home. I'm based in a city where the majority of my guests have come into town in order to visit family/friends. So, I could be really strict with my guests and demand that they adhere to the policy, but that black and white approach hasn't been practical and has lead to some disgruntled guests. 

For example, I mentioned the issue to my last guest who had reserved for 3 guests: 

She booked for herself, her husband and her elderly mother. There are 4 bedrooms in the apartment and all 4 bedrooms were utilized. I also noticed that her family members who reside in that city used my home as a base for their family functions. 

Once I told her of my concerns, she began to tell me all about her dissatisfaction with all sorts of stuff in my house. I feel that her complaints were not measured and fair. Now I fear that she'll leave me a negative review and I'm just trying really hard to get my listing off the ground on this platform. 

[Ricardo85]

@Joshua289

The first thing you should do is register on the platform that the Guest did not respect the maximum Guest capacity in your listing.

And if he write a bad review about you contact Airbnb.

Read this.

Ricardo

[David3776]

How do I register on the platform for unregistered guests? I just had some people book 3 and 5 showed up! She said there might be 4, I tried to get her to change it and she told me they were not coming. But he did come and with a friend! They also broke my no smoking rule!!!!!!!

[Doris104]

Hi David3776 how did they get in your rental? Did you let them in or was it a coded entry? I have a coded entry and if I find out guests have extra people coming with them that are not on the reservation, therefore not paying the extra guest fee I just change the code until they adjust the reservation. If they don’t they don’t get in because they are not adhering to the listing/ booking requirements, I’m also not cancelling the booking therefore not getting penalized for making guests adhere to the rules.

[Kara96]

@ Joshua in Denver, CO. Have you considered putting electronic door locks on each bedroom and assign the keycode based on the number of rooms rented to specific guests? They are a bit pricey but well worth it in the long run. 

I live in my home so I have them only on the exit doors and only set keycodes for the front door. However, if I were not here, I would definitely invest in them for all the rooms. 

Nad I agree-report them to AirBnB ASAP when you discover a rule is broken. 

[Diane55]

Hello, I am encountering a similar issue.

8.3.3 is for "Booking Experiences, Events and other Host Services". Does a regular rental of a home count as another host service? We are not offering experiences, etc. Just a place for people to stay...

[Linda108]

@Joshua289  You have two listings.  Which listing are you posting about? 

[Joshua289]

My listing in Denver, CO 

[Kelly149]

@Joshua289 some hosts price for their max number knowing that some folks will always abuse hospitality. The extra guests problem is ongoing and difficult. Much has already been said about the problem in many CC threads and now your listing is in jeopardy from the bad reviews you've received bc of this.

A few suggestions:

No IB - vet guests better

Price more toward the high side of usage

Don't ask guests if they're breaking rules. Tell them that they are breaking rules (you're onsite, you have cameras & you know) and then be prepared to deal with the fallout.

[Joshua289]

Thanks for the feedback. I had discussed removing the IB feature and pricing the accomodation a bit on the higher end. However, since it's a new-ish listing and I already got two (!!!) retaliatory negative reviews, I don't really have the option to be extremely selective. I've been following the booking trends on the platform and really monitor the real-time data so that I can see what is actually drawing traffic to the listing's profile. My property is unique in that it's a really large space in a wonderfully kept old victorian four-square in a great location. There are lots of properties for rent in Denver, but not many comparable to mine within the price range. of course, that means that very specific groups would be the target audience, since the majority of listing reservations are made for smaller groups. Anyway, Airbnb has suggested that I list my property on the lower end of the rates and allow for as many guest concessions as possible in order to have the listing gain traction. 

I have heeded that advice and it has brought me lots of frustration. At the end of the day, I'm struggling with justifying the amount of work that I'm putting into managing this property and what I'm actually earning through the platform. If I just rent the space as a fully-furnished apartment, I'm lookig at $2,800-3,000/month. I have projected my earnings through the Airbnb platform to yield about $500-$800 more tha if I rented it out long-term. Just not sure it's worth it, tbh. 

[Kara96]

@ Joshua in Denver, CO. I understand your frustration. I also used the AirBnB algorythm to set prices and ended up renting out a room for 3 months for only $15 a day. I could have gotten 1.5x that amount by having a regular roommate like I do in the other 3 extra rooms. It even caused contention with two roommates who realized they were paying less than the AirBnB guest monthly. 

I ran endless searches as a traveler in my area and noted prices, discounts, and amenities as well as looked online at the events in my area likely to draw visitors. I live in the Las Vegas Valley so that information is easily found with the right key words online. I have also noticed a real trend amongst Superhosts and other hosts who slowly raise their prices weeks in advance of a major convention or holiday and while they aren't booked first, most will be booked eventually. For example, The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas is the single largest convention each year and rooms cost more during that event than even on New Year's Eve. I was FLOORED to see hosts charging $250 per night for the room that is only $40 any other time, but those rooms get booked by desparate and inprepared guests. I could not in good conscience charge that much, but I did raise my rates so that I was the cheapest room yet it was still more than I normally charge. Perhaps you are able to do this as well? 

I have also removed the weekly discount and instead opted in for the 10% nonrefundable discount. I have kept a monthly discount, but it is still quite expensive to rent my room by the month. After having had to evict people in the past, I am not keen on having a guest who won't leave when the stay is over. 

Good luck with your listing and don't give up! 

[John1080]

@Joshua289, if you continue to allow guests of guests, these issues will continue.

I would not allow any guests of guests of any sort at any time of the day and would make that a prominent part of the rules on the listing itself, in the pre-approval (or immediate response if you have IB), again in the pre-arrival message and lastly in the physical house manual inside the space. 

Another thing you can do is when a guest books or requests to book, you can incorporate into your message something like: "Thank you for booking the apartment. I  have you down for X people for X nights. Please confirm this is correct."  I have found this a good way to make sure the numbers booked match the numbers coming. 

[Ingibjörg1]

This seems to be helpful. I am currently communicating with a guest coming to my apartment next Monday. This is my and my daughters room so I only rent it if I are away for a week or more. If only one guest or a couple are booking I just lock my daughters room This is very important for me since there is a big difference in preparing one bedroom or two for guests (removing personal items etc.).

Now I have a guest coming who booked for only one person but then tells me (when asked) that they will be two couples. My respons was to tell them that I usually charge 35 euros for the period for each extra guest but can forget that if one of the couple will just use the sofabed in the living room. 

I don´t know if that was the right approach but would like your input.