First time listing my house on Air BnB and I happen to be out of town

[Mariam160]

Hi,

I listed my house on Air BnB and I ll be going out of country. Now I’m petrified! Am I supposed to remove any personal belongings and empty every single cabinet at my place (literally move out?). I understand that I’d have to remove all clothing.  Do guests expect/not expect to see anything that you’d find in a home like over the counter medications, kitchen spices, olive oil,  tool boxes, etc... 

[Lisa723]

@Mariam160 Please don’t rent your house for the first time while out of the country, unless you have a trusted local co-host to step in if anything goes sideways.

Guests will expect what your listing description and photos tell them to expect.

Don’t leave anything that you can’t stand to lose or have damaged. If it is accessible expect guests to access it.

[Mariam160]

Thanks for the reply. I can have someone attend to them but I need to know to what extent they’d need attending. I don’t want to smother them either.  
As for the pics, I’m going to have everything that is in the pics stay as is. I was referring to the items in the cabinets. Do guests want to use the house as their own with completely empty cabinets or would they like to experience being in someone else’s place and use others personal stuff. I have stayed at an Air BnB once and they used it as a rental and it wasn’t for me but I’d like to make their experience great and comply with expectations. 

[Emilia42]

@Mariam160 I'm a little confused by this? Why would these dates be open on your calendar if you had no one to 'cover your shift' while you were away. What would you do if you weren't going to be out of the country? 

Your listing states "Guests can help themselves everywhere within the property except the basement as it has my personal belongings." And your photos show no personal effects. So as a guest I would expect to enter a house with none of your things. 

[Mariam160]

Thanks for the reply. I thought I would rent my house since I m not going to be there otherwise I’d be living in it and wouldn’t rent it out (as I wouldn’t have a place to live)    . I can have someone attend to the guests if need be but I’d like  to know what are the typical things they’d need for someone to be present. Other than having someone show them around the first time,  what would be the typical stuff that would come up that they’d need someone to physically be there? There is a house across the street from me and a young couple bought, remodeled and moved back to their home in Texas and rent the place as Air BnB. I never saw them again yet see people get it to the place by a pad lock. How do they do it? 

[Mark116]

@Mariam160  Literally, anything can happen.  The pipes can freeze, the guests can accidentally break the heating/plumbing/appliances, they may throw a huge party and disturb the neighbors.   Or, nothing can happen.  But you would be crazy not to  have some type of person available to deal with anything that might happen. 

I would be careful about what types of personal items you leave around for guests to access, especially any personal papers, mementos, etc.  And if you are leaving a lot of stuff in the house like clothes, etc. you will want to make that very, very clear in the listing.

[Mariam160]

Thanks for the helpful pointers Mark. How do I find if I can hire someone to manage this while I’m gone instead of asking favors from my family. Also, my house has ADT security where every time someone opens a door a loud notification on what door is open comes on. Should I disable that? I have window shades that I have programmed to come down or go up at certain times during the day. Should I disable that as well?  

[Lisa723]

@Mariam160 As @Emilia42  said, if your listing photos show no personal items and your listing description doesn’t state they will be there then guests may be upset to find them. More importantly, anything you leave available may be used, broken, or taken. You can allow entry with a lockbox or keypad. Here are a few things that might require local support: plumbing or electrical emergencies, power outages, mice or insects, guests throwing parties or otherwise bothering neighbors or disrespecting the property, etc etc.

[Mariam160]

Thanks Lisa. I think the word “personal item” is what confused this conversation. This is my home and everything is personal to me. I have a lot of expensive crystal vases and plates from my grand father. I have a bar full of alcohol. Do I remove them? My place looks exactly how the photos show. I’m not about to remove anything shown in the photos. I was just asking what was more appropriate to remove from the inside cabinets. I understand that the guest would use what’s there. I don’t mind it but I don’t want to offend them by leaving something in the cabinet or fridge as a good deed but end up offending them. Do I remove chocolate boxes, Alcohol, sodas, excedrin, contact lense solution, etc...or should they be there in case they want to use them? Are AirBnb houses empty of supplies or should have supplies? 

[Stephanie6]

Hi @Mariam160 , your place is gorgeous!  Consider charging extra after the first 2 or 3 guests.  Get a security camera (Arlo) installed at the entrance to verify the number of guests (or maybe your ADT has a camera?).  As @Emily487 wrote, be specific about how many visitors (non-guests) may be present and the hours visitors are allowed (7am-10pm).  Make sure you have insurance to cover damages (it is very difficult to collect the security deposit).  Perhaps your neighbors across the street who airbnb their home use a property manager that you can also use while you are out of town.

In San Francisco, the listed property must be our primary residence, so it is not practical to remove all contents.  I provide space in my closet, dresser, shelves, vanity, and refrigerator.  I remove valuables and anything "precious".   I do not completely empty the kitchen pantry, bathroom vanities, or closets.  I have several plastic storage bins that I place items in to remove clutter and the bins go under the beds and out of sight.  I have never had anyone remove items from the bins or mess with our clothes.  

[Mariam160]

Thanks so much Stephanie. 

[Helen3]

Absolutely put in your basement (lockable I presume) anything of monetary or sentimental value, alcohol, your clothes and personal possessions, food, bathroom items etc.

Anything you leave out can be stolen, damaged or used.

You can leave your clothes in locked wardrobes as long as you provide space for guest clothes and you have made this clear in your listing.

You absolutely cannot just rely on family, you need an experienced co-host to manage the listing on a day to day basis, manage your cleaner, quality check your place between bookings, ensure adequate supplies, dealing with any problem guests etc

Please make sure you have CCTV or similar to minimise the risk of guests bringing in additional guests they haven't paid for, partying etc.

[Mariam160]

Thanks so much Helen. 

[Emily487]

@Mariam160 

What a beautiful home!!

Please realize that guests will open EVERY cabinet, snoop, and otherwise make themselves at home. Guests are guests. They aren't your fun aunt who is house sitting for you. Do not assume that they will have boundaries about anything you leave behind. If it's not locked, it will be used and it will be used in short order. Your booze will be consumed, your lotions will be used like it's a Bath and Body Works sale, all the bulk toilet paper from Costco will be taken, your bathroom cabinet rummaged through, your junk drawer will be pilfered. Leave out (unlocked) only what you are willing to replace (this is time consuming and $$ and the guest will not have to pay for any of it so keep that in mind). 

May I make two suggestions for your listing? 

-Get rid of the 20% discount for the first three bookings. That's going to eat into your earnings and your place doesn't scream "budget". 

-Add a rule that caps the number of people allowed on the property. You can host 5 guests. They might have lots of friends who would just LOOOOOVE to come "hang out" aka have a party. You should add a cap of no more than 10 people on the property at any given time. People have different definitions of parties and capping the number of people can help with that. 

[Mariam160]

Thank you for the suggestions Emily.  I will do exactly what you suggested.  With all the responses I have received, I am so worried about this decision I made.  I really didn’t realize people can be so inconsiderate, but I am sure you all must have experienced these to warn me.  One question; since I will be adding those rules, would it still apply on the reservation that is already been made? I am going to email him regardless and let him know anyway but was just wondering.  Thanks again.