Guests not reading house rules, frustrating and frequent

[Natalie633]

Hi all - I've been hosting on airbnb for only about a month and a half and, for the most part, I love it. I really enjoy hosting and meeting new people, but I've routinely encountered the issue of guests not reading the house rules or even the description of the space/property. Here are two recent scenarios, names changed for privacy:

1) "John" and "Jesse" - Couple wants to rent my space to get away from their baby for the night. They book same-day and realize less than an hour before arrival that my rental space is  a private bed & bath, not the whole house. They become incredibly rude/hostile, saying that I've scammed them and demanding a refund. I tell them if they'd like to cancel to do so and please contact airbnb's customer service as I had just spent hours resetting the rooms and cleaning the house for their arrival. I tried to calm down the situation because I can imagine they are upset, but this information is so prominent that I don't know what else to do about it. I flagged them as being hostile in the app and haven't talked with them since cancellation. 

2) "Rita" - I have instant book set up and she booked for future weekend. I allow pets, but only dogs and they must be crated in the room when left alone. She is also a host, so it surprised me that she had not read the house rules either. She doesn't own a crate, but she would have to find a dog-sitter otherwise. She had assumed that since I have a fenced-in back yard that she could leave her dog outside while she was gone. We have a 4 ft. chain link fence. Not tall at all, and there are cats that frequent the alley behind our house. It's really not a good idea to leave a dog back there alone. Our dog is also an indoors pup so we don't have any shelter back there in case the weather is bad. 

My solution? I took a screenshot of my house rules and put it in my listing photos, but I feel like it looks tacky or might make guests feel as if I'm being overbearing. I'm afraid that this could prevent future bookings if they feel it's too "in-your-face", but I don't know what else to do. I understand that the rules are hidden, and I've been able to talk to most guests about them and explain why they are in place. I know this has been a recurring issue, but if anyone has any further advice I'm all ears. 

Thanks 🙂

[Emiel1]

@Natalie633 

I do not use Instant Book. So i communicate with every guests before accepting them. I allways mention: by making a booking you also confirm to have read everything in the listing, including all houserules. (And yes, some people then pull back)

[Natalie633]

Thanks - I don't mind so much about people pulling back since even my last-minute cancellations typically get re-booked. I just want to make sure all my guests know what they are getting into and it's frustrating that the platform doesn't promote it more 😕

[Angie29]

@Natalie633  WHAT A great idea!!!  Confirm they read everything before they book!!  Brilliant!!  Thank you!! I'll use it next time.

[Linda108]

Perhaps you can modify your Instant Book to require positive review so you are not IB'd by newbie guests.  Your description of the yard is inviting so whether the guest is with the dog or not, if you think the 4' fence is a problem, you need to mention it in your description.  A high prey dogs are often reactive to seeing small animals including cats and can get away from the owner in a flash.

Probably should take the rules out of the pictures as that is not the purpose of the pictures.  However, you can add captions that reflect rules.  Also, anything that is important about your listing needs to be reinforced more than just your listing.  There are many reasons why guests are mistaken about a listing so I always confirm that the listing is a private room and that I and my dog stay in the home during their stay.

[Natalie633]

I have the highest settings on my insta-book, and I was afraid if I took it off completely that I would no longer be prominently listed on the platform. The lady that insta-booked was also a host, so I was confident that at least she would have read the house rules. 

I also have information throughout that mentions what are shared and private spaces, including on the photo description. I also mentioned the cats issue because my own dog has a problem with cats & small animals, so I'm incredibly familiar with this. 

I'll take the screenshot down and start sending the house rules to guests as soon as they book. 

[Kaylee18 · Accepted solution]

@Natalie633   I also have instant booking. Right when I get a booking I send a "hello" message and in that message I reiterate the house rules that are most important to me. 

If you add your house rules in your first message to them as a reminder, that gives them a chance to read it and if it's not something they want to follow, they have the option to cancel before their stay. 

Works for me so far! 🙂 

[Angie29]

For some of them out there, you HAVE to be on their face.  I worded mine pretty much chasing them away before they book, if they want to come to my house to party and be rude to my neighbors.  That's after my bad "Delta House, animal house" experience.  I still show it in the listing (tacky or not) and up until now I can't keep up with my bookings.  Over all, sadly, NOT TOO MANY READ THE LISTING DETAILS OR THE RULES.