Informing guests about nearby construction

[Elizabeth1164]

Hello hosts, 

I usually rent my garden apartment during the period June 1 -October 1. The city has just notified me that they will be replacing waterlines on my street from April to September. This will mean torn up streets, heavy equipment and water interruptions. Of course, I don't know exactly when this will occur in my block, specifically. 

So I am wondering what to do. 1) give up hosting completely this year 2) change my listing to indicate the somewhat vague problem and see if anyone books  3) let people book and then explain when confirming booking. 

What is your advice?

Thanks!

[Lawrene0]

You could keep hosting, @Elizabeth1164, with a little work. Right now, I would tick the "potential for noise" in Booking Settings under "Details guests must know about your home". Explain it briefly there. Also make a prominent note in your description, and do mention it in your initial message to guests coming in that time period. 

The water interruption will be a problem. If you cannot get the dates blocked quickly enough after you get a firm shut-off date, and someone has already booked, I would do some of the rehousing work myself, and then turn to Airbnb with extenuating circumstances.

Here is what I read in the forum a few years ago: A host had something awful come up, found a few similar places to her own, contacted those other hosts to see whether they were willing to take her guest, then contacted the guest to see which was preferred. THEN she called Airbnb and had them do the switch so that she was not penalized. Everyone was happy. Would something like that work for you?

[Elizabeth1164]

All good suggestions, Lawrene. Thank you for your thoughtful advice!

[Sarah977]

@Elizabeth1164   A friend who hosts on Vancouver Island had the exact same scenario last summer. She first let the already booked guests know and offered them the option of cancelling, as well as notifying prospective guests. Most, if not all, of her guests said they were okay with keeping the booking.  The bedroom of the suite is at the back of the house, so it wasn't too bad for noise as far as sleeping, it was mostly the inconvenience of torn up streets and sidewalks and never knowing where it would be possible to park on any given day.

[Elizabeth1164]

Thanks, Sarah.

[Cormac0]

@Elizabeth

Take the time off and put your listing on ice, until the job is finished, bad reviews linger for a very long time so, ask yourself is it worth all the potential hassle and the inevitable endless conversation with Airbnb about relocating disgruntled guests.

Additionally, you can adapt to the situation depending on how the building works pan out,

1. Is it as noisy as you first thought?
2. Did they start at you end of the street?
3. How quickly is the work progressing?

[Elizabeth1164]

Yes, perhaps adapting as the summer goes on might do the trick. Thank you.

[Emilia42]

@Elizabeth, this exact same situation happened to me last summer. It was soo stressful and I was constantly worried about receiving a bad review for something I have little to no control over. We did not have any water interruptions but the noise was bad. It was only really bad when the trucks and heavy equipment were right in front of the house. So I never really knew when that was going to happen.

This is what I did:

• In the ‘other things to note’ and the amenities limitations section I put ‘Potential for noise’: There will be a constriction project happening on the street outside the apartment from June-end of September. This project will not impact parking or access to the apartment but could result in noise from heavy machinery between 7 am – 6pm.
• When I sent the check-in instructions I reminded them of the construction and asked that they be careful going to and from the apartment since the road was torn up.
• I upped my game with extra treats and goodies to make the stay extra special. Flowers, chocolates, cookies, etc.
• If I did hear noise, especially early in the morning, I would send a message apologizing for the construction and hoped it did not wake them.
• I was prepared to stop by with a bottle of wine if I ever sensed that a guest was upset because of the construction but this never happened.

Luckily, I am in an area where people are passing through or planning day trips outside of my town. So I don’t really have guests who are hanging around and would be disturbed by what is happening outside. I made it through the entire summer without getting anything less than 5 stars!!!

[Emilia42]

I will also say that these projects only happen on the weekdays (at least in my area.) So guests staying Friday night - Sunday morning were not affected, expect for the ugliness that comes with construction. If anything at least keep your place open for weekend stays.

[Elizabeth1164]

Good idea!!

[SunnyDayLA0]

Hi fellow hosts, I'm in a similar situation with impending construction next door and would love some advice about giving some money back to guests if noise makes them unhappy. If I do that, does it only come out of my bottom line, not AirBnBs? We really don't know when construction will occur and we rent 30 days at a time b/c of a town ordinance. I tell guests that there may be construction in my Things to Know box. I don't want to offer discounts ahead of the fact b/c construction could occur months from now, or tomorrow. Would it be wiser to say I will give you a credit or money back if construction does occur, or to lower the rate before booking and say I am giving you a slight deal for taking a risk of construction next door? I want happy guests and excellent ratings, so not sure how best to approach this. Thanks in advance for any input. 

[Sarah977]

@SunnyDayLA0 Of course discounts and refunds come out of your bottom line- Airbnb doesn't take the loss.

What I would do if I were you is forget about discounts or refunds- that will just lead to strife between you and guests about how much is appropriate.

For already booked guests, I would let them know about the possibilty for construction noise and give them the option of cancelling now and you giving them a full refund.

This is what a friend of mine did when the street in front of her house was being ripped up for new sewer and water lines. Some days the heavy equipment would be working in front of her house, some days they were 2 blocks away, she never knew what to expect. Almost all the guests chose to keep their bookings.

Then put a disclaimer at the top of your listing desciption for future bookings- "Please note: nearby construction, with attendant noise, may take place at sometime during your stay. We have not been provided with a schedule for this- it may happen during your stay, it may not. If you want more information, please send us an Inquiry message. By booking this listing, you are acknowledging that possible construction noise won't be an issue for you and that you understand that no discounts or refunds will be given for this reason."

There are guests who are going to be out and about most days, anyway, and may not be affected by daytime noise, and I assume that construction isn't going to going on during normal sleeping hours.

The post further up this thread by @Emilia42  has really good ideas and advice, IMO.