Long Term Stay Request - Host

[Kristen444]

Hello all

I am a long term Airbnb user but first time host. We have had someone recently request book for our home for 76 days as they are awaiting their home to be built and completed. They do not have any reviews and they do not have a verified account. They would like to meet in person to make sure the home is a good fit while they wait and I would like the opportunity to meet them to make sure they are a good fit too. Can anyone share their experiences with long term rentals? Also have you ever used a separate rental agreement and required a background check etc prior to booking? Thank you in advance for your help.

[M199]

@Kristen444 

From the numerous posts kn tbe CC, Airbnb is not your best option.  AIRBNB = Short Term Rentals. 

Tagging @Sarah277 , @Brian2036 for more advice.

[Sarah977]

@Kristen444  I wouldn't suggest a long term stay as your first booking. Someone who needs accommodation in the area while their house is being built is probably going to be one of the better bets for long term than someone who just is looking for a place to live and moves from one Airbnb to another, but I'd still not advise it.

There are no safeguards for hosts on Airbnb, the security deposit and host guarantee are bogus, and a guest becomes a tenant after a month in most jurisdictions, subject to landlord/tenant laws. So if they don't pay the rent or prove objectionable, hard to evict them.  Airbnb won't help you with that.

Also, as new hosts, you need to build up reviews, which won't happen with long term bookings. And you want to cut your hosting teeth on shorter bookings until you learn the ropes, understand how  to vet prospective guests, etc.

[Kristen444]

Hi Sarah

Thank you so much! These are all great points. I wasn't expecting any long term rentals for our first few stays. I also like the advice about what Airbnb provides as far as protection for its hosts. That is a surprise and landlord/tenant really changes everything. I really appreciate the advice!

[Brian2036]

@Kristen444 

I’ll second the opinion of @Sarah977.

If you are going to let anyone become a legal tenant you need a written lease and it needs to be a really mean one. You don’t need Airbnb for that.

 You would have a problem meeting these prospective guests/tenants before they have booked. 

Airbnb is most definitely NOT in favor of that because they are afraid that you will make an off-platform deal with them and do Airbnb out of their fees.

What you could do if you decide to consider this long stay is ask the guest to book for 2 nights, then you can meet them, and if you are entirely satisfied and they are willing to sign a lease, you could give them credit towards the rent.

 I would strongly recommend getting first month, last month and a hefty security deposit IN CASH and in advance. 

I question why someone is willing to pay over $6,000 a month for a 10-week rental and I suspect that the answer is, “They don’t plan to pay anything.”

Airbnb will sell you out in a heartbeat if the guests say the magic words “vermin,” “bedbugs,” “gas leak,” “spy cameras,” and probably others I haven’t heard about yet. 

Incidentally, while I think that your nightly price is probably reasonable for your area, a 30% monthly discount is too high.

There are con-artists out there constantly searching for exactly that situation with inexperienced hosts and you don’t want them.

I’m also suspicious about that “76 days” thing. Maybe that’s what a builder told them, but it’s BS.

No one can predict a finish date that precisely. If they move out early they will demand a refund, which they shouldn’t get.

If it goes long and you have new guests booked you will have a serious problem if they refuse to leave.

 I wouldn’t even consider this deal.

[Kristen444]

Hi Brian

Thank you for the follow up and your input it is greatly appreciated. I changed the monthly discount to 15% and I agree. These are all good points and sounds like if the stay is over 13 days a rental agreement should be signed.  

I also emailed back the individual and requested that they finish setting up their Airbnb profile before we moved forward with any meetings or bookings. I have not heard back yet and my guess is that I won't. 

Thank you for taking the time to write this response as it helped me greatly and helped me avoid a potentially bad situation.

Cheers!

[Sarah977]

@Kristen444  Just wanted to say I love your listing, it's really cool. I spent a lot of time around Austin back in the day, at a community called Greenbrier, between Bastrop and Elgin, and my second daughter was the first baby born there. There were many born there since.

[Kristen444]

Hi Sarah

Aww...thank you for the kind words. You are so sweet and thank you for taking the time to look at our listing. Austin is a wonderful place but it has changed a lot over the past 20 years but I guess you could say that about a lot of things. 😉  Thanks again for your help. It is really great to have such an amazing community of people to rely on.