how do I set my calendar for a six month stay

[Deborah359]

First time host. How do I set perameters for an extended six month stay. would like guest to arrive asap and depart in six to seven months.  

[Matthew285]

@Deborah359 welcome!

Do you already have a guest lined up for this stay, and you want to arrange the calendar so that the guest can make the reservation you are describing?

If so, then when you are editing your listing, go to the "Availability" tab and look for the section labelled "Trip Length". In that section you can set the "Minimum Stay" and "Maximum Stay".

You want to make sure your "Maximum Stay" is long enough for a six or seven month reservation.

If you do not yet have a guest lined up for this long stay, you can still select a long "Maximum Stay", but please be aware that you may get guests wanting to book for much shorter stays. If you insist on *only* a very long stay, you can also set the "Minimum Stay" to be very long.

IMPORTANT: If you select a long Minimum Stay, then your listing will be all but invisible to people. (You would only appear to people who preselect very long booking dates when they search.)

[Deborah359]

Good morning Matthew,

Thank you for the calendar information. Background: I am moving out of state and have my 26 year old son living in the house to manage, maintain and to accept Airbnb guests. My goal is to list the master bedroom/private bath on Airbnb. The single living space with access to the rest of the house is available now. I would like to have a guest experience begin ASAP and for as long a time frame as possible. How would you suggest I set up my calendar. Any questions needed to clarify, please let me know. Thank you in advance. Best! Deborah

[Matthew285]

@Deborah359 if you want to have guests book ASAP, then be as flexible as you can regarding minimum stays (meaning 1 night). You still should put your maximum stay to be very high, as you are interested in longer-term guests

There is no real way to seek only long term bookings (except to set a long minimum stay, which you probably don't want to do, for the reason I mentioned).

It makes a lot of sense to offer a nice monthly discount  (but no too much!) to encourage longer stays. Also, in your description you can say "Long term guests are very welcome!"

Of course, a very competitive price and unique features will draw interest from all types of guests.

If you want good suggestions from experienced hosts, once you have your listing ready, you can post it here or in the "Hosting" section and ask people for feedback on how to improve.