Adding Owner Lives On Site to listing description

[Clay29]

I just had a guest check in who was uneasy with the fact I live on site. Guests rent a free standing garage apartment and I live in the adjacent bungalow which although close, both have their own view of the street.. I  never thought to put it in the listing I live their  per say as I thought that was more or less the same situation for most hosts. Do you put it in your listing if you live on-site?

The situation may be compounded by the fact this guest is female and I am male, although she indicated up front her boyfriend would be coming too. More than anything, I want to avoid a bad review over something trivial like this. I am not sure if this was the right thing to do, but I sent her a message shortly after giving her the key that if she were uncomfortable with any aspect of the reservation, I would offer her a full refund were she to cancel. I added though, I'd love for "them" to stay as what I offer is a great location and space within the area I live.

[Kath9]

@Clay29, I think it is implicit in your listing that you live onsite and frankly I think she's overreacting. I mean, it's not all that different to having a man living in the house next door is it? You also need to ask yourself why she is so concerned about you living onsite. Were they planning a party? Personally, I don't think you should be offering a refund, but it is very gracious of you to do so. What was her response to that out of interest? 

I guess to avoid this in the future, you should explicitly state that you live onsite. The trouble is, our listings just get longer and longer because of all the things we end up having to explicitly state. But the catch 22 is that the longer it is, the less likely people are to read it anyway!

[Clay29]

It's been a few hours and so far she has not replied. Her boyfriend did come later and they'e both gone out, so I assume they are okay with staying or else they want to keep their options open. I had not thought of the party angle but that certainly could be true. Well, at least "I" spoiled that.

[Susan151]

@Clay29  Did she think a garage apartment didn't have a house associated with it? Who else would live in the house, considering you meet and greet all your guests? 

[Emilia42]

@Clay29 

That is bizarre. What does this person think that an apartment/guest house is? I have a little blurb in 'other things to note' and my house rules, under some spaces shared (see picture.) You may want to add something like that.

But honestly, this guest did not read your listing at all. If you had any more in your listing to prepare her for this situation, I doubt she would have seen it. She needs to take more responsibility.

[Sarah977]

@Clay29 There is a section of the listing description "Interaction with guests". You can state there that you are always available to answer questions or help out, as you are an on-site host and live in the bungalow adjacent to the apartment.

[Clay29]

Thank you Sarah. That's a great idea.

[Sarah977]

@Clay29  Then it's just a matter of guests actually reading it 🙂 But as long as something is stated in the listing description, then if they didn't bother to read thoroughly, you have that to fall back on- "Oh, well it says quite clearly in my listing decription that I live on-site".

[Paul154]

Of course she's unhappy.

She can't abuse your house like she was planning.

She'll just have to settle for "quiet enjoyment" as agreed.

[Rhonda268]

Hello Everyone, I am new to this and am having a lot of cancellations. Whenever I have a booking and verify that they are aware I live on site, I'm often told they did not notice that and thought they would have the whole house to themselves. I thought I made it pretty clear I live on site in my listing but perhaps I didn't. Would anyone be able to read my listing and give me some suggestions on how to make it clearer? 

[Sarah977]

@Rhonda268  While you list it as a private room, it seems most guests these days do not bother to read even the most obvious things. They look at the pictures and the price. You have to assume they have the reading skills and attention span of a kindergartener.

Your photo gallery is one of the main problems. While a pool is definitely an attraction, do not use that as your cover photo. Use a bedroom photo and order your photo gallery to show the guest bedrooms and bathrooms  first, and the common areas after. You have far too many photos of the living room and kitchen. It makes it seem like the guest has this whole huge house to themselves. More photos is not necessarily better. 

The first line of your listing description should be "Please note: This is an owner-occupied listing. Your 3 bedrooms and your bathrooms are private. The living areas and kitchen are common spaces shared with the host, whose bedroom is upstairs. 

Then go on to describe the space and the amenities.

Hopefully those changes will help, and I'm sure some other hosts here will have more suggestions.

[Rhonda268]

Thanks Sarah! Your advice makes perfect sense. Will make the change today

[Laura2592]

@Clay29 this is always a shady question IMHO. Why do they care if you live on site? What were they planning? I understand being  a woman not wanting to share a bathroom with a strange male, but your situation seems pretty straightforward. 

When we have this question (we do not live on site BTW) I make a big deal that there are visible neighbors. We were marked way down early on for our location because the guests could not enjoy al fresco adult activities without  the neighbors perhaps seeing. As if we should really anticipate a nude romp in the yard for all guests in February....

For me, the red flag raises when this question is asked. It typically signifies the need for utter privacy because the guest is planning to engage in something that if you knew about, you might look askance. 

[Rhonda268]

Thanks Clay I will definitely use this question as a red flag.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592 @Rhonda268  For sure they were looking for a place to party. 

And if this happens a lot, as Rhonda says it has, it's important to assess why it looks like a party house to all these folks.