Booked guest inviting additional guests over & above the paid & agreed occupancy (during the day).

Kurt40
Level 1
Forestville, CA

Booked guest inviting additional guests over & above the paid & agreed occupancy (during the day).

What is the appropriate course of action for a host when they discover that during the booked guest stay, that they have exceeded the booked & paid for number of guests (during the day), & did not ask or inform the host of these additional guests on property?

27 Replies 27

I'm assuming you have this rule clearly stated in your description and house rules.

 

If it happened to me, I would just immediately contact Airbnb and ask them to relocate these guests because they knowingly broke my house rule and tried to hide it from me. 

 

Then I would send a message to the guest that what they did was totally unacceptable, and that I have already contacted Airbnb for them to be relocated to a more suitable listing and to get ready to leave my property. 

 

If they had asked in advance, and let me think about it, I MIGHT allow it. I like to stick to my rules most of the time, but I guess it would really depend on the situation and what they are planning to do and how the guest approached me. 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Kurt40 @Jessica-and-Henry0

 

This has happened to me regularly-- mostly nice guests, some not, but mostly great guests in every other regard. 

The "no unregistered guests on property" rule is listed about 4 places in my listings. 

 

Nonetheless it seems that many people think this rule applies to additional sleeping guests & extra people hanging out in the daytime is no big deal. 

Thanks Kelly,

 

Do u charge for extra unregistered guest?

@Kurt40   Hey, Kurt do the @@person thingee when you want someone to see your question (it generates an email, like the one you got telling you I said this)

 

yes, I charge an extra guest fee. Depends on how many, how long... could be 5/head could be 20. Depends on the situation. Could be gratis if they ask politely enough and they aren't asking for much. But then I get names & add them to the abb guest count either way. 

@Kurt40 @Todd-and-Reese0 @Jessica-and-Henry0 

 

I just wrote a document this week outlining this very problem. Otherwise normal people seem to think that No Additional Guests somehow actually only means No Additional Sleepers. Some people also seem to think, it's a space, and I rented it, and why do you care how many people I cram in here day or night???

This is a policy very much still a work in progress for me.  On the one hand, does an extra couple people on the couch for a couple hours really matter to me (little more utilities, few more marks on the floor, extra couple beer cans....)?? But on the other hand, isn't it always the 'rented for 3, but had a party for 30' that turns into a horror show? And where is the line between yes, you rented the space (that is actually my house & in my backyard -- hello? I see you over there!!), but you paid for 2 and there are now 10 people in my house! 10 people arent 2 people and once people disregard one rule.....

I really would like to see a thoughtful discussion about this, are daytime guests an auto-admit to any guesthouse or entire place listing??? (I think the private room dynamic is a definite NO) And, really has ANYONE ever thrown someone out over this? Did ABB back you up? And it's such a crummy hosting position: if I'm not going to cancel you (in the middle of your stay!!!), then am I going to go demand payment & deal with what that does to my review?? UGH!!

@Bruce43 @Annette33 @Robin4 thoughts??

 

this is the doc I wrote...haven't sent it to a guest yet, but may go over it with the guest I have checking in this afternoon...

 

GUESTS OF GUEST POLICY

 

From the rental contract:     Reservation specified a particular number of guests. No guests beyond those listed and counted within the Reservation are permitted on the property at any time. This applies to day visitors or overnight visitors. All guests to the property should be within the parameters of the reservation. Parties/Gatherings may be allowed with prior arrangement with Owner. Additional Fees will be incurred. Guest is responsible for the property and the behavior of all other guests for the duration of the rental period. Exceeding agreed upon guest numbers is cause for cancellation and removal.

 

 

Guest FAQ

 

 

“My friends/cousin/employees are going to come meet me at the barn and hang out for awhile before dinner.”

  • Great, the barn is super for this, however, first you need to arrange an adjustment to your reservation with Owner regarding guests (Who: name, age, address. When: planned arrival/departure timing. What: additional vehicles), then you will also need to accept the additional guest fees through ABB messaging. Please allow adequate notice, rather than waiting until you have a guest at the door to request update from Owner.

 

“Oh, but, they aren’t going to spend the night, we’re just going to hang out at the barn for awhile.”

  • Understood. However, the additional guest registration is required for any guest who will enter the building/be on property.

 

“Man, that’s kind of fussy, don’t you think?”

  • AirBnB requires accurate guest registration for insurance purposes and it is important to us to know who we are sharing our home with. Also, the security company is aware of what people/vehicles are expected, for your protection and ours they need to have accurate information.

 

“I don’t want to pay a guest fee to hang out with my friends.”

  • No problem. Austin is full of great restaurants, bars & parks, we’re happy to provide recommendations.

 

“Uber is going to pick me up.” “I’m having pizza delivered”

  • Pickups/deliveries do not require notice.

 

“I met somebody cool out tonight, I’d like to bring them back to the barn.”

            - No strangers, no hookups, no. This truly is what hotels are for.

 

OMG LOVE your FAQ's. I am going to do this, too. What a great idea! I love how very clear it is.

Hello Airbnb host,

The name of the game is to lay down the ground rules first before menaces like me can actually get through the front door. Once we're in, you haven't a hope.

Or you could take the coward's way out and just grin and bear it - the sort of pathetic, weak-willed, self-denying attitude that parasites like me thrive on.

The choice is yours.

your first guest from hell.

@Kelly149 I think @Todd-and-Reese0 has the best answer.

John915
Level 3
New York, United States

@Kelly149, @Kurt40, @Jessica-and-Henry0

 

I generally take Kelly’s advice (and came across this dialogue as I’ve had issues with this in the past). Thank you Kelly! Great advice.

 

I mention it in my listing and am firm in any inquiries. I am often pretty accommodating and if a potential guest is specific about the request and inviting someone over (for example, “I’m here on business and my partner and I need a quiet space to do a conference call at XYZ time, can he/she come by for x hours so we don’t have to do it in a loud coffee shop?” Or, “I’m in town for a birthday party/reunion, can a friend come over to pre-game and split a 6 pack before we go to the bar? He/she will only be here for an hour before we split a cab to the place”)

 

I think it is too easy for people to take advantage with the way booking is set-up. For example, under “Additional Prices”, extra guests are per night and some potential guests take that literally. You are already putting yourself and your home at risk (as well as annoyance from neighbors) and to have guests bringing random people over is nuts. If your guest hasn’t discussed in advance, call Airbnb immediately – at least you have some recourse for a guest (if they have verifications, etc.) but I don’t think you have much protection for actions from a guest of a guest. If your listing states 1 guest, call Airbnb – that guest has already violated the listing and you should be able to have them leave or seek compensation (make sure $ is listed somewhere)

 

In my experience, if someone doesn’t explicitly state reasons, timing, etc. of having another person over, I tell them it is an additional fee, if approved by me, regardless of whether the person is here for 24 minutes or 24 hours. That usually prompts the person to be more specific about their request or find another accommodation. Sometimes I tell people there is a budget hotel 3 blocks away that can accommodate multiple guests (their rooms start at 5X my usual price and you may run into escorts there but whatever). It sucks but you have to be firm and set a clear boundary with guests who are either not respectful or being shady – We share our homes and this is not a hotel service.

 

 

I have a house and get a lot of group booking. Over occupancy kept me awake because I don’t like been cheated. I recently found a guest booked for 3 and then invited her family to come over and stay during the day。 she was nice enough when I pointed out to her, so I charged her additional head count fee in my listing. 

Whats the best way to prevent over occupancy?

How do you enforce "registered"? Do you ask for a list of names of all guests before they arrive?  In other words, I allow 6-8 people, so I NEVER know who is actually coming other than the one person who books. My boyfriend thinks I should ask for a list of guest names. 

@Jules22 Yes, I get full name, age, address & contact # for ALL guests, in their rental contract immediately after reservation is made (we sleep 8 and these are often unrelated groups of friends, not one family group)

we also say that we will verify IDs upon arrival. I may or may not depending on how forthcoming they've been to that point. 

I ask for a list stating name , gender and age! Not that this prevents people from overoccupancy, because it doesn't.