I had a guest instant book for a checkin today. We have a st...
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I had a guest instant book for a checkin today. We have a strict 4pm checkin time & they showed up at 2:15 saying they chose ...
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I'm a new host and things are going swimmingly thus far! I'm curious if anyone has noticed a drop in bookings by adding a security deposit to their listing. I understand it's not actually charged until a claim is made against it, but do travelers all understand that clearly??
I ask because I'd like to add a $1200 security deposit to our listing, and here's why: Our apartment plumbing goes through an ejector pit and then out to a septic tank. As such, if ANYTHING other than the provided toilet paper and normal waste goes down the drain, it's an automatic $1200 to replace the pump in the ejector pit. We've included the following verbiage in our house rules: "Apartment is on an ejector pit & septic system, so ONLY the provided toilet paper & human waste is allowed down the drains. (No baby wipes, paper towels, tissues, feminine products, etc. allowed down the drains.) Failure to comply will be a $1,200 plumbing charge that will be charged to guest." We also have a sticker on the toilet tank that spells this out as well.
Will adding a $1200 security deposit negatively impact bookings? Should I forego the security deposit and just cross my fingers and rely on Airbnb's host guarantee? (yikes!) Any insight from Airbnb or other hosts would be welcome.
Thanks!
Thanks!
You definitely need to add the security deposit. It's highly unlikely that the host guarantee scheme will cover this type of damage - which is clearly a high risk item.
Thank you for the feedback. ...I guess the other element of my question is regarding the AMOUNT of that security deposit. If I were booking a place for a few nights, and saw a security deposit of $1200, it would definitely deter me from booking if I thought I were going to have to come out-of-pocket for that amount simply to book a place for a night or two. I'd be put-off by it. In your experience, do most travelers realize that the deposit doesn't ACTUALLY get charged unless there's a claim against it??
I agree....I would add the security deposit...but I also would make it very clear to the guests about the issue and that they are responsible if they flush anything but tp.