Enough already, no more discounts

[Debra300]

I re-opened the calendar for my long-term rental apartment four days ago.  Since then I've received six inquiries, and four of them have requested an additional reduction beyond the monthly discount that's already offered.  I have done some searches in my area, and we are already very competitively priced at the lower end of comparable rentals. Most of these blue light shoppers (American slang for bargain shoppers at the mostly defunct discount store chain, Kmart) are new to Airbnb, and all have no reviews.  I don't know what they've read or heard, but somehow they are under the impression that ABB is where you can negotiate rates.

Today, I received this inquiry.

Inquirer (joined 2018, no reviews):  Hi I’m a travel nurse looking for a place while I’m working in the area. I have a couple of questions. Will I have the entire apartment to myself? Are the pictures accurate and recent of the apartment?Thank you!

Also my housing budget is around $2000 for taxes and fees included. Are you willing to give any additional discounts?

Me: Hi XX,

The guest's access to the apartment access is exactly as listed in the description, "It is self-contained, and has its own private entrance and amenities." The pictures are accurate of the current state. The definition of recent is subjective.

No additional discounts are offered beyond what's listed, because I don't support people living beyond their means. Also, as a home owner, it is my reasoning that if a person cannot afford the rent, then it's very likely they can't afford to pay for accidental/incidental damages they might cause.

(Inner voice, who's forbidden to speak with guests):  OMG, OMG!!! Not another "it's my world, and you're all just squirrels" thinking person who believes that things should be reset to accommodate their limitations (reading, comprehension, budget, etc.).  Please take stop relying upon whatever you read online or what your cousin's sister-in-law's brother's wife's uncle said about getting an XX month-long luxury condo rental on ABB for $5 per night, because he told the host that's all he could afford.  You are not entitled to stay somewhere that you can't afford.  Put on your big-girl undies and live within your budget, and stop wasting my time and other host's time.

[Debra300]

@Karla533,

Thanks for the clarification.  We all had to learn how to tag an ID at one point.

[Karla533]

I love @Laura2592  's response to this request and I am stealing it, Laura! Such hotels exist in my market too so it's a meaningful response here.

I tried discounting weekly and monthly stays and I dropped discounting really quick. Because I have to provide maid service for longer stays, they actually cost me more money.

My stay limit is 21 days. Monthly guests start acting like tenants--moving in big items, rearranging heavy furniture (which drives me bonkers), taking things off the walls and putting things on the walls. Of course, even with maid service every 2 weeks, a deep clean is necessary when monthly renters go.

[Enri1804]

Hi @Debra300  , I appreciate your post because I experience and wonder about this discount request issue too frequently. I should point out, in general I consider myself a bargain shopper and almost never pay full price, but I look for the sales. I wouldn’t ever request a discount just because it’s not in my budget. 
I feel your frustration. Even well-meaning people don’t see the irony. We are renting our home right now primarily in order to pay for the new decks worn down by hurricanes. Yes we are blessed to be able to have a home to be able to see the ocean and to rent out to offset costs, but we have struggled as well. We aren’t billionaires. With my degree-required office job, I haven’t earned more than most military people nor teachers or nurses, even though some may have at the top. Do people not realize this? I had a request for a discount in high season “because we are retired teachers”. Sorry, in some places in CA I know teachers have made well over $100K And retire at 50, still getting state benefits and a great monthly income. I don’t. Majority of us may not have a guaranteed pension. Anyway, I kept all that to myself, and just said that it was “already discounted, but that they could book the Non-Refundable rate which is 10% less - or the condos down the street fit more into your budget”. I do promotions and weekly discounts when I can, to the price that makes sense.
It is an important topic, especially considering most of my competition doesn’t really add in a damage deposit, so I don’t either right now.
(Also important because most bookings and requests come from people without any reviews or ID verification. )
Maybe we need to add a statement in our listing that reads “prices are not negotiable”. Maybe we all should, to make the point clear across AirBnB. Otherwise, we may continue to take time away from hospitality of paying guests because we are responding to these discount requests too often.

[Linda1226]

This my go to language- please feel

free to cut and paste!

Hello X! 
I ask all future guests to
Please read listing description in it’s entirety as well as house rules before booking to make sure the accommodation meets all of your travel needs. As for your discount request, I’m sorry to say that we don’t offer a discount. We believe that our accommodation offers more value for your money when compared to others in the area. I invite you to read our reviews.
Best,
Linda

[Ovidiu15]

 "I don't support people living beyond their means. Also, as a home owner, it is my reasoning that if a person cannot afford the rent, then it's very likely they can't afford to pay for accidental/incidental damages they might cause".

That's totally rude and unprofessional. You do not know the person on the other end or their financial situation.  First, determine what sort of person you’re trying to negotiate with. You might have a excellent customer who might not deserve "take-it-or-leave-it situations" (no problems at all with the previous hosts).  It's not always about the money, you could have a guest who offers your the listed price and then ruins your place and this guy who offers you less but keeps your place spotless. Learn how to separate the people from problems first and then be polite and cordial when someone is reaching  for a price negotiation.

[Debra300]

@Ovidiu15,

Maybe you and I have a different definition for negotiate, but my understanding is that it involves a give and take in order for all parties feel like comfortable with the arrangement.  The inquirer wanted to pay a discounted rate and receive the same level of amenities as the listed price, but made no concessionary offer in exchange for a lesser rent.  It seems like they made a "take-it-or-leave-it" proposition that was based upon their money, and inability or unwillingness to pay the listed rate.  This was not an attempt to negotiate.

You have called me rude and unprofessional, but there is also proper etiquette for guests.  I was taught that it's impolite and inappropriate make unsolicited offers.  The inquirer made a proposition without consideration of our financial situation, the reason why we rent spaces in our home, or if we felt it was culturally fitting.  I don't agree with your implication that hosts should consider a guest's financial situation beyond competitively pricing their rentals and providing good value.  Hosts usually make price adjustments based upon their rental activity, operation costs and desired profit (if any), but not the requested prices from guests.  Listing on an OTA is unlike FB Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Gumtree, or the Loot where a property owner may invite potential renters to make a best/near offer or barter.  

I don't know what your hosting experiences have been like, but ours are that the majority of the time when discounts have been given the guests overuse amenities, cause damage, ask for more unadvertised stuff, take things, leave the space very untidy, and they usually don't notify us or want to make compensation for their misdeeds.  Please share how you respond to your guest requests that ask for significant discounts solely based upon their assertion that they didn't like the spaces that fit into the budget, or explain how a host can get paid for a repair/replacement when the excellent, but broke, guest causes inadvertent damage or loss.  In my opinion, it would be nonsensical for a host to expect that a guest who's asked for an additional 40% off of the monthly rate will be in a position to pay for and expenditure that's worth asking for.