First, I don't have a good answer as this just had this happen to me over the weekend. I rent out my third floor which has five beds and I have a separate listing for a queen suite on the second floor. I don't rent the third floor if the queen suite is rented and vice versa. For groups with more than five people, I offer to rent the queen suite. I also stay in the house in my own suite on the second level. There are locks on all doors; I generally lock areas that aren't rented but if the third floor group is as large a five people, I let them use the additional full bathroom that is connected to the queen suite.
The reservation this weekend was for the third floor - rented to five people so I left the queen suite open so they could use the shower/bathroom. They were going to a wedding and with five people getting ready at one time, it made sense to offer the second full bathroom.
I have a ceramic board on which all guests list their name and check when the are "IN' or "OUT". I do the same as I also live in the house. Once all are in for the night, I go down and check the doors and turn on the alarm. Guests know this when they check in. Occassionally, I've had guests who have others stop by but its social and guests didn't stay the night.
This morning, when I left for church, there were two additional names on the board. I assumed they were names of evening guests; the who came over after the wedding. I was in my room when they came home; they were quiet with just the normal chit chat one would hear from a group of friends.
The group checked out while I was at church and left town (taking the house keys with them which is a whole other issue). Upon returning, the additional names were erased from the board but the original five names remained. When I went to check the room I found that the queen suite on the second floor had also been used! So, these two additional folks were in the house overnight and they stayed for free! I now have additional laundry, cleaning etc.
It feels a bit creepy and I feel that they took advantage of me. Overall, the group was nice but they were young. From my perspective, I'm thinking of safety and liability. My home is a large, old tenanment style house - built in 1899. It's built very solid and has never had a fire in all those years. I have fire extinguishers in each room and a fire escape rope ladder on the third and second floor balconies. Should something happen, I want a head count of who is in the house. I feel it's a liability thing. When people check in, we go over all the safety details. (I used to be on the board of SafeKids and am vigilant about safety). I also wonder should someone in the house get injured or assaulted by another guest, to what extent am I liable?
My home is partially attached to another townhouse; there are three townhomes in the building. Each townhome is about 3000 square feet; 950 square per floor and three stories high. About a month ago, the guys in the third unit over from mine were walking on my roof. There is a 14 inch partition between each roof; a clear demarkation. The roofs are made of a waterproof polyurethane foam that is sprayed on. The roof should not be walked on. My other neighbors got pictures and when I got home, I asked the guys not to walk on the roof. They said they would do as they please. Yeah....I consulted a lawyer who said that should anything happen to one of them while on my roof....I would most likely be sued. Sounds crazy, but true. So, I had to post No Trepassing signs on the roof and had to a letter sent to their landlord.
Roll forward to the issue at hand and liability for those in my home, I'm pretty sure that I could end up getting sued should something happen to a guest in my home. As much as Airbnb "insures" us, they can't prevent people from doing stupid things or from sueing hosts. I have an umbrella policy, but sure don't want anyone hurt or the consequences should something awful happen.
I'm not sure how to handle this situation and it scares me somewhat. I've heard of hosts who require that everyone sign their name to the house rules upon check-in. My house rules clearly state that only registered, paying guests can spend the night. A few days before check-in, I send a message asking people to review the house rules and to share the house rules with the other guests in their reservation.
I've not wanted to be hard-nosed by requiring a signature of each guest, but perhaps I need to be? Anyone else with suggestions? Its tough. I'm not their babysitter or mother, but at the same time expect people to act responsibly. Unfortunately, we all know that people don't always do the right thing or think through consequences.
Fingers crossed that they mail back the keys as they said they would. They have promised to mail overnight express with a tracking number.
Thanks all. Would love to hear others thoughts and ideas for at least trying to prevent a difficult situation or unfortunate outcome.