How do you prevent extra unpaid guests from staying?

[Jack90]

Hello Airbnb,

I manage a large holiday home in Gold Coast, Australia and a constant issue is extra unpaid guests staying. My default price is for 10 guests, with extra charges for each guest up until a total of 14. It's an issue for hosts, as I want to appeal to the market for 10 guests, and adjust my price to be fair to 12, 13, 14 etc as well. But often, guests who are booking for larger groups will skirt the system by only putting in confirmation for the lower amount of guests.

What are your methods of controlling extra guests? Do you write something in your house rules? Don't make the extra beds? 

Any tips and ideas would be great. 

[Kat17]

OMG, @Jack90, I am booking a flight and coming to your place ASAP! It looks beautiful. As to your question, why not just charge the full amount for 14 guests? If they bring fewer guests, it’s still the same.  That way you at least get fairly compensated for “up to 14”. Also, do you have someone that can check up on the property for you immediately after check out and let you know if it looks like there have been more than the allowed number of people? Then I would hit them with the security deposit charge. Does this make sense?

[Jack90]

Hi Kat, look forward to hosting you 🙂

Yes, that's definitely a thought but the issue with that though is guests who are genuinely only groups of 10 or whatever would be charged a higher price and would likely not book. That sort of makes your listing not as visible or attractive. Perhaps the issue of extra guests is just a cost of doing business and you just need to accept that sometimes guests will be disingenuous about numbers

[Ange2]

@Jack90   I would suggest to put it in your description at the end with asterisks and your notes, for example 10 guests ( 14 can be accommodated, extra charge applies), and also your rules, and in the welcome message you send them,  ask them to confirm that their party will be 10 if that is all they have on their reservation and add a note mentioning extra charges.  I also put things that people 'miss' at the end of every message I send them as a subtle  asterisk footnote below my message sign off  – not a guarantee that they will notice, but it helps. You can always charge them for the extra people when they arrive.

Some people don't read or comprehend and just see 14 guests and not the charge, and there are those who will always try to get something for free even if it's only a few dollars.  Good luck!

[Jack90]

Cheers Ange, those are definitely good ideas, thanks!

[Kelly149]

@Jack90 this issue has come up OFTEN! if you search for "extra guests" posts you'll see many. 

As to suggestions, yes, let them know that you'll know how many people are there (Ring doorbell, outdoor security camera, etc). No, don't make up more beds than what they've paid for. 

Many hosts (who've never had to do it!) recommend to just kick them out or charge them extra. Both of these ideas are easier said than done, so my strategy is to make the listing make them reconsider their sneakiness before they book.

Good luck, it is a thorny issue.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Jack90

Like some of the other hosts mentioned, I'd suggest you charge for the max. and based on no. of people in the group, if possible, lock up certain bedrooms to limit access to beds. I say.... don't bother about being fair to people depending on whether it's a group of 10 or 14. In terms of a whole house, there is minimal difference and if the guests are THAT price sensitive, they will be out to find a place that has max 8 occupancy and try to hide or squeeze in 10 or 12. It's just human nature.

Also a camera at the front door (peephole camera) or of the front entrance and driveway are good suggestions too. You can send an additional payment request based on images and proof - this is one thing I've noticed that Airbnb consistently sides with the host. Good luck~

[Jack90]

Thanks Jessica & Henry for the advice,

Yes, perhaps I should just change my pricing structure so it's just the same charge regardless. It's very true if guests really want to sneak in extra guests, there's really not too much a host can do if it's an entire house sort of listing. Camera's out the front are a good idea that I hadn't thought about. 

[Lisa658]

@Jack90

Also for your extra person charge, say $25 per person per night, advise them in the House Rules that if the camera indicates extra occupants that you are not advised of 24 hours prior, you will have to engage someone at short notice to unlock and prepare the extra bedrooms and provide extra towels as soon as you are aware and the extra person fee for this last minute change in occupancy is $50 per person per night. 

Mention the camera whether you have one or not and this should stop them from trying to sneak in extra people.  As much as possible reiterate guest numbers in your communications and close to the booking let them know you are able to accomodate extra guests up to the evening before at the standard rate of $25 per person per night before the surcharge is imposed and the rate jumps to $50 per person per night..  We have had 2 sets of guests this week for future bookings that likely made an honest mistake on booking and have let us know "true" numbers in a follow up "correction" email.

Lisa 

[Allison2]

I really like @Lisa658's suggestion!

In your communication a couple days before arrival I'd confirm the guest total, with Lisa's verbiage about after-checkin additions.

Is there somewhere on your property you could place a security camera to monitor the guest count? I have a Ring doorbell that lets me check on how many are entering the listing.

[Lisa658]

Thanks @Allison2.  This has been pretty effective for us.

I forgot to mention @Jack90 that if you do try to claim for extra guests you will likely not be awarded the higher amount.  You will likely be paid out the advertised rate which is okay.  When approaching guests who have snuck in extras you can be magnanamus and offer extras the stay at the regular rate which appears to be a gesture of generosity and may be better received.  It is an easier request to make because you are offering them something instead of just asking for something.

Ultimately, the prevention is better than the cure no matter which way you slice it.

Lisa

[Lori83]

Your place looks great!  I would only make up as many beds as you have registered.  You might also include a requirement for guest to provide the names of all registered guest and include a house rule that only registered guests are allowed on the property.  Prior to your guests arrival, require the names of all guests.  You would be surprised at how of)ten after indicating only say 10 guests, they will list the names of more guests than they have paid for.  If you find that you are unknowingly (and without compensation) you can ask to have the guest reaccomodated at another property.  Quite frankly, if they are going to be dishonest about the number of guest they are not likely to follow many of your other house rules as well.  

[Ms-D-M0]

I have a large home, I have cctv also.   I can accommodate up to 12 guests.   Ideal guests 10.   I often have up to 18 guests that stay, which is against the house rules of the 10 guests that booked.   Guests often come at different stages on arrival, making it harder to detect.   Often some of these guests depart the day before departure, to avoid detection on the day of departure from the cleaners and host.   They bring blow up mattresses, linen for their extra guest or use my couches as beds.   My friend who is a host also,  has a family book her house, the family turned up, then had two more caravans arrive who park in the back yard, using the bathroom, toilets, electricity in the house.  

I have tried raising the Per night rate for the house but I don’t get many bookings and the ones I do book, still smuggle in extra guests.    For me Airbnb is not viable option  if guests keep doing this.   

The guests become abusive when they are caught out with extra guests.    But what host has time to monitor their Cctv 24 /7?   Guests know this.   I feel disheartened to know so many guests that smuggle in extra guests are liars.  I really don’t want that type of person in my house.   

I have now documented in the website only registered guests can visit or stay at the property.   I’m going to trial this to see how I go.   Already I’ve had  a guest who booked for next Xmas,  but when I alerted him of only guests who book can stay at the house, he then cancelled the booking.  

I dont know what what else to do?

[Fred13]

@Jack0. Work backwards - the ultimate goal is: come up with a ~simple~ method that doesn't force you into playing the role of a traffic cop, into cameras, charging for extra guest (if you catch them and could even follow who is who), chasing payments, locking bedrooms, etc etc. You are dealing with a ~crowd~, not a few guests. It falls under a crowd-control reality.

Hmmm..thinking. #1 (as others have alluded to) charge for the maximum (14) and forget being too cautious about the ~slightly~ higher  price; after all how many places in your area can even accomodate that many people? #2 - set it as a limit, that ONLY 14 people max can be in the house at any given time (blame the local fire department rules :), or whatever; that already prevents things from getting out of hand and having to figure out who is who. Out of further ideas,  it is a most unusual offering.

The point is  - make things easy to host on yourself.

Good luck.

[Ms-D-M0]

I’ve even had guests who book 7 days, who invite friends who stay for 2 days, then leave and a new lot of friends come for another couple days and it keeps going till all her friends/family have a mini holiday.  The trouble with this, is not all guests have read the rules of the house.   My Council is big on Contaminated Rubbish, often leaving a contaminated Rubbish sticker on my bins.    So if the Rubbish bin is contaminated they refuse to take the bin.   I’ve tried getting more bins but the Council refuses unless I can prove that a set amount of people are living in the house permanently.   So the guests get away with extra guests, more rubbish and it’s mostly contaminated.  Leaving the Host to go through the Rubbish, sort through it what is recycle and what is not.  Then the host is left with fees of disposing of the Rubbish.  So then I have to take photos of contaminated waste, extra Guests etc.  What host has got the time to do all this?