Just starting out

[Adeline95]

Hi, I may have missed it, but as a new host it would be great to see some basic beginner information on hosting. I've just listed and had an enquiry for a 62 night stay. I'd like to know basics like, when do I get paid and how do I verify this is a genuine enquiry and not a time waster? Is insurance comprehensive and am I covered should any of my belongings be damaged? Any help gratefully received! Thanks.

[Barry-and-Lera0]

@Adeline95: Some people will disagree but I say turn off Instant Book if you have it on until you get used to the process and see how your first dozen guests pans out. Every guest will be diferent and you learn the most inside that time. Things will need to be adjusted, that is a given.

A first booking for 62 days would lead me to ask a ton of questions of the guest prior to confirming a booking of that length. Are they coming for work? We max our rental out at 56 nights (8 weeks).

[Paul154]

@Adeline95 

Welcome to Airbnb. It's a fun way to meet people and make some cash.

At the risk of being patronistic, I advise caution. New hosts are targeted by abusers. 

Protect yourself by limiting stays to 3 days max.

Make your first hosting attempts pleasant. Do not risk 60 days of hell - it's not worth it.

There are great guests out there - play the field before getting married.

[Rebecca181]

@Adeline95 Do be sure you check into tenant rights / laws protecting tenants in your areas. In my state here in the U.S., any guest that stays 30 days is considered an actual tenant and has full tenant rights, which can get tricky if they decide not to leave...Best of luck in your hosting endeavors, your place is beautiful!

[Sarah977]

@Adeline95   I second the suggestion not to use Instant Book until you have a bit of hosting under your belt. Same for long-term reservations. Limit reservations to 2 weeks max or less at this point.

Spend some time reading through all the host-related information on the Help section of the Airbnb site- your question about when do you get paid is quite basic and that info , as well as more, can be found there.

 Navigate around your hosting pages, clicking on everything to find out how to access various info and settings specific to your listing. There are things buried where they are hard to find- the site isn't that intuitive or user-friendly.

 Also spend some time each day reading through posts on these community forums. It's a wealth of information that you'll find valuable.

 There's so many aspects to hosting and dealing with Airbnb, that it's hard to give all the advice a new host would want without specific questions.

Happy hosting!

[Ava30]

Hi @Adeline95 : As others have said, gorgeous place! And definitley, especially as a New Host, no long term reservations yet, and since it is an Inquiry you can just respond by saying as much. "Sorry I am not taking long term requests at this time" You should go into your Calendar Settings  --> Availability Settings and set your preferences. Depending on how hard you want to work you may want to set for a 2 night minimum. Although, 1 night stays can be a good way to build up some positive reviews. 

To answer your question "It would be great to see some basic beginner information" There is a plethora of information in the Airbnb Host Tookits section.  Also, searching through the posts and checking other Airbnb host forums online, there is one on Reddit and one that if you search Airbnb host forum through your favorite search engine, you will find it. Good Luck and keep coming back if you need to ask more questions. There is so much help here on this forum from hosts and guests alike. Happy Hosting!