Late check out fees - would you charge them?

[Kim1039]

Hi, I’m interested to know other hosts views on this and whether or not they have applied additional charges for late check outs. I had a couple stay in my annex last night who had already pretty much ignored my messages since they’d booked. My listing makes it clear check out is 10am and I also have a house file that reiterates check out time is 10am. Come 11am there was no sign of life surfacing from the annex so I messaged reminding them check out was 10am and asking them to please vacate by midday. Come midday still no sign of movement so I knocked and asked them to pls leave as I had to turn the room around and get on a call as I’m working from home, the annex is not my day job. They weren’t even dressed! Eventually by 12:30pm they left, 2.5 hours late. I received an apology and was told they got confused and thought check out was 1pm, although given they weren’t dressed gone midday I don’t believe that to be true at all, I think they would have just stayed until asked to leave. Airbnb have said I have 72 hours to raise a request for additional funds as they were so late checking out, although it’s not so much the money side of things but the knock on effect of losing those 2.5 hours on the rest of my day.  Would you let it go or would you charge, or indeed have you charged?

[Nancy115]

I also have a 10am checkout.  In 3 years I've only had 1 guest who had an extremely late checkout (3 hours) without prior coordination. I didn't know I could charge for late checkout until your question. Time is money.  Yoy had to rearrange your day to continuously check on them and to ready the room at a less convenient time.

I will update my listings and start charging from now on. Not a large amount, but enough to indicate they extended their welcome. $10?

[Mark116]

@Kim1039   I would think you want to balance the chances of whether a charge will incur a revenge review, and whether that is worth it, so I would probably let it go and just give them a negative review.

[Kim1039]

That’s the problem isn’t it, hosts are so worried about bad reviews they let things go so Airbnb favours the traveller in that respect. I have left a negative review in that they didn’t communicate despite my messages and left me having to knock and ask them to leave several hours after they should have left!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kim1039 

Keep your communication through Airbnb messaging, Inform, then explain the consequences. After check-out time the guest has no license to be on your property and are trespassing without insurance.

Think positive... you could be increasing your one night stay income up to 300% if you follow Airbnb rules - term 8.22. (do read the small print). It definitely won't make you the most popular host on the block!

A happier compromise might be a more acceptable fee to you or more painful fee to the guest... the review penalty only kicks in if you ever decide to implement it.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kim1039 

As annoying that it is when guests check out late, unless they really will cause a problem in turn around I would ignore it and move on. 

Airbnb do allow you to charge +2 times ( double ) your nightly rate for any part of a 24 hour overstay period - including late check-out, but I think you need to be clear whether you will implement this or not (Terms 8.2.2 ). If you do want to implement this (and you can anyway), I'd make a point of ensuring the guest knew this would happen beforehand so that they knew what was coming... I think you will get an idea about some guests  hankering after a late check-out. In our case a message (via Airbnb) would be "Hi, just checking with you about check-out time.. Check-out is 11.00am. Checking out later than 11.00am will incur a late check-out fee of £470 in line with Airbnb terms. We have a tight schedule today, so we'll see you at 11.00 when we collect the keys... Thanks!"

If you implement a punitive charge for late check-out, you then need to stipulate the notice required for this - otherwise you will have guests insisting that they are entitled to stay longer for (say) $10.

As a host, you know the scenario... otherwise great guests, overstay, doesn't really impact your day, you charge $10, they dislike that you charged them, you then get penalised in the review and your claim for an overstay of $10 is rebuked and you get $5. You then question was it worth it? If necessary, my preferred option would be to make the risk worth it and shoot for contracted Airbnb late check-out terms

Nobody has gone later than an hour late with us, none have yet caused any problem, but guests leaving on a tightly scheduled turnaround get told that check-out is required to be prompt and we'll be insisting they leave on time.

A recent group scheduled to leave at 11.00am didn't wake until 10.45 after I messaged them (via Airbnb) and woke them. They said they were just going to make breakfast. I told them they weren't, they didn't have time. They left by 11.23.

[Kim1039]

I like your style! I do make it very clear in my house manual that people need to be gone by 10am and when I don’t have commitments or a turnaround I also message guests to let them know there’s no rush to leave.   I also messaged these guests an hour after their overstay asking them to leave which they ignored until I knocked on the door an hour later. I pretty much think they planned on staying until they got kicked out tbh. I’ll change my listing to state that any overstays will be charged and will implement going forwards! 

[Gordon0]

Unless I've given the OK for a late checkout, the vacuum is on and banging around soon after the scheduled departure time.

[Ute42]

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@Kim1039 

Don't charge for late check-outs bc You'll get a bad review. In the eyes of a guest a late check-out isn't a big deal because it doesn't "cost" the host anything. Guest believe charging for that is unappropriate.

Talk to Your guests in person 1 hour before check-out, either by calling them or by banging at the door and remind them check-out is in one hour. It's the only way that really works.

[Мария15]

I'll second @Gordon0 and @Ute42 . I don't live at my rented property but very close to it, 10-15 min walk. I give a phone call to my guests one hour before check out, saying that I will come in one hour to collect the keys and say them goodbye. Even if they have been sleeping at the time of my call they have enough time to get ready for departure.

[Chris232]

I have 10.00am check out.

9.00am  breakfast things are put away. (Breakfast 7.00am - 9.00am)

9.30  the dyson hoover starts

9.45 i start the door bell

10.00 if they have not got the message a Knock on the door to let them know guests want to check in.

10.05 check out, guests are apologetic

16.00 appropiate review left. 1 star for following house rules.

This is my home ... my rules.

I will bend over backwards to help any guest whom is polite, appreciative and good company

but if ya p*ss me off then don't mess with me.