Long Term Stays - Host Providing Essentials and General Rule of Thumb

[Kris92]

I would enjoy finding out what hosts have done with longer term stays in regards to providing essentials and for how long.  I have a new listing for an entire house and have not encountered a long term stay yet but want to figure out how to handle when the time comes.  This is a new listing and so far my guests have been overnight to 3 night stay.  For the majority traveling to my town, that will be the norm.  That being said, my area is a college town and from time to time I will get inquiries from students when their leases are up and they still need a month accomdation as that has happened a couple of times with my Airnbnb guest room in my primary residence.  And with longer term stays, do hosts check up on the guests to make sure everthing is running smoothly and home has not been trashed, etc?!  

[Marzena4]

You may find a lot of discussions on long term stays here in the forum, @Kris92. Just use search. And as hosts have written over there, most agree it's essential to check on guests, damage claims reported after something wrong happens lead to nowhere with Airbnb in a majority of cases.

[Kelly149]

@Kris92 Yes, agreeing to top up hand soap, toilet paper and a pass at cleaning the bathroom and kitchen are a good way to confirm that all is well at your place. The key to making that sensible is to not discount the place so severely that you’re in a hole for that longer reservation 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Kris92

You should have a different set of rules and expectations for long-term guests based on what you are comfortable with. @Kelly149 makes a really good point about not discounting too much - make sure you factor in a very generous level of utilities payment and emergency budget for a few small things. I'm sure you will have a good idea what people would pay as monthly rent+utilities or what it would cost to stay at a local motel for a whole month. Price yourself accordingly - you are providing a fully furnished, utilities included place.

And especially if it is a private home listing providing weekly sheet changes or soap/shampoo top ups or just very basic vacuum of living room&kitchen areas is a great way to check-up on the guest (and you should mention this is non-negotiable). IMO if it were me, some of my biggest concerns would be long-term guests wasting utilities that double my bills or bringing friends or people over (guests of the guest) and letting this endless flow of friends come over to do laundry (at my expense) or have huge parties  - I hope you have outdoor surveillance of the front entrance. Also, if some of these students are coming back next semester, they would have intimate knowledge of the entry points and layout of your home, and might be able to make copies of keys or even make copies and give them to friends etc. This last point is actually one of the reasons why I refuse to host locals - too risky and a huge safety concern.