Long-term booking request. Things looks fishy. I have concerns... any advice?

[Andrea2477]

Hello everyone, I usually don't post on the group but I would really go with some help this time.

I'm a SuperHost in London and here is the story.

A month ago I received a message from a guest who lives 10 minutes from my house (or so she said) in Clapham South, enquiring on the availability of my flat for 3 months starting from September and if it was possible to see the place. I don't live in London anymore but it just happened that I was travelling there for a few days so we met and I showed the apartment: she looked around and she confirmed her interest. I should have taken the opportunity to ask more question but in the end the only thing I asked was why she needed a place for three months if she lives already nearby and the answer was that she needed a place to stay while she figured out what to do next.

I had bookings until the end of September and therefore I asked if she would take it from October. After a week, she came back saying yes... and when I pointed out that that would end the booking around Christmas, she asked if it was ok to book it until January.

You would say... AMAZING!!! However I can't get my head around why anyone who lives locally would ever pay a premium for a booking on AirBnB. My place goes for £100-110 a day but I offer a 30% discount for bookings longer than 1 month. Still that's probably £1000 more than the long-term rent for a similar property in the area. I would understand a booking of 1 month while searching for a long-term accommodation, but 3-4 months at a premium price?!

I feel something is fishy here... Am I being paranoid?

What could go wrong?

Trash my place?

Make up excuses to get money back from AirBnB?

Did anyone have a similar experience?

Any advice?

Thanks a million.

[Ana1136]

@Andrea2477 actually no, we wouldn't say amazing in any case 🙂 Airbnb is not a platform fit for long term rentals, you won't be getting the protection you need. If you decide on hosting her I would suggest to prepare a legitimate rental agreement that she has to sign, protecting you from anything that might happen. 

[Andrea2477]

Hi Ana, thanks for sharing your view. The problem is that from an agreement point of view there's nothing in UK that fits for periods of 1 to 6 months. A standard AST agreement doesn't give you any protection until 6 months. If your tenant stops paying the rent after the first month, you can't do anything about it and by law, you can't ask deposit for the equivalent of not more than 5 months.

[Sean433]

@Andrea2477 

Tell her she needs to pay all 3 months up front. We require first and last month in Canada. I think this is the case almost anywhere. If she is only staying 3 months, ask for it all up front.

In the contract, state the lease is for a fixed term and that she must vacate the home by so and so date. Failure to vacate on said date will hold her financially liable to any damages both in reputation and cost to relocate guests who have booked your home.

[Andrea2477]

Thanks Sean, unfortunately here in UK the law goes a little more in favour of tenants.

By law you can't ask more than 5 weeks deposit in a letting agreement. Also, if she doesn't want to move after 3 months, your only option is to start an eviction order that can be executed only after 6 months.

[Sarah977]

@Andrea2477  And if you rent long-term on Airbnb, each month's rent will only be charged at the beginning of that month. What many hosts have reported on these forums is they've had guests book long-term, then at the beginning of the second month, guess what? Their credit card is no longer good and Airbnb can't collect. So your calendar has ben blocked from anyone else booking for months and now the guest leaves. Is this really something you are willing to chance when you could probably get some very lucrative bookings over the holidays? 

And yes, if you don't live nearby and are just going to leave her to her own devices, she could definitely trash the place, run up an enormous electric bill, invite other people to move in, sublet, all kinds of unwelcome stuff. Or the boyfriend she's split up with comes around and angrily busts the place up.

If it turns out that she has a decent job, and good references from past landlords and employers and you have a good vibe from her, then it may be okay, but like @Ute42, I don't really understand how you think we could be better at knowing if this was a trustworthy person, when you are the one dealing with her. It seems like if she came across as someone you had a really good feeling about, you wouldn't be asking.

[Laura2592]

@Andrea2477 I think you need to go with your gut. We are landlords in addition to Airbnb hosts (different properties) and would not use this platform for long term stays as it does not provide sufficient legal protection. In our area after 30 days you are a landlord and your "tenant" may decide to squat (without the protection to both of you from a lease) and need to be evicted which is very very costly and time consuming. I would advise checking out the tenancy laws in your area. This request is not something I would feel comfortable accommodating. 

[Alexandra316]

@Andrea2477 I can see this being legit if someone just got a divorce or had to move out of their home for some other reason. It could be that they sold their home and they don't feel ready to commit to purchasing something new or they think they may get a new job outside of London, etc. In these cases, committing to a long-term lease would not make sense. When we sold our last home, our closing dates didn't match up, so we had to stay in an Airbnb for a bit - not for 3 months, granted, but a few weeks. If you're at all interested in taking her on, I would just have more conversation with her and ask her some more detailed questions. If she's not interested in answering, that's probably your answer.

I'm also a big proponent of going with your gut: if something feels off, it may be worth listening to that. You're an offsite host, and someone can do a heck of a lot of damage in 3 months. Getting her out could also prove to be a challenge at the end of the term, if she doesn't want to go.

[Laura2592]

Rent is often paid in London weekly, and there is no shortage of options for hotels or short term rentals. I don't think its odd that someone would want one per se. I just don't think this is the platform to do it through without an actual lease, drawn up by an attorney. You need to protect yourself as you will be a landlord and not a host.

[Emilia42]

@Andrea2477, I can think of tons of reasons why a "local" person would need to rent a place. I have gotten a few requests like this. Here were some of the eplainations I got when I inquired about it: Person grew up in the area and were looking to move back. They need a short term rental while they looked for a more permanent place (aka get off of their friends couch.) Person currently lives in the area and sold their house quicker than expected. Needs a short term rentals while they put their belongings/furniture in storage and continue to look for a new house. Person is a university student and only needs a place for a few months or one semester and is not interested in signing a one year's lease. Person is getting a divorce and needs a place for a few months to finish up their job before moving out of the area.   

[Andrea2477]

Hi Emilia, I completely understand that there are occasion when someone might be in need of a short term rental.

But in my head that's an "emergency" temporary situation that you would normally manage to solve in max a couple of months... not 3 or 4... considering that for the same price, she could easily rent an apartment on the normal rental market for 6 or more months...

[Emilia42]

@Andrea2477, but apartments on the normal rental markets usually don't include furniture, all expenses covered (wifi, electricity, parking, etc.) and typically require a strict 1 year lease. I think the opposite actually. I would never want to buy furniture, sign and pay for a years lease and set up all utilities when I was only going to be in a place for 3 months. People pay for the convenience of short term, furnished apartments. 

[Melanie33]

It does seem a little odd but there are myriad reasons including renovating her home etc. I am with you that in the Uk there doesn’t seem to be any sort of contract that fits.  I have relatives that rented a holiday home (out of season) while renovation went ahead on their new home as they only needed a few months.  

However if your gut is telling you there is something fishy then at least ask lots more questions before committing as you don’t want to be stuck unprotected if something goes wrong.

[Christine615]

Leaving a spouse or significant other. Problems with existing apartment (roaches). Lease ending and person has job relocation but not for several months, getting married, etc.

If you do this, ask for a contract. She can still book within the Airbnb platform which should give you some measure of guarantees. Ask for her identification and verify her employment status. You can also ask for a credit check (here in the states the person has the right to order one once per year for free).

If you feel uncomfortable, trust your gut feeling. Or ask to meet her at HER apartment. If you're live away from the home, then perhaps it's not a fit. I recently had my first long term rental (four students) and although nice, they weren't as neat as my short term guests and I wouldn't do it again without more rules and a contract.

[Andrea2477]

Yep... I've asked her to go through the same kind of reference and credit checks that you would normally need to sign up a lease agreement. To be honest she was also willing to sign one outside of AirBnB... the problem is that in UK there isn't a proper protection for leases shorter than 6 months. You can make one... but the soonest that you can act against a troubling tenant is after 6 months from the start of the tenancy.