Long term stay advice

[Martin-and-Emelyn0]

Hi all.

I am a host on airbnb for about a year now. I have an inquiry from a potential guest who want to stay for about 6 weeks.

My question for hosts who have had experience in hosting guests long term is is there anything I need to watch out for or anything I should ask the guest? He has no reviews but has been on airbnb since 2015. Just don't want to make a mistake. The money is good but I don't want any problems.

Oh and I don't live on the property. 

Would appreciate any advice and suggestions you may have.

Thank you  

[Christine615]

I have my first long term guest coming (48 days). So far she has responded to my questions and sent her telephone number but hasn't given me names of the other three women who will be staying. It's her first time on Airbnb but since we have a family member who lives in the other side of the duplex, and we live around the corner, we can keep an eye on it. And I'll remove them if they violate the terms. It makes me a little nervous, especially since I realized I let Airbnb "talk me into" offering a discount for a long term stay. On the other hand - if she's a good guest, it's a good amount of revenue. I'll let you know how it goes later this month.

But in general, I know people have to start somewhere - with no reviews the first time - but Airbnb has got to make it easier for us to vett the guests.

[Antoin1]

Hello, I’m trying to rent a long term apartament in Basel and somebody write me from this page : https://www.airbnb.com.long-term.best/rooms/7209841 could someone please tell me if it’s a correct Airbnb website.

kind regards, 

antoine 

[Mike1034]

@Antoin1 This one does not look like an official Airbnb website. You may call Airbnb support (1-855-424-7262) to confirm. Anything not from following is suspicous

www.airbnb.com

This listing has extra words after www.airbnb.com. It is very suspicous.

[Antonio2303]

I have long term question.  I have guest who wants 9 months in New York State.  I see their advantage and hesitant.  What problems might I face?  They are brand new to Airbnb and I've only been at it for a year.

[Tul146]

I would like to give some feedback so that it will be helpful while booking a place through airbnb. My son was moving to a small town in Wisconsin and I started looking for a place in some websites. There were some 2 bedroom houses available at $800 per month in truila. There were some shared rooms available at $300 per month on craiglist. Most of the rooms that were available on airbnb were only for short term. Since my son was moving for 6 months, I thought it was not good idea to sign a lease for one year and lease an apartment. One bed room 600 Square Feet apartment can be available at $600 per month in that city. While I was reading feedback on airbnb, I thought it is good idea to reserve a room for 6 months through airbnb. We realized that it was our bad decision because when we reached to the small town and looked at the room which is hardly a 100 square feet and the price we have paid is $800 per month and $5000 for 6 months. The house is not in great condition, the kitchen and appliances look too old and the bathroom is the worst one. Once we reached there and looked at the bathroom, my son was disappointed so much and my wife cleaned it properly so that my son can use the bathroom. We also decided to stay for a night in that house just to make sure that we have enough time to spend with son, they had one more room available and we paid $50 per night. The owner used candle wax to stick one part of the bed which felt on my wife's feet and she was hurt. Anyone looking to reserve a room for long term, we would suggest not to book for long term, just book for a night or for a week, then decide once you reach to the place the see all the options available.

[Julie1824]

Hi. I have a 28 day booking coming up and have mentioned that I will want to come by mid stay to check in on the property. They responded that they are not comfortable with anyone coming in during their stay - especially due to Covid concerns. They were happy to have a Zoom call to make sure that everything is well kept in the house. Should I be concerned or an I over-reacting? Just wanted to get other opinions. Thanks!

[Sarah977]

@Julie1824  I can understand the guests' discomfort with anyone coming in due to COVID, and hopefully they aren't just using that as an excuse. Not to mention it isn't safe for you to enter, either, due to COVID.

But apart from that, your approach wasn't the best. Saying you want to check on the property can make guests feel spied upon, and they aren't trusted, even if they have nothing nefarious planned and are respectful of the places they stay.

It's far better to state in your listing that you come by to do a quick clean and leave bedding and towels changes on any bookings longer than 2 weeks, and not give the guests a choice, just say it's how you run your business, and if they don't like the idea, they are free to cancel. You can't spring coming over on them after they've booked if you haven't made it a condition of booking your listing.

Do you have outdoor cameras so you can monitor who is going in and out, in case they are planning on having more people stay than booked for or have snuck in a pet? If so, I wouldn't be too concerned and would agree to the Zoom call for this booking, and change things a bit for any long term bookings going forward.