How to deal with extra guests?

[Deborah0]

A host (call him Mark) recently described a problem, that seems to me to be an exceptionally common problem which hosts bring to the host communities to ask about.   Mark said that the guest booked 4 people, but that 6 people actually arrived.  He thought at first that only 4 guests would stay, as this had been the arrangement and what they paid for (and he doesn't allow more than 4 to stay at his home -- which is an entire house listing).  However, the next day when he went by the house to see the guests off and check them out, he saw all 6 people inside, and as they left, he saw that they were all carrying luggage, so it was clear they had all stayed there. 

Do you have any advice for Mark?

[Hazer0]

We have had more liars than truthful people this winter at our ski destination.  When confronted about their extra guests they just keep lying.  I wish we could boot them out and keep the money...that would stop all the extra guests....this rating system holds no weight. Or we should be able to automatically send them a bill through aiAirb and it's immediately charged.

[Ann72]

Do you confront them directly or go through Airbnb?  I wouldn’t confront them directly; I’d simply put in a change to the reservation, noting the extra people and adding the charges there.  Then Airbnb would have to collect the extra money.  If you’ve been doing that and they’ve refused, I’m sorry to hear it.  That’s really beyond annoying.

[Paul1403]

I have exactly this situation. One person booked but at least two used my property. 

They now argue it was an AirBnB sopftware glitch which prevented them from entering two persons at the booking stage. So actually now saying: "Yes I know we were underbooking". Nobody else seems to have had these problems with the booking machine  so rather unlikely. I will certainly not be getting into any sort of argument with the people involved who now also argue that they used the word "we" in their correspondence with us. So it is our fault?

I believe this issue with "underbooking" is now common practice with AirBNB because so many hosts are not on the premises to check either on arrival or departure. 

I am leaving it up to AirBNB to sort the issue out. 

At the moment I have somebody who looks after my property while I am away and I will be returning in the next few days. Until then I have decided to block the property on AirBNB's system. I will however allow bookings from Booking.com where I believe this is not such a common problem because the hosts on booking.com are often boardig houses and small businesses where it is much more likely that somebody will be at the property to hand over the keys when the guests arrive.

It might be wise to indicate in your description that guests will be met on arrival even if you are not actually always going to be there. 

IWe actually have a second property in Germany where the situation is quite different in such cases and I have had personal experience where somebody was arrested. The rules in the BRD (I only have them in the original German Version) are: 

"Ist einem zukünftigen Mieter bereits bei Unterzeichnung eines Mietvertrages bewusst, dass er der Verpflichtung zur Mietzahlung nicht nachkommen will und/oder kann, begeht er mit dem Vertragsabschluss Einmietbetrug. Er täuscht den Vermieter also vorsätzlich mit falschen Tatsachen bezüglich seiner finanziellen Situation – und macht sich damit strafbar. Vermieter können deshalb zivil- und strafrechtlich gegen den nicht zahlenden Mieter vorgehen."

As one can see this is a specific crime and can be followed up both by prosecution and civil litigation.  Let us just hope that enoufgh people get caught out and it becomes public enougfh that potential swindlers will think twice about putting too few people in their bookings.

[Wyatt32]

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Karen268]

Check out the trespass laws in your state.  You may be able to charge them withba crime.

[Karen268]

If you do not react immediately you are allowing your guests to cheat you.  I believe that people who bring extra guests without prior notice are really delberately trying to cheat or defraud the host.  I do not want those kinds of people staying in my house.  They are fundamentally dishonest.

[Marcus0]

During check-in and before handing the keys over, confirm the number of guest staying.  If they admit more will stay overnight send through a booking alteration with the increase in price or as it seems in this case, they are only staying one night, ask for a cash payment immediately to cover the extra 2.  If the apartment cannot sleep more than 4 and that is the maximum the host needs to make that crystal clear.  Not much else you can do if the guest lies apart from giving them a bad review.  At least you can save the next host the same fate!

[Rey18]

There are no cash payments with AirBnb.

[Rhonda45]

This isn’t true.  Airbnb has told me to have a guest pay cash when they show up with extra guests.  

[Eduardo2]

I have had the same problem with a slight difference, they booked for 4 people, showed up 6 people (but I allow up to 6 in the apartment). Can I charge come extra for those extra 2? I don´t like this kind of surprises at check in, so I was thinking about cancelling the reservation, will I be penalised? Thank you

[Maria-Lurdes0]

@Eduardo2 The maximum guest capacity is a separate issue from the guest count and your pricing for extra guests.  For example, I have a listing that has a maximum guest count of 12.  That's the maximum amount of guests which I have determined that I want in that apartment.  Even if some potential guests see that it's a huge apartment they want to sleep 5 more people in sleeping bags, I say that UP TO 12 people can stay.   My pricing is $250 per night for up to four guests.    So if they bring two extra guest, then it triggers the extra guest fee for the 5th guest and 6th guest.    If there is a group of 12 people, then it's $250 for the first four, and $20 a night extra for the next 8 people.

So in your case, if your pricing indicates extra guest fee after a certain number of guests, then you have every right to charge that additional guest fee.

[Eduardo2]

Thanks Maria for your quick answer. I know about the extra charge for more than 6 guests in my case, but I do not accept bookings for more than 6.  In this particular case, can I do anything? Because I don´t like it when they book for 4 and show up 6 people, even if I don´t charge any extra up to 6. I would like to have the chance to cancel the booking without being penalised, since they don´t even bother to modify the booking prior to their arrival. To me it is like breaking an agreement, and airbnb seems to protect guests rather than hosts.

I would live to hear your opinion on this particular case.

Thanks a lot

[Monica4]

I am not able to see your listing, but I had a problem when I listed my house for one set price. The statement "extra people: no charge" appeared on my listing. In order to remove it, I put in an amount of $100 for extra people above my stated number of people and that disappeared. I have had a lot of problems with extra people being snuck in. I put in warnings in my "rules" - such as "sneaking in extra people is theft - only the number of people booked are permitted to stay overnight on the property" and I also wrote "the house is monitored". Even so, I can now tell when extra people have used my house. Some even wash and dry the towels but I can tell how they are folded, and even try to make up the beds that they have used so it looks like nobody slept in them. I have a special way of making the beds so I can tell. In those cases I send a message through the airbnb resolution message system to let them know that there have been extra guests and a complaint will be made if $$$ is not paid for those extra guests.

[John423]

Many thanks! Entering $100 fixed it.

[Mark411]

Sorry you feel that way.