My first guests!

[Lia91]

Today my first guests (4 guests) checked-out, they stayed for about one week. I`m not so happy with this experience, i don`t charge a cleaning fee, but the cleaning costs me five hours for 80 sqm, is that normal? Everything was dusty, i think because of the open windows (they always had open windows), the bathroom was full of hairs, and the kitchen floor was also full of leftovers. And they broke one wall socket, and they didn`t tell me anything about it. Also my walls were freshly painted and now i have some black spots, i don`t now why 😕 (i`m sorry for my english, i`m from austria)

Is that normal for Airbnb?

[Lia91]

Some photos about the black spots and the broken wall socket 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Lia0

First phone up your  local national air bnb number explain what has happened to your property and that you want advice on how to claim for repairs.

I would have a security deposit put into place.

I would be very strict with your house rules .

I would be very strict about maximum number of guests including their visitors allowed at any one time during the stay.... You don't want a huge party!

I would tighten up on guest verified ID, reason for visit, identity of all guests, previous reviews etc

I would increase the price in future to reflect your increased cleaning costs.

Get hosting insurance for possible future damages.

Most guests tend to be respectful of your property and rules but all you need is ONE rogue guest to trash your property.

Also some of the reviews written by hosts are vague and useless as they do not want to get poor stats.

Total none sense to write a less than honest review .

Just a few bullet points about the damage is sufficient to warn other hosts and such guests that such behaviour is unacceptable and will be commented on.

It is YOUR property do all you can to protect it.

[Inna22]

@Lia91 there is a white sponge designed to clean walls. It is truly magical. You wet it a little bit and all marks are gone. Charge a cleaning fee- nothing is wrong with that. Socket is a minor fix, you just need a cover, right? Also nothing wrong with asking guests to pay for it. Dust and mess- yep, thats pretty normal. I would say when it is not there, that is an added benefit, but those guests are far in between these days. Also as @Victoria567 mentioned, make sure you have a deposit. Dont let this discourage you, just change your expectations. These were not your friends visiting, these were people paying you to stay who could care less about your fresh paint

[Lia91]

Thank you @Victoria567 for your answer! A security deposit is a good idear i think, then the people take more care of your home. But i`m also afraid, that it scares off many people. My Maximum number of guests is 4 people, and parties are not allowed. Is there a possibilty, so only guest with prevous reviews can book my apartment directly?

@Inna22thank you, do you know the name of this white sponge? So the dust is normal, mayby it`s only new for me, because i`m a very clean person...i will compare it with my next guests, before i write the review. And yes i think i need only a cover for the socket. I also saw that one of my dishes is a little bit damaged...everything new. I lived for more than five years in this apartment and i never broke something...and this happened only in one week.

[Victoria567]

Hi@Lia

You want to scare off the irresponsible guest who does not give 2 figs about your property as there is some business you can do without!

The responsible guest will not freak out at a security deposit, as it will be returned in full at the end of their stay as they have taken care of your property.

Do you still want the once in a blue moon guest who really trashes your Property?

As Inna suggested some of these magic mark removal pads and a minor socket cover is total peanuts in costs compared to some of the damage some hosts have had to face...

.......its a no brainier you want Quality over Quantity each time regarding guest quality.

Same goes for hosts standards too!

[Gillian19]

@Lia91@Victoria567 By all means add a security deposit, but remember that Airbnb do not take this from the guest prior to their stay actually a deposit at all. All it is is an amount up to which Airbnb may assist you in claiming damages from your guest. It can be hard to obtain and cannot be claimed against for broken house rules, extra cleaning etc.

[Lia91]

@Victoria567you are absoultely right, for my next bookings I will charge a security deposit. I feel safer with it. And i try these magic mark removal pads, i hope it works. Thank you so much for you help 🙂

[Christine615]

The hair is normal. The rest is not.

Send your photos of the damage as a private message then ask them, in the resolution center, for the cost of repairs (you determine or have a professional estimate). If they decline to pay, ask Airbnb to get involved. This is not part of the "wear and tear" of hosting and should be paid for by the guests. But do it before someone else moves in so they can see the time stamp of you sending the photos to the guest.

I let some things go, but that broken outlet is pretty awful. If you have "Magic erasers" which are really just microfiber sponges, see if that will remove the black stains. I used them to remove the spilled wine stains on my wall from a guest last year, then charged them for the stained linens that I couldn't repair.

Also - one note - it takes us 4 hours to get our apartment cleaned between guests whether they stay a single night or a few.

TIP:  invest in lint rollers. That will make quick work of all the hair you're going to encounter - including in the bathroom. I lint roller before and after I wash the tub and floors.

[Lia91]

Thanks @Christine615 for your information, i took a photo just after the checkout. Check-out time was 11:00 and i took the photo at 11:09 (I have a time stamp on it) so i hope this is ok. Unfortunately my new guests already checked in yesterday. I hope this is not a problem.

The wine stains on your wall...this sound pretty bad 😞

And thanks for the idear with the lint rollers 🙂

[Inna22]

@Lia91 they are called Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Not sure if there is the same product in Austria. I assume there is an equivalent 

[Lia91]

Thank you 🙂