Nervous every single time...

[Elizabeth429]

Hello everyone,

Here I am figuratively biting my nails over my last guest. 

I have been hosting for a little over six months. I rent out my one bedroom flat only at weekends to get a little bit of money out of it.

I have had very good experiences with the exception of one or two guests. Overall I cant complaint.

I get so excited every time I get a reservation which happens quite often; however, every time a new guest comes into my home, I cannot help but feel nauseated. I get really nervous for letting strangers stay at my home. Some guests are so lovely they make me feel at easy almost immediately after I meet them. Others not so much.

PD. my guest for the weekend is a lovely lady from Scotland. VERY happy weekend for me 🙂

Am I the only one!?!?

[Marzena4]

Hello @Elizabeth429. I guess that feeling is known to every host, especially a female host. You'll see your confidence grow over time. And maybe the skin a bit too. 😉

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Elizabeth429 I feel the exact same way every time I have a guest check in.

When I started out, the house I bought was trashed. It was used as government subsidized housing for a few years , so it was in very bad repair. 

We worked for about six months repairing, cleaning and correcting a long list of things that had to be done.

I just made a list of everything that had to be done and started checking of items as we went. 

Finally we opened for guests but there were still many little issues that hadn’t been addressed but we had to open because we needed the cash flow.

So I was always a wreck, hoping the guests wouldn’t complain about the issues we didn’t get to yet. One of our first Groups pulled the shower control off the wall causing a huge mess and then we repaired the shower but it was dripping still.

Guests kept mentioning the dripping tub but the estimate we got for the replacement valve was $800. I decided we had to live with the drip for a while. We finally got the drip repaired about two weeks ago after three guests in a row mentioned the drip. It really was the last thing on the list of critical things to repair.  My anxiety has lessened to a degree but I guess it comes from my confidence in knowing everything is up to par.

Maybe it’s the fear of the unknown or in my case a lack of confidence in my listing.

We’re getting there slowly but surely and now I get ridiculous comments like “only one dish towel”. 

I will take that complaint any day...Good Luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’ 

[Matthew285]

@Elizabeth429 I gave you a big thumbs for using the word "figuratively".

(So many people use the word "literally" when they actually mean "figuratively" but don't know it.)

I get nervous any time the guest does not communicate with us. I assume the guest is stewing in the room, just hating everything...

That has never been true, but it always feels that way.

[Sarah977]

I have been lucky to have pretty much all easy-going guests. There's certainly things in life that make me anxious, but hosting isn't one of them. I guess I've never tried to act any certain way with guests, I just be myself.  I know I've prepared the guest room and bathroom spotlessly, so I don't feel anything to be nervous about. But I raised three kids, and my home, being quite central, was always the drop-in spot for friends and my kids friends, so the house was often full of people, I'm used to that. Now I live alone, and only host single guests, so I don't find it stressful. If hosting made me feel anxious, I don't think I'd do it at all.

@Elizabeth429  You say most of your guests have been lovely. Try assuming that they will all be , look forward to meeting new people, some of whom may become friends. If you get the odd guest who isn't that great, just try to take it in stride, let it roll off you, and assume the next one will be fine.

[Elizabeth429]

Hello to all,

Thank you @Marzena4, @Sarah977, @Matthew285 and @Rene-and-Zac0

Your insights and general comments have been helpful and somewhat a relief to know I am not alone.

I dont feel insecure about my house, in fact, since it is a peculiar little home, people like it a lot when they come in for the first time. You can see it through guests reviews of my home. But it is my home, the place I live at; I would be a robot if I wasnt nervous when handying out the door keys to someone I have never seem before expecting everything will be alright two/three days later.

It is indeed hard to be a host 🙂

[Jamie65]

Certainly not the only one. As a host of now over a thousand guests, I no longer get nervous. However, I know when things are likely to go wrong and when to take preemptive measures. 

1. Guest Unresponsive

Ring airbnb, let them know your concerns so they have a heads up in case something does go wrong. 

2. Keep rules very clear. Security deposit, damages etc need to be clearly laid out multiple times in listing, and again when you send check-in instructions. If you meet the guest, also kindly refer the guest to the rules. In a firm, but friendly way. Have them also in in a folder in the listing itself (along side recommendations and friendly materials)

All this measures help to mitigate and deter bad guests. As long as you're doing your part, and you've taken appropriate precautions, you'll be able to rest at ease that you are protected by Airbnb's insurance policy as well as their customer service. I have indeed had my place trashed, but the guest had to pay for damages or airbnb reimbursed the costs. And this is because I took the step by step preemptive measures.

 Do this and over time, you'll be less and less nervous.