New to Airbnb and guest wants a long stay

[Tina314]

HI

I have an apartment and now onto my fourth guest. So far the repsonse has been great with April pretty well booked out.  I only have two reviews to date but hoping this increases.

However I have had a guest send an enquiry and really not sure what to do as I have read issues with long term guests.  It does sound inviting but does anyone have any suggestions like should I find out who they are etc?  They have no photo and no Airbnb reviews and they say they are from Point Piper.

My place is

https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/23080993

The guest sent this

Hello Tina,

I’m interested in a long term stay 6- 12 weeks. I will be moving up north mid May to begin a new Palliative Care job in the Gold Coast. I am familiar with the area- as a matter of fact I stayed there when I interviewed for the job.
I am super clean and responsible. Will probably be your best tenant yet. Are you interested in a longer term tenant?
Thank you for letting me know.

All the best!
Julie

[Sarah977]

@Tina314  I don't read any red flags into the guest's inquiry- sounds pretty straightforward. 

You can require that the guest post a proper photo on their profile. The fact that they have no reviews may just mean they haven't used airbnb before. If you would consider a long- term stay, I'd message back and forth a bit to get more of a feel from the guest. You could ask more specifics about where she'll be working, then check it out for yourself to make sure she's not BSing.

That said, only you can decide if you feel comfortable having someone around that long. If they turn out to be nice and respectful and clean, that's great, but if not, or if you just don't gel with them, it's a long time to have someone around.

[Alexandra316]

@Tina314If you haven't done it already, I would thoroughly research the legal implications of having someone as a long-term tenant as opposed to a short-term rental. There can be significant repercussions, including not being able to evict them easily if they don't want to leave. I don't know anything about the rules in Australia, but it's definitely worth exploring. 

I would ask her to fully fill out her profile with photo and provide ID verification. If she is a scammer, it will likely weed her out fairly quickly. 

Some unscrupulous people do prey on newer hosts, and personally, I would exercise caution in this situation before agreeing to host someone for such a long stay. 

[Margo40]

I like long term stays. Currently have a 90 day person. When they leave i have a 70 day person. So far very enjoyable. My bnb is on my property so it works out good. Just work out mutually agreeable service intervals. 

[Fred13]

I don't see anything unusual in her language or manner, but the 28 day+ risk issue that @Alexandra316 brought up would be the only show stopper.

[Ria16]

@Tina314 Why would they want a three bedroom place when they could easily get a one bed for less money. Are the family coming also? Or...

[Tina314]

I am guessing it is because it is a great place and location wise as it is within commute distance for their new job as they mentioned in their message to me.  If they are from Point Piper in NSW as indicated on their profile then money may not be an issue. The average house price in Point Piper NSW is around $20 million AUS and apartments around $3.5 Million AUS.