As a Host, you are constantly dealing with
- Guests who do not take care of property,
- writing false reviews and hurting us because it affects our "Superhost" rating and search ranking and to top it all,
- AirBnB Guest friendly/anti-Host policies that make it hard to resolve these issues.
So I am constantly trying to update my "House Rules" to protect myself. Here is one of my "House Rules". I came up with this to combat two problems:
- I have had a couple of incidences where several days after the Guest checks in, they come up with some erroneous reason -- reasons that should be obvious at the time of check in (for example, the location or the layout or locked room etc) -- for why they would like a cancellation and refund.
- Have a (sort of) approval of the property from the Guest upon checkin so that if they damage the property, they cannot later say that the door/sofa/bed/washer was already broken when they checked in. This (hopefully) might help when we have a claim for damages.
I would like to get feedback from other Hosts on what they think about including this in my "House Rules" and/or any edits you can suggest. Here it is:
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INSPECT THE PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL: Immediately after check-in, please inspect the property to make sure everything is in order. If you see damaged (beyond normal wear and tear) floor/furniture/appliances/walls/doors/windows or any other item at the property, inform the Host IMMEDIATELY (within an hour of check-in). If you are not happy with the accommodation/house/contents/location/neighborhood inform the Host IMMEDIATELY (within an hour of check-in). Please note that the front lock is connected to SmartHub and each Guest is given a unique individual key code. So the initial arrival time is logged. If there is an issue, please communicate it via AirBnB message Board. This immediate communication is of utmost importance and protects both the Guests and Host in case of any future issues. If no communication is received from the Guest about any damages or issues within an hour after check-in, it will be considered an implicit approval of the accommodation/listing and all its contents. If the Guest stays overnight, they will be charged for the night(s) and cleaning fee.
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