RE: needing a polite way to state preference for guests who work away from the property

[Jean118]

So, here's this - - my 80 year old property has an A/C unit that just can't take being taxed 24/7  at 70 degrees and lower

(which is where most guests have it) - - 

It does better when it is scaled back at least 4-5 hours a day. I don't think it is going to be 

a fit for someone that will rarely leave the house, and run the AC constantly . . .but rather is better

if someone works / goes to school away from the property. . . Any suggestions on how to word this in my

listing?

And no, it is not in my finances to replace the A/C unit just yet. . . 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jean118  I can't help you with words I am afraid but please could someone explain to me why people cool their places to a lower temperature in Summer compared to the temperature they heat them to in Winter?

I used to wear jumpers to visit friends in Summer and T shirts in Winter in the USA.

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Haha. I'm always bamboozled when I go to Canada in the summer- Canadians will be complaining in late April or May, if the spring is cold and rainy, "Is it ever going to be summer?" Then, as soon as the hot weather kicks in, they're all walking around saying "OMG, it's so hot, I wish it would cool down.".

And when you go into any store in the summer, it's cooled to arctic temperatures and the employees are all wearing sweaters. 

[Sarah977]

@Jean118  I think you haven't gotten a flood of answers here because this is a tough one to enforce. Sure, you can come up with some wording to the effect that the place isn't suitable for guests who are going to be hanging out all day in the unit, but that that doesn't mean that guests won't book and hang out all day anyway. There's been plenty of hosts report that their guests indicated that they were coming to explore the area, do a lot of hiking, visit museums, etc, but in fact ended up almost never went out at all, just stayed on the couch watching Netflix for days on end. 

I see you have 2 entire house listings and one private room listing, so I'm assuming this issue is for one of the entire house listings, because if it's a private room where you live, you could regulate the AC use more. 

Honestly, it seems to me that the only fool-proof method is to either upgrade the AC units, which you say you can't afford right now, or up your price to cover repairs to the unit you have now so if guests don't follow the guidelines and overuse it and cause issues, you can afford to have it serviced.

I simply don't have AC at all in my house, even though it's really hot and humid where I live for about 4-5 months. I have really good ceiling fans and some stand-up fans as well. But I don't get a lot of bookings during those months either. Not only is it down season for tourism in this beach town, if people do come, they usually want a place with AC and a pool. The few guests I do get in the hot months have been fine with the fan, but I tend to get seasoned travellers, who've endured much more uncomfortable scenarios in places they've travelled, and are adaptable, rather than guests who require everything to be exactly perfect.

[Debra300]

@Jean118,

Our apartment in Mableton is connected to our house, and it has a mini-split system AC/heat pump.  We installed a Cielo Breez smart controller primarily to limit the temperature range of the unit.  Guests cannot lower the AC to below 72 or turn the heat up above 78. 

Your place probably has central air and heat, so maybe a Google Nest or Sensibo smart controller may be more suitable.  You could set the desired parameters for your AC unit, and inform the guests that in an effort to reduce carbon emissions (in the Bay Area the local environmental agencies would declare a Spare the Air day to curb AC usage), the air conditioner is set to operate during the XX time frames.  You have a lovely place, but I noticed that there is a ceiling fan only in one bedroom.  What cooling alternatives are you going to provide your guests?  Since your AC unit is good for just 4-5 hours, how are the guests supposed to stay cool overnight while they are sleeping?

[Jean118]

I do need to invest in better portable fans

[Melodie-And-John0]

Unfortunately trying to sculpt the type of guest your seeking isnt easy "Wanted, hot blooded guests that dont want to do anything but leave".    Hotlanta is no place to be without good Air especially if your a host not running a Tentrr listing!   @Sarah977 is spot on @Jean118, Fix it, replace it or be prepared for bad reviews or no bookings 4 or 5 months a Year.  Its worth the investment Jean especially if you want your place to be successful, Stay well, JR

[Fred13]

Good responses above. My selective statement would be - 'Wanted, only interesting guests with a good personality and a smashing sense of humor, that do not ask dumb asinine questions.' Ok, that would eliminate 90% of my guests, so no good.

@Jean118 Always work backwards - what do you have to do to not have to worry about the variance among guests. 1. Perhaps one of the split, DC type of A/C units, and look into timers and/or monitors. What ever you do, leave nothing up to the guests, they range too wildly to really depend on anything from them.

[Mark116]

@Jean118   You can put the temperature range in your house rules, but people will ignore it, our last guests before the shutdown in mid-March had the heat up to 80F!!!  They didn't care or read the house rules about keeping the heat at 70F, same with AC I have come into the rooms and find the window units in the summer turned down to 65F? Are you kidding? 

You could look into the remote control Nest stuff, but they aren't cheap.  Otherwise, all you can do is mention the AC in your welcome message.  I don't know how close you are so if you would know that the AC was running all day whether you could message guests and/or go in and turn it down or off?

Your listings are lovely by the way. 

[Anonymous]

@Jean118  You might consider pausing your listing until the full range of local goods and services that would satisfy a visitor are fully available. It's perfectly fine to ask that guests not run the household utilities when they're away from the property, but you can't withdraw amenities when they're actually in it.

Of course, since you seem like an awesome host and a reasonable person, you're not going to be accepting guests who are just dropping in for frivolous purposes - so I 'm sure you can find a way to discuss utility usage in the request process. If you're getting requests from people who want to do some kind of tourism in Atlanta just because Georgia has been volunteered as a testing ground for How Not To Do A Pandemic...well, I guess you can place a Darwin Award trophy next to the utility instructions.