Tips for long-term hosting

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Tips for long-term hosting

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Hello Everyone,

 

A few months ago our fellow community member Theresa (Florian and Theresa), who hosts in Germany, created a fantastic guide in the German Community Center sharing her 10 top tips for making long-term hosting successful.

 

Her tips range from platform settings to house rules and include advice around cleaning, plus her best scenario for long-term bookings. To quote Teresa’s words ‘You will get on so well with your guests, there won't be any closed doors in your accommodation’. 🙂

 

A blog article including all of Theresa's tips can be read here: Long-term stays

 

In the meantime, what about you? Do you offer long-term hosting? Do you prepare yourself any differently to when you host short-term guests and have you any other tips?


I can't wait to hear your tips and experiences.

 

Thanks,

 

Lizzie


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122 Replies 122

The majority of my turnarounds are same day out/in, and I do all the cleaning myself.  It can be taxing, esp. on my back, but it's pretty much been working out for a couple of years now.

With all the vagueries of guest's and my schedules, I can't think how an outside cleaner could work.  So I do it myself.  It does weigh on my self esteem that I simply cannot make the sheet turn over the bedspread crisp, though!  Hahahaha.  

Reno I too do my own cleaning and don't have to block out dates to clean. My checkout time is scheduled at 11am and my check in time is scheduled between 4pm - 12am midnight. I have a full time job as well. What has worked for me is to keep extra linens (bedding, wash clothes, towels) and cleaning supply handy. This cuts a semi-deep cleaning time by half. Usually between 30-45 minutes. Change of all linens, vacuum, dusting, sweeping and mopping. My fee is $20 and hoenstly I don't mind it. 

I have a guest coming for a month. This is my first guest through Airbnb and I would like to know what kind of cleaning schedule is adequate. Is weekly enough? I will be doing the cleaning.

Also, I plan to provide initial things like toothbrush and paste, soap, small shampoo, etc. But should I expect to provide these as ongoing items? I rented a furnished STR in Boston, but nothing like hotel items are furnished. The Tip list did not cover these expectations. 

Thanks!

Kay

Ask your guests what works best for them. I would think about every five or six days you do want to go in and change out the bedding. Towels, it just depends on how many you leave in the beginning. I always leave extra for long terms. But you do want to freshen up the supply of towels while in and changing the bedding out. As for cleaning if it is just a simple wipe, fluf up, check t-paper supply, extra trash bags and sweep, then I wouldn't charge extra. But on my long terms I give them two options regarding everything beyound bed changing and fresh lines. 1. You as a guest can do it yourself and I'll provide the cleaning tools and agents. 2. I come in and do a head to toe cleaning and I charge the same as my departure cleaning fee. They can pay on the spot or at checkout depending how you wish to handle it.  As for shampoo and such..... You started it and you should keep up on it. 

Hmmmmm.  I've had a bunch of long term guests, and I don't clean their space while they are here.  When I first listed, I looked at other listings like/near mine and copied some of their 'rules'.  So, I put in the description that the space is clean and fresh when they arrive, but there is no cleaning while they are here since that's what I had seen in other people's rules.  I guess I just didn't take long term into consideration.  I've had several guys stay with me for a year or more before I started doing airbnb.

Yesterday I told the 21 yr old German fellow I have staying with me now that I thought he hadn't cleaned his sheets since he arrived like 7 weeks ago.  So he said he would wash them tomorrow.  Occasionally I go in the room to make sure he hasn't forgotten about not leaving dirty dishes and the like in his room.  And sometimes he has, so I remove them/dispose/recycle, whatever I don't want there.  And then I tell him I did that.  And he apologizes.  He, and all the other folks I've had stay there have been great, and the boys/men have often seen me doing some work around the house to which they offer to help.  And sometimes I take them up on it.  Like getting the 10 foot ladder out - which I hate doing!  

I have often actually taught boys how to do things like change a light bulb in a ceiling fixture!  And I mean 30 year olds as well as the kids.  Seems like academic/scientific/IT guys have had NO practical experience.  So funny.  I'm a 66 yr old boho woman and I'm under the sink fixing the pipe, and it all  seems pretty common sense obvious to me. 

My policy is;

At check-in regardless of length of stay I supply 2 roles of TP, a small dish soap, a set of travel size shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion, a sleep mask & ear plugs, travel size bar soap, and if requested I have tooth brushes and paste. At check-in for guests stay 2 weeks or less I tell tham that if they run out of sundries and need more to let me know.... if they are here for an extended stay I remind them that I try to supply enough so they don't have to hit the market immediately, but since they will be here several weeks it is up to them to replace paper products and sundries as needed.

 

I've never had a guest tell me that it was unreasonable. I've many guests tell me that they have been at other hosts place and there was nothing other than a roll of TP. I myself --- long before Airbnb was born ---- did a summer rental of a cabin on a lake for a long weekend & they provided nothing. I immediately had to go to a market to get paper goods, I had my personal care items but needed TP and paper towels. Based on that experience is why I like to provide enough so short stay guests do not need to spend time shopping for TP.

 

In the end do what you feel best about and what fits with your budget.

We include all bath/hand soaps, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, paper products, trash bags and even coffee throughout a stay. No matter how long the stay is. We have the cost factored into our rates and us providing this where a guest's wants for nothing is part of our brand experience. We like to think we deliver an above average accommodations and this part of our program. Surprisingly it doesn't get abused. 

 

I know some other VR do it differently but I have learned from our guests it is a wow factor and it brings back a lot of repeat business because of it. 

 

I come from a 40 year now retired hotel background and I incorporated a great deal of hotel branding into our vacation rentals as part of the overall experience. It has paid off time and time again. The same goes for us using high quality linens, towels and even beds to deliver the utmost in comfort. Again, it turns itself into a conversation piece when our guest's talk about us to other potential guests which end simply as referrals through the previous guests. 

 

 

Christine1
Level 10
Glenbrook, Australia

Here's something to consider regarding cleaning.

While many hosts may feel that an ongoing cleaning service is a time-consuming, low-glamour, freebie to their guests; in fact it has many positives for Hosts. 

The provision of ongoing cleaning acts as a goodwill gesture and adds value to the guest experience. It frees up extra time for guests to spend on their holiday.  This often returns as a benefit to hosts, because of the goodwill which ensues and is often reflected in the review comments being more positive and the state of cleanliness being rated higher. 

It also gives the opportunity for Hosts to become aware of maintenance and guest comfort issues earlier in the guest stay; thus reducing the likelihood of guest complaints and or discomfort.

While sometimes unexpected, and not the "fault' of the host; maintenance and breakdown issues will nearly always detract from the guest experience and may adversely affect your reviews.

Whereas, regular cleaning means that Hosts are ensuring that they are ideally placed to detect and rectify issues which may lead to further property damage, increased costs, and maintenance problems may be seen to reflect poorly on their Hosting skills.

The sooner a Host recognises and responds to a maintenance issue, the easier it is to schedule tradepeople to do repairs without inconveniencing guests.

There are lots of benefits to continuing to clean throughout guest stays, it generally encourages guests to be clean in their habits, and the final clean is easier!

Best regards, Christine.

 

For our long term guests we came up with a cleaning option for them to select from. It works and guests love it!

 

Option one: Guests have the option to schedule us to come in and clean once or twice a month. This includes a full cleaning of the place, bathroom, kitchen, floors and so on. Bedding at any time a guests request we will change out at no additional charge and fresh towels are also available free on request. We do ask that guests do not wash our linens or towels as we are happy to provide fresh on request. But back to the option of us coming in and cleaning..... We do charge for this and the guest has the option to pay for this service directly to us. It generally is about $40 each time we come in. 

 

Option two: If a guest feels more comfortable in cleaning the place themselves they are welcome to have access to any and all cleaning agents and or tools such as the vacuum, brooms and so on.  They just need to let us know so we will have them available for them. 

 

We find of the two options it seems to be about half and half on the selections. Many of our guest love the option to choose. 

 

We also included a similar option with us doing there laundry for them. Once a week we pick up the basket of dirty clothes and wash, fold and/or hang for them. No dry cleaning is offered. Otherwise guests are free to use the laundry facility on there own 24/7.

 

Our laundry machines are coin operated and for us to do laundry we charge double the amount. 

Keller0
Level 1
Los Angeles, CA

HI, I have a question about long term stays.  I have several places I rent out on Airbnb.  I have instant booking turned on.  I am moving to more long term guests because it is much easier for me with so many listings.   Can a long term guest book under intatant booking? I was told, I thought, that instant booking only works for guest staying short term, less then 28 days.  Thank you for your help. Keller

I've had several long term guests, (4 months, several 1 month and, three week stays).  I can't imagine a making a long term booking under instant booking.  That, in my opinion is a recipie for disaster.  Then again, I'm conservative, and need to know who's coming staying at my property.  I'm not much in favor of instant booking at all.

I tried instant booking too. Never again. And for multiple reasons I will never use it again. 

I have posted this in other chats regarding Cleaning Fees. I totally understand that the way Airbnb does it works against us. That's how I came up with this policy which I present to our guests at every check-in and have them sign off on it. You are all welcome to use this concept if you wish. 

 

Cleaning Rates are set at $39. However, we reserve the right to have this readjusted (uncontested) under certain circumstances if the guest leaves without attempts in putting effort towards maintaining the condition of our facility, i.e. leaving dishes piled in the sink, undisposed food which we have to remove, over-spills/splatters on or in any appliances, excessive garbage strewed about the place and large amounts of trash we have to remove. This also includes stoppage of all drains without us never being informed to resolve. We reserve the right to charge additional monies from your security deposit in order to collect for this. I have read policies presented here and agree to accept these terms. Signing below is considered acceptance of these policies.

 

 

Another comment regarding our linens and towels. Because we have on site laundry facility and guests are welcome to use it.... We clearly inform our guests NOT TO WASH our linens or towels. We are happy to provide fresh service in replacing them. As part of our service with long term guests we change the bedding out every 10 days and we inform the guests at arrival we will enter the unit to do so. So far it is working great. 

 

Another thing we do for long term guests regarding housekeeping.....

 

For our long term guests we offer housekeeping services with a couple options.

If you wish to have housekeeping on a regular basis then you will need to inform us of a schedule which will work best for you. The fee for this is $39 per visit and is payable at the time of service.

 

If you wish to do your own housekeeping then just let us know and we will provide you with use of any additional cleaning agents and the vacuum.

Each bungalow includes basic cleaning agents for guest use throughout your stay.

Judalon0
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

I have had a lot of experience with "extended stay" guests. My longest was 18 months and from this I learned: 

1- This would not be true of all guests, but I had a lovely young man and when he left all the linens had to be replaced because he did not wash them properly and everything was white was grey. So, either you need to stipulate that you will provide fresh linen weekly, or teach them how to wash (usually falls of deaf ears) or require they provide their own linens.

 

2- The longer a guest stays the more they forget 'house rules' so it is best not to overlook any transgression and communicate immediately. I have a 'no unregistered guests on property' rule to prevent ... and yes, I've had male guests bring prostitutes home (they are not in my house, but in a detached guest house, or the party that just starts with a couple of people then grows, or the friend that becomes a roommate. Not an issue with most tourist or short term guests because they generally do not know that many people, have limited time so are out and about and for a few days anyone can be on best behavior.

 

3- I now have a rule that they can NOT use my address for mail or anything, and refer them to the closest Private Mail Box Service and the local Post Office with info on getting their own address. So, unless you like endless reasons to contact former guests and arrange for getting mail to them this is important. I've had car registration arrive 4 months after guest left, numerous packages usually within the week after checkout, but as long as 6 months later.

 

4- Cleaning:  Airbnb only allows us to put in 1 cleaning fee rate. I wish they would change this because a guest that stays 3 nights does not require the same time, use of supplies, or possible damages as a guest for 3 months does and it feels unfair for the 3 night guest to pay the same or for the 3 month guest to get off easy while to host either pays more (I have a pro-cleaner) or spends more of their time getting it clean. I now have a policy that extended stay guests must agree to and pay for my pro-cleaner to come every 14 days, and the fee must be paid in cash at the time of checkin. This has worked out great. Just be sure you make it clear before they book and I always calculate the number of cleaning dates and the fee based on the dates they put in and give that amount to them before they confirm the booking.

 

5- Payment: Airbnb will collect the funds every 30 days, but be prepared that for long stays several things can go wrong with payment. The guests credit card expires, exceeds their limit or was lost/stolen and they forget to update Airbnb. Usually it is an innocent oversight and corrected in a few days, but you need to be on top of it both by informing the guest that payment has not shown up so they can check with Airbnb, and you need to let Airbnb know from your end because these things are automated and I had 9 days go by and when I called Airbnb they had no clue. So do not wait because the problem will take a minimum of 24 hours to fix and if the guest is out of money then you will need to go through the eviction process if they don't leave.

 

6- So, you also need to be aware of the laws that change your guest from 'guest' to 'tenant' and if in your city that is 30+ nights and your guest is staying 2 months then you should have them sign a month to month rental agreement at the time of checkin so all your bases are covered.

 

7- Extended stay guests are almost always in the real-life-living mode and not tourist or guest mode, so if you prefer your peace and quiet and guests basically in for sleep and shower then you may not enjoy extended stay guests especially if they work from home (very common in my experience), make friends, enjoy playing their music loud on days off, don't pick up after themselves or have a vastly different food intake... think a vegan living with a beef-eater, or the smell of kimchi (Asian) can make some people ill, or you mostly steam food and eat cleanly then have a guest who is contantly frying and splattering oil. 

 

So much more to consider with extended stay guests, and even more so if they are in the house with you opposed to a seperate guest house or the host being gone, and for this purpose it's even more important to fill out your "host profile" and be accurate about like, dislikes, hobbies, lifestyle, etc.

 

Like all aspects of life there are advantages and disadvantages to everything and extended stay vs short term is no different, it's just a matter of which meets your needs best and contributes more to your happiness and well-being because a happy host generally will have happy guests.

Item #4 in this writers list re. cleaning fees, is right on. I had a guest stay 4 months. The apartment was a mess when they left, Nothing vandalized or broken, just very dirty and disorganized.  My cleaning costs were double what I'm normally charged for a 3-7 night stay.  How can we, (hosts), recoup or, add an additional cleaning cost for tong term stays ? Rates are already discounted for extended stays of 7 and 28 nights. Maybe the only logical solution is to reduce the discount for longer stays.  But, that may be conterproductive.