Tips for long-term hosting

[Lizzie]

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

[Judalon0]

I feel like Airbnb should give us multiple options for the cleaning fee based on 1-length of stay and 2-number of guests opposed to the singular check out one fee only. Ive spoken to them many times about this, but feel I am the lone voice so they do not see it as a change many hosts would like. I'd also like to see not just the "check-out cleaning fee" but also allow for additional cleaning fees to be charged through the booking.

[Amy38]

@Judalon0

#4 on your list.  One big clean after a month or 6 -12 cleans in the same month?

I love my long term guests and except for more careful cleaning of the kitchen and more dusting of the bookshelves, have not had any extra cleaning to do. Probably I have been very lucky.

I consider long stays a rental.  During the time, I take out their trash, period.  There are extra sheets in the house and plenty of toilet paper and a very light weight vacuum.  When I go for the trash, I can see the kitchen and that is as far as I go.  If the kitchen were a mess, I would take a look around but that has never been the case.

[Amy38]

@Alan-and-Susan0  If I am correct in assuming that you hadnt cleaned in 4 months, then the double cleaning fee was a bargain over changing guests every few days and paying your cleaners each time.   I think you can add an extra fee for extra cleaning, but I could be mistaken.

[Miguel325]

Hi Judalon, We are new to this and all your information is helpful.  You certainly are caring and sharing to take the time this took.  I have a small question if you don't mind.  Near your picture is a comment "Level 8".  Other listing have different numbers.  What do they mean?  Thanks for any information.

[Lesley62]

I have hosted quite few long-term guests. It has always gone very well. 

My issue is that AirBnB's algorithm for SuperHost status penalizes successful hosts who have long-term guests because it limits the NUMBER of reviews possible during any particular quarter. The algorithm should weight the review of a long-term guest MUCH higher than a short-term guest. My SuperHost status comes and goes accordingly... Definitely unfair to the host.

Thanks very much!

[Alan-and-Susan0]

I couldn't agree more with this wrtiters comment that when determining superhost consideration, the weight of a two night guest review should not carry the same weight as that of a 4 month guest review.  In my first 6 months of operqtion I hosted 3 separate of guest. They were wonderful guests, and I received 5 star reviews across the board  However, I actually felt penalized by Airbnb, since it took forever to reach superhost status.

[Till-and-Jutta0]

Here is the link to the new blog post!

[Lizzie]

Thanks @Till-and-Jutta0, I have also added it to my original post now. 🙂

[Andy-and-Steve0]

I've had lots of longterm stays, but mostly not through airbnb. Most of the airbnb bookings come in summer, since the winter is so cold here (Canada) and I'm not downtown. I can't depend on getting enough longterm to cover the winter through airbnb, so I actively search them on online listings. Mostly they've been good. A few minor problems and one couple I had to kick out.

[Andrea694]

Apparently, I am forced to put a minimum stay of six months on my three listenings. I was unable to deal with this issue and now the "easy" way is just to follow this instructions by the Building Management Company that was instructed itself by the owner of the building. I am afraid that the six month minimum period will put an end to my wonderful Airbnb experience that i had for the last 4 years. I think there will be very few enquiries if not none. I always had a minimum period of 35 days and it has been great that way. Anyone has any suggestions about this issue? The guest could stay less than that period, that is not a problem, but, how do I let them know that before hand?

[Judalon0]

You should contact Airbnb customer care and find out if the minimum is a legal requirement of a mistake. You can also in your description boxes state that you accept guests for 35 nights or whatever you wish. You can also set up your own website to directly book your own guests.

[Pedro52]

I have accepted a 65-day stay in my apartment in Lisbon in our high-season - this means I am ok to earn a little less, but also have less to deal with (as constant check-in and check-outs) - it is a trade off that I am ready to take. Being a super-host, I am always worried about keeping my status going (number of 5 star reviews; number of stays and no cancellations). In this context, one of my biggest worries remains unanswered by airbnb: how does airbnb value the acceptance of long-term stays to the superhost status (which is based on number of guests received in a certain period - obviously, if you accept a long-term stay, there are not going to be that many guests, rather just one same guest staying many nights)? I therefore feel as if airbnb is trying to encourage hosts accepting such long-term stays, but at the same time punishing those hosts who are also attentive to their superhost status. I would encourage Airbnb to find a very fair solution for this matter. 

[Helga0]

If you accept very long stays, you may loose the super host status, because you do not have enough guests or because a single four star review could change the percentage considerably. 

It would seem fairer, to count them double / triple etc every 3 weeks, only for the number of reviews, not for the percentage  (too risky if it's a four star review).

on the other hand, the SH status has no advantage, but maybe for the number of bookings. Less hosts accept long term, so you have less competition and don't need it to sell. 

[Alan-and-Susan0]

Agree, As things stand, a host suffers the real possibility of 'losing' superhost status if they book guests for long-term stays, even if a lomng term guest writes a fabulous review with 5 stars across the board. The host who books 25 two night'ers in that same span of time will get superhost status much faster.

[Florian-and-Theresa0]

Wow ... So many bad experiences with longterm hosting. We still love it! 😉

I can't agree with longterm guests not sticking to house rules or "fool-proofness": If they stay longer, they will know everything better. It's much less work than with shorter stays who don't have the time or are not willing to adapt for a few days.

But yes about the SHS - we only can keep it because we have 3 listings and fill the gaps with shorter stays.