Too many guests

[Stas0]

Hi,

I recently listed my condo for the first time on Airbnb. A guest booked it for this weekend for 4 nights and I saw he had great reviews so I accepted.
However now I've been informed he's bringing 3 other guests to stay with him. It's a 1 bedroom and I had listed it at 2 guests max. I'm not sure what to do in this situation. I'm uncormrotable with so many guests staying and would prefer just 2.

What are the proper channels and methods to resolve this situation? Charging more for going over the max? Asking them to leave?

[Maxine0]

If the maximum is 2 people and that's what they have paid for, that is what they get. Most hosts, if there is space to accomadate more guests, charge an extra price per person. If you haven't stated a price per extra person but have stated maximum of two, tell the guest the property is not suitable for 4, the maximum is two, there is not additional bedding available and your insurance would be invalidated.

If 4 people turn up, either two need to find a hotel or another ABB space close by.

4 people in a one bed is dangerous and likely to cause damage. If you decide to take the risk, then take an additional price per person equal to what he has paid for two people, charge a cash deposit also. Only give them one key. Is you cancellation policy set to strict, moderate or flexible?

If strict you are in a stronger position as you can stick by 'it's not suitable for 4' approach and no additional beds or bedding is available, so extra guests will need to find an alternative accomadation. If he then cancels, you will still be paid for at least one night or more if the policy is strict. it's better for you if the guest cancels and not you to save you being penalised for the cancellation and getting a $100 fine for doing so.

Call ABB and tell them you are happy to honour the booking as was made for two people and tell them it is not suitable for 4, can they sort it out with the guest without you losing the 2 person booking.

Tread very carefully and good luck

[Charles5]

Stas:  You listing does contain any rules/regulations, and does not limit the number or guests or charge anything for extra people. So it might be tough for you to charge them more or cancel them for being more than 2. Talk to them and see if you can negotiate something with them. Going forward, if you are comfortable hosting more than 2 guests then state the charge for the extra after the first 2 in your rules.  Then you may add something like,

"Please when inquiring or booking count and disclose all guests, including children, and their age groups", in to your rules.

If you're not comfortable hosting more than 2, state that only 2 guests are allowed to stay or visit in your rules.

Good luck!

The extra guests is a big issue and 

[Barbara45]

Hi Stas

I would politely let them know that the max. occupancy is 2 and that you cannot accomodate more people. I also had a request from someone who asked (before booking) if I could host 3 people, I said no, the room is for 2 and that is the maximum, I also declined her request because I wanted to avoid a situation with 3 people standing in front of my door when I can only host 2.

Hope you can manage, best of luck

Barbara

[Tiare-and-Alfi0]

I would contact Airbnb right away.  I had a simialr experiecne.  Suddenly a guest wanted to add a 14 year old nephew  and her father and as she said "it's not a big deal, we don;t mind bunking up"  But I as a host only allow 4 guests not the total of 6 plus an infant she wanted.  I told her we were no longer a  good fit and I would be happy to let her cancel with no charge (it was far enough away).  But she wanted to stay no matter what and I needed to honor my word.

Airbnb helpfully read thru our messages and said I had been gracious and upfront from the begining so they took care of it and I never heard from the guest again.

In your case, they may already be there. They broke the agreement by bringing more than ageed. Reach out to Airbnb ( it will take some time but be worth it) and they will contact the guest and make them move if necessary. They took care of asimilar situtation where a guest arrived with dogs.  It tooks a day or so but they did make them leave.  I did learn a lesson. If someone arrives already breaking the agreemnet- concact Airbnb BEFORE you give them the key! 

[Linda96]

Hello from Vancouver. I am struggling with this same issue and it is getting worse as Airbnb becomes more popular. I have seen probably every kind of attempt to over-crowd my house.

Two years ago I had a  limit of 4 people, no children under 12 years. I accepted a booking for a family of four. Several weeks later, the guest informed me that they decided to bring their 10 year old daughter, too. (Yeah, right. You were going to leave her home alone when you went on vacation?) I said no, they understood my concern and I cancelled their reservation. This was two months before their arrival date! The next thing I knew, I lost my super-host status with Airbnb for cancelling! I called multiple times, wrote letters, and nope, they wouldn't budge. I didn't know that I had to ask the guest to cancel. Finally, a year later, Airbnb responded to me and said it was the guest's fault and I shouldn't be penalized. But I had to wait until the next cycle to get my badge back! It took 15 months to regain my status. I was livid.

Just this month I have had two violators. One guest showed up on my doorstep and said they had invited their adult daughter to join them on vacation. She would have exceeded my limit and there was nowhere for her to sleep. I said to him "where is she going to sleep?"  He said, "I don't know." Nothing like being put on the spot while guests are literally standing on your doorstep. I let them in and made up a rarely used sofa bed for the extra guest. My lisiting does not include a fee for extra guests because I don't want to encourage this behaviour. So, I felt cheated. I was afraid of losing my status again if I turned them away. Or, they would have simply invited her into the house after I left.

My last guest was a young man who had good reviews. I was wary of him travelling alone and addressed the issue with him directly. He promised he was the only guest and would not, not, not, let anyone else stay here. Of course, there were 3 used beds when I came home. When questioned, he readily admitted that he invited two friends to stay with him for a few days. Again, no extra fee to me.

I am wondering this:  can I specify that I will charge a penalty from my security deposit if I discover that this rule is broken?  I am completely fed up with this problem and it happens quite often!  Thanks for your thoughts.