electricity payment on consumption

[Paolo9]

Hello to everybody!

Any of you charges electricity separately on consumption?

If yes do you ask a deposit when guests come in?

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

I would just build the cost into your nightly rate. Keep things simple for you and the guest, plus guests will feel better knowing in advance what their rate will be.

[Paolo9]

I have AC in the whole apartament. The cost of power could be 1 dollar per day up to 10 if you run AC insanely. How can I include it in the rental fee? If you don't run AC you're going to pay for something you don't use.

[Deborah0]

@Paolo9

This issue has arisen many times on the host groups either with regard to heat or A/C use, and excessive use by guests. 

You may want to look into setting a thermostat or controls for the A/C, which make it impossible for the guest to run it all day or "insanely." For instance, set it so that it wont' go on if the temperature is below 78 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or whatever temperature you think reasonable or which you and guest mutually agree on) , so that people aren't running the AC on mild days.  Also set it maybe so that it cannot be run at night, or during certain hours of the night. 

Then if you set those settings on a thermostat, you could put a locking cover on the thermostat so that the guest cannot change the settings, without asking you , and you or your property manager can come and change the settings so that they are comfortable but are not abusing your A/C.  

Consider too the "Nest" thermostat or similar, which can be remotely set with a mobile device.  THis allows guests to set the temperature, but you can remotely override their settings or shut off the A/C if they have it on when it should not be on.  

[Lorenzo365]

Hi Paolo, how do you collect extra fee for energy consumption? 

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Paolo9

when you go to the hotel, you pay a room per night. 

Electricity and water and sheets and towwels and soap and shampoo are included in the nightly price.

It is the same with airbnb.

some will overuse and other will use almost nothing. It is an average.

[Paolo9]

Thank you, Nathalie, for your answer. My case is different because I rent out
the entire apartment not a single room. If I include the cost of power in
the rental fee I risk to overprice and go out of the market. In my area it's common use to charge electricity separate.

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

So do i rent the entire appartment.
Or you rent for short term (a few days up to 1 or 2 months) and your pice is all included.

Or you do normal renting. Where tenant pay monthly and pays his phone and electicity bills and he has tenants rights.

You ar obliged to include to electricity cost in your price. And your hosts neighbours too (except if they want to loose money but it is not the majority on airbnb).

[Paolo9]

Maybe I didn't succeed in explaining my problem. In my area hosts charge electricity separately according to consumption both in short term and long term rentals. If I include the cost of electricity in the rental fee I'm out of the market, because my rental fee gets too high. I'm asking if any of you does the same and whether he's asking for a deposit when the guest comes in or no?

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Paolo9

Ok so if your neigbours behave like that and have reservations , do the same.
The important point is to clearly describe the amount you will ask for the consumption and this amount will be paid directly to you during the stay.

The problem is that airbnb does not work like that :

1/ the deposit is for brakages. Electricity is fully part of hosting. Not a damage done by the guests.
2/ no money transaction is allowed outside the website.

So your host neighbours do not follow the airbnb rules and thay may get some problems with guests.
To avoid that, describe a precisly as possible the procedure for electricity in yur listing.  

[SaiJai0]

We ask a deposit 200 euro to cover used electric.

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

I looked at 3 of the competing listings that came up at the bottom of yours. None of them charges extra for electricity. I would simply figure in a price that was between the average and high end to keep things simple. You are already at the high end of the market (a similar 1 bedroom listing .4 miles away is much less). As a guest, I would be put off by paying a high up front rate, only to be hit with additional charges on check-out.

[Yokebec0]

I totally understand. It is a problem for me too. I am charging electricity bill for people who stay 1 month or more because I had a bad experience with a guest who used A/C 24/7 and the bill was $580. 

[Oad0]

In hospitality sector most businesses charge in advance (not in arrier, like utility company). If you expect most guests from US & Canada it should work best. The expectation is to have all costs upfront, including AC. If you want to, you may credit guests for economical consumption, at the end of their stay. This way it will be a nice “bonus” at the end

[Ann44]

Thats my problem too. We just had a guest who used AC for about 70 dollar per day?? We have five AC and they must have had them on all week with even some doors open. I think it is very un-responsible and I am not only thinking of the bill. Also about how the situation is today around the world, that everyone have to be careful of just wasting energy like that. I would like to have separate bills for electricity. Why should the smart guests have to pay for the guest who just waste like they really want to use as much as they can every day, because they think they paid for it?? And don't compare airbnb with a hotel. The service is very different. Do you make the beds every day to your guests? Clean their room and toilet every day? Give wake upp calls? Bring them coffee? This is houses, rooms or apartments from private people. Let the wasters pay for their own use! Save energy for the world! Airbnb should catch up to that, and with so many places around the world it would save a lot. It is very old-fashioned to waste energy today. The smart guests don't. Airbnb should think that too.