guest long term stay

Sean375
Level 3
Jersey City, NJ

guest long term stay

My AirBnB is my home in the city and I've no trouble booking. I allow guests light use of the kitchen. No guest has requested the washer/dryer. I've now an inquiry for a 7 week stay requesting full kitchen and washer dryer use together with requesting a discount. I appreciate and do offer discounts for longer stays,yet with basically a full use of my home, I am hesitant. My prices are very competitive as is. In fact I am told they are the lowest in my area. I see no reviews for this guest and am looking for advice from the community. AirBnB endlessly pressure us to lower our prices,but at $50/night in a private room with full house use all 3 minutes from Manhattan,I feel any further discount is unreasonable. Comments/Advice? 

Many thanks, Sean

12 Replies 12
Darren99
Level 2
Clinton, MD

I agree!

Thank you Darren.

@Sean375 from bitter experience guests who ask for discounts are the most trouble, so I don't take bookings from anyone requesting a discount. And 7 weeks is a long time to have someone in your house, particularly if you don't end up getting along with them (I no longer do stays longer than 10 days - after a couple of difficult long stay guests I decided it wasn't worth the stress). I'd be declining them.

Sean375
Level 3
Jersey City, NJ

Thank you Rachel.

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

@Sean375 I agree with Rachel. Also, be sure and check your local and state laws around tenancy. Where I live in Oregon, any stay over 30 days makes the short term rental guest a tenant, with full tenant rights. It can be a nightmare to get such 'tenants' out. One Airbnb host recently reported here that they just got their very badly behaving guests out after a four month legal battle. I would not do it.

Thank you Rebecca !

 

@Sean375 

Other hosts have given great advice about the tenancy concern so you should definitely look into that. 

 

On a different note just to share my experience from hosting longer-staying guests, a person just visiting and staying a few nights or up to a week vs. someone "living" in your home for several weeks and even over a month are very different. The guests will have very different needs and expectations.

 

If you are thinking of hosting guests longer than 3 weeks, you should investigate and know what the going monthly rate is to rent a room with a 1 yr rental contract in a roommate situation. Your monthly payout total should be at least 20~30% more since you won't be getting a deposit of the first and last months' rent. I've had a few potential guests ask for additional discounts and my response was always...... something along the lines of "It seems you have no idea what a typical room rental in an home like mine would cost in Seoul 🙂 I suggest you should do your homework about rental prices before sending messages like this to potential hosts. I guess we can both agree that my listing is not in you budget so it seems we will not be a good fit. Good luck finding a place that better meets your needs!" 

 

If you are interested in longer-staying guests I'd also suggest you may want to consider it for international guests only. Maybe an exchange student or someone participating in some sort of exchange program or training program? - this is actually what I do. If you need ideas about longer stays and how to manage them, feel free to take a look at my listing description 🙂 

 

Good luck~

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Sean375 I would say no to the discount, your price is already very low considering the quality of materials and furnishings in your listing.  I would also say no to the use of washer/dryer as a lot of people will abuse this, and do multiple loads every week.  You could limit them to 1 load per week if you wanted to be really nice.  I would agree to use of the kitchen since it's a very long stay.

Mbua0
Level 3
Milwaukee, WI

@Sean375, you've received great advice regarding tenancy law research. Foremost, understand the difference between transients/tourists vs Tenants in New York State before accepting any longterm guests. Secondly, tailor your costs, and approach, according to your tolerances should you decide to accept longterm stays. 

 

Lastly, trust your intuition regarding their character. When I began using AirBnB as a guest, I was among the "reviewless" crowd. Yet, I resided between 3 properties for 7 months. So, if you're considering a solicitor without prior reviews as I was, it's a hit or miss.

Julie143
Level 10
Princeton, NJ

7 weeks using your kitchen and laundry sounds more like a roommate than an Airbnb guest.

 

Is a roommate what you want?  

 

Are you normally booked as much or close to as much as you would like to be? If so, why tie yourself down with someone for 7 weeks.

 

If you do decide to do it, I’d have them sign a lease.

Michelle-And-Michael0
Level 10
Wollongong, Australia

@Sean375 I think this person sounds a little bit cheeky in asking for extra benefits such as laundry and kitchen use..... and then, on top of that, asking for a discount!!! 

I'm sure they would have already done their homework and understand what it would cost in reality to rent something similar in your location. 

For me, this guest sounds like they could have very high expectations, needs and wants. I would decline them. 

Best of luck 🙂

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Sean375 Aside from the tenancy issues and whether you actually want someone you don't know in your home for 7 weeks, if someone asked me to bend my access rules to kitchen and laundry for a longer term stay and they had good reviews and seemed like they'd be a good guest, I'd say yes, I'm willing to agree to that with an additional charge of $XX. But someone asking for more amenities than you normally offer and  a discount sounds like a guest I'd avoid.