how to send attachments in messages

[Sara72]

sending a map showing how to walk to my house from the nearest station. Why is this made so impossible by airbnb? I used to be able to send them via email now that option doesn't exist!!

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

Attachments are not supported, however you can send them the text instructions, or guests can just use their favorite mapping application to get the walking directions.

[Andrea9]

@Sara72

I always send guests such attachments through the email address given by Airbnb after booking. You find it under the guest's portrait on the message thread. Possibly due to fact that it's a 'camouflaged' address of the guest's real one they occasionally don't get the mail.

For that reason I always also send a boilerplate message in the message thread on Airbnb telling guests to check for it in their inbox/spam box and to let me know if it hasn't arrived.

[Manije0]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[Scott61]

Will adding attachments be a part of a future product enhancement release?

[Doug25]

I'd really like to see attachments be something that renters could send back to hosts as well through airbnb..

It's a great idea to have communications through Airbnb so there is a history to go back on, but that needs to

be improved to include attachments

The house rules should also be an attachment which can be sent directly to the renters after booking.

I'm currently pointing them at my personal website and then asking them to download it, print sign and return

the rental agreement to me. The "return" part is outside of airbnb.. In several instances over the past 2 years

having a signed agreement from renters has helped resolve issues with hot tub drain/cleans where renters

didn't want to pay, but according to their agreement they were bound to..

I'm surprised that other hosts are content with not having a signed agreement specifically stating what a guest

is expected to do or not do. Simply sending a text message of "house rules" to a prospective renter seems inadequate

to me.

Alas, that's how I work through it.. Just today though I had to explain to another renter they need to send the PDF back

to my outside email.. 😉

Hope attachments come sone, that'd be great!

- Doug

[Dan152]

Hello Doug,

I want to thank you for your message last July 21 about the importance of having Airbnb renters sign a rental agreement before finalizing their booking -- ideally by attaching the agreement via Airbnb email correspondence.  Have there been any breakthroughs by Airbnb since you wrote this message?  If not, have you changed your approach as far as having renters sign a rental agreement?

My wife and I have two beautiful properties, one in Wellfleet on Cape Cod and another in St. Thomas.  While I've had a positive experience with Airbnb overall, with a 4.9 review rating, I'm frustrated and worried about the fact that renters are not signing a rental agreement (expect for a few families who come back annually and who I met outside of Airbnb.)  Additionally, trying to get clarity on this topic through reps. at Airbnb's support line is not helping me, to put it kindly.

Through a different travel web site, we just experienced an unethical renter in St. Thomas and I regret we didn't have him sign a contract before booking.

Thanks in advanced.

All the best,

Dan

[Doug25]

Hi Dan,

i just require all guests to sign and send back

a rental agreement before I issue a combo

to them to get in the property. It works

just outside of airbnb..

No movement on this from airbnb...

thanks!

Doug

[Kurt-and-Kim0]

They need to add the ability to attach documents OR provide an integration with an on-line e-signature company like HelloSign. I constantly get less technically sofisticated users "attaching" items in AirBNB's Message system only to request that they follow my original directions and reply to the AirBNB proxied email address for me. This is the last pain point...please AirBNB fix this.

[Kenneth12]

What is this about a rental agreement?  Huh?

ABB guests are generally "short-term transient guests" for the purposes of the law,   the same as hotel or regular B&B guests.    Giving them a rental agreement will likely give them tenancy rights.   As with a hotel stay,  the ABB receipt and documentation will do.

Don't expect actual help from ABB's CSRs,  much less on an issue such as this.

[Lisa372]

I do the same as well.  I have a rental agreement/house rules and a guest info sheet they need to fill out and return.  The guest info includes flight times so I can arrange for early arrivals and late check outs to help my guests have an even better stay.  

Additionally i have them give me an emergency contact.  I figure if I get it I'll never need it.  I had a colleague have a guest pass away on a trip and they didnt know who to contact.  That would be an awful situation in and of itself!!! 

We also cannot collect HI taxes so it makes guest worry that I ask them to paypal the tax prior to stay.  I can't get stuck with 13.42% tax!  Its worked out ok but I hate to have the guest worry.  Once they pay via paypal I have a real email address and send them all kinds of useful information.  🙂  sometimes I have to send my email as "joesmith at gmail dot com" to get it to pass through their system.  I understand AIRBNB trying to protect everyone but I have a pretty good sense of people.  Knock on wood.

[Kenneth12]

You are seriously asking guests to pay through Paypal rather than send via Airbnb? 🙂

[David-and-Malu0]

I just figured out you can send pics through the airbnb app. that's how solved it. 

[Helen2]

How do you send pics thru AirbnB ap?

[Keli7]

Please tell us how! Keli