Avoiding the party crowds?

[Chris2003]

Hi guys, I've been hosting for about 3 years now, but I've had some MAJOR issues with disrespectful guests/parties recently.

Last week the police were called by neighbours because there was a drunken pool party going on until 4am (only 4 guests). The week before, there were bottles, cans and nitrous oxide canisters overflowing the bins. (5 guests). We've also had issues with people playing loud music.. even though we've got signs up telling people it's 'strictly prohibited'.

We've got strict house rules, but it seems some guests are just not reading them or straight up ignoring them.

It always seems to be guests with no reviews - but a LOT of my guests have no reviews. I'm not sure I can afford to only host people with reviews? AirBnB penalises hosts who decline reservation requests?

Has anyone noticed a surge in this kind of behaviour post Covid.. any tips to prevent it? 

[Inna22]

@Chris2003 I used to have issues with this one but it has gotten better mainly because I think I found the right tools. I have multiple to prevent overcrowding but that does not seem to be a problem here. Based on what you are experiencing, I will recommend the following:

1. collecting IDs from all guests in the group. People will be far more responsible when they know you know where to find them.
2. I have a contract with a local security firm and I put in the listing that I will charge a $200 fee if they have to come out. Perhaps you can just put the warning and not have the contract 🙂
3. Have a welcome message very well organized and not too wordy outlining check in, check out, your most important rules and repercussions for not following them. Make it easy to read
4. I offer an additional cleaning package beyond my regular cleaning fee. Some people will just make a mess no matter what I do or say. This way I can plan for cleaners to stay longer or send a double crew and also know ahead to plan for a mess. I include a few extra dollars for my trouble and it has been a win win for everyone: guests do not have to stress about check out, I make a few extra dollars and my cleaners get a bonus

[Anonymous]

@Chris2003  Guests with reviews can be disastrous too. You simply have no way to know what a person who was perfectly fine on a solo or couple trip will be like when they're responsible for a larger group. It's possible that you might be looking at the wrong variable here.

My questions would be : what measures do you have in place to monitor the property so that you're notified about unexpected guests or excessive noise? What's your plan for intervening before these situations can escalate into even bigger problems? And how do you plan to demonstrate your willingness to enforce House Rules and deter disorderly behavior in the future?

What many hosts have discovered about Airbnb's party policy is that they don't really penalize guests for throwing them, but they're quick to throw hosts under the bus for failing to prevent them. With that in mind, and so much at stake, it's crucial to have a better strategy than checking reviews. 

[Mark3179]

I agree about the reviews I’ve been hosting for about three years. Over 85 bookings. Out of those I have had only one person with good reviews turn out to be a dud. But I have had more than a few guests with NO reviews complain loudly that I would not accept the reservation. 

[Gordon0]

In the nicest possible way, @Chris2003, your places scream 'HOUSE PARTY', so it's easy to see why the scrotes might want to stay. I see you've got the standard *NO PARTIES* rider, but not sure if this is a recent thing. 

What I'd be doing;

1. Restricting bookings to those with favourable reviews only (although this - as @Anonymous says isn't a guarantee you won't get any dickish behaviour)

2. Making the listing sound a little more like someone's home. It's very third-person atm, so effectively a business (to be treated in the same way some people often drive rental cars), not someone's pride and joy

3. State you live close by - which suggests you'll be keeping an eye on the place

4. Mention the neighbours are friends (another surreptitious warning)

All of the above can simply be slipped in very conversationally in your listing blurb.

Lastly, and probably the most important bit, form a relationship with people who book up front along with a guilt-inducing line (if they are planning to run amok) that it's your house/the neighbours are great, yada, yada. Humanise the experience.

Good luck.

[Chris2003]

Yes the NO PARTIES thing is new, although we've always had it in the house rules. I was considering putting it in small writing in the corner of the pictures as well? Do people actually read more than the title? 😉

At the moment, guests check-in with the lockbox. I'm considering changing this to meeting in person? (I live in the same village.. but i'm not always there). So maybe meet in person for larger groups and just give a lockbox code for lower risk reservations - couples/families with kids etc? I wonder sometimes if people search for places with lockboxes because they think "Ohhh this means the owners won't bother us and we can do what we want!"

[Gordon0]

I think the 'it's a business' tone of your listing helps (in a bad way), @Chris2003, and removes any personality from the process.  Lockboxes - although a necessary evil - add to this. Not having to see the whites of the host's eyes means the crappier guests can walk away without any guilt.

I'd be losing 'It is lovingly looked after by the owner' in place of something like: 'We're really proud of our property and make sure it's well-maintained and has everything you'll need. We're local, so never far away if you've got a question or need something.' 

Pre-stay conversation helps, a lot.  

PS. You need to @ someone if you want them to know you've replied, like this: @Chris2003  

[Helen3]

Also why are your poor neighbours having to report parties.

If you are going to host remotely at a listing that attracts party goers you need monitor your listing to ensure only those who have booked stay and that guests abide by your house rules. It sounds like you don't have CCTV - which I would suggest is an essential at the front and at the back of your property @Chris2003 

[Chris2003]

@Helen3 Everytime we've had issues (which has been about 5 times in 200+ stays), there has actually been no more guests than were on the reservation. If a neighbour contacts me, then I don't announce I'm coming.. giving people time to leave/hide.

When the police were called, there were only 4 people there.. but they were just blind drunk making a ridiculous amount of noise until 4AM.

So what help is CCTV? I don't think guests.. or AirBnB would be happy if I had CCTV watching the pool?

I have just invested in a noise monitor, but it needs to be inside - so probably won't pick up the level of noise outside. So the listing does now say it includes CCTV/Recording devices.

[Helen3]

You said in your initial post "Last week the police were called by neighbours because there was a drunken pool party going on until 4am (only 4 guests)." @Chris2003 

If you'd had CCTV as I suggested at the front and back you would have picked up this issue. You are absolutely allowed CCTV outside (and inside for that matter).

How do you vet your guests currently to weed out potential party-guests?

[Chris2003]

@Helen3 I just don't think you understand the layout of the property. Unless the CCTV was pointing at the pool (major privacy issue), it wouldn't really show anything. There is no 'back entrance'.. or any space around the back to have a party.

In terms of vetting, I have a bit of a check list. Until recently, i've never had any issues with less than 5 guests or guests who bring children. We don't seem to have issues with longer stays either (3 nights+), so I feel there's only a need for minimal vetting there. If I get that 'feeling' about a guest, then I will go full internet detective and ask more questions.

I will ALWAYS check previous hosts' reviews (and sometimes the guests' reviews) - I can deal with messy guests, but any reviews that indicated parties/unauthorised guests.. I will call AirBnB to cancel the reservation. I think you get 3 penalty free cancellations per property per year on instant book?

I've noticed there is a part of Wales that accounts for a fair share of the less considerate guests (but far more great guests). These guests will be more regularly monitored (just walking past the property occasionally) and I will make it more obvious that I live very close by.

[Helen3]

Hi @Chris2003 

I do appreciate how frustrating it is. You have a lovely place and Tenby is one of my favourite parts of Wales.

As you don't tend to get issues with longer stays could you put a three night minimum.

You could also get guests to acknowledge your rules around late night noise and confirm that any breaking of these rules could lead to guests being asked to leave the property.

I too am a co-host and had to give up hosting one of the properties because I manage because I had a reverse situation. The neighbour next door had a garden that looked like a junk yard and regularly held all night and often day parties too leading to guest complaints.

[Chris2003]

@Helen3 Unfortunately in Wales, the government will soon require properties to be occupied for 182 nights a year to be eligible for business rates.

I don't think anyone could meet the 182 night requirement without taking shorter stays. 

That's a shame about your neighbours. We have quite inconsiderate neighbours at our Townhouse.. but what i've found is because it gets a lot of one night stays.. most people are just appreciative of being able to rent out a tidy house for one night at a reasonable price. and overlook the fact the neighbour literally has a trailer overflowing with trash outside the front door!

We never have any issues there.. despite no house rules and most of the reservations being 1 night stays. I think some places are just magnets to trouble!

[Kelly149]

@Chris2003  Abb literally hides the House Rules from guests. So you have to confirm they’ve been seen and understood. I moved to request only so that I could address issues pre-booking instead of post. 

[Anonymous]

@Chris2003  If the problem is more with noise than with unregistered guests, a noise monitor might be the better tool for you. Realistically, monitoring devices aren't much more effective as deterrents than your signage is when the guests are drunk and in hedonistic holiday mode (which, to be fair, is exactly what your listings inspire). But what they can do is alert you to a noise issue faster than your neighbors can. If your quiet hours begin at 10 PM, and the noise situation lasted until 4 AM, that's a whole 6 hours that you'd lost control of your property. That is something you definitely could have prevented.

As for the overall quality of guests...well, unfortunately in the past 2 years Airbnb's reputation as the go-to platform for party houses has just exploded. That's not a trend they have any intention of reversing, despite the damage-control they do in the press every time one of those parties ends in a mass shooting. It's especially sad for long-standing hosts like you, with a lot of reviews and a strong reputation staked to the Airbnb brand. But that brand ain't what it used to be, so if this type of guest is not what you want to attract, you might find a competing platform to reach more consistently into your target clientele.