Booking for a year

[Marja66]

Hi all, I have just received an enquiry to book my home for a year.  I am very excited about the prospect but now thinking about the practical side of things, like how do I keep an eye on the property from a maintenance perspective, can I have access to the property for inspections? Trivial I guess, but my listing is my home, which I have listed while I live with and care for my elderly father.  I have had some amazing guests stay in my home over the last couple of years but there is always that sense of dread when I don't have any future bookings in the calendar.  At least with a booking for a year I won't have that concern.  The reason I am reaching out - are any of you aware or able to provide me with guidance on what I should be looking out for during such a long booking.  Should I set some ground rules at the begining, like inspecting the property every 3-4 months, for example.  Thank you!

[Joelle43]

Hello @Marja66 

Yes I can imagine that this enquiry must have set your heart fluttering😊 As tempting as it might seem, it's best to keep a calm approach to begin with and vet this guest as much as possible before accepting a potential booking.  

Long term stays and terms on Airbnb are different to short term lets and guests can shorten their stay by giving you 30 days notice at any time so this one year let may not go to term.    Here is a great link to a recent updated guide on "Everything you ever wanted to know about long term hosting"😉

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Guides/Monthly-Stays-on-Airbnb-Guide-Revised/td-p/2031...

And yes, definitely put in your ground rules!  A lot of hosts put in a mandatory clean (fee applied usually) so that they can keep an eye on their place.  Any invasion of privacy will probably not go down well with the guest and any hint of unauthorised inspections will get you suspended.

Keep the conversation going with this guest to sus out if they are legit or not and if they ask you for a video of your place, this is more than likely a scammer.  Use the search bar here on the forum to see all the posts on the subject!

All the best
Joëlle