Do Your Airbnb Guests Often Respect and Follow Your House Rules?

Jia-and-Herman0
Level 2
Las Vegas, NV

Do Your Airbnb Guests Often Respect and Follow Your House Rules?

How’s everyone!!

 

I have been an Airbnb host for 3 years now. The guests I have met in the past 3 years, 80% of them are really pleased to work with. However, there is always that 10% -20% of guests who just don’t comply. They invite people over without consent. They play loud music and party until late night. They trash my house, and end up leaving a bad review T_T. When **bleep** happens like this, Airbnb gives so little support. Even more, they refuse to give out any of the guests’ information, so it leaves me no way to chase for reimbursement.

 

Earlier this year, my friend Juliana and I were chatting, and I was telling her how frustrating it is to be a host sometimes. I list my house rules on my Airbnb listing, I send them a check-in message with house rules, I also post house rules on the fridge, the kitchen countertop, the dinning table, all over the place. However, I still have no idea if the messages were heard or not. They don’t need to respond to me, and they simply do not need to say “yes and agree” to the rules I said. Juliana asked, “is there anyway you can “force” them to read the house rules and agree?” And that’s when this idea came up; we made a QR code prototype. My house rules and WiFi information are linked to this simple and neat QR code. What happens is when guests check in and want to have the WiFi information, I ask them to scan this QR code. They scan the QR code, they will first see a page of all the house rules I have listed. They will go over the house rules, hit the “agree to house rules” button, and access to the WiFi information. What we found out is people are more cautious and take it more serious of the things they “agree” on. By having them seamlessly go over the house rules, and hit that agree button, it adds a layer of security to strengthen the house rules.

 

I have since replaced my good old A4 paper with this simple QR code, and post it on my fridge. It looks a lot better aesthetically, and luckily, I haven’t had any issue with guests ever since. They check out on time at 11 am, they take out the trash to the trash bins outside as what the house rules say. I feel amazed haha. I also made a couple of the QR codes for my other host friends and neighbors, and they all started to use it. Now, I want to share this product to you, and want to hear what you think. Will you find it helpful to plant that extra seeds to your guests? Does it worth for me to monetize it? Please check out our page and let me know what you think. Any suggestion is valuable to us!

 

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21 Replies 21

I would like to do this please. 

@Laura2592 I have used the QR code for a couple of months now. I don't know if it was by luck, but the guests who I recently hosted are really pleasant.  I would like to assume that they actually read more carefully of my house rules? Also I appreciate the look of the QR code more than the paper sheet I used to post all over my place haha. For the 10% troublesome guests, do you often have the gut feeling that they are going to be bad?? 

@Jia-and-Herman0  I may be an anomaly here, but I'm a low tech person, so I hope you would provide an alternative for guests like me, and also mention this QR code business in your listing description.

 

If I arrived at a place and then found out I was required to use a QR code and some app, I would be quite irritated and I simply wouldn't do it. But of course I would read your house rules before booking and comply with them.

 

Nor would I want to have to access a house manual or check-out instructions using tech. I understand that lots of people think all this high tech stuff is great, but if I was on vacation, the last thing I would want is having to spend hours figuring out how to do something I have zero knowledge about or interest in.

 

I never even heard of something called a QR code until a few weeks ago.

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Jia-and-Herman0 

 

I like the idea in theory but, like @Sarah977 , I wouldn't want to rely on it as the sole method for guests to access the information. 

 

I am not low tech but I've always struggled to scan QR codes with my current phone. It was fine scanning them when we needed to do so at restaurants etc. earlier in the pandemic, but would not scan the codes on the menus in the same restaurants! My very tech-savvy young cousin tried and failed to get it to work. So, if I had to use this system to access basic info like the WiFi password, I would find it really frustrating. 

Susanna0
Level 10
Milan, Italy

I never had problems with guests, nor damages; maybe I’m lucky, but I think also it’s because I personally make check-ins and check-outs, every time.

I’m located in Italy, and here the local laws require a written (and signed) rental contract for every stay, and moreover I’m obliged to send all ID cards’ data to police.

This is a burocratic annoyance, of course; but that way I’m always perfectly informed about identity and real address of my guests, and can explain a few things in person. They understand that I care my place and they have to take care of it.
Moreover, knowing that we’ll meet again at check-out, they won’t leave a mess.

Kendra114
Level 9
Galveston, TX

Excellent idea!

Jan399
Level 2
West Hollywood, CA

hi @Jia-and-Herman0 , i would love to get the template of the QR code but the link is now hidden. Can you please provide the access? Thank you!