First Time Hosting and It’s Long Term

[Frannie5]

Hello!

We are new to hosting but are so excited for this opportunity!

We listed earlier this week and have had a guest asking to rent for 91 days! Wow! 

What advice could you give me for a long term stay? 

Thanks!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Frannie5 My advice is cancel the booking.

Extreme I know BUT

1) Check the rules in your state but this length of booking probably gives the guests tenants rights

2) Airbnb don't charge a security deposit which is essential for long stays

3) Airbnb only collect the first months rent and then its on a wing and a prayer if they ever get more money. Of course in most states the guests has tenants rights after the first month

of less importance:

4) You won't build up a set of good reviews anytime soon if the guests stay 3 months

Hope this doesn't scare you but does give you food for thought. I am sure others will weigh in with their thoughts.

[Charles224]

@Frannie5 

The advice from @Mike-And-Jane0 is solid.

AirBnb only take 1 month's charge from the booking, after that they may encounter credit problems..and then you are on your own. A 'tennant's rights' situation would be a disaster.

It looks like you do live there, so that is something positive.

Sorry to be a negative-nelly, but my BS detector is spinning.

Welcome to the Community!

Cheers, Charles

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Frannie5 

In addition to what @Mike-And-Jane0 said, I would suggest you take a look at your house rules and consider if they are feasible and realistic for a long-term stay.

My first guest was also long-term (4 months) and my experience was so positive that Henry and I actually shifted our focus to long-term stays (international exchange students) - we changed our listing description and house rules to be more appropriate for long-term stays and for international guests only. FYI, we would never host long-term local guests. 

When comparing long-term vs. short-term guests the biggest difference was that short-term guests come for *a trip or visit*  whereas long-term guests are *living* there and thus have very different needs. Are you sure you are charging enough to cover the actual cost a long-term stay? Considering that you are responsible for utilities/water/internet you should be charging significantly more than what it would cost to rent a fully furnished apartment. Have you thought about how to handle towels/sheets during the guest's stay? What about bathroom amenities (TP/soap/shampoo)? Weekly cleaning? What if the guest asks for additional kitchen appliances or cookware? or even asks for refills of coffee beans or salt/sugar/cooking oil/snacks? Are you willing to block out an entire week after the long-term stay for a top to bottom intense deep clean? (which, believe me, you will definitely need after a 3 month stay) This is all I can think of now...... but you shouldn't commit to a long-term stay unless you are confident you can handle it. Putting up with 3 months worth of bad behavior or discomfort is completely different from 3 days or even 3 weeks. 

[Sarah977]

I'm also going to tell you to forget long term stays as new hosts and because you have no protections from Airbnb if the guest turns out to be a bad one. You need to get used to dealing with the platform, and hosting in general, what red flags to watch out for, if you're charging enough to cover unforeseen expenses, etc. and to build up reviews. And the possible squatter/tenants rights scenario is also important to be aware of.

I'd suggest a new host start with a one or two week maximum booking length. You have a lovely home but you need to be aware that many guests don't take good care of things. I see you request no shoes in the house- I can assure you that many guests won't respect that. No smoking is also often ignored. Of course we need house rules, just don't assume that all guests will follow them and think about how you're going to deal with it if they don't.

Most of us start out picturing some sweet, appreciative guests staying and taking good care of everything, but it's best not to go into this being too starry eyed. Also be aware that some bad guests target new listings, knowing that the hosts are green and thinking they can take advantage of that. Taking shorter bookings for awhile will give you experience in how to handle various situations that could come up.

Reading this forum on a regular basis will also give you an idea of the kinds of things hosts have to deal with.

@Frannie5

[Elena87]

@Frannie5 

Perhaps it's 91 days duration as you offer a whopping 49% monthly discount.

Have a look at what your established airbnb neighbouring listings offer to gauge market value.

[Frannie5]

Maybe I should have added some more details since you all addressed good concerns!

- this is a single woman coming from out of state for work which (seems) legitimate as we are in Missouri's capital.

- the guest has one prior review but it was a good one. She is ABB verified.

- even with the 49% discount we would be making well over our monthly expenses.

- we live on “site” as we live in the main level below the apartment so any issue arising would be feasible as far as immediate attention.

- our local zoning laws talk about taxes, rules, etc but do not list any amount of days which change this from “short term to long term” but talks about the charges per night. I will call them though to verify!

- I have stated to the guest that I would schedule 1 weekly clean where I will change linens/towels and restock coffee bar but that daily cleaning would be up to her.

would that make any difference? I appreciate all of your advice! So useful to hear from others who have experience!

@Mike-And-Jane0 

@Charles224 

@Elena87 

@Sarah977 

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

[Charles224]

@Frannie5 

thanks for all the clarifications. Our place is a similar setup to yours.

Regarding cleaning; we just 'swap linen' weekly, as the guest has their own washing machine for general use.

The process is that on 'Saturday' we leave a clean basket of bedclothes at their doorstep, and a day or so later they leave a basket (with old linen) on ours. We launder and repeat if they are there another week.

This system works well for anyone staying longer that a week;

(1) they don't get us in their private space

(2) we don't need to clean the place more than once. 

(3) you could add 'restock items' this way too - but we don't. Once they arrive, grocery shopping is up to them.

Good luck!

[Sarah977]

That you are on-site hosts definitely will eliminate many problems that off-site hosts experience. It's not like the guest can throw a wild party with 60 people, sneak in a dog, or even smoke without you being aware of it, especially if you are going to provide some weekly cleaning.

Airbnb verified means nothing. All it means is that they submitted ID. Hosts have reported getting guests who had warrants out for their arrest, who had assault records, etc, etc. 

You say even with the hefty discount, you'll be making well-over monthly expenses. What if the guest likes the heat turned up high with the windows open? Takes two hour-long hot showers a day?  Uses up tons of internet data? Leaves lights on during the day, uses a hair dryer every day (which sucks a lot of electric) and so . Have you budgeted or anticipated for that?

Landlord/tenant laws are not to be found under zoning laws, as far as I'm aware. It has nothing to do with zoning.

This woman might be a fine guest, she may not. Be aware that just because a guest tells you they are coming for work, or this reason or that, it's not necessarily true. If you have anyway to check out her supposed place of employment, that would be wise. I.e. "Is this person XX an employee in your dept? She's wanting to rent our house long term so I'm checking that her employment info is actually true". They may or may not give you the info, but worth a try.

How are you planning to stay safe re COVID if you go into an occupied unit to clean once a week?

@Frannie5