Going inside a guest room.

[Joe2278]

I host a spare bedroom with an en suite in my home. Up till now, I have always taken it for granted that I can enter their bedroom when they are not there so as to check that everything is OK and for light cleaning.

Recently I had a solo female guest (I am male) who complained to me that she found it intrusive and an invasion of her privacy when I told her that I had gone into her room and unclogged the shower drain.

Some time ago I smelled an odour of burning electronics from the room and after knocking I went in (there was nobody there) to find that the vent of the fridge was blocked. I later told the guest (this was another guest) about this and she also complained that I had gone into her room.

I had always considered the room I rent out as a hotel room where maids and maintenance go into rooms when needed and after making sure that the guest is warned. What do other hosts think about this, and is there an official position ?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Joe2278 The rules are VERY clear. You may not enter a listing space without permission unless it is an emergency.

[Helen3]

You should never enter your guests room during their booking unless there is an emergency particularly when you are a male host with female guests .

it would be unusual for a shower drain to block during a guest stay unless it wasn't cleaned out regularly - how did you know it was blocked by the way. 

with the burning electronics did you call the guest first to let her know about your concerns before entering @Joe2278 

[Joe2278]

Hi, The shower drain has a hair trap and especially with long haired people it tends to clog after a few days. It only takes a couple of minutes to clean.

I need to be sure that I am being understood - the guest bedroom is in my house and I only went in when the guest was not there.

[Helen3]

We understand the room is in your home. I'm a home share host and have been for eight years . 

I have hosted over two hundred sets of guests and I have never gone into a guest room during their stay . @Joe2278 

If the shower clogs up after a few days I suggest you sort out the hair trap that's certainly not normal.

it's against Airbnb's T&C for you to enter a guests room during their stay.

for longer stays I have a set day where my cleaner goes in and changes bedding/towels and cleans room which I agree in advance with guests (unless they prefer to do this themselves) . 

[Helen427]

Shower Traps to collect hair can indeed get clogged up quickly.

It's best to clean them out every couple of days as a preventative measure, alas @Joe2278 do include in your listing that you may need to go into the room to do cleaning and ensure your longer stay Guests know this in advance and with 'mutual agreement' on an agreed day so that both parties are on the same song sheet with cleanliness.

It would also be respectful that you allow a day or two's notice of cleaning so they your Guests can pop any items away in advance they may like to.

 We all know the importance of hygiene and cleaning with Covid in society and obviously if someone is staying longer than a week chores like dusting, changing Linen and Vacuuming must be undertaken.

Most people know that when staying for longer than a week and appreciate a clean home.

[Kia272 · Accepted solution]

@Joe2278  Obviously your intentions are good, but that is a HUGE no-no in general, and also with AirBnB. If either guest had complained, your listing would have been shut down for a good while. 

If you feel it necessary during a stay you absolutely need to check with the guest first, and literally get permission to enter the space. Otherwise, unless it's a fire or something, it will have to wait until you have no guests. I think even asking puts the guest on the spot, so I'd avoid that unless absolutely necessary. 

If you have longer stays, you can include in the house rules that you'll be entering the room once a week or whatever, to change sheets, empty garbage, etc. However, if the guest doesn't want that, you'll have to work with them. Many just want their own space and to not have their privacy invaded. 

[Joe2278]

@Kia272 Thanks for taking the time to reply. I tend to have longer stays and I used to feel that it was my duty to check that they had enough towels, whether they needed some light cleaning etc.

Now that my attention has been drawn to this - I will ask beforehand whether they want anything in the room and I will not go in unless asked to fix something.

[Kia272]

@Joe2278  Definitely a good policy. It is worth it to mention in your house rules that there's a scheduled (again, work with the guest) cleaning every X days. That gives you the opportunity- if you have any doubts about how the guest is keeping the room, etc. -to check on things. 

It funny how something so seemingly innocent can become a big deal in the context of a paying guest inside a private home. Especially with a male host and female guest. Not to imply anything, of course. 

[Joe2278]

I am really surprised that it is in the T&C that a host may not enter a room. With one of the guests who asked me not to go inside her room - her boyfriend was going to arrive in a few days' time and she asked me whether it was OK to push the two single beds together. She also asked me for bed linen for a double bed.

I had to go in the room to look for the linen and I was shocked to see that the way she had pushed the beds together had put an electric mosquito zapper in touch with the surface of the mattress.

Apart from the fire hazard she was putting herself at risk of electrocution as kicking the electric zapper while in bed might have broken the plastic guard and exposed the high voltage electric grid. I unplugged the zapper and plugged it into a safe socket. I told the guest about the danger she had put herself in and she was thankful for my intervention. Had I not gone inside the room I would have never seen this.

[Joe2278]

"If you have longer stays, you can include in the house rules that you'll be entering the room once a week or whatever, to change sheets, empty garbage, etc"

I am sorry if I am asking basic questions... but where do I add extra house rules? The only place where I know that I can add text is in my place description. Please take a look at my listing.

I repeat - I just rent out a bedroom with an ensuite in my own house.

Since writing and getting replies here I have stopped going inside guest rooms - even if I used to do it once in a while (I aim for long term guests) to check that things were OK.

The last but one guests left all the rubbish of a one month stay in the wardrobe! I only found out after they had left. The last guests cooked stinky food in the bedroom, stained the sheets with curry and left dirt everywhere. Once again I only found out after they left. This is despite my listing saying that no kitchen is available.

My present guest is very nice but I don't understand why I have to spell out things to guests. In my country we separate waste, so I give them differently coloured bags. Once when he opened the door to his bedroom I saw full bags of rubbish in the bedroom. I then sent him a message telling him to bring down the bags in the yard so that I can take them out on the appropriate day.

I am in Europe and all my guests are international. I do not want to leave a lengthy house rules manual and in any case translating it PROPERLY to all possible languages would be a very difficult task.

[Helen744]

@Joe2278 this is in fact a delicate situation which requires trust . No. you do not have any 'automatic right ' to enter any room paid for by the guest without letting them know.,unless there is a legitimate reason or you have discussed it with the guest. Believe me it is a fear among women that someone ,anyone ,but generally males , go into their private space when they are not there. So smarten up your manners and stop being 'the creepy janitor'... H

[Joe2278]

I am really grateful for all the feedback. I would be more grateful if someone pointed me to the T&C where it says a host cannot enter a guest room even when the guest is not there.

I tend to have longer stays and there are things which need to be done in a guest room and I hate to bother guests with a load of instructions and rules.

For example many guests do not bother to follow my instructions re the window. I am in a hot country and windows are double glazed and have an outside louver to keep out the sun but let in the air during the day. Most guests leave the windows wide open. Apart from being a burglary risk they are making the room hot. At first I used to go in and set the windows properly but I no longer do so.

Another thing is that we use the British electrical system. I provide the correct adaptors for other European and USA guests but some guests bring their own adaptors which are not suitable for our system. They pose an electrocution hazard and damage equipment. Once an ** guest burned out my fridge because he unplugged it from its wall socket and for some reason he used his adaptor.

I really do not understand why I cannot treat the room I rent out like  a hotel room and go in every day when the guest is not there.
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[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Joe2278 It takes 10 seconds on Google to find this:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/3060#:~:text=Private%20space%20interference%3A%20Hosts%20and,i....

[Suzanne302]

@Joe2278 

It seems like you've gotten some good advice and your answer, but as a homeshare host of 5 years I will add one more voice to the chorus that you should never enter a guest's room unless there's an emergency or you have a prearranged cleaning day for extended stays.