Guests Requesting to Film a Movie on our property

[Doug793]

Hello Community!! We had a unique request from a potential guest today. They asked if it would be possible to film a movie on our property. The potential guest assured us it isn't an adult film, but still we asked for a copy of the script to ensure it isn't something such as political propaganda that we don't want to be associated with.

They want t film crew of up to 14 people. Since we are on a septic lagoon, we never allow more than 5 guests, so we suggested they rent a port-a-potty as our system can't handle 14 people for three days of filming. The potential guest asked us to discount our rate so he could afford the port-a-potty. We told him we can't discount the rate, since our house can't handle 14 people ever and we are already bending our own rules to have that many people.

My main question is liability. Does any one have insight as to what the cons and risks if we were to allow this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Sarah977]

@Doug793  Discount the rate? This is a commercial venture and you should be charging $1000/ night for it. And the inquirer needs to have liability insurance, and your place isn't set up to accommodate 14 people, regardless of a porta-potti.

Not to mention this person has totally disrespected your max guest count and is obviously not a professional or they would have offered to pay an appropriate rate for a film site and sent you a copy of their insurance policy. They certainly wouldn't have asked for a discount to offset the rental of a porta-potti.

This person is playing you for a fool. Do not even consider this. It's a no, absolutely. 

[Helen3]

If someone wants to film on your property it's not a booking you can do via Airbnb. They need to pay a full commercial rate, you need a clear contract detailing how the property will be used, whether they want to move around furniture, what happens in the event of damage, what they are bringing in in terms of catering/toilets,  staffing during the day, how many are staying, they also need to provide you with a copy of their liability insurance.

If they are arguing over the cost of hiring in toilets it sounds like it's not a suitable booking for you. I would say no.

Hilarious they are asking for a discount when they should be paying commercial rate @Doug793 

If you want to hire your place out for filming using a film location company who will have proper contracts and commercial rates in place. 

[Doug793]

Thanks so much @Helen3 and @Sarah977 ... both of your replies helped us so much and made us feel better about denying the request! Appreciate the time you took to reply. 

[Clarissa177]

Hey Community! We received a fascinating request today from a potential guest looking to film a movie on our property. While we're open to the idea, we're cautious about the liability implications. Anyone here have experience or advice on navigating this? Much appreciated! #CastleLife #MovieMagic 🎥

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Clarissa177 

Have a look at the responses above for a place to start. Then consult your lawyer, insurance agent and look at what your local Film Commission does. If this is legit, the local Film Commission should likely be approaching you. This could be easy and fun or a real nightmare. The crew should have huge insurance to protect you and your property. Film crews move in a small city of trailers, equipment, people, trash and wires, They trash gardens and interiors, repaint buildings, and much more. This could be a very high ticket enterprise in payment and/or clean up. Please proceed cautiously and with knowledge. 

[Helen3]

If someone wants to film at your home Airbnb is not an appropriate platform . They should be paying full commercial rates, you need to see a copy of their liability insurance , understanding how many people are using the property, whether they will be moving furniture and other items and you need a full contract covering how property will be used, what happens in the event of damage, whether they are bring in catering trucks/toilets etc @Clarissa177 

you don't have a listing attached to your profile so hard to comment further