How to shut down a probable party attempt LOL

[Letti0]

So, we just got a booking for a single Saturday night.

We only do a maximum of 10 adults and two children for a total of 12 on the property. Guy books 10 adults and 1 child. It's that one lone child among 10 adults that has my gut feelings thinking this is a party. Here's the message exchange.

He's probably trying to figure out where to hold his "reunion" now that we shut him down, since from the conversation below I believe I'm pretty sure it's a party he was planning. Looked the guy up and he is in his mid to late 20's. What are your thoughts? Think I'm correct or wrong.

Guest: My cousins reunion after 7 years!!!

Us: Will you be needing a high chair or booster seat ? Where is the reunion being held so that I can leave you precise directions to the guest house, we’ve had issues with guests finding us at night.
Thank you , Letti

Guest: Sure a high chair would be appreciated. We are meeting near the river walk. Do you live near the property? Where do we find the keys?

Us: We will have a high chair available. There are three houses on the six acres and yes we live in one.
River walk is about 25 to 30 minutes away.
We have a keyless entry which we change the code and supply to you two days before your arrival .
Thank you, Letti

Guest: Thank you.

[David126]

Probably.

I would perhaps have made it clearer than you are very close and able to be on site to assist them very quickly and at all hours....

Do you have Camera's etc?

[Letti0]

@David126 We thought about cameras when we installed the security system and decided they were too invasive, but I am rethinking that idea. I am also thinking of mentioning not to be alarmed as some guests have been to see a police squad car on the property as the property managers husband is a police detective. 

[David126]

@Letti0

Like it especially as only those with evil intent would find this disturbing. Plenty of ways you can manage your listing that would persuade the party etc people to look elsewhere.

Camera covering the entrance can be sold as a plus, safeguarding the guest, well you get the drift.

[Letti0]

@David126 It is really a fact her husband drives a marked car he takes home daily, so it is a strong possibility they will see it parked on the property. 

We're going to re-evaluate the camera option this week and if we decide to install them let any reserved guests know and explain as a "safety deal for all" and add the info to our listings. I have commericial insurance, so I am not depending on anyone like AirBnB to pay for problems, I'll fix them myself if it's gone bad with insurance if needed. I'd just like to avoid them if possible. This booking is just setting off alarms to me for some reason. We've been doing weddings since last July and only recently started renting out the Guest house to non wedding people. We also have a cottage that we will begin listing by end of summer, so we're not that up on STR's and the does & don'ts yet, but I am reading and learning every day. 

[David126]

I am not denying it but something that certainly could help.

The big issue with using AirBnB in your situation is the lack of a real Security Deposit which would otherwise be normal.

So if something goes wrong the Guest usually can just walk away, I would also make sure you get ID, need to add that in your listing.

[Fred13]

@Letti0 I quite do not get it. The place allows a 10 adults (+2 children) combination; why these particular numbers, to force a family combination? Strange family indeed, 5 adults per child. Moving on..

    No parties allowed, which begs the questions whose definition will be used to define what is a 'party' or not? Besides if you get a party of 10 adults - it will definitely be a 'party' of sorts anyway, family or no family. 

    Lastly, why get into the intent of guests (and cameras) before anything has even occurred?

    The only thing that would get me nervous is the age - late 20's; below 30 they do start getting me nervous. 

[Rebecca160 · Accepted solution]

@Letti0  It is definitely for a party.That is what reunions are, in my experience. 

I think in the future, you might want to charge  a security deposit, which you can do through the Airbnb app. Also, you might consider writing up a contract, stating that you have a contract in your listing and then sending a copy of the contract to guests prior to arrival. Let them know that they will have to sign the contract upon arrival. I think this will help eliminate the fun party types. Oh, Airbnb does alloow contracts, if you state that you have one in your listing.

[David126]

and disclose its terms.

The problem with the ABB Security Deposit is that you have no control over it and a knowledgable Guest will know it is toothless.

[Fred13]

The lack of a true deposit in the Airbnb system is the 'missing link' in solving damage issues smoothly that come up with all bookings, not just 'parties' (whatever that really means). 

[Letti0]

@Rebecca160 @David126 We already had this on HA/VRBO "A signed rental agreement and ID must be sent to us before door code is issued." I have added it to the AirBnB rules for future use. I had a lawyer do the rental contract for us. He stated it is chargeback proof and will cover almost all issues, we'll see. I do have a $500 security deposit for all the use it is at AirBnB. 

@Fred13 As a rule we rent to 4-8 adults and 3-6 kids. We have a set of twin beds, but an adult is too heavy to use them in my opinion, that's why we say 10 Adults and 2 Children as maximum. 

[Fred13]

Ah. That makes sense. I wonder if your rental agreement comes into conflict with Airbnb's most liberal approach, but it certainly makes sense when dealing with many properties. Be great, or so much better, when Airbnb goes to a true deposit system.

[Rebecca160]

@Letti0  In case you need to know:

For hosts

If you require guests to sign a contract, you must disclose the actual contract terms to them prior to booking. The easiest way to do this is to mention the contract in your listing's description, and include the terms in your message thread with the guest.

Airbnb can't help enforce any special policies in your contract.

For guests

Hosts may ask you to sign a contract, but they must disclose this requirement and its terms prior to booking.

If you’re not comfortable with the contract, you may want to discuss your concerns with the host or look for another place to stay.

If your host asks you to sign a contract that you weren’t notified about before you made the reservation, you can decline to sign the contract and ask your host to cancel your reservation instead.

[Alexandra316]

@Letti0 What constitutes a party? If you're allowing up to 12 people into your home, I would think that any group is going to be a "party" by some definition.

I honestly don't think the small number of children is that odd these days, especially if the group is under the age of 30. People are waiting until they're older to have kids or choosing not to have them at all. My husband has two siblings, and between the three of them, there is only one child. So if we had the whole family on his side together, there would be 8 adults and one child. The number of children on my side is a bit higher, but not much.

As an alternative to cameras, you could look at Party Squasher, a device that checks the number of electronic devices within a designated area. It's worth checking out if you're concerned that groups are going to get bigger than expected.

[Kelly149]

@Alexandra316 my listing used to say something like "any stay at the barn feels like a party, but you'll need to tell us if additional guests will be joining you". But then we kept running into the "but they aren't spending the night so it doesn't matter" types. So, now it says no unregistered guests on property and my rental contract has an entire page of FAQ explaining what "on property" means.

"what constitutes a party" a very relevant ABB existential question

    - oh, we aren't having a party, this is just my entire extended family

   - oh, this isn't a party, we just invited all our old roommates to come over for dinner

   - oh, this isn't a party, we just came from a funeral

   - oh, this isn't a party, we're just all changing clothes and getting dressed before we go to an event together

    - oh, this isn't a party......

@Letti0