Mid-term Guest Issues

[Billie37]

Hello, I just started hosting last December and for the first time (via Airbnb platform) I have mid term guests.  These guests (husband, wife, 3 kids, and dog) have been at my house around 55ish days now.  They are paid up until Sept 30th.  Here's what has happened so far from initial communications in June:

They asked if I could be flexible with them and let them only pay until end of September, but they may stay until February - they were not sure of an exact end date, but they needed my calendar blocked without payment
• I gave them the Airbnb at half price
• I blocked my whole calendar for months for free with no payment  

They asked if they could arrive a week early "since no one will be there" kind of acting like I would allow them for free since no one else was booked.
• I allowed unplanned early arrival by one week and added half price discount

(I had to take 2 vacation days at this point to clean because I didn't have enough time in between people with busy work schedule, etc)

They asked if they could arrive another day early for free
• Allowed another unplanned early arrival by a day and gave for free  
• Also gave additional $100 discount because of road construction that had just started near the home.

They asked to use the house for the school registration and if they could get their mail forwarded to Airbnb
• Allowed forwarded mail and address to be used for school registration

They had a package delivered early to home before check-in date and then arrived with an unplanned dog
Asked if they could be added to the ring cameras and other cameras (not typical)
• Allowed Ring cameras, said dog was okay, took pic of the package and let them know it arrived

When they arrived, they asked how to close the electric gate. I responded "with the remote that is on the snack basket labeled 'electric gate remote'" There were tons of little communications like this, but I'll leave those out.

They asked if they could have an extra remote to the electric gate

• I gave them number to the gate company and direct number to Jean who works there, found PDF for manual and forwarded it, all just in case. I called gate company and they said they don’t set up remotes.

• I ordered a remote from Amazon and had to learn how to set up extra electric gate remote myself (which wasn’t hard), ordered Liftmaster box keys, etc. I did not charge them an additional charge to for this extra remote.

After a few days, they messaged about downstairs half bath fan being stuck on like it was an emergency, although it was not on when I arrived the next morning.

• I came over the next morning and fixed it. Also, I tried a different electric remote I bought for gate,  since the one I ordered from Amazon didn’t come in yet, but didn’t work.

They messaged about miscellaneous mail that is coming in and what to do with it

• I told them about how you can return mail to sender

They messaged me about ants and what to do (I have organic and non organic pesticide in the house) - said they didn’t have ants in Seattle

• I came over the next day, wiped up the ants, caulked the baseboards, sprayed with organic spray, left them more spray and supplies, put Terro baits down inside and outside, and plugged in some electric pest repellers, also called 4 exterminators and had one come out the following business day

They messaged me about 2 lizards in the bathroom “just wanted me to be aware”

• Explained it’s just Texas and the geckos are everywhere, usually outside, but may have come in because of the spraying

I messaged them that hail was coming their way during a thunderstorm and that Oncor had texted me saying their power was out.

• I offered to come over with coolers and ice for food, they declined.

• I gave them the link to get electric updates to their phone.

• I sent screenshots from NextDoor about other neighbors conversations about power being out

• I stayed up all night monitoring the situation and emailing updates from Oncor - Oncor kept pushing back the power on time.

• By morning the husband seemed very upset the power wasn’t back on, so I gave him $50 for the inconvenience. He happily accepted it. Power came on at that time. (out from ~7PM to 6AM)

They messaged me about how they can keep their small dog from fitting through a gap in the fence caused by the moving electric gate.

• Advice about using boards in the shed (for really small dogs) is in the Airbnb manual. I also spoke to the wife about using boards in the shed when we were outside and the pest control guy showed up.

• When the husband contacted me about what possibly to do, I figured they just didn’t want to use the boards, so I mentioned several other things I could come over and do to fill the gap. He ended up fixing the gap himself with the boards in the shed which amazed me he could fix anything!

(Their dog is small like a cat)

And they are leaving their dog outside and in the garage which is stated in the Airbnb house manual as a "no no.”  The dog is constantly scratching the storm door to get in.  I am wondering how many doors are scratched right now.

I contacted the couple about me coming over to change the Air filter. The husband told me about his girls ripping curtain hardware from wall and asked if I had wall anchors. (they have 3 children)

• I came over the very next day and changed the Air filter in the attic, fixed the curtains, and did other maintenance like changing out the ring camera batteries. No charge for anything.

They messaged me about puddles and sent me pictures.

• Explained again that it’s Texas and it thunderstorms here and puddles happen. He said they don’t get puddles in Seattle since it just mists.
At this point I feel they are trying to get more discounts.

They called several times Sunday night (Sept 6th) from 8:20 to 8:40PM hanging up and leaving no message. I called back after finding out it wasn’t some spam caller (I had originally blocked the number after 20 minutes of them calling and hanging up). The Husband told me they had to use the override switch on the electric gate and push it open. The gate was heavy he said. I, as a 5'3" female, can push the gate open and closed all by myself, btw.

• Not sure what he wanted me to do at 9PM at night, but I came over and looked at it. I informed The Husband that the over communication had to stop. I couldn’t handle it anymore.

• Gate override information is listed in Airbnb manual

• Gate override switch is labeled with large index card and big writing with marker

• Gate company information, along with manual, was given when they first moved in.

• I read the manual late that night after getting back from looking at the gate and saw that the gate has batteries, even though it plugs in, and that those batteries needed to be replaced every 3 years.

• The very next morning, Sept 7th, I went to Academy Sports and bought two 7AH batteries, went to the house and replaced them in the Liftmaster gate box/motor. It looked like someone had been inside the box messing with the wires.

• Also, I saw that the $260 (before tax) cat house was broken when I got to the Airbnb to replace the batteries. This was upsetting because with all the over communication, and messaging me about puddles and “lizards” he couldn’t message me about the broken cat house. 

• I called The Husband several times about 1) someone pulling out wires from inside the Liftmaster motor (he denied messing with wires), 2) The broken cat house (he admitted his kids broke), 3) how I didn’t know if I wanted them to stay past the end of September, etc. The Husband said that he still wanted to stay at my house and he wouldn’t contact me anymore for all the little things.  On the phone, he said he just messaged me about puddles and lizards because he thought we were friends.

I tell the husband that things have not been going smoothly for me, how I just lost my job, my car just broke down, and I can’t handle the stress of feeling like I’m constantly waiting on him and his family.  At this point, him and I had messaged over 160 times through personal email within a 4 or 5 week period.  He said he would stop the over communication and fix the small things himself.  I told him that worried me, and what if he then becomes passive-aggressive.  He said I had nothing to worry about.  The husband said they would like to pay outside of Airbnb “To save me money”.  I told him that it’s the guests that get charged fees.  Going outside of Airbnb would only save him money. 

I signed up with Cozy on Sept 10th and sent a request for payments to be set via up early on Sept 10th.

• No response from them the rest of the day Sept 10th.

• No response Sept 11th.

I was getting the feeling that since I set my boundaries and asked The Husband to not over communicate, he is now not communicating at all.

• Sept 12th, I message The Wife’s account via Airbnb:

Hi The Wife, I hope everything is going well. I just wanted to send a friendly reminder that your last paid day is coming up in a little over a couple of weeks. I have continued to keep my entire calendar blocked off since June, but unfortunately I can not financially keep it blocked very much longer. Are you and The Husband wanting to book past September 30th? If not, no worries! Your checkout date will be September 30th and I will open the calendar back up for bookings in October. If you would like to stay past the 30th, please let me know. I messaged The Husband a couple times and have not had any response. The latest I can keep the calendar blocked is September 18th. Hopefully that gives you some time to decide. Have a great day, Billie

She messages: Hey Billie! I’m pretty sure we plan to stay. He is out of town for a funeral right now so the last week has been a little hectic. But we love it here and the kids do too so I’m pretty sure we’ll be staying. Thanks!!

I message back: Ok, great! Thanks for letting me know! Sorry for your (and/or The Husband's) loss. I'm really glad you all are enjoying it there. Please let me know if something changes!

• Sept 13th, I see The Husband is at the house on the outside cameras. No response all day.

• Sept 14th, I close down the Cozy request since really it’s only doing them a favor, not me.

And nothing from them Sept 15th.  

So, today (the 16th) I message again with a “friendly reminder” for payment if they wanted to stay and that I would be opening my calendar to the public on the 18th.  I state that I am no longer communicating off the platform and thus it’s best they never responded to set up their Cozy payment, because communicating off platform is not the right thing to do.  Boy did I learn that the hard way!  I state that it seems to me that once I set my boundaries, the husband quit communicating.  I can post what our conversation went like today, but it was a ton more back and forth with them calling, texting, and emailing.  I had to keep saying “I can only communicate on Airbnb”.  And the husband asked for just one call off the platform.  I said no.  I opened my calendar and only gave them a 10% discount instead of 50%.  He was not happy.  After that he kept pushing again to speak outside of Airbnb and saying "he just wanted to save me money."  I told him AGAIN, going outside the platform saves him money, not me.

Then, I assume it was the husband, started trying to guilt trip me with the price saying he could not afford it and "I am sad for my kids and the impact you are having on them". That was my last straw.  At that point I said it’s best for them to go at the end of the month and not book further.  They said they would leave. 

This all seems so crazy to me!  Is this typical of mid term Airbnb guests?  How often do you get contacted by your guests that are staying over 30 days? 

[Colleen253]

@Billie37 "They asked if I could be flexible with them and let them only pay until end of September, but they may stay until February".

This should have been your red flag #1. This was all the tip off you needed to to keep the door firmly closed. Guests this entitled will only end up costing you money. Start treating your Airbnb like a business, not a charity. And go practice @Ute42 's NO! tutorial. 

 @Robin4 SOS Billie needs a couple of your tutorials as well. 😉

[Ute42]

.

@Colleen253 

🤣🤣  What a night!

[Robin4]

@Billie37 

@Colleen253  Colleen, thanks for the 'heads up' re Billie's issue!

Billie, I have a lot on my plate at the moment and I just skimmed your long post, but to me what you are getting at, a hosting relationship has turned sour and you wish you hadn't taken it on!

We all get caught once, and once we have, we develop our strategies to not let it happen again. We can all say, if only, if this, if that.....'if your Aunty had balls she would be your Uncle', if, if, if.... we are always wiser in hindsight.

For a start, a long term guest is a risky proposition and one I will not entertain. I will not rent to a guest for any more than 27 nights....period!

There are three main reasons for this....

1/......More than 3/4 of the people you actually know in your life you would not choose to have a long term relationship with! You would have differences of opinion, different ways of dealing with situations....personality clashes would ensue...People are fine but, in small doses!

Don't hook yourself to a long term agreement with someone you don't know, there is a 75% chance it will go off the rails!

2/.....Once a tenant is in your property for more than  28 days their legal rights alter considerably. STR and LTR rights vary, and an STR tenant can be extremely hard to shift after a month. Some hosts specialise in long term guests, understand the risks and set themselves up to handle issue that may arise but you need to be a very competent host to entertain a long term guest.

3/.....Airbnb will not guarantee that you will be paid beyond the first month, and when a guest asks to extend a booking beyond that, be aware that you are on your own as far as payment is concerned.

Now putting those three points together Billie, long term renting presents an unacceptable risk to me...and I am an experienced host with over 400 stays to draw on behind me!  If someone wants to stay beyond 27 nights, tell them the property is not available!

And that last point brings me to another sphere of hosting.......be firm, set your boundaries and stick to them, stay the master/mistress of your situation don't let someone else control it.

People go through life shifting the goalpost to suit their kick! Never get involved with a haggler! Billie they are not like that great bottle of wine, they don't improve. Haggling is a way of life for them, it gets them what they want, and every question or requirement of theirs strengthens their ground and it weakens yours. It gets to the point you are probably at now where you will do anything, give in to any of their demands just to get them out of your life.

I don't like 'reservation requests' I wish I didn't have to deal with them. I love 'Instant Books'!

Scenario A........"Hi Rob we have seen your lovely listing looking forward to the 27th and can't wait to stay with you and Ade"......Brilliant, they have a profile photo, like what they see, just want pull out the credit card and book.....bring em on, I don't want to do any more digging around, I know they will be great guests....... another 5 star review coming on.

Scenario B........"Hello Rob, we are coming to Mt Barker for a wedding, can we check-in early to give us plenty of time to change, I might want to prepare a few pre weddings nibbles in the kitchen if that is ok, is there somewhere we can leave the car off the street" .....Nah, hang on, I don't know you from Adam and you have already hit me up for three requests and by God, you can bet your 'uncles balls' it won't end there, it will be just one thing after another....oh what I am, saying, I think you know exactly what I mean Billie. DON'T GET INVOLVED WITH A HAGGLER!! 

Do not offer discounts, do not give in to prospective guests questions!

Scenario C......."Hi, Rob, Angus, I and Jake our toddler are looking forward to our stay with you, we hope the weather will be kind to us so we can sit in your garden"

My response...."It will be our pleasure to have you Angus and Jake here to stay with us and I hope we can make your stay a lovely one for you. I have a Fisher Price porta cot and a large box of toys, would you like me to have these out for you when you arrive, it might save you bringing yours"? 

Scenario D......."Hi Rob, I notice you say in your listing description children are allowed. What sort of equipment do you provide to cater for children?"

My response......"My Studio is basically set up to cater for couples. Although I have no issues with you bringing  children, you will have to be responsible for their requirements"!

There you go, I haven't argued with them I have told them they are welcome with their kids, what I have done is set the ground rules for the stay, not them!

I will make a guest offers......I will not be asked by a guest for an offer...simple as that!

Billie there is so much more, I could go into many pages of the subtleties attached to hosting but in the final analysis, guests fall into two camps.

Passive/complimentary: They like what they see, just want to stay!

Aggressive/demanding:  They just want to jerk you around!

Read the wording of all communication very carefully and get to understand what the words mean Billie and maybe you can stop a situation like this happening again.

All the best Billie.

Cheers.......Rob 

[Huma0]

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@Robin4 wrote:

Don't hook yourself to a long term agreement with someone you don't know, there is a 75% chance it will go off the rails!

---

@Robin4 

So, I'm going to disagree about this point, simply based on my own experience. As you know I only host long-term guests these days but I have hosted a mixture of long and short-term ones since the beginning. I've had three problematic ones. Sounds like a lot? Not really. I have lost count of the number of long-term guests I've hosted and three makes up a tiny percentage.

There are a few reasons I think long-term hosting has gone well for me overall, including vetting guests carefully and watching out for those red flags. Unlike you, I actually want a fair amount of communication from my guests before they stay, but I would also see a list of extra requirements/asking me to make exceptions for this that or the other as red flags.

The other thing is being very clear what is/isn't on offer and pointing out any areas that could become issues with a fussy/demanding guest, i.e. there is traffic noise in this bedroom, don't book it if you are a light sleeper. Don't book if you are uncomfortable with cats. There are several flights of stairs to this bedroom etc.

Make it VERY clear that you have rules and that you take them seriously. Remind the guests of these when they book/request to book and again when you do the welcome tour and again if it becomes necessary.

Finally, if you do have a really problematic guest, it is possible to get them out. I have done this once and I have to say Airbnb was very helpful.

I do very much agree with you that it's important to understand tenants' rights etc. in your location and I can see why in many places/circumstances taking in long-term guests with no rental agreement could be a very bad idea. Because I am a live-in host in the UK, I am well protected by the law and guests do not have tenants' rights at all, but I would be very reluctant to take long stays if I was renting out an entire property as that's a different matter all together. It's just so important for every host to understand what the legalities are in their neck of the woods. That really is the first thing to consider for anyone thinking of hosting long-termers.

[Robin4]

@Huma0 

Huma......there are very few more experienced hosts in the world than you!

You are the epitome of the professional host...both you and your listing exude class and sophistication....you possum know what this game is all about!

@Billie37  on the other hand has a wonderful listing which also exudes class, but in a different level of the spectrum! It is a modern supremely comfortable space which she has created but, but,  but, Billie has 16 reviews, she is learning the ropes and has numerous hurdles to jump before she is in your league. The sheer fact that she talks about blow up beds in that beautiful space, giving in left right and centre to guests......she is learning the ropes, unsure of how to handle guests.

Mate, don't throw her in at the deep end!!! Encourage her to feel her way and tell her the traps that she might.....and is currently encountering. 

At this stage of her career long term hosting is not for her....Billie will learn and it is our duty as senior hosts to help her and advise her how to learn .

Huma, we became good hosts, you and I each in our own way because of the help we received here on the CC. You could not have done what you have achieved if it wasn't for Dave, and Clare, and Helga,  and  Andrea, and Debora, and Helen and of course David from Como.

Lets not push Billie into something she is not ready for, I am sure she will get there but, let her walk before we try to enter her in the marathon!

Sorry Huma, mate, I am not criticizing you, I have enormous respect for you.

Cheers.......Rob 

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

I'm not trying to push @Billie37  into anything she is not ready for. I was replying more in general about the subject of long-term hosting as, in my experience, the majority of long-term guests are lovely rather than problematic. Your premise that 75% are going to be people you just want to see the back of doesn't ring true to me. I have had far, far more problem stays with short-termers.

Also, some of my very first guests were long-term, so it was really not a question of experience at all. I think it was more that I was very cautious about whom I hosted in general and inquisitive about guests from the start. I don't think you need to be more experienced to host long-termers than short-termers. It's about accepting guests that are a good fit for your listing. If you can do that, then having a great guest for three months is so much easier for a new host than a series of guests that are the good, the bad and the ugly!

I agree though that long-term hosting is not for everyone, especially in areas where there is an issue of tenants' rights. 

The main thing though is to vet, vet, vet the guests as far as possible. Listen, we've all made mistakes and let those problematic guests slip through, but long-term guests in my experience are far more invested in the whole live like a local, stay with a host experience than a high percentage of today's Airbnb holidaymakers. The latter is far more prone to the entitled, demanding, expecting 5 star hotel services at rock bottom prices attitude. 

Perhaps this differs from place to place though?

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  I think it very much depends on the area your listing is in and why guests are coming. My bookings are from 3 days to 2 weeks, and I've ever really done the math, but I'd say the stay on average is a week-10 days.

People are coming here because its a touristy beach town, so they aren't the sort of guests who just hang around the house all day, take over your dining table with their laptop, paperwork, etc and get on your nerves. They are out at the beach, or eating at one of the 300 or so restaurants or taco stands in this tiny town, or exploring, going on a whale-watching boat tour, taking surf lessons, etc. There's the odd day when they just feel like relaxing and reading their book, but they tend to do that up in their room, and they have their own bathroom, so they still aren't in my way.

And I do home-sharing because I enjoy sitting around having conversations with my guests, which we might do over morning coffee, or a bottle of wine in the evening. We've gone out to dinner together, I've taken them to an out-of-the-way beach they'd never know about and couldn't get to without a car, etc. Certainly not with all guests, but the ones I click with.

It's not that I'm lonely and need friends, it's that I'm sociable (although at some point I have enough of people in general and breathe a sigh of relief when I have the house to myself) and find that everyone has interesting life stories, from working in Cameroon with the peace corps, to the Japanese woman who said she doesn't "fit" in Japan and came to the US as sort of a mail-order girlfriend, but didn't like the guy that much, so wouldn't marry him and ended up on the other side of Mexico from me, where she teaches Japanese and feeds all the street cats, to the Canadian woman who writes young adult fiction and had married a Morroccan man who had been her tenant and talked to me about the issues they have because of their cultural differences. (As she used to have tenants in her home, she introduced me to the term "professional tenant"- the ones who know the landlord/tenant laws inside out and move in, pay the first month or two, then stay for free because they know you can't evict them for months)

I have noticed that US hosts seem to have the most problematic guests, but that also appears to vary according to region. Big cities, and some of the southern states and California, appear to have more bad guest stories than those in, for instance, the Maine woods. Actually big cities in general, be it London, Paris, or LA, would appear to get more bad guests than small towns and rural areas.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

Yes, absolutely. It depends on your location but also on your circumstance. Like I said, because I host in my own home, I am protected by law in a way I wouldn't be if I was renting out an entire property.

It also depends on your hosting style. You have described yours very well. You love the interaction you have with your guests who, on the whole, sound like a fascinating bunch, but like your privacy too. I am much the same. I am very sociable and chatty but also need some time to myself and have boundaries.

On the other hand, there are many hosts here on the CC who want minimal interaction with guests. It is income and nothing else and that is fine too. There is also a lot of fear about guests being a nightmare and hence the theory that, if you only accept short-term guests, you don't have to deal with that nightmare for too long.

Well, my outlook is a bit different. I do my best to avoid the nightmares full stop. My most painful guests only stayed eight days but it felt like eight months. I wish I had never accepted their booking, but would I have accepted those people as long-term guests? No, not a chance. My long-term guests vary in many ways but they are also similar in many ways. They are a different breed to the holiday makers etc. I hope I have learnt to sense (more often than not) who will and won't make a good long-term guest.

My point is that it's not even about long term or short term, it's about doing these things:

- Be honest about your listing, including its 'failings'.

- Vet your guests. Ask for information and only accept guests you feel comfortable with.

- Be crystal clear about your house rules and your expectation that guests will follow them and establish your boundaries. Be prepared to remind guests of rules if they break them.

It's not fool proof, but I think that successful hosting principles apply to both short and long term. If guests are generally an irritation for someone, of course they are not going to want long-term guests, they are going to prefer the ones that are in and out within a couple of days, but I wouldn't host at all if the majority were a pain in the rear end. 

[Robin4]

@Huma0 

Huma if I can put it another way, if you were put into a room full of 500 random people, there would be 400 you would not want to have anything to do with again. You would have nothing in common with them, no common ground....they are simply those ships in the night we encounter on the ocean of life!

That is what my 75% figure is based on. The figure alters considerably when there is common ground between people. The fact that you are a host, put you in a room full of 500 potential guests and you would get on with at least 75% of them. 

But getting on with them and being able to say they were great guests are two different things.

Every day teaches me something about hosting, just as it does you. 

Your experience has given you a fine tuned radar in what to look for in a suitable long term guest......... @Billie37  is yet to acquire that radar, and until she does, she should stay clear of that part of the market!

Cheers.......Rob

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

You may well be right that @Billie37 should stay well clear of that market. We are not all the same, but I don't think in my case it has anything to do with experience as a host.

I have hosted long term guests from the very start, when I had no idea what I was doing and before I had benefited from the sage advice of hosts like you on this CC (by far the best school for a new host)!

If I brought any experience to the long-term hosting, it was from several years of sharing my home with lodgers. Getting used to hosting short-termers was much more of a challenge!

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@Robin4 wrote:

@Huma0 

if you were put into a room full of 500 random people, there would be 400 you would not want to have anything to do with again. You would have nothing in common with them, no common ground....

---

Yep, probably true. However, we're not talking about random people here, or at least we shouldn't be! Firstly, Airbnb is off the radar for a lot of folk who would only stay in a hotel or a resort, so they're removed from the start. Then there's a LOT of people who would never ever consider staying with a live in host, let alone for months at a time (I know that doesn't apply to @Billie37 's case), so they are gone. 

Now you as a host add to that cull. For starters, the listing should appeal to the type of guest that you want to host. Next, a host needs to vet guests and not just accept anyone who is willing to pay, but only those they feel would be a good fit and that they would be comfortable with. Part of this is setting expectations and being clear about house rules so that you scare off the potentially problematic ones.

Of course, you can't avoid those completely, but there's a lot you can do to minimise your chances of getting one! I can't tell you how many people I have deterred from booking my listing because I sensed that they had some pie in the sky idea of what it would be like, or that they were clearly going to have issues with certain aspects of it. If they are not good communicators, then I am probably not going to host them.

My long-term guests are not a purely random cross section of people - far from it. They may come from different parts of the world, but they have more in common than not. 

[Emilia42]

I always can't help but think how spot on @Robin4 is when he brings up this point on the initial communication. Rather than how much or how little communication the guest offers it is so much more about how they communicate it. That being that the "Passive/complimentary" guest leaves me with little to worry about. I know that if I ask them further questions, they will answer and their responses will be what I want to hear. The "Aggressive/demanding" guests only want one thing and that is to put you in a position where you now work for them. 

[Debra300]

Uh hum, @Robin4, it was actually me who tagged you to this thread first.  I do feel badly that I couldn't remember the profile name of some hosts, but I am glad they have contributed to this discussion.  I knew all of you would provide a wealth information to @Billie37.

[Robin4]

@Debra300 

You may well be correct Deb, you may have tagged me in, some of these threads stretch out....sometimes over years and who tags who gets lost in the mists of time! 

But is was the post before that one of mine from @Colleen253  that decided me to get involved.

"@Robin4 SOS Billie needs a couple of your tutorials as well." 

I am working on a lengthy post at the moment which I am calling  'A Hosting Handbook for Dummy's'  It will encompass not just all the ideas and things I have learned from hosting but those great tips I have learned from you guys and guests along the way which I have adopted.

I am setting it out into sections....

Setting up, describing and posting a listing on Airbnb!

Pricing guidelines and extra pricing and discount tips!

House rules and how to handle rule disputes!

Accepting reservations and guest interaction!

How to write and handle reviews and responses!

How to handle dealing with Airbnb!

It is a substantial amount of work, but it will cover pretty much everything that I would want to know if I was a new host starting out. Some of it will be virtually cut and paste from some of my relevant past posts. I am staying away from 'How to' screenshots because, changes to the platform programming and rules come at such a prodigious rate that much of that sort of information becomes outdated quickly!

But basically, it will be like trying to put an old hosting head on a new hosts shoulders!

A psychological adventure into dealing with guests.

When I have it finished I would like to run it past @Nick @Katie @Lizzie  for ideas, comments and where to place it where it might best help!

Cheers.........Rob

[Katie]

Can't wait to read it @Robin4

[Nick]

I second that 🙂 @Katie @Robin4