More Guests than stated - Airbnb MUST DO MORE!

[Tammi50]

Hello Airbnb Hosts! -

I have been an Airbnb Superhost for years and try hard to maintain Airbnb's minimum Superhost standards. But Airbnb does not do enough in return.

Lately, I have had SEVERAL reservations where more guests arrived than stated on the reservation.  I went into my condo one time to fix an immediate problem and found out there were so many "extra" guests, that people were sleeping on the couch and floor!! My neighbors have complained about noise and too many cars and it's up to me to deal with it. 

But first, I live a few hours away from my vacation rental so a face-to-face meeting with the guests is not always possible. 

And second, I am a single female and do not feel comfortable confronting people who are breaking the rules, especially men.

People can get very nasty!!

I see several posts on Airbnb from hosts with the SAME problem. Guests routinely disregard the max occupancy rule and this is an ongoing issue. Hosts have little recourse.  And if you ask a guest to leave, you risk a bad review in retaliation which Airbnb does not always remove.  

AIRBNB MUST DO MORE TO PROTECT HOSTS FROM TOO MANY GUESTS!!!!!!!  Here are some suggestions...

     1.   Add a checkbox to the reservation process for the guest to verify the number of guests. 

     2.  Add some type of warning message during the reservation process stating that too many guests over the max occupancy is a violation of the house rules and the guests could be asked to leave.

     3.  For properties that require a charge for extra guests, Airbnb must add some type of warning message during the reservation process stating that a guest's Airbnb account will be charged an extra guest fee if they go over the original amount of guests on the reservation. 

     3.  If a guest gets "caught" with more guests than on the reservation, their Airbnb account will be suspended for 3 months.

     4.  If a guest gets "caught" with more guests than on the reservation and the host advises Airbnb of the issue, the guest should not be allowed to leave a review. 

These are just a few simple changes that Airbnb can make to better protect hosts from guest who take advantage!! If Airbnb cared about their hosts, they should and could do more.

Hosts...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE chime in and comment below.  Demand that Airbnb make these changes!!!  Let Airbnb know that this is not acceptable and we need them to do more!!!

#TooManyGuests #MoreGuestsThanStated 

[Robin488]

There is a check box, it says how many guests they are bringing.  Additionally it would be a good practice to send a message right when you get the reservation, asking them to confirm numbers, and reminding them of any important information.  I.e. no pets, no kids under a certain age, and that you adhere strictly to the number of reserved guests, and you can add a a penalty for over that number.   It’s our job as hosts to manage our properties, Airbnb certainly can’t do it for us. 

[Tammi50]

I should not have to hire someone to do what Airbnb should already be doing!  I do have someone looking out for my place...my neighbors. But no one, not even a hired hand, is comfortable with refusing to allow the guests in or kicking someone out.  I would not want to put anyone I hired or myself in a possible volatile situation. Bottom line is that Airbnb needs to do more UPFRONT before they even show up to my property with more people than stated on the reservation.  Period!!!

[Sybe]

Hey all,

I understand that these circumstances are frustrating and may seem unfair, and there are definitely some good and constructive ideas being shared here of how this could be improved.

I just wanted to quickly remind you all to remain respectful keep in mind the Community Guidelines when interacting with each other on the CC. Thanks! 🙂

[Laura2592]

@Tammi50 I agree with you on these suggestions. But I sincerely doubt they will be implemented. ABB wants people to think its the easy alternative to to a hotel. Policing guest counts are not something they are interested in doing (or have not been so far) as it will detract from the "its fun to live in someone else's home and you can do whatever you like!" vibe. 

I did a social media post on this issue once and was surprised to find that many people didn't even realize hosts minded this. They think ABB is like the cottage your family rented for a week at the lake or a beach-- if there were a certain number of beds and sofas, that's how many people you could bring (and cousin Pearl's deadbeat son always brought more people than he was supposed to anyway....) ABB isn't sure its NOT that place, but it also isn't sure its not a hotel. Its not sure what it is, exactly. So it leaves the question to hosts to answer. 

I have to disagree that a boots on the ground host solves this issue., I know very few people who have turned back over capacity groups when they have met them in person. The threat of a poor review and empathy for people who are tired and have traveled a long way wins out in most cases. And the problems typically come anyway as the host resents the advantage taken (because obviously the guest is willing to break rules.) I would be happy to see ANYTHING that asks guests to verify their numbers. As it is, I send a message a week before check in asking if counts have changed and requiring an update. ABB could easily add a pop up at booking "Are your guest counts accurate? This host allows X number of guests (and this number may include pets and children so please read house rules or contact your host.)" and send a reminder email to ensure that they have added the appropriate number of people to the reservation. They certainly ping you enough to accept requests or leave reviews. No reason they can't ping a guest about this.

[Robin488]

I give my guests ample notice of the guest count expectations, they received at least 2 messages from me confirming the count, and I do require that they confirm prior to giving them an access code. I will absolutely give guests the option of finding another place for the extra people to stay, in the one case that this happened they all left, and did not receive a refund, because I gave them the option, and they had previously confirmed 4 guests, but brought 6.  In one of my properties, it’s in a condo HOA, max allowed in my 1 bedroom is 4 per the HOA rules, and I can be fined for more, I have this in my house rules, so guests know that if I don’t catch the extra guests, and HOA does there will be a fine of $100 per day. 

[Tammi50]

My point EXACTLY!  And one step further...if they STILL break this rule, the guests account get suspended for a period of time and possibly even get an automatic 1-star review. If hosts have to worry about their reviews, so should guests. ABB should have a "Superguest"  rating. That would solve a lot of problems. 

[Kendra114]

I agree 100% that AirBnb must do more. I’ve had 3 kick-outs in just the past month for total disregard of rules & damages. Our guests lately have been HORRIBLE. We are even hosting A HOST currently who brought 5 extra people into a 700 sq/ft apartment multiple times to use the bathroom & whatever else they did. This is shameful for a host to be so disrespectful. Thank God she is leaving today!

I can also relate to being a woman & safety issues. I have completely removed my name & picture from our profile specifically because of guest’s bad behavior.

There needs to be an official signed & dated contract from guests who must follow & agree to host’s house rules with real consequences if they don’t. And if you provide real proof of damages & fines it needs to be honored.

EVOLVE  has been trying to get our business for a year now. It’s looking more & more like where we should go if AirBnb doesn’t wake up. 

[Tammi50]

I stayed in an ABB in Sedona, AZ and I had to sign a separate rental contract with a management company before arriving.  This was outside of what ABB requires. ABB would not release the address and check-in information to me until the signed contract was received. I have never seen that before and I think I may start doing that myself. 

[Michelle--and-Donald0]

We have been superhosts for 10 years. Our city has just banned short term rentals so now we have to rent with a 30 day minimum stay. Our Guesthouse is on our property and we have never had any complaints. We think it is unfair that because there has been complaints of people having parties at some Airbnb's that it should spoil it for all of us.

Anyone know a way to get around this rule? Maybe by getting a permit? There has to be something we can do so we can go back to short term rentals!

[Tammi50]

Most cities who have banned STRs will still allow them if the owners also reside on the property.  Check the SRT policies for Santa Monica, California.  I think they are online.  Your city should at least allow that! You might also consider longer term rentals to travelling nurses. You can put a listing on furnished finders. They usually stay for 3-months at a time.  The best thing is that travelling nurses are employed, sign a 3-month lease (that can be extended in writing)  and usually have a place to call home so it is unlikely that they will turn into a squatter. I do this with my guest suite on my property and it works out well.  

[Laura2592]

@Michelle--and-Donald0 perhaps post your own thread? But I don't know if you will find a lot of support. Parties/extra guests are huge issues. Its great that you never had that problem but it doesn't mean other hosts here have not had their places seriously damaged or guests hurt (even shot in some instances.)

I would gently suggest that you consider that your space is not the only one available on the platform. Though it is scary to have to turn your business on a dime, its not because of a few whiny people. Its because guests can't follow rules and ABB does little to protect hosts. This community is the only place where some people (myself included) can actually get assistance with difficult situations. I, for one, take unsanctioned parties as a really serious issue and would be thrilled to see more strict rules around it, even if it meant I lost some bookings. 

[Karol22]

I think the other hosts put in good suggestions here, though I don't see Airbnb making changes soon so here's an additional tip to consider till then...

Consider placing a couple automated messages on your listings, one message sent on the day the booking is placed and another message sent a few days before the reservation starts.  Both messages emphasizing the importance of the guest to update you on the number of guests staying. You can frame your messaging to hint that you'll know if they go over the number reported. You may not be there physically all the time but if your guests 'think' that you 'might' be around or have someone that is 'around the area' they may think twice about having a larger number of guests than reported.

Sometimes guests make mistakes because their itineraries change, but other times it's blatant breakage of rules. Either way, I think the above automated messaging will help.

[Mandrake-And-Karen0]

@Karol22, I wholeheartedly agree with your recommendations for solving this problem.  We made some changes to our rental.  We took out a couch that was in the living room and replaced it with two sitting chairs.  Also, we charge per person and in our house rules let guests know that if they violate the rules we will cancel the book and ask Airbnb to help them find another rental.  So far these changes have served us well.  From my experience, it's best to take matters into your own hands to the extent possible rather than wait for Airbnb to do something about your concerns.

Hope it all works out for you.  Hosting can be a challenge, particularly now a days.

Karen

[Tammi50]

I already do this through Hospitable.  It has helped but not in all situations. I am considering having guests sign a separate rental contract. I recently had to do that for an ABB I rented.  ABB would not send me the address or the check in information until the signed contract was received. Never seen that before and that may help because the consequences are spelled out in the contract in black and white. 

[Helen744]

@Karol22 I do agree about the messaging to the guests being vital ,I communicate a lot before the guests arrive especially if they are reluctant . One guest complained about this but my rules if they read them and Airbnbs used to be that refusal or non compliance with host messaging constituted a breach of rules. It has since been made clear to me that people need to have it made clear to them to use the App.My costs are so low at the moment that two or even one person can rent my three bedroom house for less than a hotel so that makes me vulnerable to attracting the wrong type of guest and I will be putting my prices back up after the next superhost as I have lost it recently . It is difficult as this has made many of my bookings less than first class. One particularly strange and undesirable guest recently told me my prices are too low.I am not sure if Airbnb do as they say as far as regaining super host as to the number of days or bookings . As I am just short of the hundred days but have had 26 separate booking . anyone else know . I was told I lost superhost because i did not reach 100 days but i dont believe this . i believe one bad review just before Christmas that was unjustified and never adequately dealt with by Airbnb lost me the superhost status .My co host and I have worked hard to regain our listing as superhost and hope we get it but the guests coming through at the moment just leave us in disbelief.. Airbnb still has a no parties policy , I think,but new guests seem to be of the variety that have been locked down for too long and have swallowed the Airbnbs fantasy 'get away holiday" mantra and are expecting something of a private resort experience instead of a cottage in town . The apps mus t be just not fully conveying what we are trying to present. I think we are picking up the 'trash the hotel room  and move on'crowd where everyone gets into one room and some sleep on the floor and everyone eats takeaway and watches TV or movies in bed . the fact that we are a home and there are no tvs in bedrooms must be disappointing for some people . We want to attract families for a little down time not those who are partying on a dime while they spend their money on alchohol and other things.I will put my prices up as soon as this Superhost round comes around ,win or lose. H