Red Flag Questions

[Laura2592]

There are a lot of hosts who post about difficult situations here. I am always struck that there seem to have been indications in many cases that the guest may not have been a match, but the host missed or overlooked the red flag. I thought it might be helpful to list questions you get that make your "spidey sense" tingle.  Now not all of these mean you are about to have a bad experience, but perhaps this will help you weed out those who aren't the perfect fit for your space.

"How many people can stay here?" Red flag because that is listed in the reservation. They didn't read, or they are having a party. And if they didn't read, they didn't read your rules 🙂 Most hosts have pretty clear occupancy limits. Many guests like to stretch those.

"Do you allow pets?" Also, that is clearly listed. If you don't, you don't.

"Will you make an exception for my non-shedding very sweet and well trained dog?" Again, if you don't allow pets that is stated. The guilt trip questions about the sweetest, best behaved dog in the world don't bode well. 

"Will you make an exception for ...."(fill in the blank.) Normally if the interaction starts this way, there is a long list of exceptions you will be asked to make and you will be frustrated by the end of the stay. This type of guest is better served with a reservation that fits what they are actually looking for, rather than one which they want to modify to their ideal standards. 

"Do you offer discounts?" Bargain hunters are never a good sign. These guests will most often be those who try to get a free stay with a spurious complaint.

"Are you on-site?" Again, that is clearly stated in all listings (or should be. If its not in yours, make sure you are updating.) This is often code for "I would like to break rules and not get caught/maybe have a party."

"Can I have guests over during my stay? They aren't going to be there overnight." All hosts need to decide what level of access they want to give to strangers who are not paying to be at their property. Consider this one carefully. 

"Can you have (specialized item) available for me during my stay /can this be purchased?" If it's something basic that many people might want (like an iron) or you were planning on getting one anyway, maybe consider it. It does start the stay off a bit oddly as the guest can clearly see what your amenities are. But I once had a guest whose life was about to end if she didn't get a specific kind of garlic press. Those kinds of high maintenance "must haves" really cross the line between guest stay and "this is my house and it needs to be stocked with my favorites...like Beyonce's contract rider for what she needs in her dressing room." I have seen hosts post on here that they purchased furniture to a guest's liking. Just say no. What you have on offer is stated.

"Do you have a pool?" Uh, if we did, you would see it listed. Again super obvious they have not read the listing in any way, shape or form.

"Can I check out late?" We actually don't care about this one as we don't do back-to-back reservations. But if you do, this is another guest boundary pusher. Your space may not be a fit. 

What do you have to add, fellow hosts?

[Laura2592]

@Suzanne302 None of these questions are a guarantee of a poor experience, but some might be an indication of a mismatch. 

We are pet friendly hosts so we are happy to welcome guests with a dog. Or even 2 dogs. But we do have a capacity limit because our space is not huge and we also don't want a group who takes a long time to clean up after.  In our experience, more beings in the space means more clean up, especially with pets involved (hair, emptying the poo can, making sure that the yard is free of "gifts" or vacuuming stray pieces of litter that have migrated behind the washing machine, etc.) I will admit I take a bit of exception when a guest asks for us to bend the rules for them.  So if a guest said "can I bring my 3 well-behaved dogs? It's just my husband, myself and our daughter who is 10." I would silently bristle a little.

While I would love to be able to welcome all the dogs and humans alike, this guest is basically putting me in an awkward position where I have to play the role of Big Mean Host Who Said No. No matter how kindly I refuse, I would not have had to if the guest would not have assumed that by asking politely (or not in some cases) that our carefully thought out rules might not apply to them. I don't like being put in that position, as I want people to be happy and comfortable in my space. In my view, the guest should have read the listing and accepted all the terms before booking.  I would argue that my place was not the best fit for that guest if there was a rule or policy they intended to break, even by saying so immediately and pleasantly. So yes, I always see this as a red flag. 

If someone wants to bring infants, those listings are out there.

If someone wants to bring pets, those listings are out there.

If someone wants to bring 12 people, those listings are out there. 

Why waste time asking for things that are clearly stated as not possible when there are MANY other hosts who might welcome you?

[Suzanne302]

@Sarah977  You are very good at reading potential guests! I think sometimes I’m just lucky.  I’m happy to make an exception to my rules from time to time and I’m so grateful the host I asked for making an exception to his. 

You’re right about “well-behaved” (Aren’t they all? Lol) and I’m pretty sure I did use that term unfortunately,  but now that you mention it I also described his breed/age/etc. Either way, I was grateful to have a bed and to not have to sleep on the floor of my empty house due to poor planning on my part!

[Pat271]

@Suzanne302  I used to have a strict “no pets” policy when I was renting out our long-term properties. One day a woman called me with a respectful, gently pleading tone, described her dog to me (a small Scottie), said he was perfectly behaved, and offered to keep his nails clipped so as not to damage my wood floors.  🙂  It was this last bit that won me over. She ended up being one of my best tenants. 

[Ted307]

I would like to second @Sarah977 's post. I have a reading test in my listing, and those who fail this test get extra questioning from me before I accept their reservation. I make it very clear that we live right on site, and will be out in the shared yard every day, to take care of our chickens and ducks. I have a photo of the chickens in the listing, too. I do not want guests who do not bother to read the listing and will not be happy with our place!

As a former frequent Air BnB guest, my question before making a booking request was, "Can you make an exception to your "No Pets" policy for my African Grey parrot. Most will, some will not. That is fine, my parrot is like a member of the family, I always take her if I can. She has excellent reviews, by the way! We make an extra effort if we are traveling with Dylan the African Grey to clean every feather or seed she might leave, and she has a travel cage which she stays in, unlike a dog or cat which might get on the furniture. She gets to come out of her cage with me, and she is very well trained. But, I always have a conversation with prospective hosts when we travel. I wish that more of our guests would discuss their travel needs with us, they way we have with our past hosts. We have been on this site as guests since 2015, but we just began hosting last July.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Whenever I see a topic about red flags I remember my last trip with my 2 friends and our 4 dogs. 

I thought nobody would want to host us 😄 But I found a nice place and sent a very polite inquiry about us being 3 friends in our 50-es, we would like to come for a weekend getaway with our well-behaved (!)  2 small-sized and 2 medium-sized dogs and as we are all smokers (!) we wonder if smoking is allowed on the balcony. And I said I am also a host (!)

So, at least 3 red flags :)))

My daughter saw my inquiry and somehow she misunderstood that's the inquiry we got for our apartment so she called me franticly and said:" Mum! We just got an inquiry, 3 guests with 4 dogs! You have to decline them, immagine dogs hair everywhere... pee on the rug... damage... we don't want to host them! "  I start laughing so hard 😄 😄 I said, Silvia, you would decline your own mum!?? And our own dog???

But the host and his cohost were cool and brave Russians and they accepted us and we had a great time, left everything spotless, and gave/received great reviews. 🙂

So, how many of you would be brave like Sergej and Vladimir? 😉

[Ted307]

I have hosted 3 dogs! (Small ones)! We just had a guest send us a last minute request to bring their 4 grandkids to our 3 person max place, they would have had to cancel since their child care fell through. They were fine, left the place very clean, since 8 & 10 year-old boys do not use towels, we came out ahead! HA!

[Laura2592]

@Ted307 "Last Minute Request"

"Child care fell through"

"4 Grandkids in a 3 person max space"

"3 dogs"

I think that post is the winner for a booking request where I would hit the auto decline without a second thought. Glad it worked out for you, but its a question of risk. I am a "minimize risk to my beloved cottage" kind of host. I have found that more often than not, when I override my own rules, I wish like heck that I had never done so.  Maybe after you have had more time as a host you will feel similarly 🙂 Maybe not!

[Ted307]

Yes, @Laura2592 I am a new kid here!

Ha Ha, just not all on the same booking. The extra kids just left, no dogs with those guys. The extra dogs were a little more of a problem, they left kibble under the couch! I only charge an extra $10.00/person, dogs are $25!

The worst we have had so far was the guy who thought he could sneak his dog in and not pay for the dog fee. We still got a 5 Star review, my husband is so diplomatic. He is a retired city worker, and he used to deal with the public on the phone all the time. I just do the computer and clean, Ted is the public relations face of this place!

Chris

[Dan-and-Michelle2]

I feel you!!! With the heck part. Thanks @Laura2592 

[Sarah977]

@Ted307  They either don't use towels, or alternatively, they use them to wipe sticky or muddy hands without washing them first 🙂

And they make up for the unused towels at that age by using inordinate amounts of towels when they get to be teenagers and suddenly feel they need to shower 3 times a day.

[Ted307]

Yes, some muddy footprints were in the shower! I do think the older teenage sister used almost all the towels!

They did agree to the extra charge per person, cheaper than a babysitter would have been. Most people are fine, is all I meant to say. I know that I sound like the renter from hell on paper. I have heard some horror stories of parrots let free to chew up the woodwork and window sills, too. But, I go out of my way to over-compensate for that bad reputation when I travel and I believe that most pet owners do the same. The Grandparents we just hosted certainly did.😊

[Suzanne302]

@Ted307 I have hosted 3 dogs as well and it turned out just fine. It was another special request to bend the rules and because the guest gave a full explanation and was very polite about the request, I agreed. The couple was VERY grateful, were amazing guests, and left a wonderful review.

I think in-home hosts have an advantage when it comes to things like bending the rules. Guest behavior when the host is on-site is usually better. Don't get me wrong, I've had some badly behaved guests! But I deal with it and move on and don't let those guests jade me to all future guests. I've actually become more relaxed and laid back as a host than I was when I first started. I think some people go in the opposite direction, lol!

[Ted307]

Hi @Suzanne302 

I do think that because we live right here we have an advantage. We also sometimes do not accept reservation requests from prospective guests who do not communicate with us. One time a guy brought a dog without telling us, Ted is very diplomatic and we sent him a resolution request to pay the dog fee which he did pay after he was busted. I was ready for a bad review, but he left a very good review. We, on the other hand, left him a truthful review of how he either did not read our listing or tried to sneak in the dog to avoid the $25.00 charge. He ignored our messages to him asking if he would be bringing a dog or not, then claimed he never got the messages. Since then, if people ignore our question about bringing a dog or not, we decline the reservation. We tell AirBnB that we are "uncomfortable" with this person. No more problem! The non-dog owners are puzzled by this requirement sometimes. But, AirBnB makes it difficult for those of us who are willing to accept pets!

[Laura2592]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 sadly being "brave" in my area full of entitled Beltway insiders leads to trashed houses and poor reviews when you don't have a pool that you never advertised or said you had. Our market is tough. We have had some real lulus for guests and its taught us (to paraphrase Robert Frost) rules, like fences make great neighbors (or guests). 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Laura2592 

I know and I understand completely. I want to minimize the risk as well. In fact, I decline more prospective tenants than I accept (I have some long term rentals as well) But, unfortunately, the worst guest and the worst tenant I had sent me perfect enquiries and their communication before arrival was excellent.

It is much easier to judge the person when you met her personally and I become an expert in that. As soon as I meet them, I can already tell if they will be problematic or not.