Should I have to pay for non-overnight visitors to the Airbnb I've booked?

[Tanya644]

Do all air bnb rentals not allow any non-overnight guests? We are traveling for a funeral and thought a few others at the funeral might want to come over after to talk and decompress. Our hosts said everyone that comes into the house has to be on the reservation.  Is this a policy throughout all rentals on Air BNB? This has never come up using VRBO so I'm trying to find out if this a hist policy or a company  policy.

[Jenny]

Hi @Tanya644 

Just so you know, the Community Center isn't a formal branch of support for Airbnb, so any responses you get will come from our members who are usually Airbnb Hosts though there are some guests here too!

Here's a handy guide to how to contact Airbnb Support - though someone here on the Community should be able to help you with this query.

I've updated your post title to make your query a bit clearer, and hopefully one of our Hosts will be able to give you more of an answer on this.  Different hosts have different policies on non-overnight guests and they may have some advice on how to approach your situation as you've mentioned just wanting to use the space to have visitors for a while after a funeral, rather than having extra people stay over.

Jenny

[Tanya644]

Thank you. I searched for a contact for staff. It's not easy to find. Website could be made more user friendly in that respect. 

[Jenny]

Hi @Tanya644 

I can see that you've decided to stick with another service, but if you would like to speak to Airbnb Support in future, you can also contact them by heading to the Airbnb website, clicking the button in the top right with three horizontal lines, clicking on "Help", and if you scroll down the page there's a large black box with a "contact us" button.  Clicking that button will start a new enquiry.

As @Till-and-Jutta0 say, it's up to Hosts to decide their rules on non-staying guests, rather than Airbnb who give Hosts the freedom to set the ground rules that work best for their listing.  It's always best to check with a potential Host in advance of booking, to find out their non-staying guest policy.  

Take care 😊

Jenny

[Till-and-Jutta0]

@Tanya644 There is no general Airbnb rule, but every host makes his rules - depending on the situation on site. In our case for example (private room in a shared apartment) during the pandemic we don't allow any visitors.

[Tanya644]

Thank you for your response. I can understand that. I'm going to keep my business with VRBO after this. I have never had an issue with them and getting in contact with staff is much easier.

[Lorna170]

@Tanya644  Please be aware that even on VRBO a host may have a rule about daytime visitors.  I do, and I have been on VRBO for many years, as have my neighbors.  We all have rules about extra guests and we put those rules in our adverts.  We generally expect that only the paying guests will be at the property, day or night.

READ the information provided about the home you are renting, and be up front with your hosts.  It is not a decision for VRBO or AirBnB customer service/staff to allow additional guests or daytime visitors to our homes.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tanya644 Just message your prospective host and ask them if they will allow visitors. Many hosts will have no issues as long as they are asked first.

[Tanya644]

I did. They are strict on no guests. I have never had this issue. I thought the no guests referred to overnight guests or I would have asked before booking. 

[Fred13]

   I been on both services for 7 years and see no difference as to the policy of no visitors during a stay - some do allow it and some do not.

   The huge difference between the two services however is the bookings usually a host receives from one vs. the other; Airbnb by far will exceed the bookings VRBO will ever deliver.