Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started....

[Laura2592]

Hi new hosts (and seasoned hosts)! Just wanted to share some things I wished I had known before I first started my ABB adventure. Hopefully others will chime in as well!

- Guests don't (always) love my cottage as much as I do. Sad but true. I am a little gaga over my space and about half of the guests really seem to get that same feeling of magic that I do. But some don't. A good proportion, actually. And as such they might complain about things I think are charming features, or treat it like a hotel with daily maid service (which it doesn't have.) I have learned not to take this personally but sometimes it still burns a bit. 

- There is no security deposit. We have one listed but its really up to the guest to agree to pay if and when you try to collect. Otherwise ABB will arbitrate and more often than not, hosts are left holding the bag.  I think its more a psychological deterrent than anything. Don't rely on it.

-You will really have to solve most issues yourself. Honestly. This is a great platform to get your listing noticed on, but the back up support is spotty at best. You will be much better served if you have a plan for solving any problems up front. Know what you will do if a guest shows up with extra people, if your neighbors report a party, if things go missing from your space, etc.  It might even help to outline some basic policies for yourself on how you will handle these situations. Stick to them. Don't be intimidated and don't wait for a return call from your "case manager."  Use the forums to get information and ideas.

-Pay attention to red flags. Most problems can be avoided before the space is booked or shortly thereafter. Guests who ask for a lot of exceptions or have not read the listing in any way will be an issue. Don't let them book in the first place. The person who wants something very different than you offer may not be a bad guest, just a bad fit for you. Same with bargain hunters. Don't try to be all things to all people. Offer what you can offer and don't stress when someone isn't a fit. You want people who have great experiences, not people who will make you bend over backwards and still give a so so review. 

- Price well and don't listen to ABB pricing suggestions. Don't price too low. This attracts people who will not be the best caliber of guest. If your space costs less than a Starbucks coffee and McDonald's meal per person, it does not cost enough. Don't expect that people will leave it clean or be respectful of rules. ABB suggests you price much lower than most markets. Ignore this. 

-"Clean" means different things to different people. Some people will freak if they see an insect, even in the summer in the woods when they leave the doors open. Some people will check for dust under beds and on the tops of picture frames, on ceiling fan blades, etc.  Some travel with a black light. Some won't care much at all. Clean for the pickiest person you can imagine because they are out there. 

-Your first few guests will likely be the most difficult. There are a few reasons for this. You don't have a base line to compare things to, and some guests target new hosts to pull nonsense. Be extra careful with stays over 30 days for the first several bookings. It may seem like a great pay out, but you might accidentally become a landlord with a squatter and no lease. And you might not get paid for the whole thing if the guest complains or leaves and ABB can't collect (though your calendar may still be blocked.) 

- Don't accept last minute or one night requests. There are exceptions to the one night thing-- if your space is close to an airport, train station etc. But in general, last minute or very short stay guests are the folks who don't plan well and cause issues. Parties, porn shoots and all kinds of craziness can be wrapped up in these sorts of stays. 

-Don't cancel guests if you can help it. Ask ABB to do it (you get one freebie a year) or the guest to withdraw. If you cancel you forfeit the possibility of being a Superhost.

-Guests hate cleaning fees, so roll your costs into your nightly stay but still charge a nominal fee. If you charge nothing, guests often treat the space more like a hotel despite any rules (towels on the floor,  mess everywhere.) Charging a bit ($20-$50) sends the message that someone is going to pick up after them that needs to be paid, but its not so much that the guest is railing over "hidden fees." Our cleaners cost much more than our fee, but guests feel like its fair enough. 

-Expect that this will be more work than you anticipate. Its NOT a get rich quick scheme! There is a lot of emotional. physical and financial labor that goes into hosting.  It can be rewarding, but its work. Do not underestimate just how much work 🙂

[Thomas2387]

@Laura2592  you recommend disregarding ABB pricing suggestions. So I assume that you're saying to not use ABB "Smart Pricing"?

[Laura2592]

@Thomas2387we have smart pricing turned on. It suggests we charge $50 less per night than we regularly charged and we are booked months in advance. When we started it suggested we charge $38 a night for an entire house. Ignore it. Set your prices based on your market, not the ABB bot.

[Annie-and-Julian0]

Hi, me too - I ignore the smart pricing as often  its way too low even during our peak season. I often check what others with similar amenities in my area are charging to see what the trend is. 

[Sam4397]

I found that it is good to use smart pricing as long as you set the minimum to the price you want to charge. This guarantees that you will never rent below what you would like or think to be fair market price for your area while sometime making extra if the ABB bot books at a higher price than your minimum.

[Seth224]

I think smart pricing is useful for foreign properties.  The smart pricing system algorithm usually gives an accurate prices for comparable pricing in the area at that quality.  

In the USA it is likely a bit off.

[Yas6]

What a great topic. Some things in the post would've really helped me out when I was starting! From myself, I can add:

Always confirm with the guest:
1) what's the number of people coming to stay (often guests click "1" but then two show up)
2) is the person who booked the same person who will be coming to stay 

If it's a third party booking (i.e. someone booking for a friend or a relative), I don't even think airbnb recommends going through with those but maybe the policies changed, you could contact a case manager and ask what your options are. If you just cancel by yoursrlf, it's not good for the rating and most of the time there's a fee for this, but also I'm fairly sure if you ask about the situation you'll get an opportunity for the case manager to annul the booking without consequences for you - just confirm this when you talk to the case manager)

But the ABSOLUTE LEAST you can do is ask for a scan of ID of the person who will be coming to stay. Do it before he/she arrives so you already have it in the airbnb conversation. There were several situations that have gone quite sketchy, and looking back, if we did this, it would've either 100% or most likely gone better.

[Laura2592]

@Yas5  definitely confirm the number of guests more than once! Great advice.  Guests fi often fail to realize they have only booked for one person if they aren't familiar with the way the system defaults. 

[Jayme25]

Thank you for this information.

We just had our first booking (they come in two weeks) and it is the mom who booked for her son who is visiting our area. I was curious if there was anything I should ask for in advance as it is not truly her who is coming. I appreciate you informing me I should ask for a copy of his ID.

Thanks! Reading all of these tips is so helpful for starting out.

Jayme

[Helen744]

Helen @744 It is always worth reminding mum that she remains responsible for her son as the bookee and ask her for his details and get her to check that he can acess the website and read your rules. H

[Linda3671]

I thought ABB checked out all bookee's?

[Franklin-And-Rosa0]

Your place is beautiful! Thank you so much for this valuable information. We are new to the ABB community and we are having our share of many of the things you have mentioned. We were suspended for 5 day After our first guess! Its been really changing for us. We are not giving up, its a learning experience and process. Thank you for sharing.

[Yas6]

Hope you're going to have much better experiences from now on! Some encounters can be discouraging but then there are some people who are so kind and awesome, you'll remember them for years! 🙂

[Annie-and-Julian0]

Hi , may I ask why you were suspended for 5 days?

[Franklin-And-Rosa0]

We are in Orlando, however, our ABB location is in a small beach town in DR.(Dominican Republic)

[Colleen253]

I wish I had known that I could not trust in the Airbnb Identity Verification process.

As others have said, great topic @Laura2592 !