Unauthorized guests and fees

[Pamela1326]

How do you handle unauthorized guests. I have a 5 guests home. After 3 guests, I have a $30 per additional guest fee. I’ve fun into problems about 25% of time, what do you do? I’m thinking g about removing the fee and going up to 6 guests, but I really want to maintain the quality of my home. I’m not trying to get rich, no a 60-70% occupancy works for me (averaging 45%). Do you think I should change things up? 

[Bronwyn100]

Hi @Pamela1326 . I used to charge for the first bedroom then $25 for each extra guest. That way beds were only made up for the people staying. If I made up all the beds guests used them all. CCTV prevents unauthorised guests. I now charge a flat fee for the house but still request the number of beds to be made up. I’m getting less bookings now so perhaps stick with what you are doing but put in CCTV at front of house. 

[Matt6110]

Cctv works amazing.   We could not live without it. 

[Mostafa73]

hello @Pamela1326 i put extra guest fees for each person added, also make it like less 10% only from the original guest fees, and send text them the house rules before checking in to mentain the place as it is their home, so if any thing happen i can make a claim on airbnb 

[Philip2240]

@Pamela1326 I base my price on two people sharing with an additional cost per person up to a maximum of 4 guests. I recently reduced my guest number from 6 to 4 due to a terrible group of guests that were here.

In Spain we are required to provide the passport or identity card details of all our guests to the Guardia Civil. I message every guest about a week before their stay requesting this information. If they intend to exceed the number of declared guests, this tends to bring it to light before they arrive. It works for me, but it can often be a problem. I also make it clear that I live in the apartment above and often greet guests on arrival. 

[Nohad0]

Hello @Pamela1326 ! I tried with a full rate and return to the modality of additional guests from 2, since in the same way there will always be one more than another that tends to take guests without authorization. At this very moment, I am in a situation, my house is for 6 people and 11 guests arrived. 

[Matt6110]

@Pamela1326 I would let them know politely the house is for 6.  Also let Airbnb. Customer service.  They will make a note.  In case they leave a bad review.  It can be removed due to them being men’s because you called them out about the extra guests 

[Megan868]

@Pamela1326 We cap at 10 guests to minimize wear and tear, although our rental permit is for 14, which we have the beds & space to accommodate. We have had multiple guests exceed the limit without telling us, but since they've left the place in good condition, we've looked the other way. Interestingly, I find that people like this - who are breaking the rules (extra guests, 2 dogs instead of 1, etc.) - actually leave the place in better shape, maybe to avoid "getting in trouble" or incurring fees.

We decided not to charge a different price based on the number of guests for a few reasons:

 - Requires extra monitoring on our part

 - Want to avoid negative guests interactions that could impact reviews 

 - Thought it may be confusing (guests thinking they could exceed the cap if they just paid extra)

[Nina210]

@Pamela1326 You have to know your utilities well, and price accordingly. More guests means not only wear and tear but use, but  water, electricity gas, oil, steam, and propane. in this economy especially in major metropolitan cities these commodities are high price accordingly. After hosting for several years and going out of pocket resentment toward guests can build if you don’t insulate your peace of mind and investments. 

[Martha89]

@Pamela1326 It all depends on what you want for your house. If you do not mind having 6 people on your property, remove the fee and change the base price. For me the most important thing is to keep my rental nice and mostly to keep my neighbors happy, so I keep the number low; After they make their reservation I sent a note to make it clear that the 2 Br/2 Br has a maximum occupancy of 4 people and NO visitors at any time of the day or night. I find that this note screens cheaters really good and gives them the oportunity to look for another place or stick to my rules. At the begining I was afraid no body would want to stay here with strict rules but I average 90% occupancy. Unfortunately I think you will find out that if you change the maximum occupancy from 5

to  6 you will still get 25% of people that bring 7. Is not the number, its thinking that they can get away with it. 

[Nora-and-Hajni0]

@Pamela1326 What I found the most helpful is letting them know that me or my brother can be there in 10 minutes if they have any problems.
Before that, I had to call the cops and kick out guests because of loud partying and damaging my house.
Airbnb got better over the years in helping us handle these situations.

[Joan2709]

Hi @Pamela1326 

I would also add a note to your Addl House Rules:

"No unregistered guests, third party guests or visitors. Primary renter must be on property for entire stay."

We send them a message after booking to thank them for choosing us and to please note that only guests listed on the registration may be on property. If you use Instant Book, you can add this to your pre-booking message. 

[Nicholas439]

Keep the fee and enforce it.  Additional guests cost money and by providing the additional guest fee you are actually offering a DISCOUNT to low usage guests.  I have always charged an additional guest fee as it allows me to lower my base rate for individuals and couples. Having 4 bedroom homes means a big increase in cleaning and laundry costs (and utilities etc) when large groups stay. Sometimes people put in the wrong number of guests and I will bill them for the additional or ask them to change the booking.  In 5 years, only two guests tried to say that the additional guests didn't stay overnight -  but changed tune after I sent them pictures from the security cameras showing the number of guests leaving in the morning.  Losing dishonest guest bookings is not really a loss in my opinion.

[Pat212]

Hi

My rate covers 2-4 guests depending on the size of the property.  For a 2 bedroom I do costing for 3 persons and charge and additional cost of $40 for extra guests, because the place can actually sleep 5 persons comfortably.  For the 3 bedrooms I do rate for 4 persons and charge the additional fee of $50 for each additional guests for a maximum of 8 persons.

The reason for this strategy is that sometimes persons have additional guests that may not be staying the entire duration of their stay.  This way they don't have to pay for full occupancy unless they have those extras.  It works for us because we are in gated complexes that are maned by 24/7 security, so all guests are accounted for going to the property.

I hope this helps.

Pat

[Michael8417]

@Pamela1326 Lots of good commments here, I'll keep it simple with a few things that support what I've read and what I do.  I do the same thing and charge per head over x number, many good reasons to do so explained.  After reading i think I'll charge more, so thanks!!

1. Just ensure you cleaners have access to the number of guests from your PMS or from Airbnb and report back to you if # of beds don't align. 

2. You don't have to monitor cameras, just look back at them if your cleaners suspect things are off

Messages! 

3. When you accept a booking, reiterate number of guests and nights as part of your booking message (I've automated this, it's easy to use Airbnb codes or PMS codes).  As part of this message you want to add a line that is transparent that the price COULD change if they add guests.  

4.  In your message 24 hours before arrival, reiterate by asking them to let you know if anything has changes w/ the number of guests or pets. 

Side note: I do the same type of thing wiht early checkins.. because it's also often questioned, but the coordination takes time and effort and it's a great service that I charge 40 for now.  It's fine when they are always informed.   I"m providing my msgs here:

Booking message:

Hey %guest_first_name%,

So glad you've chosen to stay with us for your trip to Austin! I have confirmed your booking for %nights% and %guests%. If your number of guests changes, it could affect your nightly rate.

Please make sure to turn on app notifications so you receive important info. You will receive helpful information 24 hrs before arrival and check-in details the morning of arrival. In the meantime, you can take a peak at our "UptownBnB Guidebook" in the app, which has our local tips and favorite things to do!

If it's relevant to you, we love to accommodate early check-ins. There will be a small fee if scheduling and turnover allows, however we won't be able to approve early check-in until 24 hrs before arrival. Hope that helps!

Look forward to having you, %guest_first_name%! 😊

Michael

24 hour before Res message:

Hey %guest_first_name%,

I hope you are looking forward to your trip to Austin and UptownBnB tomorrow!

Please let us know your estimated time of arrival. Check-in is at %check_in_hour%. We can look into an early check-in if there is interest. If it's possible, there will be a $40 dollar charge applied at check-in.

We are preparing for the house for %guests% for %nights%. If anything has changed with this or pets, please let me know.

I will circle back with specific check-in details tomorrow morning. For now, I wanted to share a few instructions to help you prepare for your arrival and make the most of some good times ahead!

1. We've prepared a UptownBnB Guidebook with our favorite local spots, so check it out. Austin is a unique town, and our ideal location is a gateway to experience the best of it! I hope this helps you prepare for your trip and get the most out of Austin! Here is the link: https://www.airbnb.com/s/guidebooks?refinement_paths[]=/guidebooks/5302069&s=67&unique_share_id=657f...

2. Please share the House Rules with your group before arrival, it helps a ton. 🙏 Below is an abbreviated version for you to forward, but you will also find the full versions of the House Manual in the App and on the fridge.

Hope this helps you prepare for a great trip tomorrow!

Michael and Meghan

House Rules:

-Absolutley NO wipes or feminine products of ANY kind in toilets

-Ensure Hot Tub chlorine floater is submerged and NOT removed from Hot Tub

-Instructions must be read before using the Hot Tub

--No foods or coffee grounds should be put down sink (trash can only)

-No unauthorized guests (guests not on reservation) without prior permission

-No Smoking inside - Outside ONLY - $500 fine / cleanup fee

-Pet Owners, clean up after your pets, per rules