What to do if a guest is still in bed beyond check out time?

[Maxine0]

Hosts have fixed check-out times but guests sometimes remain in situ beyond the check out time particularly if they have later flights to catch. I have re-itterated check out times, generously given a couple of hours extension without charge if it's convenient to me and guests are nice. However almost without fail those I have given an extension to, seem to be the ones who stary even beyond the check-out time.

Is it reasonable to enter the guests space / apartment and ask them to leave immediately passed the agreed check out time / extension?

Should Airbnb introduce a 'late check-out' / early check-in fee option/request for hosts to accept or decline and in order that guests pay extra upfront given that they know their flight arrival and departure times in advance.

What would you do if a guest extended the check out time? And have you ever had to contacted Airbnb to intervene if the guest remains on your property?

[Deborah0]

Maxine, I just wanted to point out that you are asking this question on a GUEST forum   --Traveling is a forum for guests, BOokings and Reservations where you posted this is a forum for guests to ask questions about bookings and reservations.  THese guest forums are not intended as a place for hosts to ask questions of other hosts.    I suggest you post this question on "Host Circle" which is a host forum.  

[Maxine0]

Thanks Deborah.

How do hosts know that? I didn't even notice I was in 'travelling' have only searched by topic and not seeing a suitable one in the returns posted using the start a conversation.

I'm beta testing for Airbnb anyway - so that will be a feedback point - strings in search returns ought to indicate the forum you are in and who it is aimed at. Or at least when you click start a conversation a message screen should come up to state this is an open forum for guests and hosts, guests only, or hosts only, 'do you want to continue'; yes, no.

Hosts across the globe have expressed concerns over the issue of guests being able to access host conversations, and whilst they can't in host circle, if hosts are using the search conversation strings you don't know which forum you are posting to.

Host circle has not been communicated to hosts as a guest free zone. At the moment everything is trial and error for all concerned.

[Helen0]

I too came to this thread via a simple topic search and nothing advised me it was a guest forum - in fact the thread header reads 'Community Center - Hosting - Traveling' which would suggest to me that it was a host forum. Deborah's advisory comment therefore felt hostile when I first read it. I really hope Airbnb addresses this issue before February!

The locally-based host group that I started in my own city has been consistently active and useful, and in fact has been attracting record numbers of new members since the new Community Center was launched. A key concern nearly all group members have voiced (especially at local meet-ups) is that their host-to-host conversations will no longer be confidential and may be viewed by the very guests they are asking for help about! Without this confidentiality, hosts are worried that they can no longer speak freely and we are therefore looking into independent ways of keeping in touch online. How many more local groups are thinking this way? If Airbnb wants to keep the expertise of hosts in-house, it really needs to provide a private space for hosts, where guests can't just 'wander in' without even being aware of it!

[Desirée0]

I had a guest that mixed up their departure date and when I came by to check on the place at 3pm they were gone out but had luggage open clothes in the dressers etc.
I had to leave but left a message asking them to contact me regarding why they hadn't checked out
when they finally phoned me they thought I had made a mistake about check out day/time but when verified that they erred in the checkout date when reserving, the guest asked me to allow an additional nights stay. I agreed and quoted the standard rate but the guest insisted I give a discount because according to the guest they could check into a hotel for half the price and that this was a surprise expense having to pay for an additional night at the price. I said that I was certainly just as surprised by this I said I was doing them a favour letting them stay an extra night and that they're free to check out and go to a hotel for the night if they felt that would be best.
I gave a discount after all because I felt that they might have caused damages due to their situation. Anyway their review stated that they loved the place but gave me less stars than all previous guests had. I was not impressed but what were my options? pack for them and leave their luggage on the doorstep, really? Luckily I had no arrivals for that day. I felt that I had been more than patient and accommodating but this guest who was in the wrong made a huge error still was critical about my rental. The complaint was that the blinds on the windows were not dark enough, and that the access to the property was not easy.  Honestly I emailed the guest directions to the property and the entry was by code so there wasn't any problem there. I was available at every step. Seriously complaining about the property being too bright???? And also by the way they bedroom furniture had been re-arranged and the flooring scratched in the process. :-(.
I guess the big question would be....would/should their luggage been packed and removed when they were nowhere to be found with all their belongings still scattered throughout the property 5 hours past checkout? I've hear of hotels doing this.

[Kenneth12]

You could lock them out,  and some hotels would.

[Amy38]

Personally, I would be happy for guests to read what hosts have to say....it informs them of the issues we face and lets them know that we do have recourse.

[Michelle0]

Deborah, it looks like a UX problem. There's nothing that keeps you in the hosting section.. and nothing that tells you that's where you are. 

[Michelle0]

Maxine,

This is a very common problem I've found. So much so, that I wrote about it in our blog. The best way to avoid this is to remind them of check-out time the day prior and ask whether they need help finding luggage storage.

If a guest passes their check-out time, you are welcome to charge them extra for the late checkout. You are able to do this via your dashboard. Late check-outs are billed at 1.5x your rate.

Check it out! http://www.cityami.com/rentaltips/2015/11/24/check-out-time-was-3-hours-ago-and-your-guests-are-stil...

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

Via the dashboard?  How, if I may ask? 

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

I had guests I reminded them of the check-out time 11.00 a.m. They packed their luggage and left them in my living room. That's fine with me, but they came back around 16.00 p.m., running for the shower, using their room for changing their cloths, etc.  So what to do if they ask for shower after they returned at 16.00 p.m.?  Say bluntly NO?  Or say I have to charge them for it ?  I felt with my back to the wall. 

[Ernie0]

Hi Maxine,

We have recently added the following language to our house rules: "Please check-out by 11 AM... Late check-outs are not permitted under any circumstances. Should a guest check-out late (after 11am) for any reason, $25 will be withheld from his or her security deposit."

This way, at our discretion, we can charge an offending guest should he or she stay beyond their welcome. We can also point to the rule when asking them to vacate the premises. 

Cheers, 
Ernie Thayer

[Brittany1]

We too have recently added a rule regarding checkout, the only difference is that we do not specify how much we will fine. When you have three hours to clean before the next arrival, tens minutes late is a lot different than an hour or more. I make sure to remind guests in my initial check-in message and again the day before departure of check-out time and details. I haven't had a situation where someone was sleeping when they were supposed to be gone but I would be furious. Would love to hear some more ideas for handling situations like this.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

I think your idea is correct. The moment you add exra charges for either earlier check in or later check out, people will even ignore these. 

The principles of how some think does not change: instead of thinking - oh we have to be out by 11am (ie mid-day), we have pay a bit extra and be out by 3.30pm (ie 4.30pm).

I also know this is the experience of some hotel chains - and they just use it as an allusionary benefit, when in fact they have a full cleaning team in the hotel all day.

I think the only solution may be one to remind them on arrival that they have to have vacated the proiperty by a specific time, otherwise you will have to bring in an additional cleaner to ensure it is ready on arrival for next guest.

[Lynda19]

I am really mad right now as I recently had guests who asked for 3 hours extra check out for free which I granted because I did not have another guest coming however when I went to check on the condo after 4 extra hours, their belongings were still there, all the lights were on, a picture had been knocked off the wall and they lied to me about not realizing the 'other' members of the party had not taken care of this and when I said I would be charging extra they replied that these 'others' (implied that they were not together) would come down right now and check out.  So in fact they were all together snowboarding, disregarding the 3 hours they asked for and got and called me rude and that my condo was inadequate because I was too cheap to install central heat for them.  When I started a dispute through airbnb, I received nothing for the 5+ hours late checkout and only received $25 for them tearing down my curtains and the wire that holds them up.  

I think your idea of a separate charge for those asking for early and late checkouts is a great idea. This would solve the problem of people asking for favors- it would be absolutely possible to say yes and it would have a clear set price.  It is not punitive nor is it arbitrary. Otherwise we have to rearrange the cleaning crews' schedule or worse, pay the extra time for the crew being delayed while the guests gather their things.  Or we have to rearrange our own schedules when these guests don't do as they agreed to do and then we get penalized on top of it all with bad reviews from entitled guests who act like spoiled children who did not read that the things they complain about are clearly stated as such in the descriptions.