grandparents babysitting 2 children (age 6 and 7) for several daytime hours in small room and didn't ask

[Fiona615]

Hi there,

I have a week long booking with a couple who said they were coming to visit their daughter who lives a block away.  I thought they would stay most of the day at the daughter's house but the daughter drops off her 2 small children (age 5 and 6) for several hours while she goes to work and the grandparents babysit in my very small room.  I work at home and can hear the kids' noise.  I wonder what all 4 of them could be doing in that small room and despair!   I did ask the grandmother if they could be mindful of noise as people are working in the house but today the kids are there as usual.   How could I have prevented this?  I do state that my place is not child friendly in my listing.  I don't charge a cleaning fee and now I feel taken advantage of somehow.  They didn't mention that there would be children visiting regularly for several hours a day.  I don't want to be petty but I think they should have told me what was going to happen and I would have recommended they stay elsewhere.

[Emiel1]

@Fiona615 

I think you need to add to the houserules no other people are allowed in the accommodation then only the people registred on the reservation. And yes, your listing is clear about "not suitable for children", although they are not booked, but are "visitors".

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[Linda108]

Your room is lovely and set up to be almost self-contained.  Apparently the guest along with the children stay in the room and don't physically use the other space in the house.  I see your rule about the children as guests, but you do not have a rule about unregistered guests being allowed or not.  I suggest you add the rule of no unregistered guests allowed.   In this case, I suggest you let it be and use the disruption as a lesson you didn't expect to learn as a host.  Apparently the over 100 other guests didn't need the no unregistered guests rule, but in my experience the exceptional guest is how we learn this business.  When it comes time for the review, mention it as an issue for other hosts, but making it a big deal now will only earn a bad review.

[Dale711]

@Fiona615 

I totally agree with @Linda108 advice are absolutely right.👏

                            "I suggest you add the rule of no unregistered guests allowed " 👍

"Apparently the over 100 other guests didn't need the no unregistered guests rule, but in my experience, the exceptional guest is how we learn this business"👍

[Sarah977]

@Fiona615  In addition to what the other hosts have mentioned re wording in your listing and house rules, it's important for home-share hosts to speak up as soon as a guest's behavior is objectionable. 

So instead of just asking them to keep the noise level down, as soon as the babysitting was evident (daughter dropping the kids off), it should have been explained to them that when someone books an Airbnb, they can't just have friends or family over without first discussing it with the host.

You don't have to do this in an upset confrontational way- something like "I guess you weren't aware that....but....." i.e. an educating about how Airbnb works. 

Then, if you felt like it, instead of telling them they couldn't continue to do this, you could have said that you'll allow it, since they weren't aware, as long as it doesn't disturb you when you are working.

As a home share host myself, I've found it much better to speak to a guest about something they might do that's unacceptable or annoying as soon as it happens, rather than bite your tongue and live resentfully with it, feeling like you're a prisoner in your own home, counting the days until the guest leaves.

My second guest ever sprang her boyfriend on me the second morning of her week-long booking. She wasn't trying to get away with anything- she quite openly introduced him to me, she just didn't realize she wasn't free to let anyone share the room she had booked for one. It was her first Airbnb booking.

I told her right away that isn't how it works, and that she could get bad reviews for doing that, but did let him stay, as they were sweet kids, quiet and respectful.

[Helen3]

How strange they aren't babysitting at the daughters house where everything is set up for them.

I would just have a friendly word to confirm the room they booked is just for themselves and if they are regularly babysitting their grandkids can they do it at their daughters or take them out. @Fiona615