Extended stay advice

[Julie3765]

Hi all, 

I just received my very first extended stay request for my Airbnb.  They want to rent my house for 3 months.  I usually have a 2 week maximum.  It’s our slow months and it sure would be nice to make that money but they just joined Airbnb and I have no reviews to go by.  I am a little nervous about accepting them.  3 months is a long time and can do a lot of damage in that time.  Does anyone that rents for extended stays have any advice for me or if you have had great or poor experiences with it. It’s for 3 adults and it looks like it will be for business. 
thank you in advance. 
Julie 

[Renee291]

Decide what you will provide at the beginning of the stay and communicate that to the prospective guests, such as how much toilet paper, paper towels, other items you will provide. I only provide "starter supplies" and cleaning at the end of the stay. Here's an example:

"For long term rental, I supply 3 bed sheet sets, 4 bath sheets, 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 6 wash clothes, 4 rolls toilet paper, 2 rolls paper towels, and some cleaning products/garbage bags. There is a laundromat 2 blocks away. Cleaning services are only provided at the end of your stay."

Perhaps set up a weekly or biweekly reason for you to go to the house, such as switching out rugs or towels,or be honest and say you want to walk through every week or 2 to inspect for maintenance needs.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Julie3765 I assume you will create a tenancy with a 3 month stay so you need an agreed rental contract and ideally a damage deposit. Also who is responsible for heating fuel and other utilities - With winter coming it is likely to be expensive if you don't at least cap their usage in some way.

[Inna22]

@Julie3765 first of all, make sure it is not a scam. A lot of those inquiries are. If they give you their phone number in a semi crypted format or ask for yours- report them and stop all communication.

Otherwise, I do not think you are able to ask for a deposit or anything extra though airbnb. If you are not making short term renters pay utilities, you can not ask these folk either. If they are booking at your regular rate, it is already included. If they are negotiating- I would stay away from anyone who is negotiating anyway, they are usually trouble. There are many posts about that here if you have time for some fun reading.

Please make sure you a familiar with your local long term rental rules. For example in Chicago where I live there are laws that are heavily skewed towards the tenant and a long term rental contract is a must.

[Julie3765]

I want to thank everyone for their responses and great advice.  It’s comforting to know that k have other hosts to count on.  Airbnb notified me that the request was a scam and had removed him from the platform.  Thank god I didn’t answer right away like I usually do and I took pause to investigate it first. Thank you again.  I hope you all have a great day.