Long term Airbnb guests- are they still guests or roommate?

[Michelle236]

I have a booking for 4 months - at this point, is the guest still a guest or a roommate? 

Do I still have to go out and buy toilet paper, paper towels, and be the sole cleaner of the house? 

Does this call for a cleaning routine and chores chart like I would with a roommate?

Also, how do I set up the payment system to a monthly payment plan (so the guest doesn't have to pay all at once)?

The guest has already booked the 4 month so I have no idea how they are being charged on their end. 

Please advise. Any feedback/ information is appreciated. 

ps how is it that Airbnb doesn't have customer service? How do I put in a claim for, lets say, damaged property?

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Michelle236

Michelle - it;s up to you to lay down the rule of the house for both short term, and more importantly for long term guests. However, you should do this before your guest books so that there is no misunderstanding.

In my view anyone staying longer than a week is really a lodger and is sharing your space and needs different guidelines and rules than someone just in town for a few days. You would never dream of sharing a place for 4 months with someone while a student for example and not talking about cleaning, cooking, responsibilities etc - and AirBnB is no different.

Most hosts tell long term guests that there is at least a monthly cleaning fee - if not weekly. This means that you take on responsiblity for clean bedding, towels (weekly) and cleaning of the room. It means you can keep on top of your property and not be surprised when they move out if there is any mess. It;s up to you to decide how to arrange this in advance with your guest. Also, up to you to decide on whether say after the first week you provide toilet paper, shower gel etc.

All payment is done through AirBnB - you cannot change that in any way otherwise you are not protected by AirBnB if there is a problem. Search for Long Term bookings for information on how your guest will pay and when you will be paid.

Likewise, if you have a security deposit in place, then search for this on the site and it will tell you how and when that can be used.

[Zacharias0]

You have yourself a roommate. Four months is a long time to host a guest, but to each their own. I prefer to do it month to month. You will be paid in 28 day incremements. As other hosts have stated you will have to discuss with guests the cleaning duties and who does what. I've hosted a guest for 2 months and it was fine as he was a work study student and was very clean. This was in the good old days of hosting when people actually wanted to hang out with hosts. While he was here I still found myself changing the bed sheets every 2 weeks and cleaning the bathroom. I wouldn't make my guests who are paying me a hefty sum to clean the community areas. 

Good luck.