Friends of Airbnb Guest

[MariaCecilia22]

hi there, what is the airbnb etiquette on friends who come by and visit the guest who booked the place?  are they allowed to stay all day? i have a neighbor complaining about the number of cars (8 total) parked on our parking deck and occupying the majority of the street parking. the guest is aware that the max of guest is 5. am i allowed to ask them to leave before their check out if neighbors continue to complain?

[Ricardo85]

@MariaCecilia22 

Airbnb ToS item 8.3.3

Ricardo

[MariaCecilia22]

Hi Ricardo, thank you so much for sharing.. 

[Sarah977]

@MariaCecilia22  It's not just a matter of disturbing your neighbors, altho that is a good way to get your neighbors to try to get you shut down, do you realize all those extra people are using your bathroom, the toilet paper and soap, your towels, maybe taking showers? Someone booked for 5 people and there are 8 cars there???- that's totally unacceptable. I'd message th guest to say that you have been made aware that there are far more people in the place than the 5 they booked for and that anyone not on the original reservation will need to leave. It's one thing for guests to ask permission of the host if it's okay to have xx number of friends over from X-Y time on such and such a day, but no, they can't just assume and invite others over.

[MariaCecilia22]

thanks sarah, it's been a nightmare... but i went ahead and added some rules pertaining to unregistered visitors and addressed parking as well.

[Anonymous]

@MariaCecilia22  It's your place and you're the boss; you don't need Airbnb's permission to insist that all unpaid guests leave the property immediately. They're not just violating etiquette; their booking is essentially fraudulent and exposes you to a degree of risk that you didn't agree to. If they refuse to comply, their booking should be terminated immediately. But in this case, you'll need to be prepared to refund the unused nights.

Right away, you should update your House Rules to communicate a clear policy on unregistered guests/visitors, as well as parking. And if 5 people is your maximum, it's probably better not to list your home as having 10 beds. 

[MariaCecilia22]

house rules updated thanks andrew for the advise.. 

[Elena87]

@MariaCecilia22 

I'd make friends with the rule book;

8.3.3. You may not bring any additional individuals to an Experience, Event or other Host Service unless such an individual was added by you as an additional guest during the booking process on the Airbnb Platform

and crucially 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1515/what-should-i-do-if-my-guest-brings-extra-people

If you can accommodate the larger group, and you'd like to charge extra for these guests, you can send your guest a change request that includes the additional cost per night for the extra guests.

If you’re unable to accommodate the larger number of guests, let your guest know that your place isn’t the right fit for their group size, and ask them to cancel their reservation. They’ll be refunded according to your cancellation policy.

Often airbnb customer service, going by experiences posted here, give hosts the easy option of either letting it go or termination and refund of unused nights, but it shouldn't be this way going by the listed conditions, it should be extra payments or termination with full payment or no additional visitors rule implemented.

[Linda108]

OMG, @MariaCecilia22  you have a lot of rules in your description but I cannot find where you address the issue of visitors.  I suggest you edit the rules a bit; make the description more about the experience of being in a mountain community so taking out the trash makes sense.  I also suggest you add a rule that prohibits unregistered  guests.  When you have SO much stuff on your listing, even the best guest will glaze over all the information.

[MariaCecilia22]

just revised.. to include the parking situation and also the no unregistered guest allowed. thanks for the advise.

[Fran2]

Contact AIRBnB as soon as possible, get your story in before the guest does. They will also contact them. Air is a bit touchy about “party houses” at the moment!

[Sarah977]

@MariaCecilia22  I strongly suggest you change the wording in the "Interaction with guests" section. Telling guests you live in LA and work full time is like announcing that there is no one around keeping an eye on things, that it would take you hours to get there, so they can get away with anything they want. Also telling guests that the best way to get in touch with you is by text is a really bad idea. You should keep all communication,as much as possible,on the Airbnb messaging system- that way,if there are any conflicts, Airbnb has a record of the exchanges.

[MariaCecilia22]

how should i word the interaction portion?

[Sarah977]

@MariaCecilia22  Do you have any friends, neighbors, or anyone close to your rental assigned to keep an eye on the place and attend to any guest needs? if not, you should. You can't effectively manage an Airbnb when you are off-site and far from your listing. It could even be someone who just gets paid according to how much time they might need to put in, not necessarily a percentage or a salary. And really, that person should check guests in personally to see if they arriving with more than booked or acting sketchy or don't seem at all like the "family" that you were under the impression had booked- like 5 18 year olds. In other words, you need a co-host, even if their duties are minimal. Otherwise, you are just going to be getting more of these types of problems.

Then under "Interaction with hosts", who write something like "We live off-site, but are reachable anytime via Airbnb messaging. Our co-host, XX, lives quite close to the listing, will greet you on arrival, and will be available to handle any emergency issues."

And until you are able to arrange for someone to co-host for you, write " We are available via Airbnb messaging anytime to answer any questions or to report anything which needs dealing with." There's no need whatsoever for them to know you live in LA- let them think you live nearby.

[MariaCecilia22]

thanks sarah, i found a cohost but will not be available till january of next year so i will just have to revise my listing..