I'm an Airbnb superhost

[RogueFemale]

Have been for 10 years. Ask me anything.

I don't have any real horror stories. The vast majority of guests are really nice people. I'd say about 2% of guests are awful or unpleasant in some way. There was a woman a year ago who booked on behalf of someone else but without telling me. I have self-check-in with a lockbox and only discovered this after the random unknown bloke had arrived. She had good reviews and pleaded with me not to report to Airbnb. Against my better judgment I said OK. Then, after check-out I discovered he'd left the place piled with rubbish and chewing gum stuck to antique table, etc, a real mess. No actual damage but really really fucked me off.

Historically, the worst guests by far are 20-something women.

Unbeatable location, great reviews, really nice decor (if I say so myself).

I don't advertise on other platforms. Airbnb is the best in terms of popularity. Although, their customer service has dropped off a cliff in the past couple of years, no longer native English speakers manning the phones.

I do get a fair bit of repeat custom but certainly not enough to fill a year. I'm not a 'holiday' let, I'm in a well known university city.

About to list first property on Airbnb (already listed on VRBO) what do I need to know/avoid/be carefuk about listing on Airbnb please?

Do you feel any responsibility towards the community in which your property is located? Do you feel it's problematic that so many houses/flats are bought by people wanting to rent out as holiday lets, thus driving up the prices and pricing locals out of buying?

I'm not asking this to make a point, it's just a massive problem where I live and I don't know whether the people buying up these properties accept that there's a problem and don't care, or that they don't feel that there's a problem at all.

If someone stayed with you via airbnb and left the place clean and tidy, no problems etc, would you let them book with you direct next time if they had your contact details, to save on airbnb fees?

Do you review all guests who review you back? Ive found quite a few dont bother and I find it pretty annoying after I've taken the time to review them as I know some hosts decline bookings due to lack of reviews.

If someone was thinking of starting an airbnb themselves what advice would you give them? Are there any specific forums that are useful?

How much do you spend on cleaning/laundry per time you rent it out?

Be OCD about cleaning standards.
Reply within an hour to any pre-arrival guest message or enquiry, or within a few minutes on check-in day.
Make sure that guests can immediately gain access when they arrive for check-in, whether that's self-check-in or you meeting them.
Manage expectations; if there's anything about the property which isn't ideal - flag up in the description.

How often do you cancel on someone eg if you don't get a good vibe from them?

It's a fair question. But I'm not in Cornwall. My Airbnb house is in a small, very desirable area of a famous university city, and the houses are too expensive for the average buyer. There aren't that many Airbnbs, and well over 50% of the houses are long lets owned by private landlords or the colleges or the council. My neighbours on both sides have changed about 3 times in 3 years, and I feel like I'm the permanent fixture.

I've done it very occasionally, but in general no, I don't. Both parties are protected by booking via the platform.

I have never cancelled in 10 years except once when the property had a flood and put the bathroom out of service.

The penalties for cancelling a booking are severe (unless you have a really good reason as I did on that occasion).

Basically, you do not cancel, not ever.

I have instant book but you can select settings only to allow guests with at least one previous host recommendation.

I had a guest a couple of months ago, US middle aged couple, I knew he was an arsehole from his messages, - no Hi no Kind Regards - and a definite bad vibe but I just had to go through with it and look forward to the day he fucked the fuck off.

My cleaner is £33, the laundry about £20 (varies because sometimes you have to wash the duvets and pillows too).

I'm guessing you're in Cambridge. It is a hideously expensive, out of reach place to live, yep!

For the vast majority of guests, I will leave a review within 24 hrs of check-out. They nearly all reciprocate. If I've had a horrible guest I generally don't review at all, and mostly they don't either because they don't give a fuck and think it was like staying in a hotel with servants.

Lots of photos, very long detailed description, profile photo of you not a houseplant. Never, ever cancel a booking. You will disappear off search results. Switch on the thing for Instant Book to say you only take guests with verified ID/previous host recommendation. Familiarise yourself with features such as setting minimum stays for specific periods (e.g. I've set a 2 week minimum for summer next year, but for this December it's 3 nights minimum). Be aware that customer service is crap and you're on your own, really, and Airbnb host forums on social media are full of fuckwits.*

*Without wishing to sound like Dominic Cummings.

Oxford

One more rule, for anyone who was asking for how-to. Never, ever, reply to a nasty/complaining guest review. There is an option to do so, and yes so tempting to get on a high horse and correct them, but don't - say nothing.

And another: don't go for packing 'em in and get sofabeds etc. The worst guests (and I've met many hosts and cleaners over the years) are the budget groups where the total price pp works out really cheap. Groups like this are also the ones who will fuck off the neighbours and get you reported to the council for nuisance and ultimately shut down.

This is very good advice for any business. One thing that REALLY puts me off going/spending money somewhere is business owners who leave shirty replies to bad feedback. It immediately makes me concerned that if I have any issues they won't be dealt with and I won't receive good, pleasant customer service in general. Bad feedback though I would likely ignore if it's one or two in amongst loads of positive reviews.

Why are cleaning fees so high? It seems to be about £60 and I can't think what a cleaner would do in say a small flat for 3 hours, especially when guests usually have to take out rubbish, wipe down surfaces etc.

You clean to such a high standard though, honestly 3 hours for changing beds, emptying fridge, bins, new towels, bed linen, hoovering, cleaning bathroom until it gleams, provisions etc, easily 3 hours