To be nervous of Air BNB guests?

[Getyourjab]

We have decided to let out our 1 bed cottage on the Devon/Dorset border.
We have just finished the renovation (new kitchen/ bathroom/ carpets etc) and are ready for guests, but have missed the deadline for my planned advertising outlet-The Lady- so our ad won’t appear until the August issue.
We have 2 bookings so far for the whole Summer…
My OH is keen to put it on Air BNB but I’ve heard horror stories about letting via AirBNB, but maybe they’re the exception. Like everyone, we’d like people who have a lovely time but will respect the place, not steal or ruin the time, effort and money we’ve spent.

Are you great Air BNB guests? Or where else can we advertise before Augustvto find some great guests who will look after the place?

Surely if it’s a one bed you aren’t going to get kids or big groups, it would be couples? Presume most would look after the place.

I know someone who lets through AirBnB. I believe there is an option where you don't let people book directly through the site but have to call you directly. It may mean you don't get as many requests but it does mean you can speak to the people yourself first.

The person I know does this and so far has had no problems. She is only letting to couples and single people though so no children /families

Why not make it easy for yourself and sell it to a local couple/first time buyer

Airbnb is no different from any other holiday letting site.

There are just as many "horror stories" about people who have rented through HomeAway, Sykes, VRBO, etc etc.

We only had one real issue with AirBnB guests (smoked in the property). Everyone else was fine - no different to people who might book through other means.

AirBnB themselves though (if you have an issue)… horrendous.

I've rented through air bnb plenty of times and I've always left as I found
I also have a listing and have it set to message first.
If you don't want to do self check in maybe you could make sure you take a deposit in cash on the day. Can't remember if there's the option to do it via the platform

I'm not sure Airbnb guests will be any worse than anyone else.

We had an Airbnb in Paris. It was beautiful. All the family's personal/valuable things were in a locked cupboard. We of course treated it with respect and gave it a good clean and tidy before we left. We were given a good 'report' from the owners.

Why not look at renting people that already have a good report from other owners?

We are regular Air B n B guests and always treat places properly and get good ratings from the host. If you're not accepting large groups( stag and hen nights) you should be ok

On Airbnb you can check potential customers reviews before accepting the booking - you don’t have to be instant book. In my mind that makes it safer than a random holiday website? I use Airbnb all the time for holidays, have 5 star reviews from hosts and am respectful of properties.

I've rented through airbnb, mainly in the off season. Cheap weekend breaks. I would say some people seeem to expect a lot for the rate. Would I be serving breakfast to the self contained holiday cottage?

VRBO is good for us, high end stone cottage, wood stove, lovely linens type stuff, Id get an ad up quickly; they charge 10% plus a 3% payment fee.I think 10% booking fee on your rate. Not much difference in terms of messes etc. but pretty rural cottages dont tend to attract a wild crowd.

I used to clean air b n bs for a living. The worst we had was someone had a party. They left their drink and haribo on the floor. But everything else was fine. That's one in about 80 bookings. Same idea as you one bedroom wee cottage. The owners have banned them so they can't see our listing again.

You have decided to rent it

You have to take emotion out of it & rent it out like a business

How would you ever vet anyone ?

How do hotels/B&B vet customers ?

As a frequent traveller, I would be put off by any vetting system

I pay & I am respectful & trustworthy of people & property

Use an letting agency with terms & conditions for the renter ?

Do you think you'll get a better class of guest through the lady than Airbnb
Just check their reviews before you let them book. Probably much safer than the lady!

Or just rent it to people that you know

Who are your target audience do you think?
I would say young professional couples gen Z and millennials or people like my husband and I late 40s and 50s children grown up. Honestly I don't think any of your target group really look at The Lady I would be looking at either creating your own website and Facebook page or going through a website like cool stays.

You can check what reviews guests have received before allowing them to book.

I am an airbnb host. The vast majority of my guests have been lovely people, and many of them come back time and time again.

Make sure you know what your boundaries are. If you don’t want kids or pets put it in your house rules. Guest are supposed to read them before they book, but the majority don’t. When you get a request to book, cut and paste your house rules in the thread and make them type that they agree.

Don’t only check your prospective guests’ reviews from other hosts, check to see what they have written about other properties. This can take a bit of digging, or there is an app called air review you can use with chrome. This will show reviews written by the prospective guest, as well as by their previous hosts.

This week I had a request to book from someone who I found had told a previous host in my town that her house needed a deep clean. Whether or not this was true or not I don’t particularly care. I just know that I don’t want this person in my house, so I told her she was a rude cunt and to find somewhere else!

I've rented airbandb and other rentals and I actively look for adverts that state no batchelor or bachelorette parties. I would put that in your advert and state how quiet it is.

@Frannyhy

I am an airbnb host. The vast majority of my guests have been lovely people, and many of them come back time and time again.

Make sure you know what your boundaries are. If you don’t want kids or pets put it in your house rules. Guest are supposed to read them before they book, but the majority don’t. When you get a request to book, cut and paste your house rules in the thread and make them type that they agree.

Don’t only check your prospective guests’ reviews from other hosts, check to see what they have written about other properties. This can take a bit of digging, or there is an app called air review you can use with chrome. This will show reviews written by the prospective guest, as well as by their previous hosts.

This week I had a request to book from someone who I found had told a previous host in my town that her house needed a deep clean. Whether or not this was true or not I don’t particularly care. I just know that I don’t want this person in my house, so I told her she was a rude cunt and to find somewhere else!

So because a potential renter made a comment about another property that you have no idea whether it was valid or not, you called her a rude cunt and blocked her booking. Wow. She had a lucky escape.

@5foot5

…“I know someone who lets through AirBnB. I believe there is an option where you don't let people book directly through the site but have to call you directly. It may mean you don't get as many requests but it does mean you can speak to the people yourself first.

The person I know does this and so far has had no problems. She is only letting to couples and single people though so no children /families.”

That is complete bullshit. Airbnb do not allow direct contact details to be exchanged between host and guest until a booking has been finalised through them.

We let through Classic Cottages and people generally are great. They operate in your neck of the woods and could get you on board electronically in days. You pay more In fees, but trust me, you will get the bookings pronto! Classic Cottages are very ‘Family market’ rather than mixed groups.

@5foot5

I know someone who lets through AirBnB. I believe there is an option where you don't let people book directly through the site but have to call you directly. It may mean you don't get as many requests but it does mean you can speak to the people yourself first.

The person I know does this and so far has had no problems. She is only letting to couples and single people though so no children /families

That's definitely not allowed on Airbnb!

@Snookie00

I do know the comment wasn’t valid because I know the host. She has had over three hundred guests and has a five star average for cleanliness.

I think that possibly the most important thing when offering holiday accommodation, is to make sure that you take a 'Damage Deposit' or 'Good Housekeeping Bond' as it is also known. If you ask for the excess that you will have to pay if you claim on your insurance, then it should be enough to pay for any smaller damage, and if the damage is greater, then you can at least rest easy that they have covered your excess. We didn't used to do this, but since we started, it seems people seem to think a bit more carefully about what they do to the place, because they know they will lose their deposit if they leave it in too bad a state.

I use air b n b all the time and have children, we leave it as we find it.