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Original poster

Would you put your spare room on air bnb?

582 replies

EachandEveryone · 03/07/2015 15:23

We are twenty minutes from Central London. My friend and I are sick of looking for flatmates and would quite like a break from living with other people! What do you think to letting out the spare bedroom?

OP posts:
Original poster
EachandEveryone · 20/08/2015 23:30

My first guest isn't coming until September and for the whole month!! I really need some bookings for October. Without a review it's proving very difficult.

OP posts:
EagleRay · 21/08/2015 00:13

I was in exactly the same position when I started - month-long booking but had to make sure I got some reviews and a star rating before the long term guest arrived.

Can you drop your price to entice those first guests in?

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 21/08/2015 00:44

Can the month long booking only review after their stay?

OP posts:
ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 21/08/2015 05:28

Yes you both review after they check out.
It works to drop your prices to get a couple of small bookings. Once you have reviews it all flows from there.

Pigeonpost · 21/08/2015 09:23

Yeah, we started off with a price £15 lower than we have now. Started to get reviews and then increased the price.

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 21/08/2015 11:36

Also bear in mind demand will go down in autumn ad winter so may need to drop prices accordingly

Pigeonpost · 21/08/2015 12:40

Why don't people bloody read what they have been told?!!! GRRRRRRR. Just had a call from today's guest asking how to find the house. I asked him if he had read the directions in the house manual section of the listing (as I have told him TWICE in direct messages, once when he booked and again yesterday when he asked me if I could recommend the best road here) and he said no, I haven't read it! I then tried to give him directions from where he is but he cut me off and said he would read it. Twat. And he is the second guest in a row who couldn't be bothered to respond to my request to let me know what time they intend to arrive. Fucking irritating.

EagleRay · 21/08/2015 13:33

Sorry - irritation with guests is inevitable after a few bookings!

I had a German family arriving last Monday between 2 and 4pm. Cut short a picnic in the park to bolt home for 2pm and when do they arrive? 5 o'fucking clock!

Last night's guests due at 6 -and of course they arrived dead on 6 while I was still out doing nursery pick up

Today's arrival is a little bit sad - girl in her 20's visiting our city on her own for the weekend and today is her birthday. I've left a little birthday card on top of the check-in info and local leaflets for her. Maybe she's cool with it all but I remember my own 20's as being fairly shit!

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 21/08/2015 14:52

Oh yes don't be afraid to decline bookings if it's blatantly obvious they haven't read the description. I will respond and point things out to people (like you realise I'm not in X town right? I even put that in my description in CAPS now) but if they seem dense or cba to read it afterwards I decline. I would rather not have unhappy guests who are expecting something different

Pigeonpost · 21/08/2015 17:33

Yep, I declined one a few days ago after she asked how big the bed is (read the listing...), how far we are to walk into town (read the listing...) and then could they bring their own single bed base (?!?) as she was booking for two of her closest friends and wasn't sure they would share a bed... DECLINE!!! She actually sent a really nice message afterwards saying that she was trying to plan her wedding for two weeks time (which is when the booking is for) and wasn't thinking straight. I then felt a bit bad but gut instinct has to be the way forward with these things surely. Current guest has his son with him so my two eldest DSs are currently crazing round the house and very rainy garden with an 8 year old French boy who appears to speak very little English. Next week we have a man and his 6yo son staying (my eldest two are 7 and 4) so am sure they will love that too.

Pigeonpost · 21/08/2015 17:35

Oh and we had guests who were coming for a birthday weekend, a young couple. I bought a bag of local handmade fudge and put it in the room with a happy birthday label. Did she mention it in the review or even in the private feedback? Nope. Lesson learnt...

EagleRay · 21/08/2015 23:37

Obsidian that's the key thing isn't it? Unhappy guests who will never have their expectations met! I wince when people turn up and complain that we live on a hill! And groan when they have no idea how far we are from the city centre. And feel a deep sense of unease when they ask me where I live Hmm

Pigeon that was a really lovely gesture re the fudge - I would have written something nice if someone did that for me!

Btw what do you charge for children? And does it depend on their age? I've mentioned this dilemma before, and currently have a 6yo staying who has paid the full rate (ie triple occupancy), but then she has her own double bed made up, and the room is one of, if not the cheapest triple rooms in the city.

And although we are listed as 'family friendly' the rooms are a bit of a nightmare for active toddlers as there are quite a few things to grab or tip over! When people check in with kids now I tend to ask them to look around the room and point out any potential issues or any objects that need removing or making safe as I only have experience of a fairly laid-back 2yo!

Pigeonpost · 22/08/2015 09:40

We charge an extra £10 per additional guest but the listing says we don't charge extra for babies in travel cots so if you are booking for a baby then just book for the adults. A child sharing a bed with a parent is still an extra £10 per night and same if I have to make up the fold out mattress. AirBnB really should have adult/child/infant options like any other booking site I think. There isn't really anything breakable in the room other than the stuff on the tea tray (teapot, mugs, glasses etc) which my not-laid-back 2yo makes a beeline for if he sneaks into the room but nothing else which really presents an issue for kids.

lovestea · 22/08/2015 16:33

EagleRay, please can I ask you how you message another host as a host? You said a while ago that you had messaged another host who had had an unfair review from someone who had also unfairly reviewed you.
I tried to message the previous host of someone who is due to come to us on Wednesday who I am starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with, but I can only message the host of I apply to book her place.
Is there another way of doing it? Many thanks.

lovestea · 22/08/2015 17:56

if I apply to book her place....
Sorry for the typo

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 18:25

Yes, I just did it as a booking enquiry, but explained straight away that it wasn't a real one!

lovestea · 22/08/2015 19:01

Aha, thank you. Job done. Reading between the lines of the last host's review of the guest we are expecting I think she is slightly (everso) demanding.
The guest coming into us on Wednesday has requested having some of her online purchases delivered to our house! She cannot understand why I have said no, but as she is only staying two nights I think it has potential disaster written all over it!

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 20:17

Er yes that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen!

I let a guest buy lots of things mad vases off eBay while she was here but she was with me a whole month a very lovely and I had great fun helping her buy things then unwrap them when she arrived

Is the guest an experienced airbnb-er? I've looked at subsequent reviews for guests that I've declined and sometimes been a bit Shock

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 20:19

Ps sad birthday girl actually v jolly and really enjoying her trip. She's from overseas but living in UK a few years and very used to independent travel.

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 20:20

Oh and please keep us updated re host's response - sorry am nosey like that Smile

lovestea · 22/08/2015 20:42

The guest is from China and leaving us on Friday after a two day stay to return to China. She is currently in London and arriving here on Weds. This is her first AirBnB trip.
So far we have had sixteen exchanges over her requests, questions etc, and it's getting a bit exhausting to tell you the truth.
I have tried to explain that we may not be here when the shopping she wants delivered arrives, what if it is late, what if it doesn't come. Nope, not doing it.
Okay, had a response from previous host. Yes, demanding and also a bit of a cultural clash. Guest did not understand house rules over things like kitchen use, etc. So a bit assuming too.

Glad your birthday girl is having a good time EagleRay! And thanks for the info.

lovestea · 22/08/2015 21:03

Make that eighteen exchanges. Just had yet another suggestion from her that if the parcel is delivered and we are out she has seen on the Post Office website that they will put a card through the door and return the parcel to the delivery depot for collection.
Aaaaaaggghhhh! I have very politely explained that after the card is through the door the Post Office ask for 24 hours before you can collect it from the delivery depot and the delivery depot is blooming miles away.
Not doing this for a two day stay!

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 22:36

Oh dear Lovestea, that sounds very tricky. You know what I would do? I would raise a case with Airbnb and tell them of the problems you're having - all of her daft requests will be visible to them, along with the concerns and review of the previous host.

Meanwhile, all I think you can do is just keep saying no, and quite rightly so. It's hard though - I had those guests who wanted me to write a letter to the home office and were they bloody grateful?!?? Ha no - they just moaned in the review that my house was 'a bit messy' Grr.... I really wish now I had at least flagged up the letter thing as an issue with Airbnb

EagleRay · 22/08/2015 22:42

By the way, if any of you hosts ever need to reassure yourself that you aren't the only one with annoying guests, there's a group on Airbnb called Host Anecdotes or something like that and it has a reassuring amount of horror stories Smile

Pigeonpost · 22/08/2015 23:21

Oh bloody hell Loves, that sounds horrendous. I'm not sure what I'd do. If you can raise a case with AirBnB do you think they might let you cancel the booking without sanctions?

I'm a bit meh about our current guest. He has his 8 yo son with him (to learn English) so him and my two oldest DS (nearly 7 and 4.5) have been playing all round the house together. Normally guests don't have access to the main part of the house as our guest room has separate stairs and a separate door but the dad is obviously wandering through the house on occasions to find his son. It's not that I mind as such it just feels different to normal. That said, he did take my two out for a big chunk of the day (he offered and was insistent!) which was great! But I was just about to go out to walk the dog as they got back so ended up taking Guest Child and mine to the beach for a couple of hours so Guest Dad could do some work. Swings and roundabouts I guess but it def feels more invested than a normal guest and therefore more work than usual. And after these ones leave we have another dad with a 6 year old boy so it might be the same again...