EPISODE 16: Eight Things That Will Go Wrong When Hosting and This Guest Brought Their Pet Boa Constrictor?!
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts
8 Things That Will Go Wrong When Hosting and My Tips to Mitigate
Guests
My tip: Take emotion out of it. Stay professional, stick to the facts, do not get defensive, and don’t take it personally.
Contractors
My tip: Over-communicate. Do not feel bad for wanting to know when things are going to get done. Ask for progress pictures, what days they’ll be working, what materials they’ll use, who their crew is, etc. You have the right to ask as many questions as you want to feel comfortable about the project being done while still respecting their expertise.
Cleaners
My tip: When hiring, I recommend to not use a big brand name cleaning company. These companies usually send a new cleaner out every cleaning. They’re not going to know your property well and be able to report, for example, if something is missing if this is their first and only time at the property. I see the best services with a small team with one lead and 3-4 people under them so you still have at least one person show up and are still seeing that consistency.
Your city and the county rules
My tip: Join facebook groups of local hosts in your area. For me, this is the number one way for me to stay updated with any new policies, ordinances and regulations. It’s also a good way to refine your talking points and delegate who’s going to be speaking at meetings or who’s showing up.
The property itself
My tip: Have a handyman nearby in your area. Have one that’s not as expensive, or maybe one you know that will go help at any hour. Go through things in your property that may have issues such as: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, appliances, pest control, etc. Keep a list in your contacts of handymen that are ready to deploy at any hour.
Online travel agency (OTA) - Airbnb, VRBO, direct booking site, etc.
My tip: Do not be listed on every single OTA. I recommend staying on 3 OTAs max. The potential for glitches and double bookings is greater if you are on more OTAs than your top booking sites. This makes it easier for you to track your bookings and update your listing as necessary.
Technology
My tip: Have a backup plan for every piece of technology in your property. If your lock keypad isn’t working, have a lockbox with a physical key around just in case. Keep instructions handy on how to restart your router if your WiFi isn’t working. Our area tends to have frequent power outages and we have a battery backup for our router that is able to keep the router going an extra few hours.
Location of the property
My tip: State in writing on your listing that you are not able to give refunds for any Acts of God such as: rain, snow, wild fires, tornadoes, etc. You can also give a warning in your listing that the guest is booking during a certain season and you as owners are not responsible for anything out of your control that may happen and cannot provide a refund.
Airbnb Quick Tip:
Install the Chrome extension: AirReview. This allows you to see any reviews that potential guests have left for other hosts. If you’re getting weird vibes from a guest that they’re too picky or high maitenance and wonder, “hmm I wonder what reviews they left for another host,” you’ll be able to see it and decide the guest is worth booking. I don’t use this every time but only if I get that feeling that the guest is off.
Question of the week:
Should I remove my cleaning fee altogether and include it into the nightly prices? I do not think you should do this. Let’s say your cleaning fee is $100. If a guest stays one night or five nights, you are still going to have to do the same cleaning regardless of how long a guest stayed. How would you bake that into the nightly rate? If someone stays five nights, and you bake in $20 per day for the cleaning, you’d make the $100 back, but not if they stayed one night.
Am I the Airbnb-hole?!
Reacting to a guest that brought a boa constrictor and three iguanas. Who is the Airbnb-hole here?!
