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I've got a small studio in a high-rise here in the Philippines that I was advised to rent out on Airbnb (I wouldn't be interacting with the guests). I'm quite new to hosting, so I was hoping to ask for some help with screening potential tenants. I got my first inquiry today, from someone who is hoping to stay there for a week. What sort of questions should I ask any prospective tenant? Since Airbnb has tenants pre-pay, is income still an important factor? For tenants with no Airbnb reviews/references/etc, how do I further vet them? This guy has no profile picture, and his message to me said nothing but "I chek in date of June 19 at 7 am and check out June 25 at 7 am should not you?". That's literally the entire message. Should I just give him a flat out no, or is this a reasonable message to get from someone who might not be fluent in English? Argue fucked around with this message at 06:13 on May 3, 2014 |
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May 3, 2014 06:10
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JibbaJabbaJimmy posted:Thanks! I was surprised at how affordable it is. Where have you visited in the US and Canada? I've been all over the maritimes in Canada, Toronto (where I'm based, but I stayed in a few Airbnbs in neighbourhoods that I didn't know well), Chicago, Boulder, SF, Portland and now up the west coast in Canada. There's a higher-than-average probability that your host will work from home, (and has a gas range!), at least in my experience. I tend to pick a place based on the host moreso than the listing itself, so YMMV. It's good to travel with an ethernet cable, and I've fallen back on that once or twice, but more often I just fall back on LTE/HSDPA. Younger hosts tend to have better connections in my experience, but I would include that you're working and depend on a good connection if your message to the host and let them tell you if it will be a problem. Argue posted:I've got a small studio in a high-rise here in the Philippines that I was advised to rent out on Airbnb (I wouldn't be interacting with the guests). I'm quite new to hosting, so I was hoping to ask for some help with screening potential tenants. I got my first inquiry today, from someone who is hoping to stay there for a week. I'm not a host but a frequent user of Airbnb. Payments are all handled by Airbnb, so that's not really part of the equation. You're really vetting for people that won't trash your place, and it sounds like you don't have much to do on here. I've seen hosts put in the description that they will decline any requests without a profile picture, which I think is perfectly valid. You can also ask for new users without any reviews to have a certain number of references. I've seen hosts collect a security deposit through Airbnb, which you could do it lessen the risk. Do they have verified ID? Everyone starts without any reviews, but if you don't have a good feeling, decline it.
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May 5, 2014 03:56
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Yeah, I didn't want to approve that guy since all I knew about him was that one sentence he sent me. I figured I should look for references, but that wouldn't be fair since everyone starts with no references, so I thought people here might have a better idea of what sort of earmarks to look for to spot people who were likely to be good tenants. So far, all I have is "profile pic, mature Facebook account, communicates well." The other thing is that the area I'm in is a good upscale area, but as a result of the high number of expats hanging out there, there's also a high number of hookers, and I'd like to know that I'm not renting out to someone who's just going to be using the place as a base of operations to gently caress women from.
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May 5, 2014 04:48
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Argue posted:Yeah, I didn't want to approve that guy since all I knew about him was that one sentence he sent me. References are actually different to reviews. Reviews only happen after a booking whilst references can be left by anyone with an airbnb account and will appear under all the reviews (under the references tab!). Heres a link - https://www.airbnb.com/help/question/173 I'd request info of why they are coming, why they liked your place + ask them to add a photo. If they do all that quite quickly and without problem then I would think its 99% ok. You can also ask them if they can do any verifications for you (phone, facebook, twitter, linkedin, verified ID)
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May 5, 2014 06:11
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Just to chime in and back "Fists Up" up, reviews are like ebay reviews in that you have to complete a transaction to leave one. References are just like your references would be for a job application, anyone could give one. REVIEWS SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE PRIORITY OVER REFERENCES, and references should only really be valid until the guest racks up 5-10 reviews. Personally, I'd probably deny that guy too, Argue. I'm all for foreigners visiting, but there has to be some kind of language understanding for it to work, IMO. I wouldn't accept any old fogie that could have done a better job with a google translator in trying to get the point across. As a host, I wouldn't accept ANY guys without a verified ID UNLESS they have 5+ positive reviews or were extremely good in communicating about their visit in advance of their booking. It's always smart to do what Fists recommended and try to get some information from them, especially with less than 5-10 reviews and an unverified ID. Why your place, what are they doing in the area, etc? If they can't provide that simple of an answer, deny them. If they have a bad review or two and you're unsure, deny them. This is all at your discretion, don't do anything you're uncomfortable with. As far as the hookers deal---someone with multiple positive reviews from DIFFERENT places and a decent story on why they're visiting should be plenty to take away any worry of hooker loving in your place. Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 21:01 on May 6, 2014 |
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May 6, 2014 20:56
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My girlfriend and I have finished booking all of our AirBnB apartments for our European trip! The only place in which we'll be staying at a hotel (well, 3 in our case) is in Ibiza. Otherwise, we have places lined up for Nice, Marseille, Barcelona and Rome. Pretty excited!
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May 6, 2014 23:13
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Frost000 posted:My girlfriend and I have finished booking all of our AirBnB apartments for our European trip! The only place in which we'll be staying at a hotel (well, 3 in our case) is in Ibiza. Otherwise, we have places lined up for Nice, Marseille, Barcelona and Rome. When are you going on this trip? Be sure to keep us updated when you do! I just arrived to a full basement apartment in the mountains of Ellijay, Georgia for some work I'm doing here. I precontacted a host, let them know I'll be in and out of town over the next few months and want a steady host to get comfy with, but would like a break on price throughout the summer... As such, tonight I'm staying here for $50 in a gated resort community, 10 minutes from work, with a king bed in a cabin in the woods. All to be reimbursed by the company.... Haha wow. Plenty of booze money to blow now. :-)
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Jun 3, 2014 01:36
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That's awesome! I wish I had known more about AirBnB when I was traveling 3 weeks a month for work. Although all those Hilton points are making for a nice honeymoon.
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Jun 3, 2014 18:36
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Chipping in that I've had two positive experiences with AirBnB--one was probably better than a hotel and considerably cheaper. I guess I was lucky to be accepted with no reviews, but I did explain why we were visiting and why we specifically wanted to stay there.
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Jun 4, 2014 07:13
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Glad I found this thread as I'll be trying some airbnb stays for my first time in a few weeks and it's really encouraging to see all the positive experiences shared. In some places, rooms on airbnb weren't particularly cheaper than a hotel, although in others places they were significantly so (£120 for 4 nights? Yes please!!). Part of that is probably just my preference for staying as centrally as possible. Either way, it still seems like it will be a lot more fun to stay at than a hotel, and definitely more comfortable than a hostel. Also lucky to be mostly accepted without any references/reviews, but again just sent some messages to the places I was interested in, and they were all happy to have me. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to add another set of great experiences to the thread.
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Jun 4, 2014 09:16
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I just had my first AirBnB experience this past week in Providence, RI. I was a bit anxious at first, as I was really unsure of what to expect. But it was great! I actually have another, significantly longer, stay planned for my internship in Alexandria, VA (7 weeks). Does anyone have any experience/tips with long-term stays at AirBnB listings? The guy I'm staying with has great reviews and his apartment/the room is in a great location in terms of commuting. Would love to hear tips from people who've had similarly lengthy stays.
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Jun 7, 2014 03:56
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I've hosted a long term stay or two, and am scheduled to host another two longer stints later this year. As a host, just be clean and friendly. If you want to hang out on a Friday night, that's fine... just ask to join in. If that's not your desire, we understand that too. One of the great things about staying with an airbnb host long term is that you 'should' be able to leverage them into a point of contact for the city, at the least. On extended stays we'll take you out to meet a few of our friends while we show you the city at least once. That way, you're not pigeonholed like you would be in a hotel for however long---and then you've got some acquaintances outside of work. I was pretty apprehensive on my first long term guest, but now its just like the others. As mentioned above, I'm going to be a long term guest off/on a weekly basis for some work travel. Its an older couple, and I've found that it helps to reserve at least 30 minutes a day to chat with the retired folk---and hear the same thing twice every once in a while. 
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Jun 7, 2014 12:55
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Just stayed in New York in two separate places, one in Queens and one in Manhattan, and both were pretty great. The first host was better, giving us a list of stuff and the wifi password etc long before we arrived, while we had to ask the second one for stuff like that. (Both were entire apartments with the owners elsewhere, so they weren't just on hand.) Now, however, we're having a very hard time getting an airbnb place in London. We're moving there (currently on a four-day stopover in Iceland) and just want a place for a week or two while we find longer, more official accommodation. I think we've applied for about ten so far and they've all declined us, one of them explicitly stating that they only want tourists. Can any hosts offer an insight as to why that might be? Are they worried that if we can't find anywhere to live we'll just try to stick around?
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Jun 16, 2014 14:14
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freebooter posted:Just stayed in New York in two separate places, one in Queens and one in Manhattan, and both were pretty great. The first host was better, giving us a list of stuff and the wifi password etc long before we arrived, while we had to ask the second one for stuff like that. (Both were entire apartments with the owners elsewhere, so they weren't just on hand.) What's your budget and when are you looking to stay? And what are you looking for?
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Jun 16, 2014 14:33
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We've been thinking about putting our guest bedroom up on AirBnB but the room is pretty spartan. It has a really nice queen sized bed and a tv/tv stand. Style wise, both are modern and minimalistic. We have wide slat blinds but no window treatments. No paint (well an off white), no artwork, no other furniture. Could I get some advice on what I should buy for the room itself before listing?
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Jun 16, 2014 19:05
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Rurutia posted:We've been thinking about putting our guest bedroom up on AirBnB but the room is pretty spartan. It has a really nice queen sized bed and a tv/tv stand. Style wise, both are modern and minimalistic. We have wide slat blinds but no window treatments. No paint (well an off white), no artwork, no other furniture. Could I get some advice on what I should buy for the room itself before listing? Being spartan isn't necessarily bad, but I'd try to spruce it up a tad. If so, consider painting an "accent wall" behind the bed. This adds color, but isn't gaudy. Red typically carries the connotation of being more "welcoming" than blue, so try a maroon or something along those lines out as the accent wall. Another option is to do a stenciling on the wall. I really like what my wife did in our master...  A shade of grey would look pretty sharp in a white room, IMO (depending on how "off" it is...) Stencil was ordered from an ETSY shop, purpose made for this kind of thing---and relatively easy for my wife to do by herself when I was out of town. Additional easy ways to add flavor to the room is to go blow a hundo at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, etc. Get a few posters that match an interest (or just fake it), and a few of the nicer poster frames. Doesn't have to be spectacular or anything, just a bit of color goes a long way. Besides that, just make a page or two printout of things to do in the area and put it in a binder with the wifi code, maps if you've got 'em etc. Buy a guestbook to have people sign it (had good luck with TJ Maxx clearance here). Its kitschy, but neat to look back on and remember who all has stayed with you. Look at whats in your area as competition, and see what they offer. Then steal their ideas. Also, for anyone who has yet to set up an account and use it, you can use my referral link for a credit. $25 towards your first stay! Full disclosure. I'll also get a kickback ($25 for a stay, $75 if you host)! https://www.airbnb.com/c/mbaudendistel Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Jun 16, 2014 |
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Jun 16, 2014 22:54
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Thanks! That's all super helpful. I'm a little hesitant to plunk down a lot of money renovating the room but in the end it'll hopefully be worth it.
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Jun 17, 2014 03:41
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Rurutia posted:Thanks! That's all super helpful. I'm a little hesitant to plunk down a lot of money renovating the room but in the end it'll hopefully be worth it. In the worst case you come out with a nicer guest bedroom even if noone books.
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Jun 17, 2014 20:34
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tentish klown posted:What's your budget and when are you looking to stay? And what are you looking for? Whole place or private room, must have wifi (job and househunting). Literally anywhere relatively close to the city as long as we're not looking at, like, a 1.5 hour commute (for resume handouts etc.) Our budget was something like $70 AUD a night but now we've upped it to $90-100 and gotten pre-approval on a few places. Although we also stopped telling people that we were moving there. I just don't get what the big deal about that was.
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Jun 18, 2014 01:22
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Are many hosts reluctant to let people stay for a longer term? I understand it's more of a holiday tourist kind of service. Planning to move to Berlin in March/April and I was thinking to use AirBnB to stay somewhere for at least 1 month while I start to get things sorted and look for a place of my own. I don't currently have an account either, so I would have no references or reviews. I'll email any hosts I'm interested in beforehand as advised by the thread to make sure we're all happy. If you had someone wanting to stay for a month, how much booking notice would you want, ideally? Not sure how early I can start arranging everything.
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Jun 20, 2014 01:59
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Sheizerbrick posted:Are many hosts reluctant to let people stay for a longer term? I understand it's more of a holiday tourist kind of service. Really depends on the host. Personally, I love it. Competitors in the area are actually referring long terms guests my way---why, I have no idea...Easy money. quote:Planning to move to Berlin in March/April and I was thinking to use AirBnB to stay somewhere for at least 1 month while I start to get things sorted and look for a place of my own. I don't currently have an account either, so I would have no references or reviews. Get one set up, try to arrange a trip to a city nearby to get at least one review if you can. Surely there's a concert or something you want to hit up within a 3 hour drive that would be more convenient to stay overnight... I say this not because its impossible to get a host to allow you to stay on a prolonged term, you just have to really wow them on your initial contact. Also, see if you can get a friend to reference for you. quote:I'll email any hosts I'm interested in beforehand as advised by the thread to make sure we're all happy. If you had someone wanting to stay for a month, how much booking notice would you want, ideally? Not sure how early I can start arranging everything. Definitely email beforehand. Don't be lazy, include plenty of detail....especially if you don't have many review or references. For an extended stay, a I would want a minimum of a week or two, just to make sure we have all our ducks in a row. More time in advance, the better. Of the three long term guests we've booked, I've had at least 1 month of notice before, with several correspondences in that time period to make sure we're on the same page, etc.
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Jun 20, 2014 02:19
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Oh cool, I was thinking a month or two notice...And the short trips here seem like a good idea. Thanks for the advice.
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Jun 20, 2014 03:48
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Dead Pressed posted:When are you going on this trip? Be sure to keep us updated when you do! I just got back home from the trip and everything went great! It was a bit of a bummer to only be able to check in at 7pm in Nice (France) since our flight landed at around 8am and we had to lug our big backpacks all day after not being able to sleep all night on the flight, but it was worth it. I could provide links to the places we used in Nice, Marseilles, Barcelona, Pisa, La Spezia (Cinque Terre) and in Rome, though I wouldn't quantify any of them as being super exceptional. We were on a tight budget so the initial price was a big factor.
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Jun 21, 2014 10:37
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freebooter posted:Whole place or private room, must have wifi (job and househunting). Literally anywhere relatively close to the city as long as we're not looking at, like, a 1.5 hour commute (for resume handouts etc.) Our budget was something like $70 AUD a night but now we've upped it to $90-100 and gotten pre-approval on a few places. Although we also stopped telling people that we were moving there. I just don't get what the big deal about that was. Yeah I'm afraid I can't help you out there - my flat is out of your budget as it's in a prime central location. Good luck finding somewhere though, there are definitely places around that will fit your criteria.
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Jun 21, 2014 10:49
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We got our first inquiry.  She wants to stay for 3 days to see if she likes it, then potentially extend on a weekly basis til she finds an apartment. I'm nervous about the potentially super long stay, since we have a 2 week limit.
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Jun 21, 2014 13:55
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tentish klown posted:Yeah I'm afraid I can't help you out there - my flat is out of your budget as it's in a prime central location. Good luck finding somewhere though, there are definitely places around that will fit your criteria. No worries, we're staying at a place in Hackney now. Just had to up our price a bit. We probably can't realy afford to be spending this much but once you've gotten used to a certain level of comfort you don't want to go back to hostel dorms... Sheizerbrick posted:Are many hosts reluctant to let people stay for a longer term? I understand it's more of a holiday tourist kind of service. See my experience above. For some reason people were reluctant to rent to us when they knew we were moving here rather than just being tourists and I still have no idea why. I can only assume they were worried we might demand to stick around if we couldn't find anywhere to live in time.
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Jun 21, 2014 19:55
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Hey Dead Pressed, can you put me in the OP for The Triangle, NC? I'm not comfortable giving the link to my listing, but they can PM me or email me at sa.rurutia@gmail.com for the link and a discount.
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Jun 22, 2014 14:37
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I've had more declines in Regina than all of the other 2 dozen or so places I've been to combined. Grrr. Wide open calendars (it's Regina), "the room is not available".
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Jun 22, 2014 14:45
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Rurutia posted:Hey Dead Pressed, can you put me in the OP for The Triangle, NC? I'm not comfortable giving the link to my listing, but they can PM me or email me at sa.rurutia@gmail.com for the link and a discount. Done.
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Jun 22, 2014 14:52
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I'm an AirBnB believer - started using it about a year and a half ago in Turkey and Hungary. In the US, I've used it in Portland, OR, Spokane, Pensacola and NYC. All universally excellent experiences as a guest. I had a great customer service interaction as well, my host in Izmir worked for Turkish Airlines, and they suddenly decided to relocate him a week before I got there. Within a couple hours of his having to cancel my reservation (completely understandably, of course), AirBnB had refunded my money and given me something like $35 in credit for my trouble. I've hosted a couple of people, which worked well as I was the only place for miles in my small town, other than a house on a vineyard for $240/night, but I'm in the process of moving so I've stopped hosting for now. I explained to one woman that one of the paintings I had up was a self portrait by a fellow who would be 102 this year, if he were still around, who I considered a good friend. She proceeded to excitedly ask if he had fetal alcohol syndrome "because his eyes look weird"! I explained that, no, the painting was somewhat stylized and he didn't have fetal alcohol syndrome. 
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Jun 28, 2014 07:50
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Rurutia posted:Thanks! That's all super helpful. I'm a little hesitant to plunk down a lot of money renovating the room but in the end it'll hopefully be worth it. You don't have to renovate but you do want some things in there to fill the room. The easiest thing to do is grab things from the walls, tables in your bedroom and add them in there for the first couple of guests. Then when you've made a little money buy something specifically for the room. Otherwise you will want to have at least something on the walls. A bare wall looks pretty boring. I like some indoor plants or if you have a garden you can add some flowers/branches to a vase. Little succulent pots work well and should only be a few dollars each. Always have some information/guides on the table. You could go to your towns tourist/info centre and probably pick up a bunch. Write down a list of things you like to do such as places to eat or drink, how to get around town, little spots to go for a walk etc. Something that really grabs peoples attention like a very colourful bedspread is always a good idea as well. Colour really works well in the photos.
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Jul 14, 2014 14:54
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So... I just had my 2nd guest. And he seemed really happy while he was here, and I asked him multiple times if he needed anything and he said no. He just left and I found out that he bought a wooden crate as a nightstand and a really nice lamp (that fits into the look of the room).  Also hangars. I really need some advice as to how to broach the subject. Like, should I offer to pay for it? (even though it's not in our budget)
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Jul 24, 2014 14:15
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I wouldn't worry about it. If he wanted you to provide it he would have asked, before and after, purchasing it. Also, I have so many hangers at this point it's not even funny.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:12
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This is relevant for anyone who hosts with AirBnB: http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/23/travel/airbnb-squatters/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 Basically, a California couple is having trouble evicting AirBnB guests who are claiming squatter rights or something.
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Jul 24, 2014 16:17
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Dead Pressed posted:I wouldn't worry about it. If he wanted you to provide it he would have asked, before and after, purchasing it. Also, I have so many hangers at this point it's not even funny. Yeah, that's my thought too. I'm just not sure how to thank him appropriately. Hughmoris posted:This is relevant for anyone who hosts with AirBnB: Yep, I saw this yesterday. This is why I have a 2 week max.
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Jul 24, 2014 16:21
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That really just highlights the importance of properly vettting your guests, especially during long term rentals...
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Jul 24, 2014 23:25
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I only learned about AirBnB when I was cat sitting for a friend vacationing in Europe, and ran into their houseguest (East Boston, MA). I thought it was a friend of theirs who was staying there while they were gone. Clearly not the case. Really nice girl from Germany, dropped her off at the local Cumberland Farms when she asked for the local grocery store. So now I've been using it to bookmark all of my dream locations. That "wishlist" button is addictive. Has anybody had any bad experiences with ABnB, the California Squatters case aside?
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Jul 28, 2014 00:12
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I have some guests staying in an apartment that I let out as a whole unit through airbnb. I asked them if there's anything I can do - they are Korean and don't speak very much English. They want me to book them a taxi to the airport for their flight from London to Vienna, and also want me to book them a transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow when they get back to Vienna, 12 days after they leave my flat. I feel like I've been put in a difficult position here - I am not responsible for their travels. A taxi to the airport when they leave my flat is borderline, but I feel like booking them a shuttle two weeks after they stay is taking the piss somewhat. However, I don't feel like I can say no in case that affects my host rating. What do I do, goons?
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Jul 28, 2014 15:06
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tentish klown posted:I have some guests staying in an apartment that I let out as a whole unit through airbnb.
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Jul 28, 2014 17:14
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tentish klown posted:I have some guests staying in an apartment that I let out as a whole unit through airbnb. I'd probably give them the taxi as they still have to pay for it and its not hard to do. Then give them the details of how to get from gatwick to heathrow. At least at gatwick its really not hard to find transport.
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Jul 29, 2014 13:04
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