How To Make Long-Term Hosting Work
Lots of hosts avoid long-term bookings but that doesn’t have to be the case.
There are many types of Airbnb guests just like there are tons of Airbnb hosts. Across the globe, we have the business commuter and the vacationing couple, the hipster foodies and the outdoorsy hikers. Most of these common types of guests will come to our listing depending on our location or the events happening in our area. And generally they will only stay for a weekend, or maybe a week or so. But there’s one type of Airbnb guest that some hosts will avoid altogether. Yep, we’re talking about long-term bookings.
Long-term hosting is considered a burden to some, especially those in California who have heard horror stories of guests turned into squatters. But hosting a guest for an extended period of time doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. Think alone of the fact that we don’t have to turn over the listing for all that time, but we continue collecting a nightly rate. In fact, it can be a lot like having a roommate as long as we do our best as an Airbnb host to make their stay and accommodations successful. A lot of this responsibility comes with setting boundaries and rules for long-term guests.
Don’t Become A Maid
One major point to note is the cleaning schedule for long-term guests. While we don’t want to make them uncomfortable, we also don’t want to end up offering a hotel-style cleaning service, especially if this hasn’t been factored into their payment. To avoid this awkward encounter altogether, provide all of the cleaning supplies they may need right in their room. It is also wise to display a laundry schedule next to a basket as a way of letting guests know when the linens will be cleaned. This solves one major issue that many have with their long-term guests.
New House Rules
Hosts may also want to consider modifying their house rules when considering taking long-term bookings. For example, one host from Germany points out that having one guest cooking at 2:30 am might not bother them during a 3-day stay, but this behavior would get old after a month or so. Take a deep look at the house rules and modify them to fit those applicable to a roommate rather than a houseguest. This will help ensure we cover all of our bases. It is also wise to reiterate any important rules (ie. visitors) through messages before accepting the booking. This doesn’t only serve as a reminder, it is also proof that those standards were set prior to booking.
Being a long-term Airbnb host isn’t hard, but it does take some understanding of how to set parameters. It is important to let a guest know exactly what will be expected of them as a long-term booking before we confirm their stay. Setting parameters before they ever check-in helps ensure a positive guest experience and a happy host.
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