There are many advantages to hosting your property on airbnb, but having your home turned into a ‘party house’ is not one of those.
The scenario usually starts with your guests booking for a maximum of 4 people and then inviting all of their friends to stay and have a party, without letting you know – conveniently.
Not only is this clearly against house rules, but it is a breach of trust and poor guest etiquette. Home owners typically end up with damaged property and disgruntled neighbours, all of which turn out to be very expensive.
Here is our list of ways to avoid the ‘party house’ guest.
- Ask guests to pay a bond. Airbnb does not have this requirement at the moment, but we at fivestarhost believe every guest should be required to pay a bond when they sign up for an Airbnb account – as a term of use. Since this is not a requirement, it is up to the host to request a bond to be paid upfront. The bond can be fully refunded after checkout and inspection.
- Request a minimum stay. We recommended that you have a minimum stay of three nights, or two nights to trusted guests. Party people usually don’t have a 2 – 3 day bender. The excitement of a huge ‘one night only’ party in a random house usually brings the crowds.
- Explain the house rules on check-in. When checking guests in, it is the perfect time to go over house rules or at least show them the folder with the rules in it. This shows the guest that you are serious about people respecting your home.
- Install external security cameras. Security cameras installed at the front and rear doors will allow you to monitor if there are more people arriving on the property than was originally booked for. They may also to be able to catch party behaviour in outdoor areas.
- Team up with your neighbours. Your neighbours may not be overjoyed that you have decided to Airbnb your home, but if you are on good terms they may be happy to help monitor bad behaviour on your property and report either to you or the police.
- Don’t provide entertainment systems. Remove any fun party equipment such as sound systems, speakers, karaoke machines, outdoor bars etc. Also a good idea, is don’t provide too many beer and wine glasses. Don’t make it easy for guests to host a party.
- Do your due diligence. Always do a background check on your potential guests. Airbnb and other booking platforms rely on a trust system that provides open and honest feedback for both hosts and guests. Make sure your potential guest doesn’t have any negative feedback that relates to parties and property damage.