Airbnb guestsI violating rules and keep bringing visitors

[Greg R.]

BP community, I'm in need of advice from seasoned STR property managers. I have been in the STR game for about 3 years now. Just recently I acquired another STR, this one out of state from where I live.

The property I'm referring to is in Albuquerque and is a very nice single-family home. It's a beautiful custom home, the nicest house in the area. 

We have a rule that we make all reservations acknowledge before accepting. We tell them that absolutely no visitors or guests are allowed at the property under any circumstance. Only the individuals that are identified at the time of booking are allowed at the house. 

We are very early on in this process w/ this home (I think less than 5 reservations) and a very high amount of the reservations are violating the rule. It's the kind of home that they probably want to show off to their friends/ family, etc. Again, it's big, fully custom, and very nice. That said, what can I do to enforce this rule? I really want to preserve my "super host" status if all possible - but enforcing our house rules is more important to me that my status. 

I would like to know how other STR managers have dealt with this situation. In my other STR this is not a problem at all. However, it's a guest house, so I don't think people come here with the intention of having gatherings & hanging out with friends.

As always, appreciate the help.

Greg

[Joshua Young]

Hey @Greg R.

I do STR in Albuquerque as well but have never had an issue with unknown guests however our place is very small. When I was doing it on a larger scale we had an issue with people smoking so we included: "As a reminder, we have a strict non-smoking policy (illegal or legal) and by booking you are subject to a $500 security deposit if this rule is not followed. Additionally, there is a $300 per guest per night fee for any guests over the two guest occupancy. If you do not plan on abiding by these rules, we advise you cancel immediately."

I'm not sure of its enforceability but it was really effective and made people think twice. You could also set an extra guest fee over a certain amount and make it a high number.

Hope that gives you some ideas.