Construction near STR … tips?

Question

Hi BP Community! Long time lurker, first time poster here…

I was curious for customer service feedback on my rentals, specifically how you all handle certain issues. I’ve been told I’m “too nice”, but I’m curious about the general consensus is on this site.

I have a recently acquired rental, great location, etc. Well, the lot next to me broke ground on new construction. I have always listed it in my Airbnb/VRBO pages, totally upfront. I have a picture I took of the lot when it first was getting cleared and say “active construction”…

Well, a guest complained about it. I refunded him $200. But, should I have? What do you all do with issues like this, but issues you mention ahead of time? I agree with them, the construction is a bummer, but also I can’t shut it down for a year while they build…

Granted, I don’t have a prominent banner in bold saying “CONSTRUCTION” or anything, but it’s there multiple times and even on photo captions. I’m trying to strike of balance of not making it seem horrible, but also being honest.

I’m nervous since those first reviews are so critical… curious for feedback, thanks for being a great group of folks!

Carolyn Fuller · Answer

We had MAJOR construction happening on 3 sides of our 2 STRs (back yard - 8 story building and both sides - 19 stories & 4 stories) for over 2 years! We were never asked for a refund and we didn't even reduce our rental fees! We did list the construction noise warning in the House Rules section of the listings that guests have to read prior to booking. During the time when pile driving was happening and the noise & shaking was particularly problematic, we included the warning in our initial response to instant bookings or inquiries and we gave the instant bookers a 48 hour cancellation grace period.

No photos and no emphasizing the problem in the general description of the property but highlighting the issues after the guest has been hooked did the trick.

And one other thing... Reducing your fees does not help. Telling a guest that they are paying less to put up with an inconvenience will just highlight the inconvenience and does little to remedy the annoyance. A good deal to an owner is rarely a good enough deal to the guest.

Luke Carl · Answer

Same as anything just be up front and honest and they won't have anything to complain about. I've got one that is in a new construction neighborhood. Mine was one of the first built. It's swimming in new builds. I just make it very obvious that that this is the case.  I've got one with a road that will scare the pants off of you (mountain) it gets nothing but rave reviews. Yes they still mention the road sometimes but it's always a glowing review. "we had the greatest time ever the view was gorgeous and they weren't kidding about the road"

Just have to make sure you're selling apples to people that want to buy apples. If they show up and find out they bought an orange they're not going to be happy.

Amanda Ferguson · Answer

Put a disclaimer in your listing description that there is construction in the area and there may be construction noise during business hours.  Overcommunicating this prior to the guest booking and arriving can help prevent unnecessary discounts later. Depending on the situation you may adjust pricing accordingly, especially if in a condo building and it will impact access to balcony, amenities, etc.

Paul Sandhu · Answer

If it is specialty construction, the people doing it may be from out of town and need a place to stay for the duration of their work.  That's what I do with the short term workers doing jobs at a refinery.

Leora Merrell · Answer

We had that for a while on the road our cabins are on. I put it in the listing in three different places. One person was peeved and said something about it. I told her I mentioned it in the listing and I made sure to do so multiple times since it is something I have no control over so I did my best to make it clear in the listing. She backed off. Point out it’s out of your control which is why you put that info in your listing.

John Underwood · Answer

If you are advertising that there is active construction during the day then I would not be sending people partial refunds. They knew this when they booked.

There is a fine line and you don't want bad reviews from this short term issue. So I would play it by ear and see if someone was really mad and you needed to do something, otherwise I would not.

Just mention that you had this in your description and apologize and leave it at that unless you really think you need to do something like offer a concession.

You could offer a discount on a future stay when the construction is over with?

Joe Splitrock · Answer

I stayed at a deluxe resort in Mexico and they had heavy construction going on next door for the entire duration of my stay. Nobody offered me any discount, but I did give the resort a negative review.

My advice on a short term rental is air on the side of caution with offering concessions to smooth over problems. As others suggested, find ways to repeat the warning about construction. When they request to book, I would respond with a message, "I just wanted to confirm you saw the comment about construction next door and to make sure you are ok with that." There is no doubt at that point someone saw it.

Peter Chauncey · Answer

@Carolyn Fuller I like that technique, definitely one to consider. I don’t explicitly state that I’ve lowered my rates due to the construction, it’s just something I did on my own to sort of counter the construction. On a human level, I know it’s annoying so for this first year I’ll be nice. My net gain on it is still incredible, so no worries on income! I really like your advice though, I might actually adopt that method going forward.

@John Underwood great ideas, thank you. I’ve come to realize I was a little too nice… the lady on the other side of the construction doesn’t even mention it, her idea is once they’re there she’s earned their money and they can deal with it. I’ve never been able to operate like that!

Luke Carl · Answer

I think you’re on the right track. I’m 3000 reservations into my career and I don’t think I’d care quite as much about this as you do. Because I’m jaded lol.  I’m not afraid to offer a few bucks here and there for things that were my fault but it is a fine line.

Peter Chauncey · Answer

@Amanda Ferguson I definitely communicate it, but when you say “overcommunicating”, would you say I need to send another message to the guests after they’ve booked? My pricing is definitely lower, this cabin is in the heart of Pigeon Forge and I’m at $300/night in summer when neighbors are around $475+…

@Paul Sandhu nothing specialty, just a big tourist town!

@Luke Carl I’m definitely the same with putting driveway pictures, mentioning construction, etc. I guess I’m more curious about at what point have I done my due diligence and when somebody still complains what you do?

I’m big on customer service and so far my first 9 reviews are good, but aside from putting it in the listing, what else can be done? It seems some folks don’t even read the listing sometimes. I mention it 3 times. Would any of you still issue refunds, etc if you were upfront and they still don’t like it?

Thanks for the replies!

Construction near STR … tips?

Most Popular Reply