1. Table of Contents & Disclaimer. 1
Disclaimer 8
2. Our Experience So Far. 9
Introduction. 9
Our Story So Far 9
Our Dream.. 9
Our Reality. 10
Introduction. 10
Income Breakdown. 10
Your Dream and Your Reality. 11
We Considered Alternatives to Airbnb. 11
Airbnb Rivals. 11
Renting to Friends or Family. 12
Long-Term Rentals. 12
The Good & The Bad. 13
The Good: Income. 13
The Good: Airbnb Has Only Taken 3%.. 13
The Good: We Met Interesting People. 13
The Good: Not Too Many Things Have Gone Missing. 14
The Good: Free Food & Drinks. 14
The Good: Becoming a Superhost 14
The Bad: Close Encounters of the Worst Kind. 14
The Bad: Work. 17
The Bad: Unexpected Things. 18
The Bad: Bad Reviews. 18
The Bad: Taxes. 19
The Bad: Local Government 19
The Bad: Airbnb Service. 19
The Strange: Tinder. 20
Conclusion. 20
Golden Rules 20
Communication with Guests. 20
Communication with Airbnb. 22
Don’t Cancel on Guests. 22
Try to Be There. 22
Good Faith. 23
Intuition. 23
Facts. 23
3. Considerations….. 24
Introduction. 24
What Kind of Guest do You Want?. 24
Why Are Guests Travelling?. 25
Why Would Guests Stay with You?. 25
How Do You Make Your Guests Happy?. 26
Your Stuff Getting Damaged. 27
Valuable Things. 27
Consider the Rental Like a Hotel 27
Wear and Tear 27
Problem Guests 28
An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth A Pound of Cure. 28
Liabilities 29
Insurance. 29
Homeowners Association & Covenants. 29
Neighbors. 29
Parking. 30
Access 30
Cleaning. 30
Vacuum and Spot Cleaner / Carpet Cleaner 30
Trash. 31
While You’re Away….. 31
Your Pets and Family….. 31
Bank Account 31
Taxes 32
Local Government 32
Sleeping in the Rental 32
Your Time. 32
Conclusion / Start Off Slow.. 33
Start Off Slow.. 33
Start Off Safe. 33
Later On. 33
4. Pricing & Pricing Strategy. 34
Introduction. 34
Airbnb Terms & Concepts 34
Base Price. 34
Weekend Pricing. 34
Cleaning Fee. 35
Security Deposit 35
Extra Guest Rates. 35
Strategy. 36
Law of Supply and Demand. 36
Get the Most $$$ You Can by Pricing According to Demand. 36
When You Start, Price the Listing Low at First 36
Price According to Demand. 36
Don’t Go Below a Certain Price. 38
Be Honest with the Cleaning Fee. 38
Smart Pricing. 39
How to Set Prices. 39
Initial Pricing. 39
Overriding Pricing. 39
When Do You Set Prices?. 43
Short Term Prices. 43
Long Term Prices 43
When Do You Get Paid?. 44
Returning the Money L.. 44
5. Preparations Before Listing. 45
Introduction. 45
Blankets, Sheets and Towels 45
Sheets and Towels 45
Blankets. 45
Supplies 46
Vacuum Cleaner 47
Carpet Cleaner 47
Guest Book. 47
Download My Documents. 47
Guest Book & Your Expectations. 48
Guest Book & Safety Info. 48
Guest Book & Useful Info. 48
Signs 49
Waivers 49
Your Photo & Profile. 49
Listing Photos. 50
Listing Documentation. 51
6. Setting Up Your Listing. 52
Introduction. 52
Listing Details 53
Photos. 53
Rooms and Spaces. 53
Amenities. 53
Accessibility Features. 53
Title & Description. 53
Property & Guests. 54
Location. 54
Guest Resources. 54
Guidebook. 54
Listing Status. 54
Booking Settings 55
How Guests Can Book. 55
Guest Requirements. 57
House Rules. 57
Policies. 59
Pricing. 62
Nightly Price. 62
Length of Stay Discounts. 62
Early Bird Discount. 62
Extra Charges. 62
Currency. 63
Availability. 64
Reservation Preferences. 64
Trip Length. 64
Check-in and Checkout 65
Sync Calendars. 65
Linked Airbnb Calendars. 65
Local Taxes and Laws. 66
Co-hosts 66
Invite a Friend. 66
7. Inquiries. 67
Introduction. 67
Phone / Tablet App. 67
Response Rate. 67
Response Time. 68
Response Rate & Time Matter 68
How do Potential Guests Make Inquiries?. 68
Responding to Inquiries 71
Timeliness. 71
Typing in Messages. 71
Asking Questions of Your Own. 72
Approving. 72
Declining. 72
Dismissing. 72
8. Reservation Requests. 74
Introduction. 74
How do Potential Guests Make Reservation Requests?. 75
Receiving a Reservation Request 75
Calendar Dates. 75
Making the Decision. 75
Spotting the Bad Guys. 77
Responding to Reservation Requests 77
Accepting Reservations. 78
Requesting More Information. 78
Declining Reservations. 78
Booking Message. 78
Booking More Than One Week in Advance. 78
Booking Less Than One Week in Advance. 79
Booking Message Purpose. 80
9. Preparations & Cleaning. 83
Introduction. 83
Practice Makes Perfect 83
Remove Towels, Sheets & Trash. 83
Clean. 84
Replenish Supplies. 84
Other 85
10. The Stay. 86
Introduction. 86
Meet the Guests If You Can….. 86
If You Can’t Meet the Guests….. 87
Amenity Problems 88
Guest Problems 88
Why Do You Get Problem Guests?. 88
Dealing with Problem Guests. 89
After Checkout 93
11. The Aftermath. 94
Introduction. 94
Reviews. 94
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure. 94
Hosts Should Give Guest Reviews. 94
Wait Before Giving Guests Reviews. 95
Review Visibility & Editing. 95
Bad Reviews. 95
Our Worst Review.. 95
Our Worst Review – Breakdown. 96
Our Worst Review – My Response. 97
Our Worst Review – Conclusion. 97
Responding to Bad Reviews. 97
Light Damages and Damage Claims 98
Decide If Making a Claim is Worth It 98
What You Need to Do. 98
Resolution Center 99
Introduction. 99
What You Can Do. 99
How to Get There. 100
What Do You See?. 100
Send Money. 101
Request Money. 102
Guest Full Refunds 103
Your Place Gets Trashed... 104
Airbnb Host Guarantee. 104
12. Taxes & The Government. 107
Introduction. 107
Local Government 107
The List 107
There is No Way….. 109
Go See them In Person. 109
Raising Prices. 109
IRS. 109
Miscellaneous Income 1099. 109
What We Do. 110
Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments. 110
Annual Tax Return. 111
13. Appendix. 113
Introduction. 113
Airbnb Help Line Number 113
Airbnb Community Website. 113
Superhosts. 113
Purpose. 113
In Reality. 114
Criteria. 114
Host Evaluations. 114
What It Means to Hosts?. 115
Saved Responses 115
How to Get to the Saved Messages Dialog. 115
How to Create a New Saved Message. 119
How to Edit Saved Messages. 119