Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2017 · 13 posts · 5 votes
I have instant booking set up o my AirBNB listing. I state renter must be minimum age of 25 and to provide name and ages of all guests but no way to enforce this o. Airbnb that I'm aware of.
I received a new booking recently that only referenced 7 close friends getting together. When I asked for more detail about the guests, I received a response from the guests' mother that it would be 7 - 19 year olds and that they all come from good homes and would take care of the cabin.
I am not certain 19 year olds know how to manage a home but most concerning is if they drink, am I liable? I don't want to break any anti discrimination laws either - both with Airbnb or the city/ county. How do you handle this? Thank you for your input.
Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
So if the guest's mother did the booking...and the mother is not going to be there, this most likely violates airbnb policy. I went through this with one of the platforms I just can't remember which one. Had a sister who instant booked 60 days at one of my STRs in that area for her deadbeat brother, who has been arrested in other states for squatting on private property... yea no. It was an expensive booking and payment actually was approved. So anyway it was the platform's policy that the person that books has to be the guest. So that was our easy way to cancel without a penalty.
My minimum is also 25, however I will make exceptions. I had a similar experience with a group of teenagers we actually let stay at one of my pool cabins. We had enough conversations with the mom that we felt comfortable and it actually worked out very well. It was only 4 teens around the same age though. 7 to 19 is crazy!
I agree with both of the above comments.
Here is the deal. It's your cabin. If you are not comfortable - decline the booking. I have had to do that on occasion. Probably everyone has.
I have instant booking set up o my AirBNB listing. I state renter must be minimum age of 25 and to provide name and ages of all guests but no way to enforce this o. Airbnb that I'm aware of.
I received a new booking recently that only referenced 7 close friends getting together. When I asked for more detail about the guests, I received a response from the guests' mother that it would be 7 - 19 year olds and that they all come from good homes and would take care of the cabin.
I am not certain 19 year olds know how to manage a home but most concerning is if they drink, am I liable? I don't want to break any anti discrimination laws either - both with Airbnb or the city/ county. How do you handle this? Thank you for your input.
This is a “3rd party booking” and against the rules. Tell them to cancel. Never cancel a guest from your end
Rental Property Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2017 · 181 posts · 115 votes
6y
No discrimination concerns, your listing states min age of 25. Note, rental car companies do this every day without being discriminatory. AirBnB is clear that the person making the reservation must stay there. If the mother told you she wouldn’t be staying there, it is a clear violation of AirBnB policy. Have AirBnB cancel the reservation for this violation.
BTW all, pretty sure it’s not a group of ages 7-19, it (7) Nineteen year old individuals.
Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2017 · 13 posts · 5 votes
6y
Jeffery is correct it's (7) 19 year olds. The problem is that the Mom booked it using her daughters profile. The Mom is one that responded via her profile so it's no guarantee it was the actual Mom responding. It could be just a smart 19 year old.
@Lucas Carl your response about Airbnb penalizing for this is my understanding too.
My main concern is my personal liability for issues that may arise from under age drinking and of course mis management from not understanding how a home works.
No discrimination concerns, your listing states min age of 25. Note, rental car companies do this every day without being discriminatory. AirBnB is clear that the person making the reservation must stay there. If the mother told you she wouldn’t be staying there, it is a clear violation of AirBnB policy. Have AirBnB cancel the reservation for this violation.
BTW all, pretty sure it’s not a group of ages 7-19, it (7) Nineteen year old individuals.
You are correct I just called and confirmed with Airbnb. As long as your age limit is in your description you’re golden. This is news to me. I inquired about this a few years ago and they said 18+ or it’s discrimination. Good to know!
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Good luck @Diana J Adams! I agree there would be no way I would allow 7 19 year olds in my rental. Personally, I do not allow instant booking. That way I can vet each group with some simple communication.
Just a few polite questions that ask them if they are celebrating anything special, have you been to the area before, are you planning on bringing a dog, what are the ages of the kids...they are good conversation starters and show you are interested in making sure they have a good time. It also tells you what kind of persons they are.
No discrimination concerns, your listing states min age of 25. Note, rental car companies do this every day without being discriminatory. AirBnB is clear that the person making the reservation must stay there. If the mother told you she wouldn’t be staying there, it is a clear violation of AirBnB policy. Have AirBnB cancel the reservation for this violation.
BTW all, pretty sure it’s not a group of ages 7-19, it (7) Nineteen year old individuals.
You are correct I just called and confirmed with Airbnb. As long as your age limit is in your description you’re golden. This is news to me. I inquired about this a few years ago and they said 18+ or it’s discrimination. Good to know!
Yep, just list all of your rules in the description, such as age restrictions, pets or no pets, etc. and whatever other rules you want-after all, you own the house, you’re allowed to set the rules! I think owners sometimes forget: they are guests in your house, you can enforce whatever rules you would like!!
I own some really nice high-end houses and I enforce strict age restrictions, my offshore PMs verify ages before every stay and we cancel if they don’t meet what we stated in the listing
Property Manager · Memphis, TN · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 5 votes
6y
One trick we've used with great success is including verbiage in our listings that says "underage rental fee applies". We leave it very ambiguous, but definitively in there, and Airbnb has sided with us the only 3 times it's become an issue. If its a group we want to host - we just tell them "Unfortunately, for insurance purposes, we're required to collect an underage rental fee of $250 for groups under the age of 26 - we're willing to eat half of that though if you can pay the $125." Generally, they pay it no questions asked. For groups we DON'T want to host - we may send a message saying "Unfortunately for insurance purposes, we're required to collect an underage rental fee of $250/guest under age 26." They're never willing to pay that amount, and then they'll cancel. You can decide the age/amount, but there's SOME amount that if a guest were willing to pay as an underage rental fee, I'd accept a group of 19-year-olds. I'm yet to find any 19-year-olds that want to pay that amount though. ;)
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Seven kids that age are getting together to party. You'll be lucky if they don't spill drinks on the furniture or carpet, or burn holes with cigarettes, etc. You have an age limit, stick to it.
Real Estate Agent · Texas Tennessee · Member since 2019 · 93 posts · 83 votes
6y
@Lucas Carl Hey! Did Airbnb say if they will cancel the booking if the booking guest doesn’t meet your age requirement? I’m just wondering how you would enforce the rule for an instant booking if the guest will not cancel from their end.
I recently had a group of 8 17-19 year olds that wanted to book my cabin for spring break. Thankfully they saw my rules and messaged me before booking. I politely declined and referred them to a local cabin management company. :)
"Why do folks choose 25 as the minimum age? Is there any legal logic behind this number?"
The logic I've heard, which sounds reasonable, is that by 25 most young folks have left college and the chances of a college party at your property are significantly reduced.
One technique you may want to consider if you are self-managing is paying attention to local area codes used by guests coupled with a .edu email address. This is a red flag you have a high school/college party heading your way.
Rightfully you should be concerned with under age drinking and the liability you may have if an incident did occur. Personally I use commercial insurance that specifically covers me for alcohol and the nonsense associated with it. Renters insurance with an STR addendum does not.
Example 1: Drunk guest attacks your neighbor or another guest? Who is getting sued? The broke 19 year old or you. Example 2: Teenage boys invite local underage girls to a party at your house, someone gets hurt. Who's getting sued?
Truth is, folks like to party when on vacation, alcohol is often involved and with that problems inevitably occur.
There are a few things that can break you in the STR game which are out of your control. None more crushing than an underage alcohol laced law suit.