Age limits for AIRBnB?

Question

Well I've had it with younger guests.....they are not as clean and fuss about the most inane things. The entitlement is killing me.....

A recent young lady on her honeymoon said - 'You have ants in your house'. When I pressed her, she admitted that they had left their cake on the counter overnight, didn't think it would cause any problems....

She also mentioned in her review that the WiFi didn't work - if she would've called or texted me, I could have had it reset.

Another said the smell of paint gave them a headache. The house was painted 8 months ago...I suspect the real problem is they were out partying.

I could go on, but the bottom line is that I want to raise the age limit to 30. I did a search and found that AIR considers this discrimination and will investigate you if you even ask....can this be true? I believe that VRBO let's you set an age limit, right? So is there any way or work arounds to do it on AIR? I would just get rid of AIR, but for now they account for half of my bookings, at least at this place....

All help appreciated!

Paul Sandhu · Answer

It's the aggravation cost of doing business.

Joshua Strickland · Answer

I set at 25+ on both sites. Never heard a peep about it.

Also just curious… do you send a mid stay or day after check in message asking the guests to let you know of any issues? I don’t always get a response, but it has allowed me to circumvent a few issues in the past. To make it not weird I also send out my favorite restaurants and activities with that message.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

Thanks guys....I know this is part of the business, I'm just looking to minimize the aggravation as much as I can. Limiting the age to 30 would only lose me a few bookings at this place, and I'd gladly trade that for the relief....

John Underwood · Answer

I have a minimum of 25 years old on both sites and have never been questioned by air over this.

My Honeywell 9000 wifi thermostats send me an email from their server when they lose communication. This is helpful in knowing when the internet goes down or I lose power.

Alex S. · Answer

I do the exact same thing as @Joshua Strickland...to include the local recommendations.  I also got tired of people leaving reviews mentioning problems that I could have easily fixed if they told me.  For example, "the fan didn't work in the bedroom."  There was a remote in the nightstand that they didn't see.

Joshua Strickland · Answer

@Bruce Woodruff I send through the Airbnb/vrbo app because it is an automated message in my Smartbnb messaging software. If a guest has been overly communicative outside of the apps then I’ll do a quick copy and paste and send it via text or email as well.

It goes like this: Hi “guest name”, I hope you have got settled in on your trip. Just reaching out to confirm there were no issues and also offer some recommendations….I then list my favorite place to eat, favorite hike, and favorite dinner show with links to each.

Jaron Walling · Answer

@Bruce Woodruff Those are annoying issues for sure but as a STR investor it's the cost of business. Even if you could you'll destroy your occupancy rate. Either deal with it or get out now while the markets are red hot.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

@Kenneth Garrett

Yep, I agree that great communication is the key to this business! more is better than less IMO... I find that people that are younger do not do as well with this, maybe it's a generational thing...?

Kenneth Garrett · Answer

@Bruce Woodruff

I set the age at 25, although there are times I wish it were 30 or over.  I send an email the day after there arrival about there trip in and if they have any questions.  For week long stays that arrive on Saturday, I send an email on Wednesdays to check and see if everything is ok and if there are any questions.  I then send another email on Sunday after Saturday check out to thank them for staying with us.  I generally get great feedback on communication.  Seems to help avoid other issues.

Trish Mccoy · Answer

I honestly don't want people under 40 - but you sometimes can't control that.   I don't have an automatic booking - I screen every request - ask questions - look them up on social media if possible - then decide if I will accept that booking.    In most cases it always has panned out and well worth the extra time for me...but I only have 6 short term rentals.

Age limits for AIRBnB?

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