It's a trying time for everyone right now. Whilst there has been some financial help for the UK hospitality industry it is still difficult and confusing for people wanting to take a holiday. Many have decided to avoid flights to places where they may find it problematic to return home to without the need to self-isolate. Many have opted for a holiday within the UK instead and this has led to a huge increase on bookings this summer, and in fact the bookings continue well into autumn and early winter. With this comes the inevitable increase in the spread of COVID-19 as people travel from all corners. They will mix with people who may or may not be abiding by sensible social distancing and acting according to their situation and surroundings. We have all seen over crowded beaches in the news with hardly a mask in sight.
As a holiday home owner this should be causing concern
It would be wise to make sure your house rules now also include specific guidance and additional rules for COVID-19. These should be made readily available to the guests before they arrive or better still as they book. Give your guests a full understanding of what to expect when they arrive and how your inventory may have been reduced. This gives them an opportunity of not booking or canceling early enough should they not agree with them.
Limit the amount of guests
We decided to limit the amount of guests to two adults plus two children, this meant that it is more than likely that the maximum group we have is one family from the same household. This summer all of our bookings were by couples and one by a family with a baby. Our amended rules are clear and available at the time of booking as well as online and in the property itself, but there will always be someone who flouts them. We had a couple who booked and paid for two. On arrival they turned up with another couple from another household. They assumed they could do whatever they wanted with the property once they had booked it. They went on to complain that there weren't enough utensils for four people. We pointed out that our rules that they received by email that would be a reduced inventory but will always be enough for the amount of guests in the booking. They refused to acknowledge they had done anything wrong. After eight days the extra guests left but then another couple arrived from yet another household.
In light of of COVID, we do not meet and greet guests, neither does our house-keeper, so we have a self-check-in procedure. In general this works well for guests as they can arrive without the pressure of arriving at a specific time. However, some will take advantage of that and bring more guests than they paid for. These tend to be Airbnb guests as they are under the illusion that once they have rented the house/apartment they may use it for whatever reason they see fit and for as many people as they choose. Properties are not considered as holiday homes but as places to stay. We only discovered their dishonesty when they complained about the mattresses not being comfortable and could we replace them with new ones.
It is important therefore to underline and highlight your rules about this at the top of your Airbnb listings. They may still try and use the loophole to book in less guests to reduce the cost, but at least they cannot say they didn't know. Airbnb will then, for once, be on the side of the owner rather than the guest.
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