Airbnb Hosting Etiquette | Mistakes to Avoid when Renting an Airbnb

Getting into the Airbnb rental market requires strict hosting etiquette. Good guest experience is imperative for your platform's success, and how you treat people can determine whether or not you make a profit and build a sustainable business.

When you are new to Airbnb hosting, or even if you have been hosting for some time, you will have certain expectations regarding your guests' behavior. Even if you wish to avoid bad guest behavior and set reasonable expectations for etiquette to be followed when guests stay at your home, you must ensure everyone's stay is enjoyable. In the role of a host, it is vital to ensure guests are comfortable.

Every host who joins the Airbnb platform dreams of attaining Superhost status. You can make mistakes on Airbnb that can hinder your quest to become a Superhost. There are a series of criteria which are followed in selecting the top hosts on Airbnb and you can lose your Superhost status with just one mistake. Thus, prepare yourself ahead of time and try to commit as few mistakes as possible.

To avoid these negative consequences, here are a few pointers an Airbnb host should never do:

1. Incomplete Airbnb Listing Description

Listing your Airbnb property is the first step in starting your Airbnb business. However, double-check if you have listed your property professionally and accurately. Guests will book your property only if your listing convinces them to do so. If your property description isn't appealing enough, your guests will move on.

Listings allow you to effectively speak about your property. You should include all the house rules, amenities, and pricing information in your Airbnb property description. Ensure that everything on your listing is up to date, from photographs to the calendar.

Once your listing is completed, you can wait for bookings to drive your business forward. If your listing description is compelling, it will work seamlessly!

2. Your Host Profile should be completed

In most cases, your guests will check out your host profile before requesting to stay at your property. Your past reviews are available here, so they can see if you're someone they'd like to stay with.

As an Airbnb host take the time to introduce yourself, fill out your personal information, and get verified by Airbnb. Airbnb hosts often make the mistake of ignoring their profiles, which can negatively impact their income.

3. Don’t Put a Listing Up Without a Clear Photo

In the absence of property photos of your rooms, potential guests cannot decide if they want to book with you, so most likely they will skip and look elsewhere.

The simple truth is that Airbnb listings with no stand-out photos will never distinguish themselves from the competition, and listings without at least one clear image will not attract any guests. Putting effort into how you advertise your Airbnb listing is essential. Choosing the right photos will make a huge impact on the results you get from hosting.

4. Don’t Falsify or over-exaggerate your listing

It's a golden rule in hosting. *“Always be honest with your guests” *

Do not be afraid, to be honest about even the tiniest detail in your listing. Airbnb hosts who try to attract guests by lying or exaggerating on their listings will not last long in the business. Guests will leave negative reviews if they realize you lied about your property and the amenities available.

A negative review will sink your Airbnb business faster than you can blink. Airbnb is built on trust and community engagement. When you lie, mislead, or betray your guests, the consequences are always dire.

You will do well as a host if you are straightforward with the resources and amenities you have available and are ready to offer your guests.

5. Don’t Accept payments and bookings outside of Airbnb

To protect its users, Airbnb has implemented a set of payment protocols. When you remove the transaction from the service, you invalidate the booking. Airbnb cannot assist you in situations where you have accepted payment outside of its platform. If something goes wrong, you are entirely on your own. In these cases, you will not be able to prove the guest stayed or didn't pay.

Guests who ask for payment via a third party are a warning sign. Unless they have ulterior motives, there's no reason to complete the transaction outside of Airbnb. Always choose to stay on Airbnb's secure platform. It's the safest option.

6. Don’t Accept a Guest Without Reading their Reviews

You can almost always avoid negative Airbnb experiences by assessing guests before accepting them to stay with you. This is why reviews on Airbnb are so important. In a similar fashion to how guests use host reviews to determine whether they want to stay at a particular property, as a host, you should use reviews to screen for potential guests.

After every stay, Airbnb hosts leave reviews for their guests. Always check these out with each request you receive to prevent ending up with someone who won't respect your property.

7. Don’t Ignore Giving out Guest Reviews

There is so much importance to reviews on Airbnb! The first thing people look at when using a platform is reviews, regardless of whether they are hosting or staying with someone. One of your top priorities as a host should be to leave a review. Let other hosts know what you think about your guests via this feedback section, whether you want to recommend them to others or warn them about them.

It's also important for you to receive good reviews from your guests regularly. Your chances of success on Airbnb increase as you get more reviews. Let your guests know that you will be leaving reviews in their final interactions, and encourage them to do so.

8. Don’t Keep Guests Waiting!

Each listing on Airbnb's search results pages is rated using key metrics, which determine whether it will appear high up on the page. One of these metrics is your response time.

As an Airbnb host, your goal should be to respond as soon as possible once a guest requests to stay at your property. Even if you decide to decline a guest's request, not responding immediately may negatively impact your listing in the long run. You always want to appear as helpful and responsive to guests when using the Airbnb platform.

If you are slow to respond to guests, over time, you could find that you get less and less attention and this will impact the ranking of your property on Airbnb.

9. Avoid Unprofessional Behavior

Always treat your guests with respect. Your Airbnb's success will be heavily influenced by how you interact with those staying with you. The expectations you have for your guests are the same expectations they have of you. Always act professionally and maintain the highest level of host etiquette.

Your attitude is directly related to the type of reviews you will receive and thus the quality of your entire Airbnb business.

10. Don’t Invade Guest’s Privacy

If you are someone who is nervous about having strangers in your home, this is something you should seriously consider before listing your home on Airbnb. To be a successful Airbnb host, one of the most important things you can do for yourself and for your guests is to make sure you are comfortable with renting out your home.

When Airbnb hosts intrude on the privacy of guests, it's typically because they aren't comfortable hosting, but they still do it anyway. It is the responsibility of all hosts to ensure their property is ready to welcome guests. Guests will leave bad reviews for a host if they are made to feel uncomfortable during their stay. To prevent this from happening, you should give your guests plenty of space to have fun while staying at your home. Always remember, even though you allowed them to stay on your property, they are paying to do so.

Do whatever is necessary to achieve peace of mind, whether that means hiding any special items or clearly forming your house rules on your host profile. There's no other way to be a good host!

11. Don’t Ignore your Guests

It is your responsibility to take care of your guests as a host. During your guests' stay, you shouldn't disturb them, but you should ensure that you're accessible all the time so that you stay on top of things.

The communication aspect of Airbnb hosting is crucial. The channels of communication should remain open and clear from the initial request to the final review.

12. Don’t Forget the Little Things

Airbnb’s success depends on the quality of the experience you provide your guests. Think about what you would need if you were the guest, and what would make you leave a 5-star review if you were them.

Therefore, hosts should always pay attention to details. Putting the finishing touches on your home will be what makes your experience a success, so pay attention to the little details. The last thing you want to do is overlook a detail that could make your guests' stay memorable.

Consider thoughtful details that will make your guests feel like they're in good hands. Make sure your kitchen facilities are up to code, buy quality toilet paper and splurge on shampoos and soaps.

Your Airbnb host experience will be improved significantly by putting a little effort into the details. Don’t miss out!

13. Don't let your Guests Stay in a Cluttered Space

Make sure your paying guests aren't staying in a dirty or unkempt property. You can wind up with irreversible bad reviews and lose business as a consequence of this unforgivable mistake.

When guests arrive at your property, it's your primary responsibility to make sure it's clean and tidy. No matter how luxurious your home is or how small it is, it needs to be spotless. Airbnb has an exacting standard for cleanliness. So, you can’t expect paying guests to accept low cleanliness standards when they are booking on Airbnb.

Consider hiring a professional cleaner or Airbnb property manager if you are not confident with your cleaning abilities. By doing so, you'll make sure that your profile receives great reviews and that you're providing the best experience possible.

14. Avoid Unattractive Interior Decor

Poor taste and unattractive decor and finishings can negatively impact your guests' experience. A tip for hosts decorating with Airbnb success in mind would be to get some advice from an interior designer or even just check out other listings on the platform before making a final decision.

If you can, try to keep your personal style out of the equation. It may be tempting to add a few special touches but to be on the safe side, stick to neutral colors, decorations, and furniture.

15. Don’t Host on Airbnb if you don't own the Property

Despite the fact that many are unaware of this one, tenants often host on Airbnb. Airbnb hosts who do not own the property or do not have the permission of their landlord are probably breaking the law or at the very least their tenancy agreement. Airbnb hosts who violate their tenancy agreements are violating the law.

By running an unauthorized Airbnb from your rental property,

• You are abusing your landlord's trust
• You are unprotected if something should happen (bad guests, burglary, or any insurance-related matter)
• You run the risk of being evicted.

This is a bad idea for tenants who don't have permission to sublet the property. Renting part of your rental home or apartment is possible if you convince your landlord to allow you to do so.

Final thoughts,

If done right, Airbnb hosting can be a financially, socially, and even recreationally rewarding experience. You will find success hosting on Airbnb if you avoid these 15 things.

Additionally, you can also join Airbnb community groups on Facebook, or you can follow a few Airbnb bloggers or, if you are busy, listen to a few podcasts that discuss hosting hacks on how to run an Airbnb successfully.

Although achieving Superhost status can be tricky, it comes with plenty of perks and rewards, so aim for the prized status, you won't regret it!

Reach out to the Industry Experts!

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To learn how Hostaway can fit your Airbnb business and maximize your growth potential, schedule a demo call at your preferred time with one of our product experts.