Host Tips on How to Keep Your Airbnb Rental Safe

1. Start by vetting your guest

Conduct a thorough background check

When you receive a booking request, you should conduct a thorough background check on the guest. This can include looking at their profile, reading reviews left by other hosts, and verifying their identity if your guest is coming from a channel that does not verify IDs.

Additionally, Airbnb now has a cool feature that you can switch on for each of your properties and lets you accept bookings instantly only from guests that have a good track record. Other guests need to request the booking and you can accept or decline those. We are using this feature on all of our homes and it provides us with an added peace of mind. In our experience hosting on several platforms, this is a key feature that sets Airbnb apart when it comes to safety.

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Set clear rules and expectations

As a host, you should set clear rules and expectations for your guests. This can include things like no smoking, no parties, and no pets. You should also outline any other rules that are specific to your property, such as no shoes inside the house or quiet hours. Make sure that your guests are aware of these rules before they arrive, and provide them reminders of your rules when they check in and inside the property.

It is also key to have a full vacation rental agreement that you can embed in the booking process and that guests have to accept it. You can download ours for free here.

A guest’s first message is telling

For us, the first message a guest sends when booking our property can be the difference between accepting their stay or not. After years of hosting, we can often tell by the form of writing or what they are requesting or expecting from us. The important thing is to understand why the guest is coming to your place and with whom. Below are a few examples when guests instantly book one of our properties and what we do in each case:

• Guest books with a new profile, no prior reviews, and no first message. We probe the guests for additional information with something like “We always like to know who is staying in our home and how we can help our guests take advantage of everything our home has to offer. We notice that you have a new profile on this platform.  Would you mind telling us briefly a little bit about yourself and your guest party? Who is coming? Is this trip for a special occasion? Is this your first time in DC?”. Depending on their response you will be able to identify their intent. Keep probing until you are satisfied with their response. After all, it’s your property and proper guests understand that very well.
• Guest books and sends a first message asking us if our property is “really, no smoking even in the balcony?”. If the guest has a new profile, this is problematic. At least they’ve read your house rules but nothing guarantees now that they will respect them. You must insist on your rules unless you want to be flexible - but we do not advise it since it is impossible to tell how a guest with no prior reviews behaves. If they do have positive reviews, you might want to be more flexible and say something along the line of our response below.

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• Guest books, sends no message and is completely unresponsive to messages or phone calls. This to us is unacceptable, with or without reviews on their profile. You simply cannot invite someone to your home who ignores your messages. Just be aware: if you cancel the booking as host, you will probably be penalized by the platform. So ask the platform to mediate for you and request that the guest cancels the booking. They are usually helpful; however, on one occasion, we were actually forced to cancel a guest’s booking in VRBO because the guest was completely unresponsive and VRBO support was not very helpful. We were penalized for the cancellation and we lost our Premier status but, to be honest, there is no price to our peace of mind.

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2. Communicate thoroughly with your guests

Be available, especially for emergencies

Communication is key when it comes to keeping your Airbnb safe. Make sure that you are easily accessible to your guests and that they know how to reach you in case of an emergency. You should also communicate with your guests throughout their stay to make sure that everything is going smoothly.

It rarely happens but, in the event of emergencies, make sure you have local support that can be in the property within the hour at any time. It is also advisable to have a list of providers ready beforehand that provide 24-hour services (e.g. plumbing, electricity, A/C service, etc.).

Remind guests of your policies at every turn

Take every opportunity to remind your guests of your house rules and expectations. You can do this upfront and in other, more subtle ways.

For starters, we have our rules and regulations fully disclosed in our public listings and we also have a legal agreement that guests accept at the time of booking. Some hosts prefer to have guests signed a physical copy when they greet guests at check in.

You can also embed some of your more important rules in messages that are automatically sent. Below is an example of how we take advantage of one of our automated welcome messages and remind our guests of a few important policies as soon as they arrive to one of our properties.

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You can also add your rules and checkout policy on your welcome book. A digital guidebook is a great resource to include these policies and more.

Another good practice is to hang your policies on walls, frames or behind the front door.

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3. Install safety devices and keep emergency supplies in your property

Use a smart lock

A smart lock is a great way to keep your keys secure and prevent unauthorized access to your property. With a digital lockbox, you can set a unique code for each guest, and you can change the code after each stay. This is a great way to ensure that only authorized guests have access to your property.

We use a Schlage smart lock connected to Alarm.com in Washington, DC. It has worked for 7 years without a glitch. In Mexico, we have been using the U-bolt Pro series from Ultraloq and so far so good.

Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms are essential safety features that can help protect your guests from fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure that you install these devices in all of the bedrooms and common areas of your property, and test them regularly to make sure they are working properly. Connect these devices to the Fire Department if available in your area.

Use noise monitoring devices

Noise monitoring devices can be a great way to keep track of the noise levels in your property and ensure that your guests are not disturbing the neighbors. These devices can alert you when noise levels exceed a certain threshold, allowing you to address any issues before they become a problem. We disclose these on our legal agreement and a section on our public listing. We having been using NoiseAware for years and it works great and their customer service is amazing.

Consider installing outdoor cameras and an alarm system

Outdoor cameras can be a useful tool for keeping your Airbnb safe, as they can deter potential criminals and provide evidence in case of theft or other crimes.

However, it is important to respect your guests' privacy and make sure that you inform them if there are any cameras on the property. We disclose them on our legal agreement and a section on our public listing.

The cameras we have been using for years are Google’s Nest in Washington, DC and Wyze for our properties in Mexico.

Set up motion-activated lighting

Motion-activated lighting is a great way to deter potential criminals and provide extra security for your guests. These lights will turn on automatically when someone enters the property, making it more difficult for anyone to approach the property unnoticed.

Keep emergency supplies on hand

In case of an emergency, it is important to have emergency supplies on hand. This can include things like a first-aid kit, flashlights, extra batteries, and a fire extinguisher. Make sure that your guests know where these supplies are located in case they need them.

Consider leak detectors

These are worth it and they have saved us from major damage more than a few times. These devices instantly alert you and your guests of leaks in your plumbing, which can help to prevent water damage and reduce the risk of mold growth. In our case, we leave them under the kitchen sink, a few problematic toilets we have and near A/C equipment. The location of yours will depend on the areas of greatest concern to you.

Install a smart thermostat

Smart thermostats can be used to control the temperature in your vacation rental remotely and make sure your guests are comfortable. They can also alert you of any mulfunctionaning going on. But these devices also help you save energy and avoid potential damage from frozen pipes.

Get fire extinguishers & mark emergency exits

Fire extinguishers are an essential safety feature for any vacation rental. In case of a fire, having a fire extinguisher on hand can help to prevent the fire from spreading and minimize damage to your property and the safety of your guests. Investing in them are also required in some cities where a vacation rental license is required. Just make sure that you purchase the right class of fire extinguisher according to your jurisdiction. In that respect, it is also important to make sure that your fire extinguisher is properly maintained and regularly inspected to stay safe and compliant.

Finally, it is important to make sure that your guests are aware of the location of the fire extinguisher in your vacation rental, and that they know how to use it in case of a fire in addition to having your emergency exits and floormaps clearly visible.

You can provide instructions on the use of the fire extinguisher in a visible location near the extinguisher, or in your welcome book.

4. Make sure you are in compliance with local rules and regulation, and that you are properly insured

Get a proper license if and when required

Before renting out your property on Airbnb, it is important to research the local regulations in your area and make sure that you are in compliance with all applicable laws. This may require obtaining permits, licenses, or certifications, or making necessary changes to your property to bring it up to code.

Get properly insured

It is important to check with your homeowner’s insurance might if it covers the operation of vacation rental or, else, replace it. This can help to protect you from liability in case of property damage, theft, or injury to your guests or others. There are a variety of insurance options available for Airbnb hosts, including home-sharing insurance, liability insurance, and commercial insurance. It is important to carefully review your options and choose a policy that provides the coverage you need, taking into account factors such as the size and type of your property, the number of guests you host, and the level of risk associated with your location.