Airbnb scams: What to do if Airbnb guests bring extra people without your permission

Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam is one of the most common Airbnb scams. But how can you prevent it from happening, and how to protect yourself as a host?!

You may face many challenges as an Airbnb host, such as late check-outs, stealing items from the rental, or breaking or damaging something. One of the most common challenges that piss Airbnb hosts off is Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam. Because of Airbnb’s maximum occupancy rules, some guests don’t reveal the number of people who intend to stay at the hosts’ rental property or openly lie about it. Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam is an enormous challenge for hosts regardless of the guests’ motivation and is undesirable.

Don’t worry if dishonest customers are causing problems for your business. There are multiple ways of dealing with the Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam. How to stop guests from inviting unapproved individuals to your Airbnb or vacation rental is the topic of this article.

Set a Strict Maximum Number of Guests in the First Step

Limiting the number of guests is a brilliant idea for several reasons, including limited building capacity, noise complaints from neighbors, or an unwillingness to pay for more services, supplies, and housekeeping. It’s a long list. Some states have laws requiring the registration of all guests that stay at your vacation rental. Furthermore, if an unauthorized guest gets injured in a fire, flood, or other disaster, they can file a legal case against you.

How to Prevent Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam?

How to Prevent Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam?

As soon as guests make a reservation, you should tell them about the property’s maximum occupancy and your no-unauthorized-guests policy. Doing so will hopefully stop the Airbnb guest extra people scam before it even starts.

1. Provide House Manual and Rules List.

A comprehensive house manual containing your property rules is a professional way of outlining the regulations for all guests to your house. Typically, you should include rules about noise, smoking, pets, trash, parking, check-out time, and other things in your property rules list. The house rules should specify the maximum occupancy of your vacation rental. Be specific in your description; for example, if the reservation is available just for four persons, there cannot be six guests, and guests are not allowed to bring any additional individuals cause it counts as an Airbnb guest extra people scam. Parties are also totally prohibited according to Airbnb’s party prohibition rule.

Remember to write your House rules on the Airbnb website and any other online travel agencies where you list your vacation rental and ask guests to sign it or declare their agreement. Your guests must follow your house rules because they signed them. That’s why guests must know what will happen if they break the rules.

2. Make a Rental Contract

Because both parties must sign the paper, entering into a vacation rental agreement protects both you and your guests in case of a dispute or conflict. Rental agreements could be various based on the host and business. Still, it typically includes maximum occupancy limits, check-in/check-out periods, minimum stay requirements, house rules, rental rates, and extra fee information, among other things.

When your guests come, ask them to fill out the rental contract with the names of the individuals who stay there. By doing so, you’ll know who is staying at your property, and the guests won’t be able to justify bringing unwanted extra guests because they’ve clearly stated who is staying at the property and signed the contract.

3. Charge Deposit

Once you’ve specified the regulations for additional guests in your house rules, you must include some repercussions if they are broken. Damage to the property, normal wear and tear on furnishings and amenities, and rule violations are all reasons to use a security deposit.

Then, if they follow your guidelines and don’t invite any more people over, you can return their deposit. Owners have a pot to tap into and withhold monies if their guests break the regulations by collecting a refundable payment upfront. When guests know they will be charged extra if they attempt to perform Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam.

4. Analyze Potential Guests

Polite and pleasant questions about the upcoming vacation should be included in all communications between you and your guests. Doing so can build trust, leading to higher respect for you and your property. Guests that cause problems becomeه

Look at the guests’ profile and their reviews to get a sense of who might cause trouble. Ensure your guests are honest about their identity and intentions by doing a full background check.

5. Add Extra Guest Fee

Hosts can add an extra fee to let more people stay there. Your space can only comfortably host a certain number of visitors, but you might be willing to expand this capacity if it means more money in your pocket. You can charge extra for each guest you’re ready to take in. So, if you set the number of guests to 4 in the “Listing Basics” section, you can charge more for the 5th and 6th guests, and so on. This will only work for reservations made in the future. The fee cannot be charged as soon as the guest has arrived and checked out.

How to Deal with Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam During Guests' Stay

How to Deal with Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam During Guests’ Stay

There is still a possibility that some guests will bring additional guests, no matter how hard you’ve tried and taken all precautions. Unfortunately, some guests are dishonest and assume they can bring along as many guests as they like without paying more. So, look for any signs of unexpected guests during their stay. How? Keep on Reading!

1. Surveillance Cameras

If you want to feel more secure, knowing that your eyes are always on the property, install a camera surveillance system outdoors. By installing surveillance cameras, you can make a strong security preventative measure that prevents Airbnb guests extra people scam by letting you know who enters and exits your home. One option is to point the camera in the direction of the front door or the driveway.

A smart doorbell is another useful device. Putting a camera-equipped doorbell on your front door and syncing it with your smartphone is a neat idea. You’ll always know who’s at your door, no matter where you are, and you can communicate with your guests if necessary.

If you have a security camera or smart doorbell, you should tell guests about their existence and also your house rules. Guests will think twice before inviting friends to stay at your Airbnb if they know they’ll be constantly monitored as they come and go. In case they do bring more people, you have proof to keep their deposit, report them to Airbnb, or charge them more.

2. Ask for Your Neighbours’ Help.

One of the most practical ways of preventing Airbnb guest extra people scams is to get help from your neighbours. Ask your neighbours to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity without being too nosy. If you want your neighbours to watch for suspicious activity, you must let them know when our rental is occupied and when it will be unoccupied. Ask your neighbours to call you as soon as they notice any suspicious people in your neighbourhood. You can then directly charge your guests or report them to Airbnb for further action.

Maintaining a good relationship with your neighbours is very useful for long-distance property management. Your property manager can also do the same thing for you.

3. Report Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam to Airbnb

If a guest has broken your guidelines, you must inform Airbnb immediately. The more proof you can gather, the better. Take photos of your smart doorbell or surveillance footage and notes from conversations with your guests. A report from a neighbour can be compiled and sent in as well.

Airbnb will open a case afterwards and take appropriate action, including charging guests a fee or keeping part of the security deposit. According to new rules, Airbnb will remove any unfair reviews guests wrote out of anger and revenge, so don’t worry about possible rageful reviews.

What About Unallowed Pets?

The same thing happens if people bring pets without asking your permission first. You can charge a pet fee to your guests if your vacation rental is pet-friendly. Most guests would be OK with paying for this, but others might try to get their pets in without paying.

Final Words

Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam is one of the most common challenges that most hosts may face once or multiple times. In most cases, it wouldn’t cause any major problems, but sometimes it may lead to significant damages and financial losses. By taking all the steps mentioned in this article, you can prevent Airbnb Guest Extra People Scam from happening or take proper action if it happens.

Have you ever had guests who have tried to sneak more people in? What do you do if this scenario happens? Please share your related experiences and questions in the comment section below.

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