As an Airbnb host, you're in direct competition with other hosts in your area. If you're not careful, you could easily make some mistakes that will cost you bookings and revenue. Don't forget that guests get to rate you after their stay on cleanliness, accuracy, value, communication and location. In this blog post, we will discuss 10 common mistakes that Airbnb hosts make, and how you can avoid them!

(1) Inadequate cleaning before guests arrive

Guests arriving at your rental should be greeted with a clean space. Remember that first impressions are everything, so be sure to clean your space thoroughly before each guest arrives. Your rental should be clean and tidy when your guests arrive. This means regular cleaning of all common areas, bedrooms, and bathrooms. If you have a pool or hot tub, those should be cleaned regularly as well. Your guests will appreciate a clean rental and are more likely to give you good reviews and come back again.

(2) Ridiculous cleaning fees, house rules and checkout process

Airbnb has recently begun cracking down on these ridiculous house rules and checkout processes. Your cleaning costs will now be visible to guests before they book your place, which is a good thing in order for guests to know what they're getting themselves into when booking your place, so make sure it's worth their while! The overall cost of your listing will now factor into the search result ranking of your listing. With this new development, check-out tasks such as doing the laundry, mowing the lawn and watering the garden will now be worth revising. Your listing will stand a better chance of getting booked if you simplify these aspects and make them reasonable.

(3) Not being responsive to guest inquiries, communications and requests

Communication is key when it comes to hosting on Airbnb. Be sure not only to respond but do so in a timely manner so that guests know you're available and willing to help with anything they need or want during their stay! It's important for hosts, like yourself, to communicate beforehand - informed decisions make everything run smoother later down the line. Be sure to introduce yourself fully and let them know how to reach you if they have any questions or problems.

(4) Not being prepared for emergencies

Preparing for the unexpected is always a good idea. Even if you don't think it will ever happen, there are some days when everything goes wrong and having an emergency plan can help to make sure your guests aren’t inconvenienced or unhappy with their stay. Be sure to have a backup plan for things like power outages, Internet outages, supplies, and other problems that could occur. This way, you can avoid any negative reviews or unhappy guests in your Airbnb. A flexible handyman service will be good to have on speed dial. This is where a service like 365handymanservice.com would come in handy.

(5) Not providing adequate amenities

Some of the most common mistakes that Airbnb hosts make are not providing enough amenities for their guests. Be sure to have all the amenities that you promised in your listing. If you mention a coffee maker, Wifi router etc, be sure to have them available and functional as well. It’s essential to stock your kitchen with basic supplies, and provide clean towels and linens. This includes extra pillows, blankets, and towels for the pool or beach if you have one. No one wants to use a damp towel, so be sure to have clean ones on hand. Also, have a few toiletries like shampoo and soap available. By providing these things, you’ll make your guests feel more comfortable and welcome. Your guests will be disappointed if they don’t have access to the amenities they were expecting.

(6) Ignoring feedback from guests

We all know that guests are a valuable resource and often have great ideas to improve our listings. But what if you never ask them for feedback? The problem is, that opportunity will be missed! So make sure not only to creatively ask for suggestions or ask questions when starting out; Better yet: leave a suggestion box or survey so that all of those ideas can be collected in one place and used as needed; this will make an incredible difference with future reviews from feedback on how you could improve certain aspects about your listing. Now imagine when you ignore or do not bother to ask for these!

(7) Avoidable cancellations of guests

These can cost you opportunities to become a super host and even more with cancellation fees and relocation costs for the guests. Why suffer these consequences when you can avoid them by ensuring an up-to-date calendar and being clear with expectations? The impact on your guest cancellation rate can cause you to lose SuperHost eligibility for an entire year, not to mention what it does to your search rankings! If you absolutely have to cancel, check other options including talking with the guest before you take that last resort. Explore tips on how to do so without penalty.

(8) Not properly pricing your listing

When starting out, it is good to evaluate the pricing options at your disposal such as static, smart and dynamic pricing. You may be surprised to note that in some cases if you are not using dynamic pricing such as the hotels and airlines do; chances are high that you may be leaving a good chunk of money on the table.

(9) Not staying up-to-date with Platform Rules and Policies

Airbnb is constantly changing its policies and procedures. Be sure to stay up-to-date on all the latest changes so you can avoid any problems. This includes changes to their cancellation policy, pricing, and house rules. It is very important to be aware of things that can get your listing suspended. Our prior blog post at [https://www.cohostmyplace.com/home/blog-4], discussed some of those. Sometimes new hosts are unaware that practices such as communicating or accepting payments outside the Airbnb platform can be a violation of platform rules. I prefer to avoid communication that takes place outside of the platform if I can help it. A paper trail can be very important when it comes to dispute resolution. In addition, you need to make sure you’re familiar with the local laws and regulations governing Airbnb rentals in your community.

(10) Not asking for great reviews

Shy to ask for reviews? Don't be embarrassed to ask for a great review! - guests are much more likely to leave a review if you request it. If they have an amazing stay, then your chances of getting one without asking went up dramatically, which is why you must go above and beyond for your guests. Of course, the very worst thing you can do is miss out by not asking for a review.

In summary, it is a good idea to have a cohost or support group when you are first starting out as a new host. We recommend being part of our Facebook host support group to get more insightful and helpful tips on short-term rentals and hosting-related matters:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1453531055114814/?ref=share_group_link

These will ensure that you avoid many of the common mistakes that new hosts make; price your listing optimally and also position your Airbnb hosting business for growth.

Brought to you by Cohostmyplace.com, where they take the hassles out of hosting.