You may face a variety of difficulties as a vacation rental host, such as late check-outs, stealing items, and broken or damaged property.

When consumers invite extra Airbnb guests to the rental without first asking or alerting you as the host, it can be a hassle for many owners.

They might not mention anything or tell lies about the guests on Airbnb because they don't want to pay for an extra guest or because there is a maximum occupancy of guests in a house. Whatever the cause, it is of course completely undesirable and a major source of frustration for hosts.

If you're having trouble with dishonest customers and it's affecting your business, don't worry. There are methods for handling the circumstance. In this article, we'll examine what you can do to stop guests from violating the rules and staying at your Airbnb or vacation rental with extra guests.

Why should you impose a rigid limit on the number of visitors?

There are several justifications for a maximum occupancy restriction. Your home might only be designed to accommodate a particular number of occupants, you might not want to deal with noise complaints from your neighbours, or you might not want to incur additional expenses for bills, supplies, and cleaning. The list continues.

Some states have laws requiring you to register each visitor staying at your vacation rental. In addition, if an uninvited guest sustains injuries as a result of an accident, flood, or another disaster, that guest may be able to sue you.

Enforcing your regulations will protect you as a host and help you avoid any additional fees, especially legal ones if your guests organize parties. Additionally, the Airbnb restriction on parties has been extended through 2022.

How to prevent having more visitors

As soon as a guest makes a reservation, the first thing you should do is inform them of your Airbnb or rental's maximum occupancy limit as well as your uninvited guest policy. By doing this, you can stop the issue before it even starts.

1. Make the policy a part of your home's rules

Setting ground rules for all visitors who enter your property is a professional practice. Typically, they cover things like restrictions on check-out times, parking, noise, dogs, smoking, and garbage.

The house rules should specify the holiday rental's maximum occupancy. Be very specific when describing the reservation; for instance, if it is for four persons, there cannot be six guests. Mention that gatherings are strictly prohibited after Airbnb's new limit on parties in 2022 and that guests are not permitted to bring any additional individuals, regardless of how long they stay.

House restrictions can be applied to your vacation rental website, or any other OTAs you have listings on, as well as Airbnb.

As they have signed it, your guests are required to abide by your house rules. Therefore, they must be aware of the repercussions and penalties for breaking any rules. Download our holiday rental house rules template, which you may customize and change to meet the demands of your rental company. You can see a recommended section on additional visitors in the free template.

2. Specify the names of the visitors in the holiday rental contract

A vacation rental agreement, which both parties must sign, can safeguard you and your visitors in the event of a discrepancy or conflict. Rental agreements vary depending on the host and the company, but they typically include information on the maximum occupancy restrictions, check-in and check-out times, required minimum stays, house regulations, rental rates, and additional cost details, among other things.

When your visitors arrive, ask them to fill out the rental agreement with all the names of the tenants. As they have specifically mentioned who is staying at the property and have signed the document, the guests will be unable to justify bringing uninvited visitors, and you will know exactly who is staying on your property.

3. Add a down payment

Once you've specified the guidelines for additional visitors in your house rules, you need to include some penalties for breaking them. A security deposit is utilized for house rules violations as well as any damage to the property or normal wear and tear on the furnishings and amenities.

Therefore, you are allowed to request a deposit. If your guests follow your guidelines and don't invite other people, you can only return the deposit. Owners have a pot they can tap into and withhold money from should they break the regulations by requesting a refundable deposit upfront.

This will probably discourage people from bringing extra visitors because they will be paid for it.

4. Check your visitors

In your correspondence with them, politely inquire about their impending travel plans. By establishing trust, you increase the likelihood that the visitor will regard both you and your property with respect. Problem guests typically dislike being asked too many questions.

Look over guest profiles and reviews to identify potential troublemakers.

Perform background checks to confirm that visitors are who they claim to be as a first step. You might also employ software to effectively filter out undesirable visitors for your vacation rental.

5. Airbnb extra guest fee: How much to charge and how to add a fee

On Airbnb, hosts can charge an additional fee for inviting more guests to a rental property.

Even though your home is only equipped to host a certain number of visitors, you might be open to accepting more if it means earning a little more money. For each extra guest, you're willing to host over and beyond your standard cap, you can add a cost. In other words, if the number of visitors you specified under Listing essentials is 4, you can charge more for the fifth and sixth, and so on, up to the point where you feel comfortable.

Learn how to add guest fees to Airbnb.

This only applies to upcoming reservations. Once the visitor has arrived and later checked out, this cost cannot be levied. This is another useful tactic for informing visitors that there is an additional fee for each additional person.

How to handle extra guests while you're there

Even if you've taken all of the aforementioned precautions, it's still possible that some guests will bring other guests. Travellers can be dishonest at times and believe they can bring their buddies to the rental without being charged extra. You must therefore remain vigilant during their stay and check to see if they have received any further visits. This is how:

1. Set up security cameras

You might feel more in control by installing a camera surveillance system outside the home because you'll always have an eye on it. You can watch who enters and leaves the building, therefore it's an effective security measure. Place the camera facing the driveway or toward the front of the building.

An intelligent doorbell is yet another useful device. This innovative product is a doorbell with a camera that is mounted on your front door and connects you live to the camera after automatically alerting your smartphone. No matter where you are, you will always be able to see who is at your front door and, if you like, you may even speak to them.

In your house rules or guest communications, you should let visitors know if you have a security camera or smart doorbell. This will discourage visitors from bringing more people to your Airbnb because they will be constantly watched as they enter and exit the accommodation. Furthermore, you have proof to charge them more, withhold their deposit, or denounce them to Airbnb if they do bring extra guests.

2. Request that your neighbors be on the lookout

This is another approach to keeping an eye on your visits without being too intrusive. Give your neighbours a schedule of when our rental is occupied and vacant so they will know which days to be on the lookout.

Get your neighbors to call you as soon as they notice uninvited guests. You can then take the appropriate action by phoning your visitors or reporting them to Airbnb and charging them right immediately.

It's usually helpful to have cordial ties with your neighbors if you manage the property from a distance. In a similar vein, you might request that your property manager do the same.

3. Inform Airbnb of any rule violations

If you discover that visitors have broken your guidelines, you should notify Airbnb. Gather as much proof as you can. Take screenshots of your security camera footage, the audio from your smart doorbell, and your discussions with visitors. Even better, you can obtain a report from your neighbor and submit it to Airbnb.

When this happens, Airbnb will begin a case and take the appropriate action, such as charging your travellers an extra cost or keeping some of the deposit. Check out these 9 strategies for responding to bad reviews if one of your visitors leaves one for your rental. Recent standards state that Airbnb will henceforth eliminate any unfavorable reviews submitted by visitors.

What if Airbnb does not list my rental property?

You can still enforce the house rules and require a security deposit even if you don't have a listing on Airbnb and run your vacation rental website. With the help of the smart doorbell, surveillance cameras, your neighbors, or the property manager, you can also continue to keep tabs on your visitors while they are there. The rental agreement and house regulations also permit you to retain a portion of the deposit.

What if I have pet guests?

The same rule applies if visitors bring dogs without first getting your approval. If you allow pets and your vacation rental is pet-friendly, you may charge a pet fee to your visitors. The majority of travelers would be happy to pay for this, but some could prefer to dodge the fees by bringing their furry pals in secret.

In all of your listed sites and documents, make this explicit. Make it obvious that guests cannot bring their pets along with them if you do not allow pets at all. They will face charges if they violate this regulation.

Don't forget to include information on How to Stop Airbnb Visitors from Bringing Additional Guests about your policies and sanctions for unwanted visitors in your home rules, your Airbnb listing on your website, and any other listing sites. You can eventually stop visitors from disregarding your maximum occupancy by paying attention to these crucial suggestions.

Conclusion:

There isn't a better approach to dealing with trespassers on your land. Before renting your rental home, always make sure your guests are aware of the policies surrounding bringing in uninvited guests and pets. This will spare you the problem down the road. Take a guarantee (security deposit) from them that you can use as leverage if they break the restrictions. In either case, you must take all necessary precautions to keep your home secure and safe from any additional visitors. Making changes to your policy, making it simple to comprehend, and posting it prominently on your website are the first steps in getting the process started. You can finally stop your visitors from disobeying your maximum occupancy and property laws by using the advice in this article.