New Year’s Eve—it’s a night of hopeful anticipation, champagne at midnight…and New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties. With more and more guests turning to vacation rentals for social gatherings and celebrations, this time of year can bring on more anxiety for vacation-rental owners than good tidings and cheer.
But rather than hope for the best and deal with the damage later, you can implement a strategy right now to keep your property safe, while still earning top dollar on one of the biggest nights of the year. Read on to learn more about our five-point plan to help you prevent New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties at your rental.
1. Implement guest vetting to prevent New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties.
2. Set clear house rules for your property.
3. Add a security deposit for peace of mind.
4. Install privacy-safe noise monitoring to safeguard your place from New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties.
5. Use guest messaging to remind guests of expectations during their stay.
1. Implement guest vetting to prevent New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties.
Vetting guests is the first step to preventing parties at your property. And you’ve got a little extra help this holiday season. Extending the Airbnb party ban implemented in 2020, Airbnb is also rolling out an additional New Year’s Eve plan. The premise? Airbnb will now deny guests without a history of positive reviews from making one-night New Year’s Eve bookings. So even if you haven’t done your own strict guest screening, Airbnb has helped prevent bad guests from booking. But there’s still a lot you can do on your own to prevent not just New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties, but Spring Break Airbnb parties, unauthorized events and rowdy in-stay behavior:
- Reexamine your listing and make sure it represents the type of guest you’d like to attract. Focus on terms like “great for family gatherings,” “warm and cozy,” “perfect for a romantic getaway,” “peaceful retreat from the city,” etc.
- Review your booking request carefully. Where are the guests from? How long are they staying? How many guests are coming? Look for red flags, like a local guest booking only one night or a couple that’s rented out a five-bedroom property.
- In your confirmation email, ask for a guest list with full names, contact information and valid ID for everyone who will be at your property (not just the guest booking the rental).
- Reduce your risk by setting a multi-night minimum over New Year’s Eve.
If you’re strapped for time over the holidays, or any time of year, consider using a guest vetting service like Autohost or SUPERHOG.
2. Set clear house rules for your property.
Another way to prevent parties is to make sure you’re setting guest expectations upfront in your listing. Make sure your house rules aren’t buried in fine print jargon. It’s also completely OK to flat out state that parties aren’t allowed. A few other tips to clearly lay out the rules for your property:
- Reiterate your house rules and policies in your rental agreement—that way guests know where you stand before booking.
- Mention quiet hours and local ordinances in your listing and house manual. Remind your guests of the house rules in your check-in email or text, so it stays top-of-mind when they arrive at your property.
- Create a special New Year’s Eve guest book or add a section in your house manual or guest mobile portal that highlights specific rules for the holiday.
- Incentivize your guests to read through your house rules by adding a promo code for a local restaurant or attraction somewhere in the copy of your house manual.
3. Add a security deposit for peace of mind.
Just like being upfront about the expected behavior at your property, you’ll also want to let guests know what sort of damage would constitute keeping some or all of the security deposit. By being specific, you not only warn guests ahead of time but also create stronger legal grounds for the future. Things to consider:
- When estimating how much your security deposit should be, you’ll want to find the sweet spot—a high enough amount that will deter guests from damaging your home, without being so extravagant that it keeps them from booking your property.
- If you’re worried about the possibility of a party, consider increasing the amount of your security deposit over New Year’s Eve.
- Put together a property inventory checklist and add it to your house manual and check-in email so guests can see it when they first arrive. An added bonus? Your housekeeping team can use it as a reference when thoroughly checking the property after guests depart.
- Make sure you’re familiar with the law in your area as it can specify certain renter rights and details, like how long a security deposit can be held or how it can even be used.
4. Install privacy-safe noise monitoring to safeguard your place from New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties.
One in every 200 short-term rental stays will have a full-blown party. That’s why you need privacy-safe noise monitoring in your New Year’s Eve action plan. By staying one step ahead and catching the noise before it escalates, you’ll be able to prevent New Year’s Eve Airbnb parties and ultimately costly damage to your property. Some takeaways:
- Highlight your noise monitoring devices in your listing and rental agreement to further deter unwanted guests.
- Set up your notifications before the big night. With NoiseAware, you can add team members and specify how you’d like to be alerted (i.e push notifications for your local host covering NYE). You can also customize threshold levels for every hour of the day.
- When you do get a noise alert, respond immediately. A quick, polite text reminding guests about quiet hours and usually stops noise before it becomes a problem for neighbors.
- Don’t want to be woken up to deal with late-night noise complaints? Take advantage of NoiseAware’s AutoResolve feature, which automatically messages guests directly when a problem noise event is detected. In 90 percent of situations, AutoResolve fixes noise issues in under 30 minutes, without host or management intervention.
5. Use guest messaging to remind guests of expectations during their stay.
It’s a tricky balance reminding renters of what’s expected during their stay. It means reiterating the rules while still making them feel welcomed rather than policed. A few tips to help you hit that right tone with your guests:
- Mention noise-monitoring and security devices in your communication with your guests and plug them as luxe safety features and/or smarthome conveniences (i.e. “To preserve the luxurious tranquility of the property and surrounding community, your rental is outfitted with 100% privacy-safe noise measurement technology,” “With your utmost safety in mind, your rental is protected by an exterior security camera,” etc).
- Shift the blame on local ordinances and remind guests of noise fees in the area, i.e. “Just a reminder that (Palm Springs) has a ($X) fine for excessive noise.”
- Include local recommendations in your house manual, encouraging guests to celebrate New Year’s Eve elsewhere. Adding emergency numbers and contact information for local taxis is also a nice touch.
Elizabeth Holbrook is a writer, editor, and grammar geek who loves all things content and travel. Combing her two passions, she’s covered everything from news stories for the national broadcaster of South Korea to the latest in the short-term rental industry in the U.S.