Questions to Airbnb Hosts for Long Stays
I have a long list of questions that I send to potential Airbnb hosts before we book a stay. A blog post from almost a year and a half ago, Finding the Perfect Airbnb, first referenced it. But the list has grown considerably since then! Now and again, people have asked me to share this list, which I’m happy to do. I recently sent many of these questions to a host and got an immediate response of (paraphrased):
“Wow! That’s quite a list of questions... and I seriously love that! I’m busy at the moment but give me some time to put together a full response.”
View from our private rooftop terrace in Barcelona.
This encouraging reply prompted me to share my list of questions here on our blog for other travelers—long stay or short—to consider for their own travels. Of course, I’d also love to hear the questions other travelers ask that may be missing from my list!
When you’re emailing the host, I find it’s best to number the questions. This way the host can easily see that they’ve answered them all and you can match the answers to the questions quickly. I also don’t ask questions that are clearly addressed in the listing description or photos.
Can you tell me the size or dimensions of the bed?
In the U.S., we generally refer to beds as twin, full, queen, or king (and occasionally California king). Generally speaking, the term “double” is used interchangeably with “full” when referring to bed sizes, even though a full size bed is only sixteen inches wider than a twin—not big enough for two adults!
However, outside the U.S., the term “double” when referring to a mattress can mean many different things. Sometimes we find that it’s about the size of a queen in the U.S. Other times it’s simply two twin mattresses pushed together. Other times they’ve been as big as a U.S. king. (Or bigger!)
So it’s quite annoying that most hosts outside the U.S. simply list any bed bigger than a twin as a “double” and don’t provide any specifications. Most of the time, whatever they called a double turns out to be fine. But every once in a while we end up with a bed barely wide enough for two bodies. So if they list the bed as a “double” I’ve started asking them for the dimensions of the bed to get a better idea of how big it actually is.
is there a large grocery store nearby? Is it walkable?
First, outside the U.S., the word “supermarket” is applied very liberally. It’s very common to find a convenience store half the size of a typical 7-11 called a “supermarket.” While smaller grocery stores outside the U.S. are fine for most simple meals, it’s very handy to have access to a larger grocery store to introduce more diversity into your diet when you’re staying for a month or more (and cooking most meals at home).
In addition to asking the host, I’ll usually use Google Maps to look for the nearby grocery stores and review the photos of the inside of the store to get a sense for how big it is and what kind of variety it offers.
Unless we know for sure we’re going to have a rental car, it’s good to know if the nearest large store is walkable. It’s not a deal-breaker, as we can always take an Uber or use public transportation once every week or two to stock up. But it’s nice to be walking distance!
Is the kitchen fully equipped?
What I actually ask is, “Is the kitchen fully equipped with multiple pots and pans, spatulas, cooking knife, cutting board, mixing bowls, etc? We cook most of our own meals and find that many Airbnbs are not well equipped for cooking entire meals.”
If you’ve heard us talking about some of the struggles of our lifestyle, one is definitely the number of sparsely supplied kitchens we’ve worked in. I’ve suppressed my urge to be hyper-detailed and list everything we would expect a “fully stocked” kitchen to have. But I do want them to understand that we will actually be cooking in this kitchen and they should give us fair warning if it’s not going to be suitable for that. In our experience, there are many kitchens that clearly have no expectation that they’ll be used for anything except making coffee and toast in the morning and maybe boiling some water for pasta.
Just to give you an idea of how frustrating this has become, here’s a partial list of what we now travel with in our luggage (because we got tired of buying them over and over): chef’s knife, measuring cups/spoons, garlic press, meat thermometer, baking sheets (small, very light), plastic cutting boards, whisk, and more…
How large is the refrigerator?
While uncommon, we’ve seen many Airbnb listings that add a microwave, a mini-fridge, and maybe a hot-plate, and call it a “kitchen.” We’ve even seen places that have what looks like an actual kitchen but still have only a mini-fridge. If we can’t see the fridge in the photos, we ask the host how big it is.
As an aside, we find outside the U.S. it’s not uncommon for the fridge to be built into the cabinets. That is, you open what looks like a large cabinet door and you’re actually opening the refrigerator or freezer behind it!
Is there a smoothie maker or blender?
It’s not a deal-breaker, and definitely not very common. However, just by asking you may prompt the host to acquire one. We’ve had hosts offer to buy one if we book their location.
How many burners does the stove have?
No oven in Medellín, but we did have this handy airfryer. I even made fresh sourdough bread in it!
Especially in cities with expensive real estate (I’m looking at you, Tokyo), you sometimes find that there’s only two burners on the stove. I won’t say we’d never book something with two burners, but we’d have to be backed into a corner!
Is there an oven?
You might be surprised how often there’s no oven at all. We didn’t have an oven in our rental in Medellin, Colombia. But it did have a large air fryer that also had a “bake” function. After our experience making homemade french fries in the air fryer, we’re now considering asking about an air fryer for future rentals, too! (Kidding, kidding! Although if we ever settle down, we may have to buy one!)
Is there a microwave?
This is a personal preference of mine. It’s common for me to eat leftovers for lunch. (Have I mentioned how great of a cook Carrie is?) But if I have to reheat them on the stove, it’s so much slower that I just don’t have the patience for it. A microwave has a big impact on how healthy my lunch is! In the U.S., it’s hard to imagine a kitchen that doesn’t have a microwave, but elsewhere it’s not that uncommon.
Is there a dishwasher?
I’m spoiled. I admit it. Carrie cooks and I do the dishes. And I’ll do them by hand with minimal grumbling. But oh, what a difference having a dishwasher makes. It’s not a deal-breaker, but if we’re considering several Airbnb listings, this will definitely be a factor.
Is there hot water in the kitchen and bathrooms?
After our experience in Belize, we’ve learned that you have to ask.
Where can we store clothes?
It’s surprising how many Airbnb locations don’t have a dresser, wardrobe, or closet space. For a short stay, living out of your suitcase isn’t much of a hassle. But when you’re there for more than a month it’s nice to “settle in” and unpack!
Where is the nearest Public transportation?
If we’re not renting a car (and sometimes, even if we are) it’s good to know how far the nearest bus or subway stop is. If it’s a twenty minute walk or more, that can have a huge impact on how often you’re out and about!
Figuring out how to use the (itty bitty) washing machine in Bansko, Bulgaria.
Are there cleaning supplies?
I specifically ask for a broom, dust pan, vacuum cleaner, mop, and bucket. We’re always surprised when a home doesn’t have these. Do they really expect someone to stay there for a month and not clean?
Can you tell me about the laundry facilities?
Some hosts will indicate in the amenities that the home has a washer and/or dryer, but this doesn’t always mean what you think it means. Sometimes, the “dryer” is a simple drying rack. It may not be a deal-breaker, but it’s definitely something we’d like to know in advance! So I specifically ask if there’s a drying machine. Other times, the laundry facilities are shared with other tenants in the same building. There’s a big difference between doing laundry in your own apartment and having to get change to feed a community washer that may still be full of someone else’s wet clothes. So we also explicitly ask if the facilities are inside the unit or shared.
Can we receive mail or packages?
It’s not often, but occasionally we want or need to have something shipped to us: either something forwarded to us from our mailbox provider, or from a family member. Sometimes we might want to order something from the in-country Amazon.com—you can even order some items from the U.S. Amazon.com for delivery in a foreign country.
If receiving packages is important to you, it’s also good to ask about the logistics of receiving a package. If it’s in an apartment building, is the building locked? Will the delivery person have to ring you from a keypad at the door for you to buzz them in? Is there someplace a package can be left if you’re not there? How likely is it that the delivery person will speak English?
Do you manage the property yourself?
Different folks will have different opinions on this. We actually prefer if the owner manages the property themselves and doesn’t use a property management company. Property managers tend to be much less flexible and add layers of bureaucracy to things. It’s much harder to work with a property manager who has to check with the owner for anything out of the ordinary. Those units also tend to feel much less “homey” and have more of a hotel feel to them. When the owner manages the unit, they’re much more likely to care about how comfortable the unit is and often want it to have some personality. But we also look to see how many listings a host has, because if they have dozens of properties that they own and manage themselves, they tend to treat them more impersonally.
Property managers also tend to be much more nitpicky and are usually more compelled to follow the letter of the law, even when it serves no purpose. For example, the lock on a sliding glass door to a balcony was broken once when we moved in. The balcony was second floor with no practical access to it from outside. I reported it to the property manager and emphasized that I didn’t feel it needed repaired for us. I wanted them to know we didn’t break it, but we didn’t want to deal with the hassle of waiting for a repairman, interrupting our own schedules to work around him. But the property manager insisted on repairing right away because the letter of the law says that all ingresses require a functioning lock.
Making our airbnb feel like home-fresh basil outside next to the plunge pool at our airbnb in Mérida.
The flip side is that property management companies have repairmen on call and, in theory, are easier to reach and will be more responsive. In our experience, this isn’t always the case. They run the unit like a business, which can have advantages in terms of being able to deal with some problems more efficiently. But running it like a business also means cutting costs wherever possible. Owner-managers tend to leave welcome gifts, breakfast items for late arrivals, plenty of consumables like toilet paper, paper towels, salt/pepper, dish detergent, etc. Property managed units will have the consumables but often just a bare minimum to get you through the first few days.
What’s the parking situation?
Garage or uncovered? Assigned parking or first-come-first-serve? Street parking or private lot? Is it secured? Is there an extra cost for a space?
What is the Wifi Speed / Is there a cap?
The further you get from the developed world, the more frequently you get Internet service delivered via the mobile phone network. Often these aren’t as fast as service cabled directly into the home and may not be suitable for streaming or videoconferencing. It’s also possible that there are data caps that you might trip over. One host told us a story about how some guests used up the entire pre-paid data plan—which lasts most guests for weeks—in the first few hours!
Is there AC throughout the home?
Central AC is much less common outside the U.S. Many times either the building is too old to be ducted for central AC, or the cost of electricity means it’s more cost effective to have a unit for each room you want cooled. Airbnb only indicates if there’s air conditioning or not, but not if it’s central.
Will you refund me if I’m unable to enter the country due to Covid restrictions?
Nowadays you just can’t trust that the rules won’t change the day before you depart for your next country. At a moment’s notice we could be blocked from entering a country due to stricter Covid-related measures. Maybe the country we’re coming from gets blacklisted or there’s a broad rejection of American tourists. Whatever the reason, this can create a real pickle for us. When you rent more than 27 days on Airbnb, their long-stay cancelation policy is in effect—overriding the host’s chosen cancelation policy. Airbnb’s extenuating circumstances policy no longer covers cancellations due to Covid restrictions.
However, we’ve been reliably informed that if we make an agreement with the host regarding terms for a refund, Airbnb will honor it if it’s well documented (i.e., do this in the Airbnb messaging system, not off-platform). So we explicitly ask if they will allow us to cancel for a full refund, even on short notice, in the event that Covid travel restrictions cause our flight to be canceled or we are prevented from entering the country. Some hosts balk at this—understandably so, and I don’t fault them for it. Losing a long stay on short notice would be hard to recover from, financially. But we find that many hosts will accept this risk. I’m not saying we would never book something without the host agreeing to this, but it’s hard for me to imagine doing so—and fortunately we haven’t had to so far.
Other nomads we’ve spoken to have use the tactic of asking the host to give them the long stay discount (which is normally much higher than the weekly discount) for a stay of 27 days. This way they get the much more flexible cancelation policy, enforced by Airbnb, and don’t have to worry that the host will renege on an agreement and Airbnb doesn’t hold them to it. We’ve considered doing this several times as well and for one reason or another never have. If we’re looking to stay longer than 27 days, we’d probably also ask if they would block some additional days or weeks until we’ve entered the country when we would feel more comfortable modifying the duration and locking into a long stay.
Adding fresh flowers at our airbnbs always make the space feel like mine.
Are you able to offer any additional discounts?
It doesn’t hurt to ask. I’ve heard rumors that some hosts will refuse a guest’s booking if they ask for an extra discount. (Because they believe that’s a sign of a problematic guest.) But we’ve never run into that. I’d say we get a small, extra discount about half the time or so. It’s not a deal-breaker for us by any means, but on several occasions we’ve been on the fence between two or three different options and a small, extra discount seals the deal for us. The extra savings are nice, but it’s also a signal to me that the host is flexible and willing to work with us on any other wrinkles that might arise.
If you’re a host and you’re reading this, know that even offering an extra $20 will be seen (by us) as a gesture of goodwill that tells us you value our business and are willing to be flexible. It’s OK if you’re not very flexible or interested in offering extra discounts—I can understand and appreciate why you might not.
Before I ask for the discount, I do emphasize that we’re booking a long stay, we’re seasoned Airbnb guests, and we have excellent reviews. If we’re staying longer than six weeks, I’ll put extra emphasis on how long our stay is. Most hosts have a generous discount for stays of a month or more, but a stay approaching two months or longer isn’t very common and is valued highly by most hosts.
However, there are circumstances where we won’t ask for an extra discount. If the monthly discount is 50% or higher, I don’t feel like I’m in a position to pressure for more! Even if the discount is “only” 40%, it’s likely that I won’t ask, unless all of the competing options are also offering 40% discounts or I feel they’re priced above market. And sometimes, for one reason or another, maybe if it’s a very high demand area where hosts can afford to be choosey about their guests, I might forego asking.
But most of the time, there’s no harm in making the request—all they can do is say no. And I find that more and more often, they’ve developed artful ways of giving non-answers to the question. I think asking for an extra discount is becoming more common and hosts are developing strategies to mitigate it.
Sometimes asking won’t result in a discount, but will get other benefits. For example, a host might normally require you to pay for a weekly cleaning service. Some hosts do this so that they get someone inside the apartment to make sure you haven’t trashed it. But if you have really good reviews (like we do!) and ask for a discount, they might offer to waive that requirement. Or they might have extra perks they will throw in, like loaner bicycles or offer to buy a smoothie maker.
Is there something that you ask your Airbnb hosts before booking? We’d love to hear what that is! I’m sure there’s things we haven’t thought to ask yet and an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!