Airbnb’s fee strategy is based on the fees charged by the hosts. Thus, Airbnb fees are separated as Airbnb fees for hosts and Airbnb fees for guests. In a the article, “How do Airbnb Fees Work” we explored how Airbnb fees are calculated. The aim of this article is to discuss the additional fees Airbnb hosts may charge to generate extra income.
So, let’s not waste time! Let’s dive into additional fees as another leg of Airbnb’s fees. Let’s see how you can use the additional fees to boost your income on Airbnb.
What are Additional Fees on Airbnb?
Additional fees on Airbnb are simply the fees that hosts can charge their guests for the services offered. Therefore, these fees are Airbnb fees for guests to pay and are under the hosts’ control.
Hosts generally decide which type of additional fees to charge according to the extra services and options they give to the guests. Airbnb cleaning fees, extra guest fees, and late check-out fees are among the most common additional fees. On the other hand, there are various other optional fees, including pet fee, and the fees for extra amenities.
How Do Additional Fees Work?
As the additional fees are totally under the hosts’ control, you need to make sure that you understand how additional fees work and add up the total cost calculation for you and your guests.
- Firstly, you should know that most of the additional fees are one-time fees. This means that as opposed to the nightly rate, Airbnb cleaning fee, pet fee, or any other additional fees can be charged once regardless of the length of your guests’ stay until you specify otherwise in your house rules.
- All additional fees that Airbnb automatically calculates are subject to Airbnb service fees. This means that the service fee that you need to pay to Airbnb as a host will be calculated over the amount included in your nightly rate and the additional fees. Therefore, this will increase the Airbnb for the hosts and Airbnb fee for the guests at the same time. You can check the Airbnb fees calculator to find out the correct calculation for your payments.
- These fees are not refundable. Of course, there can be some exceptions to this rule. For instance, your cancellation policy might let guests get the cleaning fee back when they cancel the booking in advance. However, as a general rule, after check-in time, refunds for these fees are not available regardless of your cancellation policy. Read here for more information about “The Ins and Outs of Airbnb Cancellation Policies“.
The Most Common Trio: Cleaning Fee, Extra Guest Fee, and Late Check-Out Fee
How to Charge Cleaning Fee from Your Guests
As the name suggests, the Airbnb cleaning fee covers the cost of the cleaning after your guests leave. You don’t have to work with a cleaning company or an individual cleaner to charge a cleaning fee. You can do your own cleaning and add the amount of money worth your time and effort for doing so.
Even if the Airbnb cleaning fee is not a must, most hosts charge it to compensate the money they spend to make the place ready for the next guests or the time and energy they spend to make the place spotless. For more information about cleaning your Airbnb you may read “How to Clean your Airbnb“.
Either way, you have to be careful deciding the cleaning fee for your listing. Check out 3 golden tips below to ensure that your cleaning fee is fair for you as a host and your guests.
- Don’t forget the type of property and your nightly rate.
Suppose your listing is in the luxury category, and you are charging higher nightly rates compare to others. In that case, you might consider going for a lower cleaning fee not to intimidate your potential guests with higher-than-expected totals.
- Keep in mind how big your space is.
This is highly important to be able to determine a fair amount for the Airbnb cleaning fee. Charging the same cleaning fee for a 4-bedroom duplex house and a small studio wouldn’t be appropriate.
- Always keep an eye on the market.
The last step for deciding a cleaning fee for your listing should be checking what the others are doing. For doing so, check out similar listings to yours and compare the cleaning fee you have in your mind with theirs. If you think you are within the market range, you are good to go!
How do you Charge Extra Guest Fee from Your Guests?
You can charge an extra guest fee when your guests exceed the maximum number of guests specified in the listing. The extra guest fee helps you to be in control of the number of people using your place. Moreover, save your profit by compensating for the additional utility costs of crowded groups.
Even if the average extra guest fee is around $25 per night, you can decide your rate depending on your business strategy and preference. For example, if you don’t want your guests to throw a party in your place, you can increase the extra guest fee to discourage gathering big groups.
Or what if your space can accommodate 4 people, but couples most comfortably use it? In this scenario, you can set the maximum number of guests you can host to 2 and the base rate accordingly. Therefore, you can attract more people with lower rates and make your place more attractive by offering a more comfortable stay.
Communicate Everything Related Extra Guest Fee Explicitly
However, the current Airbnb fee structure is a bit misleading for the guest when it comes to extra guest fees. Unfortunately, guests can’t see extra guest fees while they are searching for a place.
They can only see this fee after picking their accommodation and entering the number of the people who will stay. If the number of guests is above the maximum number specifies in the listing, the guest will see a jump in the nightly rate. Even then, guests still need to click the ‘?’ icon to see the breakout.
So, you must agree that all this is a bit confusing. Considering as a host, one of your aims is to make things simple for your guests. You can start this by adding extra fee information in your house rules to make it more visible for your potential guests. Clarifying your extra guest fee policy will also save you from possible misunderstandings.
How to Charge Early Check-In and Late Check-Out Fee from Your Guests
You can think of early check-in and late check-out fees as protection for yourself. Think about what happens if your guests haven’t left the house on the given check-out time and you are expecting a new guest on the same day? Or all the early check-in or luggage storage requests that you are dealing with?
Late check-outs will most probably disturb all your cleaning schedule and might even end up not being able to prepare the place for the next guests on time. So, this is where the late check-out fee comes into play! Setting an early check-in fee will also help you to run the cleaning schedule smoothly by getting some incentive for possible adjustments.
Sadly, there is no automated way to charge early check-in or late check-out fee as charging cleaning or extra guest fee on Airbnb. You have to mention your check-in and check-out times and early check-in and late check-out fees in the house rules section.
Remember – Communicate Everything Related Extra Guest Fee Explicitly
Furthermore, you have to make sure that your early check-in and late check-out fee policy is clear and easy to follow for the guests, and you communicate all these details with your guests before their check-in and check-out times. This way, you’ll lower the chances for guests to deny your payment request, and you’ll have a proof for Airbnb when needed.
It is entirely up to you how to charge these fees from your guests. You can either charge hourly or opt for a flat fee. However, don’t forget that there might be unforeseeable events that led your guest to early check-in or late check out, such as changes in flight schedules and weather conditions. While preparing your check-in and check-out policies, you should consider how well these policies work when your guests need your help and understanding. In this kind of scenarios, your guests expect you to understand their situation. Therefore, having super strict policies can sometimes cause disappointments and might negatively affect your reviews on Airbnb.
Cater Your Place for the Travelers with Pets: Pet Fee
Traveling with pets is getting more and more popular. And the only way for you to capture the attention of this growing traveler group is to make your Airbnb pet-friendly. If you have questions about being a pet-friendly host, check our articles about hosting footed family members. These articles will give you a great insight into getting your place ready for travelers with a pet.
One of the main things you need to consider while opening your doors to pets is that the extra money they might cost you for cleaning or damage control. Therefore, you should consider adding a pet fee to your listing before marking your place as pet-friendly.
Airbnb pet fees are set pretty similar to late check-in and check-out fees. You have to make sure that you clearly state your pet fee within the listing description and possibly in the house rules. The average pet fee on Airbnb is around $25 per pet; however, you are in full control of the amount you’ll charge as a pet fee. You might even consider having different pricings depending on the pet’s type and size, or you can decide whether you charge by per pet or per day.
To learn more about when you can and cannot charge Airbnb guests a fee for bringing their animals, check out “What is Airbnb’s Service Animal Policy?“.
Extra Fees for Additional Services and Amenities
There are also other extra fees that you can charge for the additional services or extra amenities that you offer. These services and amenities could include:
- Renting camping accessories, bicycles, etc.
- Snacks, breakfast items, or cooked meals.
- Airport pickup/drop off.
- Setting up and lending baby items such as high chair and crib. Minibar.
If you decide to charge for additional amenities, you shouldn’t forget that what you set as additional or included send a message about your Airbnb and affect the tone of your listing. For more information on this, please read, “Airbnb Host Step 1 – How to Get Started Hosting“.
Setting up these extra fees is also highly related to the type of your place and your nightly rate. If guests pay higher nightly rates for your place, they would expect to be able to use whatever comes with the house free of charge. On the other hand, if your listing is relatively lower-priced, it will be more appropriate to charge guests for the extra services as you set up your nightly rate for a basic service.
Main Takeaways
Additional fees are Airbnb fees for guests and another way for hosts to generate more money. First, you should check which fees are automatically calculated by Airbnb by using the Airbnb fees calculator and for which ones you need to use resolution requests.
Moreover, even if the whole charging extra fees idea seems intriguing, you have to make sure that you know what you are doing and be extremely careful about how these fees will affect your listing.
We summarize 2 vital elements not to miss while setting up extra fees for your Airbnb:
- Be appropriate: You should be aware of the type of your listing and make sure that the extra fees you are applying are appropriate. As we mentioned about, charging for various amenities would be suitable for a luxury listing.
- Be transparent: Yes, you can charge for whatever you want and how much you want. However, you have to communicate these fees very clearly with your guests. You have to add every detail related to extra fees in your listings’ description or even house rules in some cases. Don’t forget that you can ask for any fees which are not included in your listing. Airbnb points this out as one of its main rules for the extra fees to protect the guest from random additional fees during their stay also to increase the hosts’ credibility and trustworthiness.