Back in February I told you about giving AirBnB a go. Well, let me share a little more with you. 

Since February, there have been over 80 views of my listing. I know, that isn’t many, but it is a start.

The first inquiry on the room came within a couple days of the listing going live. It was a woman who lived about 20 miles from me wanting a long-term room. She was evicted from her residence (“I have no idea why,” she claimed) without warning. I looked her up on social media and, no way. I told her I don’t do long term (truth) and I had someone coming in the next day (lie). Decline.

The next request was a woman traveling with her husband and dog. They were looking for a pet-friendly place as they traveled through the area. My profile clearly says no pets. Now, I love pets. I have dogs and cats in the house and out. But I have no guarantee your pet is properly vaccinated or healthy. I’m not allowing you to risk my pets’ health. Decline

Then an older man (meaning my age or more) contacted me about staying on his way to Lynchburg. He couldn’t leave until after work and wouldn’t be able to make the drive straight through. Stopping here would allow him to be within four hours of his destination when he got up the next morning. The problem was he didn’t think he would be here until 10:30 or 11:00 P.M.

I spoke with Mr. Holstein about it and we were both okay staying up, even though my listing is clear that check-in is between 2:00 – 6:00 PM. Once I mentioned that my husband was okay with the late hour, since he didn’t work the next day, they man said never mind. He said he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t be later and didn’t feel right about it. More than one person suggested it was because I used the word “husband” that changed his mind.

Then I was contacted by a young lady from Wilmington, North Carolina. She and a companion wanted to stay so they could attend a concert in Charleston. So, ta-da! A legit rental! And the girls were very nice. They did ding me on the review saying the house was “secluded” and too far from downtown. “Excuse me! It is plain in the listing Charleston is 15 miles away!” But, whatever.

Then, another guy. This one supposed to be a professor at Ohio State, needing a room on the way up from Virginia. Again, another request for a late check-in, this time 9:00. Again, sorry. Decline.

Then, a request from an account with a male name, but a female claiming to be the wife. I checked the AirBnb profile and the reviews were good and mentioned both by name. The reviews scanned several months. So, okay. Accepted.

Before this one could get out of the car another request, another male, wanting to stop over on his way from Cleveland to Asheville, North Carolina. And guess what? Yep. Late check-in. Decline.

I can’t change the check-in time. We get up too early in the mornings to stay up half the night. Plus, the room is in the house, no private entry.