FAQ for Hosts

Hosts: Getting started

Start renting out in 4 easy steps

Register by entering you name, email address and a password (you can also sign-in with your Facebook account)
Click on “Hosts: List a rental for free”
Describe your space and add as many pictures as you want
Define your property’s availability and prices on your Property Management System

Is it free to list?

Yes it is. You only pay a small 10% commission once you accept a booking.

How do I add a property?

Simply click on “Hosts: List a rental for free” on the top tab of any page. It’s easy and free to list your properties.

How do I describe my property?

After clicking on “Hosts: List a rental for free”, you will be asked to login or sign-in and you will be directed to an easy step-by-step description of your rental.

How do I make a property available?

To define availability, prices and to manage your bookings, you have to access your Property Management System (PMS). You can do so by clicking on “manage” next to the title of your properties on their profile pages. You can also access your PMS from your personal profile under “my properties”: just click on “manage” next to the titles of the properties.

What is the Property Management System (PMS)?

The PMS is an online tool to manage your properties. Through the PMS, you can:

Define availability and prices for a property
View, confirm or reject booking requests
Manage your requests and bookings
Remove availability and cancel bookings
Define templates for availability (a template contains pre-filled availability settings)
Change the descriptions of your properties
Change your billing information
Manage, add and remove photos of your properties

Why do I provide my payment details?

We pay you by bank transfer, paypal or chack: guests pay us at the time of booking and we transfer the money to you 2 days after the beginning of the guests’ stay.

What is minimum length of stay?

This is the minimum number of nights you want guests to book for. We recommend setting the minimum length of stay at 1 night so as to accommodate the maximum number of guests.

I'm a professional property manager - can I list with you?

Yes you can. Our site is open to private homes, property management companies, bed and breakfasts, hostels, and even hotels. If you have specific requests or policies related to your business, please contact us at contact@housetrip.com and we will be happy to discuss.

Can I post a property from everywhere in the world?

Yes, you can post a space in any location worldwide. You always get paid directly on the bank account you provided during the posting process (you can change your bank account details here).

How do I earn reviews?

After you host a guest, he/she will be asked to leave a review. The review will show up on your listing, and provide future guests with a validated testimonial about your property. You can only earn reviews by using the HouseTrip payment system.

What if I don't have any reviews?

We recommend getting as much content as you can on your property’s wall (friends can write about you, etc.) and describe your property as nicely and accurately as you can. We also suggest lowering your price until you get a few reviews.

How many photos can I add to my listings?

You can upload as many photos as you want. To add a listing, go to "Post property" on the top tab. If you have already posted your listing, log in, go to the PMS of the property you want to add photos to and click on the “images” tab.

My address is not listed, what do I do?

We have more than 25M locations in our database so the first step is to double check that your address’s spelling is exact (you can check Google maps to make sure that it matches their spelling). If that does not resolve the issue, please contact us at support@housetrip.com and we will look into it.

What amenities can I list?

We have a fairly extensive list of amenities you can tick during the property description process. You can mention any additional amenities in the corresponding comment boxes.

I received a booking from somebody. What do I do?

Double-check that all the details about the booking (dates, length of stay, price, etc.) are fine with you. They should normally be fine because guests have to comply with the requirements you set when you created the availability.
If everything is indeed fine, simply click on “accept booking”.
Then contact the guest by sending a private message through HouseTrip (or by phone if the guest provided his/her phone number) and explain everything you think the guest needs to know (how to get to your property, when and where to pick up the keys, etc.).

How much time do I have to reply to a reservation request?

36 hours. After that time, the request is deleted.
You want to respond to requests as fast as possible: your property's ranking in HouseTrip's search results is strongly influenced by the speed of your responses.

Can I promote my listing on my blog, Facebook, or other site?

Yes. Your property profile has a unique link and we strongly encourage you to post it everywhere you can on the Internet as it drives more bookings for your property.

What is the difference between Entire property/private bedroom/shared room?

Entire property means that you will not be in your home or apartment when the traveller is there. Private bedroom means they get their own bedroom. Shared room means it’s either a living room/common space, or someone else will share the room with the guests.

Host: Using HouseTrip

How do I add multiple listings to my account?

Once you create your first listing, you will have an account. Simply repeat the process by clicking on "Hosts: List a rental for free" to create more listings.

How do I remove my listing?

From your Property Management System (PMS), go to the “description” tab. You will see a published/unpublished switch. Slide or click to change the state. Turning your listing off saves it to your account but removes it from search results, making it private.

How do I delete my listing?

To delete your listing completely, please contact us at support@housetrip.com

Should I accept all booking requests?

It depends. If the enquiry corresponds to the settings you had defined (length of stay, availability, etc.), and you feel comfortable with the profile of the guest, then you should accept it.
Remember that refusing requests influences negatively your position on search results. In order to avoid vain requests, you may want to have up-to-date availability and specify clearly the conditions at which guests can book.

I want to cancel a booking. What do I do?

Cancelling a booking will automatically generate a negative review for your property. If you really need to cancel a booking, please click on the “cancel booking” button at the bottom of the bookings’ details page. You can also contact us at contact@housetrip.com

How do I access my Property Management System?

Simply click on “manage” next to the title of your properties on their profile pages. You can also access your PMS from your personal profile under “my properties”: just click on “manage” next to the titles of the properties.

How do I set another photo as the default one?

Go to “images” in your Property Management System and click on “set as default” next to the appropriate photo.

How do I get on the first page of search results?

The first page displays the top rated and most responsive properties. You can improve your rank by accepting more bookings and getting good reviews.

Why can't I give my email address or phone number to a guest?

We require all messaging to be handled through the site to maintain your privacy, provide an appropriate level of service, and to adhere to our terms & conditions.

Can I list my property on other websites than HouseTrip at the same time?

Yes you can. Simply pay attention not to have any two bookings for the same dates (i.e. double booking). A way to avoid that is to check your calendar in HouseTrip’s PMS every time you have a booking request from another website.

Should my calendar be always up to date?

Yes, this will avoid vain enquiries from guests and maximize successful requests. Your calendar is automatically updated if you get bookings through HouseTrip. If a booking is made outside HouseTrip during a period you had previously defined as available, you should remove the availability for that period immediately by clicking on "remove availability" in your PMS.

How can I get more bookings?

Add professional quality photos and lower your price. These are the 2 easiest ways to increase business.

How can I improve the quality of my listing?

The most important thing is having great quality photos. Being very accurate in the description of your property and writing as much relevant content as you can is also very important.

I have multiple listings. Can I move guests between them?

No. Accepting a booking is for that particular room or address. Swapping rooms is not permitted. Please contact us at support@housetrip.com if availability becomes an issue.

What happens if I receive a negative review?

Take note of the feedback, improve the experience, and host again. You can also feel free to respond to the review by commenting on it, explaining why you think something went wrong.
If you think the review is slanderous or unfair, contact us and we will investigate.

How can I check the details of a booking?

Go to your calendar in your PMS. Dates highlighted in dark green are bookings. Simply click on any of those dates to see the details of the booking.

How can I check the settings for one of my availability periods?

Go to your calendar in your PMS. Dates highlighted in light green are availability periods. Simply click on any of those dates to see the settings of the corresponding period.

How do I modify the description of my property?

Go to the PMS of the right property and click on the “description” tab. After, click on any of the “edit” buttons to modify the description.

Host: Payments

Why should I use your payment system?

Our payment system is more secure and reliable than handling money on your own. We protect both parties from fraud and illicit behaviours.

How much should I charge?

We recommend looking at current listings in your city on our site for guidance. If you are a new host, we recommend putting your listing on sale by charging 25-50% less than the market rate to compete with hosts with lots of reviews. This will add value, and be a good long-term investment. Once you build a good reputation, demand will go up, and you can charge more..

When do I get paid?

We send you the advance payment 2 days after the guest checks in.

How do I get paid?

We pay you by bank transfer, paypal or check. When registering your property, if you choose bank transfer as a form of payment, you will be asked to provide billing details in the form of your IBAN and BIC (to know what they are, see next question). You can change your billing details in your PMS under “billing details”.

What are IBAN and BIC?

IBAN means International Bank Account Number and BIC (sometimes also called SWIFT) means Bank Identifier Code. They can both be found on your bank statements.

How secure is it to provide my IBAN and BIC?

IBAN and BIC account details alone are not sufficient to debit, withdraw or transfer funds out from a bank account; they are used solely to credit or transfer funds into bank accounts.
HouseTrip takes seriously the trust you place in us. We use appropriate physical, technical and administrative procedures to safeguard the information we collect. We also use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption when collecting or transferring sensitive information such as your billing details. Click here to read our full privacy statement.

How do I collect my cleaning fee?

We suggest factoring this into the price of your listing, rather than having additional charges.

When do I collect my deposit?

Deposits are offline arrangements that we do not facilitate. This would be a separate arrangement with the traveller, and since we cannot mediate this, you do so at your own risk.
You need to specify that you will collect a deposit (as well as its amount) in the description of your property in the “deposit and additional fees” textbox.

Do you support other currencies than Euros?

Not yet, but we plan to soon.

How do I set variable prices for my listing?

Go to the calendar in your listing’s PMS, click on the dates, and update the price. The system is very flexible: you can set the same price for long periods of time or a different price everyday.

What is the fee structure?

We charge a small 10% commission to the owners.

Do I have to pay taxes on my rental revenue?

It is your responsibility to make sure you comply with the laws and ordinances of your country, state or city. Commonly, hosts need to pay sales tax and city tax (after checking, you may want to factor them in your nightly rates).

Host: Tips and Suggestions

How to create a good listing

Good photos are clearly the most important component of a good listing (please refer to the next question if you need advices on taking good photos).
Generally, the more complete your listing is, the more comfortable guests will feel to inquire about and ultimately book your property.
After photos, the most important components of a listing are:

The property description: it needs to sell your property, not your area. You need to describe your property in a way that helps guests imagine the great stay they will have there. The following can be included in the description: unique selling points, major amenities, info on the bedrooms and the beds, suitability for certain groups of guests, description of the view.
The title of the property: Use words that clearly depict your property and its major selling points. It could describe your property type, location type and major amenities (e.g. “19th century flat in Paris city centre with panoramic view”).
The location: guests look for a property that is close to specific attractions. In your description of the location (in step 2 of the description process on HouseTrip), we recommend listing the exact distance from the property itself to specific attractions.
The price: Most guests search with a certain budget in mind. Make sure you set up your nightly prices correctly in your PMS.
Availability: Many guests base their holidays around work and school calendars, which can make their timing inflexible. Keep your availability calendar up to date to attract guests looking for specific dates, even at the last minute.

Photography tips

Remember: the more quality photos you have, the more interested guests become and the more likely they’ll book.
The following points should help you make good photos:

Stage your photos: Help guests imagine how it is to stay at your home. Before taking each photo, clean and tidy the set and add warm touches likes a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers.
Shed some light: Open all blinds and curtains, turn on all indoor lights, and take photos both with and without the flash.
Necessary photos: the living area, the main bedroom, the view from the property, the exterior of the property, the kitchen, the additional bedrooms, the swimming-pool if available, anything that makes your property unique.
Use a tripod to avoid blurred photos.

How to increase rentals

Be the first to respond to guests’ inquiries.
Be competitive with your prices
Keep your listings updated, especially the calendar
Get positive reviews by successfully hosting
Optimize your listing for search engines by being as specific as possible when writing your listing’s content
Disseminate the link to your property profile page on other websites around the web (your blog, Facebook, etc.).

How can I make my property as comfortable as possible for guests?

When preparing your property for guests, keep in mind the main reasons why they want to stay in a rental instead of a hotel: there is more space, more amenities, the atmosphere feels more personalized and they get to experience life as a local.

Sleeping areas: Your property should have nice beds with quality sheets for each bed, pillows with pillow protectors, and extra blankets. Also provide a reading lamp on a bedside table next to each bed.
Living area: Make sure your living area has comfortable seating for at least the number of people that you sleep.
The bathrooms: They need to be spotless and feature quality towels.
Decoration: If possible, the decoration of your property should reflect its uniqueness with a local touch.
The kitchen: if you provide a kitchen to guests, make it as convenient as possible to them. It should be equipped with enough plates, glasses, and flatware for double the number of people that you sleep.
TV and Internet: guests often expect high-speed Internet and a large TV with a DVD player.

Extras that likely exceed guests’ expectations are always welcome: books, board games, chocolates on the pillow, etc.

Note: before welcoming guests, remember to remove any valuable or irreplaceable items (you can store them in a locked closet for instance).

How can I give keys to my guests?

If someone is not there to hand personally a set of keys to your guests, several solutions exist:

Lock boxes: You can easily set your own code on a lock box, put it next to your door with the keys inside. You then give the guests the combination when you send them the driving directions.
Keyless door locks: If you use a keyless entry lock, you can easily email the code to guests and change it between guests.
Mail keys: probably the riskiest method as the mail can be lost or not arrive on time. A lot of hosts however still use this solution.