As a host, you know there are seemingly endless moving pieces to managing a short-term rental. You’re managing cleaners, sharing the Wifi password, and answering questions left and right. But what happens when a guest asks to receive mail at your Airbnb? This is a toughy. But there is a solution! Actually, it’s a topic that comes up more often than one would think, particularly with business travelers or digital nomads. This article breaks down everything you need to know about how and if a guest should receive mail at your Airbnb.

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When does a guest need mail?

Let’s break it down:

• Business travelers often need contracts, legal documents, or company materials delivered during their stay. While it’s more ideal if they have these items before their visit, it’s not unusual for last-minute requests to come through. Additionally, business travel could sometimes mean a long-term visit.
• In an era of work-from-home, more and more people are getting into “slow travel.” This means they’re booking longer stays, working in the day, and exploring at night. When they don’t have a home base, they may need to occasionally have items mailed to them,
• It’s not unusual for people to book an Airbnb when they have to move to a new city, but haven’t found a permanent place to live yet. Temporarily living in a short-term rental is often far more comfortable than staying in a hotel long-term. When dealing with a move, they may need important documents sent to them.
• Things happen. Maybe a guest lost their ID or their credit card and need a place for the replacement to be sent.

Cons of accepting guest mail

While accepting mail may seem like a no-brainer, it’s important to understand some of the issues that could arise.

Accepting mail on behalf of guests can create unexpected legal obligations. You might become responsible for securing and forwarding mail, even after guests check out. Some documents may carry legal significance, and mishandling them could expose you to liability. Additionally, when you are responsible for guests’ mail, it means you’re seeing potentially sensitive information. As such, this access could open you up to legal responsibility. Protect yourself.

Furthermore, receiving mail can put a dent in the well-oiled machine that is your management routine. If packages arrive when a guest isn’t there ir may require additional services or adding a storage solution, and telling guests when their mail has arrived. It just adds some challenges that aren’t convenient to deal with on a regular basis. Lastly, your homeowner’s or rental insurance might not cover mail-related incidents. If valuable packages are stolen or damaged while in your care, you could be responsible.

Alternatives

When possible, it’s best to avoid mail going to your property. Offer up a few of these services as alternatives to your guests.

Companies like The UPS Store, PostNet, and Pak Mail provide temporary mailbox rentals with professional addresses. These options typically offer:

• Package acceptance and secure storage
• Forwarding options
• Professional business addresses
• Extended hours for pickup
• Additional services like copying and shipping

Guests can choose to rent or utilize these services. This thereby eliminates their need to use your home’s physical address.

Alternatively, the United States Postal Service offers general delivery service in most areas. Guests can have mail sent to the local post office. Recipients must pick up mail in person with proper identification. This service works well for important documents, but isn’t always a good option for packages and commercial deliveries.

Furthermore, many coworking spaces offer mail services to members, even for short-term arrangements. Business travelers and digital nomads often find these spaces valuable for both workspace and mail address needs. Or, if your area has hotels with business centers, some offer mail services to non-guests for a fee. Amazon offers pick-up lockers in various locations. This allows people to ship items to a secure location for later retrieval.

When mail is okay

• Some situations might warrant accepting mail for guests, but only with proper precautions and clear agreements.
• If the guest has booked your property for a long time and you’ve interacted with them a lot, a level of trust may have been established. In those cases, it can be worth considering this type of exception.
• Sometimes emergencies come up. Use your best judgment in these scenarios.
• Has this guest stayed with you before? Have you chatted with them? Repeat guests may deserve special attention, especially if you feel like you can genuinely trust them.

Tips for managing mail

If you decide to help guests with mail delivery, follow these essential practices to protect yourself and maintain professionalism. Having your policies written down can help protect yourself in the event of a dispute. Add the following to your written agreement:

• What items do you accept
• How long do you accept mail for the guest
• That the guest is responsible for pick-up
• What happens if they never receive their mail
• What you are and are not liable for.

Additionally, you may want to limit the types of mail you accept. Some examples of reasonable accommodations for mail include:

• Emergency medical items
• Documents under very specific circumstances
• Small packages under certain size/weight limits
• No forwarding of mail

Be sure to develop systems for notifying guests about mail arrivals. Use your existing guest communication methods,s but ensure prompt notification. Consider requiring guests to confirm receipt when they collect items. Additionally, invest in a secure storage system. Lock boxes, safes, or secure areas protect both mail and your property. Never leave packages visible or unsecured, as they could attract package pirates. Lastly, it’s important to keep records of all mail accepted, including:

• When the mail was received and picked up
• Tracking numbers
• Take photos of the packages
• Ask guests to confirm they have received their mail.

As you can see, prevention is key. Make it clear in your listing that accepting mail at your Airbnb isn’t typically allowed. A great place to add this is in your house rules. You can include a line that says something like:

“This property cannot accept mail or packages for guests. Please arrange delivery to alternative locations such as your workplace, a hotel business center, or local package service.”

Make it clear in your pre-arrival messages that accepting mail isn’t something you do. This type of communication from day one can help avoid awkward conversations. Plus, it gives guests time to find a solution before arrival. Update this in your listing description ASAP. As always, we want to communicate kindly and professionally. Here are a few tips for handling what could be awkward conversations about mail.

• When saying no to a mail request, keep it professional. Be clear but still provide an understanding tone of voice. This shows the guest that you care.
• Don’t just say “no” to mail requests. Share some of the options provided in this post to help guests find a solution that works for them,
• Mail-related questions are often time-sensitive. Don’t delay getting back to them,
• Check in and see if guests found a solution. This shows that you’re invested in their experience and can help earn more positive reviews.

Pay attention to the legal stuff

Mail handling regulations vary by location. Some areas have specific requirements for businesses that handle mail, which could apply to hosts who regularly accept guest mail. Furthermore, it’s important to review your property’s insurance policy and check for conditions regarding mail.

As you can see, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, we’ve provided you with a variety of paths to consider when exploring this route. While accepting mail at your Airbnb isn’t ideal, offer the other options discussed to guests. Utilizing an Amazon pick-up locker or some type of third-party services keeps things cleaner for you. Of course, some situations may warrant a direct send to your listing, and that’s worth discussing. Promote clear and honest communication with your guests, and you won’t have much to worry about.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!