There is a rulle, on which there is a general consent, that say that you cannot ask money for hospitality.
However there are some borderline cases when it could lead to some odd situations.
There is someone that after staying a few days for some reason wants to remain for a longer time, possibly many weeks. In some case the host would have the possibility to have a long term guest, but of course this guest after three days becomes a fish … not necessarily stinking, but using daily shower, cooking, wishing a warm room, charging its devices, overall, costing some real money to the host.
current couchers rules prohibit to ask money even in these cases.
I would see useful to set a maximum number of days [3 to 7, possibly chosen by the host] after when the hospex guest is no longer an hospex guest, so it can be asked for a contribution to house expenses and more.
I revive this post since some days ago a tenant in a second apartment, that I rented room by room to some student, asked me about the possibility to host in hospex communities.
I replied that he is paying for the rent of the room and for common expenses. The room is suitable for up to 3 people (even if there are only two beds) but the expenses [utilities, heating and cleaning, that are about 180€/week for the whole apartment) have to by shared among tenants in proportion to the number of people occupying the apartment, and the definition of a person occupying the room is who stay there for more than 2 nights in one week, and quota is then for for the whole week. so if a guest stay for 2 days, even if he had subsequent guests one after the other, would not to have to pay extra, but if one guest stay 3 days for that week he have to pay two shares, so its weekly share would pop up by more than 25€, as if the guest were staying the whole week.
He replied that he would be happy to have people that want to stay more than 48 hours, but this would force him to ask to those that want to stay more than 2 days at least 20€ for extra expences, since would have to pay as if it stayed the whole week. and that i told him that asking money for the stay is not allowed by most hospex communities.
I told that as landlord I cannot make exceptions, since this way to count number of dweller is a standard and is in each one contract, so he should have to find an agreement with the other tenants to share the cost of individual guests. (and this would be difficult since one of them is already unhappy that although staying only 3 days for week have to pay whole week for himself)
I would see so useful to allow hosts to put in the profile a value to express maximum number of days that they can host according hospex rules, to allow for these not so uncommon cases (also some guest told me about the difficulties to host due similar arrangements), so people that ask for more time know that after n days rules may change ?
You are allowed to write exactly that on your profile e.g. in your home description. You don’t have to wait for a specific checkbox to be invented to express your conditions, preferences or house rules. At least I have it… always had it… Surfers will either accept what hosts offer or stay elsewhere.
I know, and in my personal profile I wrote just that preferred stay is 2 to 4 days, without further conditions, because I live alone in the apartment, so I know exactly how much cost me an additional person per day.
The problem was for this person that since he is sharing the apartment with 3 other people has also to share expenses, and the arrangement is that anyone that stay for more than 48 hours must chip in its share for the whole week.
so your opinion is that would be legitimate to put in the profile “house rules say that a person is a guest for a maximum of two days, from the third day is an additional dweller and has to pay its share of expenses, 30€ each week or part of it, so be careful if you ask 3 or more days” ?
My opinion is that hosts and their rules/preferences matter. And that even 1 or 2 days should be considered a blessing.
Like you, I have written on my profile how many nights I can host. I don’t specify or explain why. But that is the offer. If this offer is not good enough for my potential guest, they are free to explore other options in the area or go to a ho(s)tel. But I am not hosting longer than I am comfortable with.
We had a conversation about “additional charges” in February 22’ in a different thread and I replied to you that you could either explain your specific situation (what your landlord/building would charge in case the surfer stayed X days). But honestly, easier and less complicated solution would be to only host X days (that are “free” for everyone involved) and won’t cause trouble neither to the host, nor to the guest.
Why would you need Couchers to regulate how you deal with your guests? If you have a guest for some days, and then they ask you to stay more after you already met them, you can decide on your own how you deal with them. You don’t need to do this via Couchers - you can just talk with them directly.
For example, when I host somebody, and then we become friends, we keep in touch, talk and maybe meet again in the future. We interact like normal people and I don’t ask them to send me a Couchers request and to give me a review every time we interact.
It should be the same when you have roommates or tenants. It doesn’t matter if you met them via Couchers in the first place. You just deal with them as you would normally and you don’t have to do this via Couchers.
I have noticed that now there is a new version of terms of service for couchers, that has no longer the prohibition of any manetary transasction.
So problem solved.