Being a host

You are always within your rights to say no to anyone, for any reason. Please answer, though, if you can. A reply of any kind is worth a great deal to someone planning a route.

YOUR PIN

Add yourself to the map from your account. You choose what you offer and how precisely the map shows where you are.

Your pin can show inside space, outside space, covered parking, garage space, tools to borrow, a meal, or local knowledge and help hauling a bike if you cannot host at all.

The more your listing says, the more likely you are to get guests, and the fewer messages you will get that are not right for you. Say how far in advance to contact you, what you are offering, whether there are animals, whether anyone smokes, and what your rules are.

Your address is private. The map shows a pin near you, not on you, and you set how near. Your address goes to a guest only when you have agreed to host them.

Use a real email address. That is how we reach hosts about anything that matters.

If you are going away, pause your listing rather than deleting it. Pausing costs you nothing and there is no penalty for it.

DO NOT DISRUPT YOUR LIFE FOR A MAYBE

People are unreliable, travel is unpredictable, and weather, breakdowns and simple tiredness all change arrival times. Keep in touch until they arrive and you will avoid most of the frustration.

You do not have to offer the same thing to everyone. Some guests you may want in the house, others in the yard. Those are your calls, every time.

STAYING SAFE

This is a self-moderated network. We make no promises of safety or security, and we encourage you to vet anyone you are thinking of hosting and to listen to your instincts.

They are being as cautious about coming to your house as you are about letting them in. Try not to ask anything you would not be glad to provide yourself.

Meet somewhere public first if you like.

Take photos of your property before and after, and tell a neighbour or a friend that you have someone staying.

Ask for social links to get a sense of someone. Bear in mind not everyone is on social media, and that is not by itself a reason to refuse.

You can ask for a photo of an ID. Be aware that parts of those documents can be used for identity theft, so a guest may reasonably want a number covered. Do not ask to keep hold of anyone's documents — it is a means of control that could stop someone leaving a situation they need to leave. Travellers often have addresses on documents that no longer match where they live.

Move valuables out of common areas. Not because anyone is likely to steal, but because there is no reason to leave temptation about.

If you think something has been taken, look properly first. Once an accusation is made it cannot be unmade, and it can do real damage to someone who did nothing.

CHECKING OUT A POTENTIAL GUEST

Start by putting what you require in your listing. Not everyone reads it, but for those who do it sets expectations before they ever message you. Something like: send your full name and any social links when you write, or, I would like references from other hosts or a phone call before agreeing.

Beyond that: ask which hosts they have stayed with, ask for a phone or video call, ask for a photo of them and their bike, ask on the hosts group whether anyone can vouch for them, or arrange to meet somewhere public first.

People with honest intentions are generally fine providing this. If someone will not, make the decision that is right for you — and tell us about it if you are willing.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS EARLY

Say these things in the first few messages, and consider putting them in your listing:

House rules — alcohol, cannabis, drugs, weapons, what time you sleep and wake, when they need to leave, which parts of the house they can use.

How long they can stay and what is actually on offer — inside or outside, own bedding or not, meals or feed yourself.

Availability — weekends only, evenings only, every other week, or simply whether you are home.

What you need from them — a photo, a document, references, or meeting in public before you give an address.

Parking. Pets.

If a guest has a problem with any of it, better that both of you know now.

WHEN THEY ARRIVE

Show them where they can and cannot go. If they are indoors, show them the bathroom, the shower, the kitchen and the water — they may have food that needs a fridge and will almost certainly want to clean up.

Say what is happening about food. If they are outdoors, show them where to pitch, where the bathroom is, and where they can and cannot ride.

Give them a bit of space to come down from the road before expecting conversation.

Explain how checking out works — whether to wake you, whether to just go, whether to lock up.

Tell them how your animals behave.

Some people are quiet. It does not mean they are rude.

There will be moments where neither of you has anything left to say. That is fine. Excuse yourself for a minute and come back.

BEING HOSPITABLE

Clean sheets and a towel. A drink when they arrive. Your favourite road, restaurant or bar if there is time. A meal you like cooking. Soap, shampoo, the small things people run out of on the road. A guest book, if you like the idea — plenty of hosts treasure theirs.

MORE THAN ONE GUEST

Decide in advance how many people you can take, and remember the dynamic differs. A couple will want privacy in the evening. A family, a riding club, or an MC may have their own disagreements. It is worth knowing where you would send a group to sort something out privately, and what your tolerance is for raised voices.

OUT OF SEASON

In cold or wet months riders sometimes trailer their bikes, or travel by car out of necessity, and still want to see their two-wheeled family on the way. Worth deciding your answer to that before someone asks.

WHAT WILL GET YOU REMOVED

Pressuring a guest to stay. Deliberately damaging their property — knocking the bike over, standing on their gear. Stealing. Getting drunk or high and becoming a problem. Anything sexual or perverse. Not taking no for an answer.

If you would rather host particular people — only women, only couples, only solo travellers, veterans — that is your right, and it helps everyone if you say so in your listing. Work inside what you are comfortable with.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

If anything possibly criminal happens, contact the police. If there is a misunderstanding you cannot settle between you, contact us and we will mediate. We decide together whether someone has earned a warning or removal.