Avoiding issues and dealing with the unavoidable ones gracefully...

[Gayle202]

Would love to have a conversation about common problems and how people manage them for the best outcome of all... Most of my guests are wonderful and I have zero complaints or suggestions on how to make their stay better. Once in a while, I get one that makes me very nervous and uncomfortable, and I can hardly wait for them to leave. The "problem guests" all have seem to have similar personality quirks.  I am wondering how much of this is me, my pet peeves, my triggers, my trauma, and my inability to set clear boundaries... The things I don't like:

Guests who litter little trash and cigarette butts on the lawn
Guests who arrive with a whole bunch of dirty laundry and keep the washing machine running constantly
Noisy guests who slam cabinet doors and leave dirty dishes in the sink
Guests who have a lot of complaints and requests and keep me busy trying to make them comfortable
Guests who claim their pets are perfectly house trained, but they are NOT
Guests who go to the wrong house and disturb my neighbors, especially at night
Guests who block parking for others
Guests who dominate the kitchen and shared space
Guests who take prescription meds, sleep all day, stay up all night
Guests who wear out the microwave and do not use the splatter cover

Most of my guests do NONE of this.  I love having them here. The few times I've regretted hosting, the guests have done much of this. I am pretty good about non-judgmentally making requests and suggestions that would make me more comfortable hosting people. But the people who do this stuff tend to invalidate my suggestions. They tell me I am worrying too much and I should do things differently. Invalidation doesn't meet my need for respect. If I capitulate and let them bull doze me, I feel sick the whole time they are here. If I hold fast and keep firm boundaries, they get angry and yell at me.  

Would love to hear what other people's pet peeves are, and how they manage problem guests... Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing if you care to...  

[Karen114 · Accepted solution]

@Gayle202  I was going to suggest setting expectations which you have done really well in your listing description.  I was also going to suggest not being instant book where you are request to book.  

It sounds like the undesirable guests are not reading your listing and are just looking at the pics and booking. 

The issues you mention are real and annoying for sure.  I am not sure what you have for rules and expecations after the booking to reinforce what you have in your listing. Or what kind of conversation you are having with them during the request to book.   This may be something you want to do as well as a guest guide that has recommendations of things to do in the area but also going over how to use appliances, not to leave dishes in the sink, quiet hours etc.  

I am not a home share host however have 8 different listings.  I do a lot of communication with the guest leading up to their stay so they know exactly what's expected of them.  I use Chatgpt to make sure it doesn't sound tyranical or abrasive 😁

I believe in setting clear expecations up front and your opportunity to do that would be during the request to book phase. 

Since it is your home, I would make it more about you vs what are they coming to the area for.  Example: I am a quiet person that prefers peace in my castle as well as respectful guests that clean up after themselves and don't disturb other guests.  

I also use a rental  agreement that states reasons they can be asked to leave.  I am not there so do not catch everything however if another guest in the building is complaining about behavoirs, it is addressed immediately. 

I hope this helps Gayle 😉

[Gayle202]

Thank you so much @Karen114. Having a rental agreement that states reasons they can be asked to leave never occurred to me. This is a great idea. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Gayle202 , thank you for sharing your experience and reaching out to the community! 

Have you added the notes to your rental agreement as suggested by Karen?  We'd love to hear your insights on how you plan to deal with these guests in future.

Regards,

[Helen3]

@Gayle202 As a home share host (I am one too)  it's much easier to manage many of the issues you mention

1. make sure you show all guests around the space highlighting expectations and key house rules

2. I have it in my house rules the washer/dryer is only available to guests staying a minimum of five days and one wash a week 

3. remind guests who leave washing up in the sink/park badly/disturb your neighbours if they continue to break your house rules you will need to ask Airbnb to cancel your booking

4. I would never allow guests to bring pets when you have multiple guests staying 

5. have quiet hours clearly laid out 

some smaller issues such as the microwave I would send a polite reminder via Airbnb.