Giving Negative review

[Leesa40]

Hi. I've been a host for 4 months and never had to give a bad review until now. I went to my apartment yesterday to clean and havevthe following issues. Am I being a bit petty about some ?

- front door left unlocked 

- lights left on 

- heating left on 25 degrees

- blood on sheets 

However my main grievance is and is very obviously stated in my house rules on app and in a folder left very obviously in flat and opened on relevant page is ...

- absolutely no candles or burners or the like. I found evidence of candles and incense burners being used

- moving furniture. Clearly stated in my rules.

Any advice 🙏 

Thank you 

[Joelle43 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Leesa40 

All of the above you mention are very common I'm afraid but the one that poses a big problem is the burning of candles and incense as this is a serious fire risk but to have ALL of the above from the same guest is a bit much I admit!  Did this person have good reviews or were they new?

I have found the front door actually left open by a lovely and respectful guest so know it wasn't intentional as the door didn't always close properly.  I've had it changed since that as I thought I was going to have a heart attack that day! 

I also now leave a note on the front door asking guests to turn off the lights and air conditioning before they leave.  I have also included a "save the planet" guidelines in my house info that I hope guests read but seeing on how low I sometimes find the A/C thermostat, know they don't.

Blood stains are common and easy enough to deal with as long as you pre-treat with cold water before putting them in the washing machine.

This guest isn't going to get a 5* review from you that's for sure but in case you don't know, guests only see our comments not the stars we give them for communication, house rules or cleanliness.  Stay short and professional in your review mentioning that the apartment was not left tidy and some house rules were broken but leave your review until the last minute before the 14 day deadline.   If your guest doesn't know that you had issues with their stay, don't mention it (other than in the review) to avoid a retaliatory review that won't get taken down.  If the guest has already left you a review then there is no need to wait of course.

With every problem guest or issue we may not have thought about,  provides us with an opportunity to double check our house rules and to communicate clearly to our guests what we expect from them.  I figure that guests don't read my house rules on the listing page so send them again when I receive a trip request and ask them to validate them so that I can go ahead and accept their booking.  My last guest left a light on but they still got a 5* review from me.  I have become more tolerant with time I think and if the place hasn't been left like a bomb site, (had that) then I will overlook the small stuff.  This isn't the case for you obviously.

[Leesa40]

Thank you @Joelle43.

Very useful information. Much appreciated 🙂

[Quincy]

Hi @Leesa40, just chiming in to say that I've added a tag with Joelle's name to your comment. To tag someone, tap "@" and select the host's username from the dropdown menu. This way, they will receive a notification. 

Also, thank you for coming back to say "Thank you" to @Joelle43 ‌😊‌ 

[Joan2709]

@Leesa40 

I agree with all of @Joelle43 's excellent advice. 

Keep in mind that for many guests, English is not their first language. Although it is easy enough to translate the Airbnb messages and use Google translate for signs, many guests just don't bother. 

Be sure to add to your House Rules all the items you mention. That said, keep in mind that "Guests don't read". You'll have to get creative with addl things like including your most important items in your messages to guests and some strategic signs. It's a balancing act with signs - too many overwhelms guests. Pick your battles. We have no smoking, please use dark towels to remove makeup in bathrooms and if the Host has a septic tank, nothing but TP in the toilet. That's it for the most part.

[Helen3]

I would definitely be leaving an honest review and marking the guest down especially for leaving the door open and the candles  and leaving stains on the sheets ..

heating you should be able to handle remotely . 

@Leesa40 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Leesa40 , I am glad you received support and fantastic advice. What did you do in the end after discussing this with fellow hosts? 

Did you leave a review for the guest in the end? Please keep us posted!

Regards,

[Leesa40]

Hi. No review from guest as yet and I am waiting the 14 days to leave mine as suggested above.

I must say everyone on here has been very helpful with excellent feedback and advice. 

Regards