Why don't my reviews of guests who trashed my house appear?

[Ariana735]

I am new to Airbnb (since September) and over the holidays I've had my first two bad experiences with guests back to back. 

The first one was a group who had some kind of weird sex party. The damage included a **bleep** stain on the dresser where a used condom was left,  two destroyed duvets, destroyed jacuzzi cover and they left some parts which I just recently figured out was a stripper pole that they put up in my basement. 

The second one was a woman who stayed with her children. They actually kicked in an exterior door and destroyed the casing and the door. It cost $1300 to have a repairman come in and removed the exterior casing, door, caulking and now I have to paint the exterior of the house. They also left a cigarette burn on one of my rugs. She is now asking for a refund because she claims there was not enough hot water for showers. This is something that I have never experienced and I have never heard from anybody. She is asking for $500 back because of the water and because the pilot on our second fireplace was out. I offered to come and light it on Christmas Eve but she said no and said it wasn't a problem. 

We had some random little things broken before that - a table with a water stain, a bar stool that somebody stood on and broke the foot rest, a lamp and some bedding. I didn't claim any of these as it seemed like mostly wear and tear. But now I'm worried about continuing as a host. 

I have left bad reviews for both them. However, when I go to their Airbnb profiles these reviews do not appear. How can we be expected to vet our own guests if Airbnb doesn't post bad reviews about guests? Now I'm working with resolutions and I am not getting the feeling that they are interested in looking out for my best interests as a host. 

Anybody have any insight for me? This is probably a little "ranty" but I'm SO frustrated. 

[Alexandra316]

@Ariana735 Sounds like a horrible run of bad luck. I really hope things get better for you.

Your review of them may not appear yet because they haven't left one for you, or 14 days haven't passed yet. Reviews are only published when both parties have reviewed or when 14 days have passed, whichever comes first.

Alternately, the reviews may have been published then removed if they violated the review guidelines set out by Airbnb. You can read more here: https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/13/how-do-reviews-work-for-stays.

[Ariana735]

Thank you - I don't think I left anything inappropriate. In fact I was being extremely careful with my wording because I was upset and I wanted to make sure it sounded logical and not like a rant of an angry person. I genuinely was trying to protect other hosts. I'm not sure though how to go back and look?

[Alexandra316]

@Ariana735Have 14 days passed since the guest left, or did they leave a review for you? I would think that's the most likely reason they're not appearing. 

[Ariana735]

It's been more than 2 weeks for the sex party people. But the door crashers are just a week out. 

[Ariana735]

So gross to think of people having a sex party at my house. 

[Katrina79]

@Ariana735 Well you gave me a chuckle reading the nicknames of your guests, the sex party people and the door crashers! Hopefully you get past these absurd guests and get a run of good ones! Happy New Year and wishing the best in 2020! 

[Ariana735]

[Ariana735]

Just realized I could upload photos. These are the photos of my door when I came to clean up after Nicole's visit. 

[Alexandra316]

@Ariana735 You could call Airbnb and ask them what happened to the reviews to be sure.

I would think the chances of having 2 reviews removed would be fairly slim.

However, if you mentioned bodily fluids or other personal details in the review of the sex party, it might have been removed for that. That's a big no-no.

Did you claim for any of these damages through the Airbnb Host Guarantee, or ask for the guest to pay for any of the damage? Any mention of that could also get the review pulled.

[Ariana735]

I did not mention the bodily fluids or the stripper pole that was put up. 

I did claim for damages, however,  I did not mention that in my review either. 

I've been called numerous times regarding her claim but nobody seems very concerned about the fact that my door was kicked in violently or that my rug has cigarette burns on it. 

Feeling burned on this.

[Emilia42]

@Ariana735 You say "over the holidays" but both of these guests would have had to check out on or before December 19th in order for the 2 week review period to close. If they checked out before December 19th and your reviews of them have not posted on their profile, I would call Airbnb to ask if they removed them and why. 

[Ariana735]

One was Dec. 14th. The other one will need some time. 

Thanks for the heads up. 

[Anonymous]

@Ariana735   If there was any mention of sexual activity in your review, it would have been removed. A negative review was more than deserved due to the state your home was left in, but anything involving intimate personal details like sex or bodily functions would be seen as a breach of the guest's privacy and legally risky for Airbnb to allow as content on the site. Therefore, it helps to speak more generally about the condition your place was found in: the guests treated your property disrespectfully, damaged several items, and left you with more than the expected cleaning, and that's all that prospective hosts need to know.

The stripper pole is hilarious though...never would've thought that would be a must-have item when packing one's suitcase for Christmas holidays.

[Ariana735]

LOL - believe me - when I realized it was a stripper pole I laughed and I've had some great stories for the holidays.  I didn't include any details that I wouldn't want my 8 year old to see. I would argue that being messier than the average is pretty different than a full on sex party. I would perhaps consider a messier guest if the timing was right and I knew to have more cleaning crew ready. But someone who is simply disrespectful and gross is different.