Bad experience - report?

[Adele441]

I recently advised a guest whom i had allowed to extend over a period of 3

months, due to lack to communication and several other issues which compromised the security of my property. Now that she had checked out (6 hours late), she has sent me numerous nasty messages (personal) when I was referring to issues. I even took care of her cat and helped her pack up a computer she needed to return.

She also did not correctly lock the door or arm the system, the bottom sheet is stained , the Alexa from her room and all the  velvet hangers are gone. Cat hair all over the furniture (she came in prior to the new pet deposit option). Support already had to get involved on one occasion. 

I had previously left good reviews for her initial weeks - but I do not want to leave a negative Public review l because she will retaliate as she has shown in her messages to me - but I do think other hosts need to be aware . 

I saw there is an option to ‘rate’ which is not visible to her .. but can’t figure it out. Any other suggestions. ? 

[Sarah977]

@Adele441  You don't seem to understand the review system. The guest can't see the review you have written until it is published, at which point it is too late for the guest to leave a review. So she can't retaliate based on your review.

If you mean her sending you nasty messages, you need to report her for these and ask Airbnb to block her from contacting you.

The star ratings you give guests are part of the review process. No, guests can't see how you have rated them, but please never give a guest a low rating and a nice written review- that is totally misleading to other hosts. 

A stained sheet is not something to be fussed about after a guest has used it for 3 months. You need to deal with sheets and towels yourself if you want them kept nice, so you can pre-treat any stains before washing. If you expect guests to deal with washing the linens, you can expect to have to replace them.

Her making off with the hangars and Alexa is theft, and she should be charged for them or bring them back.

I don't quite understand though why you bothered to send her feedback on numerous issues after she had already left? What would that accomplish? And why did you let her keep extending when she was an objectionable guest, or was she okay until towards the end?

[Adele441]

Thank you for your reply. I do totally understand how the system works for the written reviews as I have had several other guests. 

However there is supposed to be a rating area which specifically affects those who have instant book - in other words if someone has low rating, they will not be able to instant book, even if it’s set up on host side. Host has to review request. 

All my communications with her are going through Airbnb for several weeks (after she had her daughter make a complaint pretending to be her using her Airbnb access - but the guest even told me in writing it was not her .. 

I am waiting for her to reply to the missing Alexa, stained sheet etc … but what do you do if you know something was there and then it’s not … and she might say I never took it 

[Sarah977]

@Adele441  "However there is supposed to be a rating area which specifically affects those who have instant book - in other words if someone has low rating, they will not be able to instant book, even if it’s set up on host side. Host has to review request."

There is no special rating area for Instant Book. You just check "Would not host again" and give her a 1* rating and I think that prevents her from Instant Booking in the future.

[Adele441]

@Sarah977  I managed an award winning B&B for 8 years and have 20 years in the hospitality business. Including as a housekeeping manager for Ritz Carlton.  

Never have I had stains on the sheets like she left, and sheets should not have to be replaced after 3 months!! (See attached photo). 

Why did I extend her - because she kept saying that she was having a tough time, laid off, new job, changed job, health issues, broke up with her boyfriend, cat had surgery… as a single female and knowing the rental market as it is, especially with a pet … I had compassion. Yes you can tell me I shouldn’t have based my decision to allow her to extend on that.. but I did. And her promises of better communication. 

I am not looking for criticism for making the decision to extend her, I am asking for comments about what to do about the post check out issues, whether others have experienced these issues and how they handled them. 

I know that if someone gets taken it is theft, be is something tiny, or all the velvet hangers or the Alexa.. my question was how to deal with it if they say they never took it. And in my message to her I even said “you may have packed it in error”. 

[Sarah977]

@Adele441  If the guest denies taking something or refuses to pay for it, all you can do is start a claim with Airbnb. Which may or may not be successful or worth your time to pursue.

I do understand having compassion for a guest and that people can be going  through a rough patch in their lives, but in my experience, people who have a whole list of ongoing issues in their lives tend to bring that on themselves in some way. In any case, as a host you really aren't responsible for accommodating a guest's personal problems, so if we choose to allow a problematic guest to continue to stay, when their promises of better behavior don't amount to anything, we can't really expect things to turn out well.

[Colleen253]

@Adele441 “I managed an award winning B&B for 8 years and have 20 years in the hospitality business. Including as a housekeeping manager for Ritz Carlton.”

You’re on Airbnb now. It’s a whole new universe. Input from experienced Airbnb hosts, even if it doesn’t pertain directly to your issue, can be of immense use to you. 

[Adele441]

Absolutely - I was referring to the reply which states that stains were normal after 3 months (of which there are always 2 sets if they would like ..) 

[Mark116]

@Adele441  Okay, that's kind of gross, but it doesn't look like something that can't be laundered.  

[Sarah977]

@Adele441  I didn't say stains on sheets were normal after 3 months of use. I said it isn't something to get fussed about, it's considered normal wear and tear, regardless of whether you ever encountered a stained sheet or not in 20 years of working in the hospitality business, and that if you want to make sure linens stay in good shape, you should be dealing with the laundry, not leaving it up to the guest.

And I don't know what that is on the sheet, but it doesn't look like something that can't be removed.

As a private room home-share host myself, I would suggest you limit booking length to 2 weeks. At least you won't get stuck with an objectionable guest for more than that amount of time. 

[Mark116]

@Adele441  As I understand it, the guest has already been making complaints about the space, despite continuing to extend.  That should have been a huge red flag for you to get her out as soon as possible.  She very well may complain to Airbnb and try and even obtain a refund.

If she already has positive reviews then I believe she can still instant book even if you give her a 1 star rating.  But that seems fairly irrelevant.  You don't say if she has reviewed you yet, but it sounds like if she does, she will leave a negative review, so there is no reason for you not to give her the review she deserves, I would wait until either she does the review or the last hour of the 14 day period to review her.

Unless you can prove the Alexa was there when her stay started, it is unlikely Airbnb will reimburse you for it.  We always do a video walk through before each guest so we have at least some protection against guests who would lie about the state of the space and/or damage or steal items. 

[Adele441]

She never made complaints about the space .. she only complained after I had to report an issue - and then her daughter used her Airbnb account and pretended it was her .. the guests admitted this. 

I had to change the code as she was absent from the property, had not notified me, left her cat for 7 days, authorized a pet sitter to go in without letting me know (even though I know the pet sitter)

Those are some of the reasons for her last months stay why I did not extend her after her time was expiring except for a few days extra to get her stuff together and find another place) 

Again, I am only asking if others have had the same experience and how they handled it… 

[Mark116]

@Adele441  I would wait to leave the review until the last hour of the 14 day period, and then leave a professional but accurate review that wishes the guest well but says  you would not host again.  If she leaves you a review in the meantime, then you don't have to wait you can do your review any time up to the deadline.

I don't do long term rentals because of the danger of guests being able to establish tenant rights and then needing to be evicted.  However, I have found that people who basically tell their troubles to strangers are often problematic in multiple ways....as  you found out with this person....who turned out to be just as irresponsible as one might have guessed based on the litany of troubles that allegedly befell her. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Adele441 Please just leave an honest review. You owe this to your fellow hosts just as they owe it to you to leave proper reviews.