Guest has locked herself in bathroom

[Anonymous]

Having issues....maybe she should have booked a whole house. I can’t seem to make her happy. She’s buying stuff and bringing it in my house like a hoarder. Reservation is for 3 months. I’ve never had this issue before. She rearranged my kitchen in middle of night. 

[Linda108]

First of all, @Anonymous , I am very confused by your listing as it now stands.  Is your listing a private room in your house.  If so, why are three bedrooms described?  Perhaps your intent is to have three listings, one listing for each room.  Therefore, you need to add another 2 listings at least.  You also need to clarify what is shared and with whom it is shared.  You need to add information about expectations and rules for the shared space.  

Once all this is clarified prior to a guest booking and the guest does not adhere to the written rules, you have a basis for terminating the reservation.  It is the odd guest that teaches us the most about how the space is viewed by a stranger.  It is the odd guest that teaches us how to interact with the guest as a host.  

Hope this helps a bit.  There are extensive articles about managing multiple rooms in a house.  

BTW, it is best that you do not post a picture of your child on this public forum.  You might attract the wrong type of guest.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous  One huge reason that the Maximum Length of Stay function is so important to in-home hosts:  you should never accept a booking for a period of time longer than you're willing to withstand sharing space with a person that you don't click with. 

To quote a host who responded to your earlier post, you need to set boundaries fast! It's your house, and it's your responsibility to communicate your expectations - particularly when it comes to the common areas. It's not uncommon that longer-term guests regard themselves as the rightful residents of the home - more like flatmates than guests. Some hosts are OK with that, but clearly it does not suit you; whenever this person comes out of the bathroom you are going to have to address that.

If you can't reach a mutual agreement about what liberties this guest can take with your household, you can use the "Change or Cancel" feature to send a request to the guest to move up the check-out date. You'd have to be willing to forfeit the value of the unused portion of the stay. 

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  This person sounds like they have mental problems (I read your other post as well). If I were you, I would tell her she needs to look for another place, as it's not a good fit. 

If you are going to home host, you need to vet guests really well before accepting their reservations, and you need to remember that it's your home- make boundaries clear to guests when they request to book and don't be afraid to guide them when they are staying as to what is acceptable behavior. 

I home share as well, and I have a 2 week max booking setting. I don't want to have to put up with someone longer than that if we don't click.

BTW, sharing your home with guests now, in the midst of coronavirus, is dangerous for you, your guests and everyone else. Regardless of whether your state is allowing it or not. 

[Pilar1]

Hi @Anonymous , first of all I hope the situation has been resolved by now and you have managed to communicate with your guest and reached an agreement on how to behave from now on, if she’s staying as your guest for three months.

I’m not sure if I’m the only one that finds your posts a bit strange to be totally honest,  you don’t really provide much background or pose any questions, are you just after general advice?  Being in a different country I am not fully aware of the rules regarding hosting right now over there but even if I was allowed and willing to host, as a home sharer I doubt I’d accepted such a long booking without first having made sure we were both going to be perfectly comfortable with each other. It looks like you knew very little about her and you’re now paying the price,  but as I think someone else has mentioned it doesn’t have to stay this way, it is your home after all; buying too much stuff is one thing (and I don’t think you’d have a say about that by the way) but rearranging your kitchen in the middle of the night is totally unacceptable, not to mention locking herself in the bathroom as you described in your other post (although how do you know she did that if she has a private bathroom in your home? Were you trying to speak with her and she run off?)

I keep thinking about what sort of person would need accommodation for three months in the middle of all this, is she a health or key worker? If that’s the case it’s definitely risky for you and your family, and you should definitely consider working with Airbnb to relocate her to a whole property for the remainder of her stay, no amount of money is worth the risk in my view.

[Anonymous]

This guest is a Nurse. Thank you for your tactful analysis of situation. Optimistically I’d like to do Airbnb a long time and want to get better at hosting, it’s really just a hobby. This guests really is a piece of work!! Terminating reservation ASAP. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Anonymous 

It's best to have a message trail and evidence that shows you tried to work it out with the guest first, reiterated house rules, were clear about your expectations regarding what you consider acceptable guest behavior...... before you call Airbnb CS to terminate from your end and have the guest re-homed. 

Good luck~

(edit to add)

p.s. I took a peek at your listing and think you need to change a few things. (Regardless of how many bedrooms and beds and bathrooms are in your ENTIRE home) this should show ONLY what is available to your guest.  What your listing description currently says is that you accept only 1 guest but allow the guest full use and access to 3 bedrooms, 6 beds and 2 shared bathrooms...... which I am assuming is NOT the case??? 

FYI, we live in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment but have 1 private guest room and the bathroom across the hall (not an ensuite) is for guest use only. 

[Anonymous]

Made a few changes to my profile and listing based on the tactful analysis here. Two week Max Stay. Security deposit. Changed nightly rate and have blocked off June so my guest can not extend again. Have moved up to a Level 2 now so I’m not as green,lol. Learning.....Best Wishes to each of You 

[Donald28]

Good job!

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  Yes, it's a learning process, for sure. FYI the levels next to our names here have nothing to do with experience or expertise and don't have anything to do with your hosting account. They are just indicators of activity on this forum- how often you post, and how many thumbs up you get. Just a social media thing.