Guest subleasing

[Kourtney21]

My current guests (reservation July 7-10, 2 adults and 2 children) arrived on July 7 as 2 adults and 4 children. This was the first violation— having 2 extra children that were not on the reservation. I thought I’d let it be and address it privately after they’ve left on the 10th. July 8th, the guests leave in the afternoon and at midnight, 7 complete strangers (5 adults and 2 children) arrive to my house. I have security cameras and footage. This is how I know the details of this stay. This is a complete violation and home invasion. I am very new to hosting as this is only my 4th booking. I have contacted Airbnb support and sent many screenshots of camera footage. They haven’t been much help yet. Have any other hosts experienced this? I’d really appreciate some help and input on this matter. Thanks. 

[Gwen386]

Contact guest who made reservation and inform them that the people in your rental has 5 minutes to vacate. And if they don’t that you’re calling the police.  

[Robin1119]

I am so sorry this happened to you. I would contact guest through the chat and let them know that the booking party must be a part of the stay.  You can also throw in where appropriate that they will be responsible for any damage caused by their unregistered guests. 

For future, put this in your house rules about unregistered guests not on the booking. It curbs this situation. 

Also, since you are a new host Ill share a tip that works wonders for me. I take a video walk through after each clean/ turn over. I capture all areas people tend to use to get credits back like microwaves, sinks, tubs, shower basins, a sweep through bedrooms, etc. This proves the state of the home how they took possession. A guest caused damage a few years back and tried to say it was already there. The video saved the day.

[Kourtney21]

Thank you so, so much. Turns out, the guest in reservation let their family members stay. However, it was still a huge violation and they are leaving. Thanks for the video tip! I will absolutely be doing that from now on. 

[Gwen386]

Hi @Robin1119 

Kudos to you. I don’t do video, however, I do take close-up pictures of my entire apt 1-2 hours prior to check-in. 

[Wendy1409]

That's awful- I would have called the police. That's not who you rented to, they're not on the agreement, and that makes them trespassers. Get them evicted, and send AirBnB a copy of the police report to support your decision.

[Kourtney21]

@Wendy1409  Unfortunately, the police did nothing and told me to take it up with Airbnb. I’ve been in contact with Airbnb support and safety team for the last few days. I’ve provided all of the evidence and information I can, so I’m hoping this gets resolved soon. I just started hosting, too, so not a great way to get started. 😔 

[Michelle1588]

Hi Kourtney, 

I am sorry that happened so soon in your hosting experience 😞 However, I just wanted to add that calling the police (unless someone is threatening you or harming you or tearing up your property and refusing to leave) is rarely a workable solution. Police just have no authority to handle Airbnb issues concerning guests or uninvited guests in a business transaction. It's a civil case and rarely do they want to be involved. And it's not a good idea to put yourself on the radar at the precinct in that kind of way. 

I recommend writing in your listing that all guests (at all times) must be registered guests on the reservation to access the property in order to adhere to insurance & Airbnb policies and regulation - and of course, for your safety. You can then point them to reading Airbnb guest policy where this is concerned. This information is clearly laid out within the platform rules.

I would also state the consequences of breaking this agreement on the final line - something like, "allowing guest who are not registered on the reservation to access or stay on the property at any time will result in termination of the entire reservation and no refund will be given."

Airbnb will back you up on this every time - because breaking house rules is a no no, whatever they are - is your ongoing right as a host. Your place is not a hotel, although some will mistakenly perceive it as one.

When guests break the house rules, many times, they are conscious of it and will test your boundaries. Having guests in your property that are not registered - are not covered, and if they break something or get hurt, that could become a real problem for you. As hosts, this line of self-employment requires a strong sense of assertiveness and the ability to recognize and act on the messages coming out of your 6th sense. Your inner wisdom to detect and trigger the actions needed to eliminate problems before they get out of hand will become stronger as you go along. 

Lastly, feel free to read my listing. It helps a lot to be as clear as possible beforehand, so in the event of a breach of agreement, you are covered. I'd be very careful of tolerating guests until the end of their stay - who blatantly disregard the agreement, because in my experience, when they do break rules, they go on breaking more and more..... and in the end, they will reward your patience with a bad review or worse.

Just nip it in the bud - and spare the local precinct the drive over for situations they are not equipped to resolve. Best to you.

[Michelle1588]

One more things: Airbnb support is not really designed to help guests or hosts in the ways that many expect & I'm sure that brings plenty disappointments. Sure, the support center could be better but I find it less stressful accepting that for the most part, we're on our own. We do better to position ourselves in a way where we are creating the solutions we need and asking Airbnb support to help us express them. 

Customer support members are simply acting on behalf of the billionaire owners who -  since the beginning - only facilitate and bring together people who want to rent their spaces with people who are looking for those spaces, using a technological application / algorithms. By successfully doing so, they earn a fee. That's it.

For the most part - you work for yourself. Airbnb is not your employer, etc. We rely on them to vet potential guests and guests rely on them to vet hosts. They don't always get it right but they do their best. We are the business so we are responsible for coming up with solutions within reason, using discretion and discernment, and learning the rules & protections Airbnb has implemented to aid these experiences as Airbnb'ers. It is one of the greatest inventions for independent creators, but requires work and attention to detail from the very beginning ... meaning the very first message we receive from a guest or host in our inbox. The work begins there... one can tell an awful lot about a potential guest or host from the initial contact in the message box - and of course reading the listing and reviews. Have fun...

[Kourtney21]

I very much appreciate your responses @Michelle1588