Help! Guest trashed our place and it’s only second booking

[Diana1919]

Today we had our second guest check out . 

We stopped by the property because our cleaning company was in complete shock on the shape of the house . It was left in such bad shape

We are a pet friendly home but in our house rules and listing description we mention “ NO PETS ON FURNITURE “

Yet we found pet hair in the sofa, couch and windows sill , beds , etc. The guest never reported pets in her booking. 

The middle sofa was found stained and with awful smell, we will have to deep clean the sofa and couch due to the smell and honestly that alone might not be the solution. We might have to get a completely new sectional due to the smell. I can’t possibly imagine what caused a smell that horrible . kitchen island chairs were also found stained specifically two of them , they were also damaged . 

Middle guest room , the carpet was found stained with brown spots. Aka shoe stains , looks like mud because the carpet is wet . 
As host we have a NO shoe in the home rule.

Inside the home ,the house was found with trash and a lot of dirt on the wood floors , wood floors were also stained with brown spots , some walls were found stained in one of the rooms .

We will have to bring in a contractor because the stains are extremely tough and nothing seems to be lifting them . 

Outside the home , we found alot of trash bags around 9 trash bags both inside and outside trash bin.
Looks like there was a big gathering/party evidence of that was the cake stains all over the pool floor and kitchen floor and decorations found .

We do not allow parties in our home or any guest not reported .

All of the broken house rules were on listing description before the guest booked , they were also sent via Airbnb message the day before the guest checked in.

We also got a complain from one of the neighbors. They notified us to inform the amount of cars and the amount of people yesterday afternoon on the property.

In the pool we found mud/dirty all over the floor which that needs to be completely power washed by the pool company .

we have evidence of all the damages , we couldn’t believe the shape the house was left. The guest only was there for 3 nights . 

we also found many other small things that just really disappoints . 

the guest reported 5 people in the book and no pets. 

yet they had atleast 12 people in the home , we had to check the security cameras because we really thought our house was robbed or something from

how dirty and damaged it was. 

Anyone has any experience with something like this ? We have another booking checking in , in 3 days and I’m not even sure we will be able to take them because we need a lot of time to clean and repair .

[Sarah977]

@Diana1919  Really sorry this happened to you, and yes, it has happened to lots of hosts. And partiers often target new hosts.

How are you vetting guests? How do communicate with them when they book or request to book? Do you ask them any questions? 

"we had to check the security cameras because we really thought our house was robbed or something from how dirty and damaged it was."

There's no point in having security cameras if you only look at them after the damage is done. You need to be monitoring them when guests check in and are in residence. 

You also should make sure the neighbors have your number and ask them to call you right away if anything disturbing is going on.

No pets on furniture is an unenforceable rule. If you are going to accept pets,  you need to understand that guests who allow their pets on the furniture at home will do the same anywhere they stay. And if a dog is used to being on the furniture, there's really no way to keep them off of it. They aren't like kids who are old enough to understand, "Yes, I know we allow you to do that at home, but you can't do that here."

And your $100 pet fee pretty much ensures that guests who have pets will not disclose them. I suggest you not accept pets at all and make that quite clear in your listing info. 

[Diana1919]

Hi, Thank you so much for reaching out .

I communicate with my guests a lot , this guest was very communicative yet she never mentioned any pets or parties or extra guest. 
We have a fee for all those things . 

Before each guest checks in I provide them with all the house rules and description AGAIN, 

i also remind them upon check out time . 

It’s such a learning process honestly we did not have any problems with our first guest. They left our home cleaned and they had a dog . 

When we saw the security cameras we saw saw this guest had 3 DOGS! 3! That were never mentioned even though I asked . 

When I confronted the guest she replied saying 

“she forgot to mention them because they are her children” 

the guest offered to pay the pet fee through zelle which I denied and requested the money through Airbnb . 

she still hasn’t paid , and today when she checked out we find all these damages to items and property . 

I did another request for money to cover those expenses . We had to get an estimate from a contractor and the pool company because our pool floor has mud 

[Sarah977]

@Diana1919  What an awful guest. And a total baldfaced liar. Yeah, right, she "forgot" to mention the dogs. 

Here's what you do when you are aware a guest is breaking your rules- when she didn't immediately accept your pet fee request, you message her saying she needs to accept it right away, or leave. 

You should add to your house rules "Only guests accounted for on the booking are allowed on the property. No visitors allowed. Non-compliance will result in eviction with no refund." 

[Diana1919]

Thank you , it’s such a ugly experience. 
I don’t how Airbnb manages these things but I did a request for damages. 
I provided pictures and the estimates of the costs . 
I hope that’s enough to get the expenses covered. 

[Sarah977]

@Diana1919  Don't hold your breath- it's a lengthy and frustrating experience. The "host guarantee"  (which I think is now called Air Cover") is mostly smoke and mirrors. You have to battle with their clueless customer service reps. Maybe they'll go easy on you as a new host.

If you thought Airbnb will cover damages, which a lot of new hosts do, or even experienced hosts who've never had to make a damage claim, it's certainly not anything you can depend on. 

You definitely need your own short term rental insurance.

I really feel for you. Terrible thing to happen to anyone, let alone on your second booking.

And another suggestion for the future- if you live close by, consider checking guests in personally, rather than self-check-in. Not only will you be aware of how many people and pets there are, (although they can always try to sneak more in later), guests tend to behave more respectfully when there is a human face there they have seen, and they realize you live nearby and could drive by anytime.

[Rasheda3]

So sorry this happened to you! I had something similar happen to me with my 4th guest. Brought 3 large dogs,  smoked in the home and threw a party. I didn't have the luxury at the time of security cameras but I agree with @Sarah977. Please keep an eye out on guest while they are in your home. I also agree about meeting guest in person so they can know you are close by. Could you possibly remove having pets? Seems like that could be an issue going forward. I personally do not allow pets as they can be unpredictable. I have a $700 pet fee if someone breaks the rules.  The guest who stayed in my home, the dogs scratched up my hardwood floors and I'm going back and forth with air cover for reimbursement. 

It's always a risk renting our homes to strangers. The best thing is to learn from this experience. I also agree about short term rental insurance. Much easier than air cover I'm sure!

[Laura2592]

@Diana1919 I am sorry this happened so early in your Airbnb tenure. I notice you are from my area, and I have to say I think the DC region has the most difficult guests, hands down. I post a lot about my adventures here and am often met with incredulity from hosts in other parts of the country/world where these types of things don't happen with the same regularity. I also note that hosts in DC/MD/VA tend to have a lot of stories similar to yours and mine. So know going in that you need to be on your toes at all times. The learning curve is steep.

There is little you can do beyond leaving an honest, factual and unemotional review. The guest may not pay what you ask, and ABB rarely sides with hosts if the guest refuses. Expect a poor review as you already confronted the guest. In the future, don't say a word to anyone until your guest has left a review (ideally 3 days after if possible-- then its locked in and can't be changed.) Your review should say something like:

"Guest brought a large number of additional people and pets. House had damage after check out and evidence of a party which is against both our house rules and Airbnb Terms of Use. A great deal of additional repair and clean up was needed. This is not a guest we would have back nor is it one we recommend to others."

Leave below 3 in all categories and select "would not host again." This will prevent the guest from booking with you in the future, and will not allow that person to use instant book. Each host will have to approve them. The guest can't see anything but your review so they won't be aware of these ratings and restrictions.

There are a number of things you can do to keep your listing free of parties in the future. Take a look at these discussions:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Tips-for-new-hosts/m-p/1257038

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/New-to-Hosting/Is-your-listing-a-quot-party-target-quot/m-p/1487...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/New-to-Hosting/Headcount-How-many-guests-do-you-want-in-your-spa...

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Laura2592  why 3* ? These guests deserve 1* and "would not host again" .

@Diana1919 I agree with everything else said by Laura and other hosts. Entire homes with a pool and a deck are often targeted by party guests, especially if the host is new and inexperienced. You should have STR insurance for your property, don't allow instant booking, meet your guests in person and, very importantly - take a photo of their IDs at check-in (you have to have in writing in your house rules so they can't refuse)

[Laura2592]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  I said "below 3" because that is the trigger for your listing not to show up for that person. At least that is what I have heard. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Laura2592  I've heard only 1* counts like "not recommended". At least so it was before, and now, who knows...