Hmmmm... I just had a party at my AirBNB, that was just the beginning!

[Simon3074]

Hi Folks

A couple of weeks ago a group came to my property (remote location for up to 10 guests).  Unfortunately, when I went to clean up I was presented with a number of issues.  It was immediately obvious they had a Hen night (Bridal shower).  I know this because of the items left behind.  I've posted a small selection of photos for ''**bleep**s and giggles''. 

The immediate problem was to somehow clear up for the next guests.  This was an issue as an  internal filter part of the vacuum cleaner was missing.  I called the guest and asked if they knew where the part was......"no, nothing to do with us".  I also asked them directly "did you have a party"...... "no, not us".   So, confirmation that not only have they had a party, but they are lied it ever happened.   I'm pretty sure there was more than the 10 allowed guests on site, as they left behind a pump up mattress and bedding!

This was all dealt with and I, borrowed a vacuum from a neighbor,  threw away and replaced the trashed towels and linen,  cleaned the walls (few extra hours work there),  covered up the badly stained sofas, replaced the stolen throw, and generally did a super deep clean.  It took 2 days rather than the normal 4 hours or so.  Problem fixed?

Nope.

Most of my issues have been with the totally useless AirBNB "Saftey Team".   On the same say I reported that there had been a party to Airbnb.  I sent through a selection of photo's and thought it was a simple determination/decision.   How wrong I was.  What has followed in the ensuing 20 days has been a slow, uncoordinated, repeated set of e-mails.  I have written detailed responses to their questions but only received 'tick box' paragraph responses.  This culminated in a final message which reads:

"Thanks again for taking the time to let us know what happened.
We have taken action to help Hosts and Guests protect their community. It wouldn’t have happened without you."

I went back and asked what the outcome was and was told they could not divulge the outcome:

"I am afraid, I won't be able to share the actions taken on the account, as it is other users' privacy. However, I would like to assure, that necessary action were taken."

This has left me somewhat disappointed - I've provided a lot of information and expected something more.  What is the community experience?

Separately my resolution case "claim" is still sitting at "In review with Airbnb".  (the Guest rejected my claim outright).

again what is the host experience out there.

behind 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Hi @Simon3074 you don't have a listing on your profile. Has it been suspended? They often seem to be when a host reports a party (which is dumb!).

[Simon3074]

I've  suspended it for a while,  I took 10 reservations over the Christmas an NY period and will probably do another stint later in the year.  Probably not on Airbnb.

The property did also get suspended for 14 days due to a +ve covid case.  Apparently inanimate objects can be infected!  I didn't want to complicate the above discussion with this info....it deserves its own thread!

[Gillian166]

ha, the science is pretty sketchy on inanimate objects requiring a 14day qt, and they only close a school for one day to do a "deep clean" bahaha. The assumption must be that the rest of the time it's a half-ars'd clean?

Can I ask, did you tell ABB that you had a +ve case go through? 

[Simon3074]

The guest informed me and I informed Abb.  Clearly,  telling the truth can be bad for business!

I thought I was doing the right thing.  Think again.

[Sarah977]

@Simon3074  Airbnb will never share with you what actions they have taken against a guest. The best you can hope for is to see that their account has been removed, but it seems to require some extremely bad behavior for Airbnb to do that. They may very well send the guest a warning, but we aren't privy to that info.

[Simon3074]

Thanks for the reply Sarah, 

It seems then that for a headline policy (no parties, anywhere, anytime), there is no transparency on the process and outcome.  For justice to be done it has to be "seen to be done".   

My recommendation to hosts then is don't engage with airbnb regarding parties.  Just ensure you provide a clear feedback to ensure a future host is not caught out.

In the meantime, I'm still waiting for the resolution case for all the damage,  extra cleaning and stolen items to be looked at.  3 weeks and counting.

The upshot of this first season of airbnb probably means I'll not stay on this platform.  Whilst it's super easy to get bookings, there is no 'skin in the game' for the guest.  I'd like to know more details on the guests and also hold the security deposit myself.

[Helen3]

My recommendation would be different. It would be that remote hosts can protect their STR business investment by having CCTV. Then you can easily see if more guests are turning up than have booked/are preparing for a party and work with Airbnb to have the booking cancelled so the party doesn't start. @Simon3074 

What vetting procedures do you use when guests book.

I would say CCTV is an essential for remote hosts like yourselves who have properties in more isolated areas. 

And of course never rely on Airbnb's guarantee as the STR business owner you need proper insurance for STRs.

[Quincy]

Hello @Simon3074, I'm sorry to hear about this. I've read that you currently still have a pending claim, therefore, I've passed this on to the team again. Hopefully, they can follow this up with you as soon as possible. 

[Inna22]

@Simon3074 if  you are a remote host, you should have some technology to monitor. Besides @Helen3  suggestion, there are other options. I am a big fan of the Partysquasher. I have tried Noise aware and did not find it as useful. Other hosts swear by video door bells