Host entered unit while I was away

[Ashley1433]

A host entered my unit while I was away (without notice) to leave me a passive aggressive note that I had broken a house rule. I don't know which house rule I broke. Is this allowed? I feel violated. Host did not contact me via the app or phone either about the issue.

[M199]

@Ashley1433 

Sorry to hear that.  If you are uncomfortable with your stay, please message the host politely via the message system asking for clarification.  You can then, after response, contact Airbnb support for assistance, if needed. Follow Airbnb's policies and terms of service.

As a Superhost, I would never intrude in a guest stay, but to be honest, every host is unique.  Twice this week, we, as hosts, have been invited in, given small gifts of appreciation, and asked to join for a glass of wine.

All I can suggest is that you read all the information provided on the listing before booking to get a (hopefully accurate) idea of the place and always read previous reviews from other guests for a good fit.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ashley1433  why don't you look at the listing you booked, find the house rules, and read them? It takes less time than to log in to this CC and write the post and you will know which rules you broke and why your host entered while you were not present. 

Wild guess... did you leave A/C running, windows open, the entrance unlocked, lights on...?

[Gwen386]

@Ashley1433 Unless there was an emergency with no time for notification, a host should not enter a guest space unless it’s stated so in the listing. Please read listing and house rules to determine if host stated such. And, if no and not an emergency, host should have given you plenty of notice that he/she needed to access the space. Do not guess what rule(s) you may have broken! Respond to host on airbnb platform and specifically ask why host was in your guest space? If the host answer is not satisfactory, I would contact airbnb to see if this is a violation. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Gwen386  well, nobody knows if it was an emergency until @Ashley1433 figures out what house rule she broke, right? So there is no point in calling Airbnb now.

Everyone is concentrated on the reaction/consequence (the host entered the premises) instead of the action/the cause ( Ashley broke the unknown house rule).

Yes, theoretically, the host should have contacted the guest first except if there is an emergency. From my experience, guests rarely have Airbnb app and get notifications. I usually have to wait a few hours or a few days before my guest responds. Even Whatsapp messages are rarely answered immediately.

So, if, for example, the guest left the doors unlocked, windows open, and A/C running it is understandable why the host entered (to protect his property, the guest's possessions and stop over-consumption in the middle of the energy crises). There must be a good reason, otherwise, if the host just wanted to snoop around he wouldn't leave a message.

There are always 2 sides of the story.

[Mark116]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  We've only had to do this once.  We had guests who opened the window in the kitchen horizontally as for cleaning instead of up/down and it looked like it was about to fall out.  We messages the guests exactly that:  we noticed the window was left open incorrectly and are going to enter the unit and close it to ensure there is no breakage or damage.  

Leaving the guest a note that they broke a house rule and not saying what it was is silly,  but maybe this host is taking a page from Airbnb's management-by-obfusication book, LOL.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mark116  yes, Airbnb's highschool of foggy answers 😄

[Gwen386]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 And that’s why my very FIRST sentence starts with, UNLESS there was an emergency!!!

[Anonymous]

@Ashley1433  I don't know if this is related, but at least two of your recent hosts have indicated that you didn't follow their House Rules and brought extra guests without their permission. If this is a pattern for you, the host has good reason to be concerned.

Hosts are supposed to notify guests before entering their space, and it wouldn't be out of line to convey to the host that you felt violated. But before taking any action, you should consider what outcome you hope to achieve. If you no longer feel comfortable staying in the home, you can initiate a booking alteration advancing your checkout date. If you'd rather not relocate, I guess the better approach would be to keep the discussion focused on the House Rules issue.