Is it scam?

[Zvonimir7]

Hello! Have some strane situation. Got reservation from 8 till 12 september. Communication was ok, guest arrived on time. My friend, which helps me to clean and check in was waiting on them. After check in she called me and told that my guests have strange behaviour. Start to check bed, towels, dishwasher..is everything clean. After told her that smell is strane on apartment. 

After 10 min she left, they contact me that they cannot sleep in apartment where walls smell by mold and humidity. ..but in 5 years of renting this apartment i have never such problems, especially we renovated iz last year.  And in 5 min they have sent request for money refund.  So from check in and mome request past 15 min.

I asked hem to leave my apartment if they dont plan to stay, and leave all like it was....have bad feeling, my cleanser not there, i am in another town, far away..

And the problem is that he dont want to cancel reservation, its still active. Je told that he contact Airbnb and they will solve the problem and CS advice them not to cancell???

Payment i got.

What is your opinion, what to do?

Thanks

[Emiel1]

@Zvonimir7 

What about the guests profile: has it ID verified, previous reviews ?

If they contacted Airbnb, then just wait for their respons

And be sure they left (so returned the keys, you block acces-code), I guess your friend can check it ?

best regards,

Emiel

[Zvonimir7]

Only email and phone verification. Member from 2017, but no reviews. What was also strange, first time have no information on profile from what country the are. Yes we check, all on place, key also. 

Also i explained all what happened to airbnb in message form when i decline payment refund. Maybe i need report this guest, or You think better no?

[Zvonimir7]

@Emiel1 @Emiel

Only email and phone verification. Member from 2017, but no reviews. What was also strange, first time have no information on profile from what country the are. Yes we check, all on place, key also. 

Also i explained all what happened to airbnb in message form when i decline payment refund. Maybe i need report this guest, or You think better no?

[Emiel1]

@Zvonimir7 

As you describe it, untill now the guests did not do something wrong you can report them for.

Just they refused the accomomodation, left immediatelly and now want a refund.

For reasons you already mentioned.

And now the case is on the desk at Airbnb. CS.

Please also read:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/544/what-is-airbnbs-guest-refund-policy-for-stays

best regards,

Emiel

[Zvonimir7]

@Emiel1 Ok. But is it possible that airbnb asked them not cancell reservation? And if already this payment sent to me, is it possible that airbnb charge it back?

[Emiel1]

@Zvonimir7 

If some refund is granted, Airbnb will useally charge you the amount in your Airbnb account regarding this reservation (Transaction History). So it will be deducted from future payouts.

They can also decide your listing is "unhealthy", and the listing can be (tremporary) deactivated. But is hopefully a worst case scenario.

I would not be suprised they will refund the guest 50%  (but opinion only based on what i have seen in this community lately at other cases, and hosts were not pleased  ! ).

Just wait for Airbnb...and keep us updated.

best regard,

Emiel

[Zvonimir7]

@Emiel1  50 % is even not bad🙂 also hard to prove such problem. Walls smells by mold, but have not mold on walls.

Really in 8 years of renting few apartments first time saw that somebody from door starts to search for spots, defects and take of all bed sheets.

[Linda108]

I agree with @Emiel1 in that you have no provable reason to report these guests as scammers.  You will get a negative review to which you can respond.  Smell is a very difficult circumstance for either guests or hosts to prove.  If you have been paid for the stay and feel is proper to refund some of the stay, I would offer that, but do not do it to avoid a negative review since it seldom works that way.  Offer it for the guest to cancel and thus open your calendar if you think you can get another booking.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Zvonimir7  Theoretically they should cancel to be eligible for any refund, according to your cancellation policy. But, Airbnb loves guests more than hosts so there is always a chance they will be refunded even if they stayed the entire period or left the first day. On the other hand, Airbnb is short of customer support people and it is not easy to contact them or get any help nowadays. You can either wait to see what ABB will decide or you can tell your guests to cancel and tell them you will refund them for days you will be able to rebook.

On your place - I would wait.

[Zvonimir7]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Linda108 on 8 september whan they check in, i tgought they will cancell and i will refund all, but they refused to cancel...like if they will cancell,airbnb will not give them nothing. I told that still their reservation is active, i will accept it like normal. And cannot refund them. And of course my calendar is still closed and i cannot rebook it. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Zvonimir7yes, we got it, and you are right 

Usually, if the guest arrives and he isn't happy with the accommodation, he should contact the host within 24 h after check-in and give him a chance to fix the problem.  If the host can't fix it, then the guest should contact ABB , say he wants to leave and to cancel the rest of his reservation. In that case, ABB would cancel the reservation and decide about a refund and help the guest to relocate if necessary.

Another solution is when the guest sends an alteration request to the host to shorten his reservation from x nights to 1 night. If the host accepts it, the reservation is shortened, and the guest is refunded for the nights not spent. The host has a choice to refund in full or according to his cancellation policy.

In both cases the reservation is ended, the calendar is open again and the host has a chance to rebook those nights.

I am not sure if the guest can cancel the reservation by himself, on the day of check-in or later without ABB or your help.

[Zvonimir7]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  look like i have any option, just wait what airbnb will decide. Just hard,to understand why airbnb adviced to guest not cancell reservation.or airbnb not make it.

[Zvonimir7]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Linda108  and their check out is on 12 september, so not so many days stay

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Zvonimir7  I assume their plans changed before the arrival and they could not stay. But if they canceled close to the check-in date they would not be fully refunded. So they decided to check-in and then make up some story and to clame a refund.