So hosts, have you ever felt unsafe when a guest stayed?

[Laura2592]

Given the terrible circumstances described in another thread, I am wondering if other hosts have had occasion to feel unsafe with a guest. Airbnb asks guests if they felt unsafe, so I think its only fair to ask my fellow hosts the same thing. 

We are off site hosts and I have had a guest or two I would describe as "creepy" but not anyone I felt patently unsafe with. One did google us to try and see what other properties we owned and where we worked/made a guess about how much we were "worth" and our ages, etc. I thought that was invasive and odd and if a question were asked where I could have expressed that I would have. (I just said I didn't want to host them again.) Have YOU felt unsafe with someone in your home?

[Dale711]

Begin this week, An aggressive guest check-in a few hours early, we politely inform him cleaning job is still under progress.

He shouted at us, then starter to hit our apartment door and knock others neighbour's door.

We're felt uncomfortable to host him for 18 nights, we agreed for a full refund and we did refund to him on the same night.

After 2 days, he returns uses a knife cut on my partner face, stolen valuable items and beat him till fainted on the street.

It's that our fault ?

When we felt unsafe of guest behaviour, we made cancellation then turn him to violent act?

[Laura2592]

@Dale711  yes your terrible story prompted me to post this question. Hopefully you are getting some help from Airbnb and your partner is recovering. 

Host safety is JUST AS IMPORTANT and valuable as guest safety.  From the responses here you can see that many hosts have felt unsafe in their homes. What is Airbnb doing to keep the entire community safe??

[Yadira22]

@Dale711 Once again, I am so sorry. I really wish you both nothing but healing, love and safety. This should never have happened and I hope @Airbnb  does something proactive to address such violence. 💓

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

Luckily no, I have never felt truly unsafe or had anything horrible happen to me. I have quite a lot of conversation with my guests before they arrive and I think this helps somewhat in avoiding issues, although of course you can never be 100%  sure. The only incidents that spring to mind are:

- Early on, I had a male guest who seemed a bit too friendly. First morning, he knocked on my bedroom door while I was still in bed and insisted I have coffee with him. I found this intrusive, but not scary. He continued to behave in a slightly overly friendly manner and I guess my instincts about this were right as he did ask me out, despite being married with kids.

- A couple booked one of my rooms but, a few days before the stay, the girl split up with her boyfriend and he attempted suicide and ended up in hospital. Despite this, and despite not getting back together, they decided to come anyway so as not to lose money on the flights. I told her sorry, but no, and gave her a full refund. I really did not need a second suicide attempt happening in my house.

- I had a young lady stay who was not a danger to me, but I felt like she was a danger to herself because she drank far more than she could handle. One night she passed out in the toilet for two hours, until I knocked on the door and woke her up. I was worried she had hit her head on the sink or choked on vomit or something but she was okay. There were a few accidental damages while she was here and she kept leaving the front door open, but luckily nothing serious happened.

- I had a very highly strung, miserable couple stay with me. Unfortunately, a nail from one of the floorboards came slightly shy of the board. I have original Victorian floors, so this does happen occasionally. Unfortunately, the guy scratched his foot on it. He was not very happy about it, although by his own admission, it was a very small cut, and I was very sorry it had happened, but the way he and his wife acted after that was very weird. She was frequently hysterical about something and calling random stuff (like the French Press or my chalk paints and brushes) 'dangerous' and expected all the lights to be left on all night because the switches weren't in their bedroom (???). She would start screaming if any of the lights weren't on. He took a hammer from my tool kit and kept banging it loudly on the floors, but would wait until I and the other guests had gone to bed, i.e. after midnight, to start with the hammering. It really freaked out one of my other guests. After the first time, I put the hammer back in the tool box. So, he took it out again and kept it with him in their room for the rest of the stay. I found this worrying and was so relieved when they left.

[Huma0]

PS The last guests there that I mentioned had 25 positive reviews when they booked my place (although I wish I had read the hypercritical reviews they had left before accepting their booking). Funnily enough, after I left my far from positive review for them, their next host did the same. I guess people sometimes need to feel they are not alone before posting something negative, but it would be great if more hosts would speak up about these types of guests.

[Laura2592]

Wow @Huma0 you wonder why two people who are obviously so unhappy in one another's company would choose to travel together....

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

This couple had married for a long time and seemed to travel a fair bit, but it was clear they weren't happy. It's not that they argued, as far as I am aware, but they had nothing to say to each other and didn't go out for dinner once during the eight days they stayed here, even though they didn't/couldn't cook at all. They only had take out. Another guest, who had the misfortunate of bumping into them every morning in the kitchen told me that they spoke to each other as if they barely knew one another.

I do suspect the wife was on some kind of meds though as she didn't seem all there a lot of the time. I stopped trying to make any conversation with her as she just looked straight past me and couldn't or wouldn't respond, although that may have just been rudeness. She only spoke to me when she was complaining about something. The husband was friendlier, but also odd, especially the behaviour with the hammer.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  It's like some tourists I see on the beach here. They show up, lay out their beach blanket, and immediately start arguing, right in front of everyone. 

"You didn't pack the sunscreen? I told you to pack it, seems I have to take care of everything myself."

" You didn't bring her sunhat? Great, now I'm going to have to make sure she stays under the umbrella the whole time. And where's the water? I can't rely on you at all."

I have to bite my tongue not to turn to them and say "Are you guys having fun on vacation yet?".

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

I understand why this couple did not go out for dinner. I'm sure it's nothing to do with money as they seemed pretty wealthy and could afford to travel a lot, plus they ate take out every night at home and that's not what people do when they have no money. It's because they had nothing to say to each other, so sitting in a restaurant would have been a waste of time besides anything else.

You do see that. You know, the couple in the restaurant who are silent throughout the meal because they have run out of conversation. It's harder to spot them now though as everyone seems to be on their phones rather than trying to hold a conversation anyway...

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  Yes, I see those couples out for dinner, too. If they aren't on their phones throughout the meal, they're staring off into the distance, obviously can't think of anything to say to each other, except a murmered, "How's your meal?".

Then I know other couples who've been together 40 or 50 years who never seem to run out of things to converse about and truly enjoy each other's company.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

Yep, my parents never ran out of things to say to each other over dinner. In fact, they were always joking around when we went to restaurants, to the point that it we found it quite embarrassing as kids.

[Susan1092]

“One did google us to try and see what other properties we owned and where we worked/made a guess about how much we were "worth" and our ages”

How did you find this out? I’m curious.

[Laura2592]

@Susan1092he told me. He had locked himself out so we went to open the door and he started making comments about where I work and said he looked up other properties we own. My husband walked around the house when he was in mid-sentence and he commented on how young he looks, and said something about our net worth or what he thought it might be. I was very taken aback and asked whether or not he was a real estate investor (we have had a few of them offer to buy our cottage) but he just kept going on about how he knew how to "find things online." Very creepy and weird. He was also a complainer and  (as my husband would say) someone who "wants to start a p$ssing contest" about a lot of little things. Overall not a pleasant guest and not one we want back.