I have had many bad experiences as a host as my listing is a shared home. My home is not set up to completely separate guests from common areas and I have not included kitchen and living room. It is meant more as short term hotel style stay, a place to sleep, bath, wash clothes, TV, internet, towels, shampoo, soap.
I have people booking for other people so I don’t have guest ID....auto booking doesn’t control these people doing this. I have also had two guests show up when booked as one guest.
I have people who don’t bathe and stink up the mattress so that I have had to rent a cleaning machine, garbage bags full of liquids and smelly food dripping on my wood floor, people not checking out on time, a guy whole stole over $120 in food and other things while I’m out or taking a shower and had to install a camera.
I have had people booking long term, forcing the issue of using the kitchen and if I say it’s listed as no kitchen the excuse is they didn’t understand the ad (can’t read or language barrier) and they will need a way to cook and eat. if you ask for extra funds they give you poor review.
Because I am not in wealthiest neighborhood, my rate is set at market and I get some awful people. Even when I raised the rate I still get constant problems so frankly I’m going to delete my listing.
One guy took my dishes, used them and threw them in the garbage and completely filled my outside garbage 3 times....no recycling which is required.
Several guests have left my door unlocked and left keys in the door. Another used my clothes washer, took clothes out soaking wet, left washer running and out heavy soaking wet clothes in dryer when he was instructed how to use the machine.
Guests ask to arrive at midnight when I have to work in the early morning which is not listed check in. I do decline but it is not well received. They ask to arrive before check in and expect me to leave my job.
They leave their door open in the night so you have no privacy to exit your own room to use the bathroom. Another guest was having people come to the house to buy cell phones, constant vehicles arriving at the house....likely stolen phones.
Guests want to have packages deliver, wake you up in the night, discredit you on ratings, and you seem to lose status for setting rules.
Home insurance also now wants higher rate if you Air BnB as well as my city wants a license even for shared home.
Overall I have had 20 years experience managing properties and rentals and have never had so many issues. Perhaps guests get to leverage on the review system and Air BnB not fully supporting the host complaints.
