Guests fabricating evidence in the property to harm the experience of future guests and leave a negative review on Airbnb.

[Rafael2085]

I had a very unpleasant experience with the guest, Adina.

She appears to have fabricated issues to harm my property’s reputation.
Three days later after her check-in on December 2, 2024, she submitted a refund request to leave the property, attaching unrelated photos of rocks on a beach and bushes that are not associated with my property.
Her claims were deemed unreliable by Airbnb Support, as they stated these issues were outside my control. Airbnb Support declined her claim.
Airbnb Support also mentioned that they would take steps to educate Adina on my behalf, which unfortunately does not appear to have been carried out.

Recent guests, such as Rhea (who stayed after Adina) and Janine (currently staying), have reported the following:
- Janine reported a broken toaster.
- Janine also reported two completely burned pots. Rhea mentioned that she attempted to clean these pots but couldn’t restore them due to the extent of the damage.
- Janine reported directly to me that a knife was broken.
It’s important to note that none of the previous guests ever reported the issues that Adina is now highlighting. These items were not damaged before Adina's stay, which raises serious concerns that she may have intentionally caused hidden damages to disrupt future guests’ experiences.

During Adina's stay, she did not report any issues such as bloodstains on bedsheets, mold in the bathroom, ceiling stains, dead mice or any of the damages mentioned above. These issues were also not part of her refund request to leave the property, reinforcing the suspicion that these claims are fabricated.

Adina fabricated a picture showing money for the utilities dating 2 days before her check out. 

Adina failed to follow the instructions to provide a picture of the meter for calculations, even though it was clearly stated that these charges would be processed through the Airbnb platform. No money was found in the bungalow after her check out.

How could Adina know the exact utility bill amount if electricity charges are calculated by meter readings? If she chose to leave the payment in cash, why didn’t she send a picture of the electricity meter and request an accurate bill? Moreover, why didn’t she mention leaving money in the bungalow, as other guests have done?

Dead Mouse Head Incident (the picture sent by Adina doesn't show the date) :
In the first days of Adina's stay, she never mentioned this issue. On December 28, Frederik, a guest in another bungalow, reported finding a dead mouse on his terrace. This is highly unusual, considering there were two incidents involving dead mice.
It raises questions about whether Adina might have taken the mouse from her own terrace and placed it on Frederik’s terrace to create issues or fabricate evidence for a bad review.
Furthermore, given that both bungalows are identical, it’s possible that Adina took photos of Frederik’s terrace and falsely claimed it as hers.
The timing and circumstances of these incidents are suspicious, especially since such events never occurred before Adina's stay. Could Adina have been fabricating evidence to influence Frederik into leaving a bad review?

Mold in the Bathroom (Picture Without a Date):
Adina’s photos showing mold in the bathroom were sent to Airbnb Support more than 28 days after her check-in, and these issues were never mentioned in her initial refund request to leave the property. I’d like to address this further:
Environmental Context:
This property is located near the beach, where humidity levels are naturally high. Without proper cleaning, mold can develop over time being one or two weeks more than enough to start appearing.
Condition at Check-Out:
If you review my complaint on the Resolution Center regarding the black stain on the tiles and compare the photos Adina provided after her check-out, it’s evident that the black stains in the bathroom became significantly darker after her departure. Similarly, the white mold near the sink and on the tiles could have resulted from a lack of hygiene during her stay.
Let me know if you’d like further edits!
Resolution of Extra Cleaning:
Airbnb has already processed an additional cleaning payment for this case, which reflects the effort required to address the condition Adina left behind.
Timing of Complaints
It’s important to note that none of these issues were raised during the first days of her stay. If her complaints had been genuine, they would have surfaced earlier rather than after her check-out.
This further suggests that these issues resulted from a lack of hygiene during her stay.

Blood Stain on the Duvet (Picture Without a Date):
ChatGPT’s analysis of the picture provided by Adina noted that: "The blood appears fresh or relatively recent, as the color seems dark reddish and hasn’t fully oxidized to brown, which typically happens over time."
It’s important to emphasize once again that Adina raised multiple complaints to Airbnb Support from the very start of her check-in. However, she never mentioned the blood stain on the duvet until 28 days after check-in. This strongly suggests that the stain likely originated from her or her group—yet another fabricated piece of evidence.

HOW WE LEFT THE PROPERTY (Picture Taken 25 days after Check In):
Although the only picture Adina provided shows the property as somewhat organized and the kitchen relatively clean, it’s becoming clear that she has been creating hidden damages. These include a broken toaster, burned pots, a broken knife, and other fabricated evidence. Additionally, she failed to properly clean the bathroom, allowing mold to form, and may have intentionally thrown oil on the ceiling to create the appearance of stains in the pictures.
Furthermore, the rat incident was reported by Frederik, but not by Adina initially. The fresh blood stain on the duvet also appears to be a fabricated piece of evidence.
Damaged Items and Compensation Requests:
- Extra Cleaning for Black Stains in the Bathroom
Status: Already reimbursed by Airbnb through the Resolution Center.
- Blood Stain on the Duvet
Status: Already reimbursed by Airbnb through the Resolution Center.
- Broken Toaster
Observation: It is assumed that Adina broke the toaster but did not report its malfunction during her stay. This issue was raised by the next guest, Janine. 
- Broken Knife
Observation: It is assumed that Adina broke the knife and similarly did not report it.
- Burned Induction Pots (2)
Observation: Adina is suspected of damaging the pots without reporting the issue. This was highlighted by Janine, the next guest. 
- Ceiling Stains Requiring Painting Touch-Up
Observation: It is suspected that these stains were fabricated by Adina to support her claims.

It is important to state that all previous guests left a 5 star review. Adina has left a 1 star review bellow:

We spent 26 days here and since first minute we got to the place, we just wanted to leave. The place is situated on the only main road of the island where cars and trucks and scooters are always but always day and night passing. We couldn’t even sleep in the first nights here. A lot of noise and not comfy at all. Even if we were a family of four and the host was informed about this, we got 3 pillows, 3 plates, 2 toilet papers for one month, and 1 garbage bag. The altitude of the host was rude and the co host was even worse. She visited the place many times without even saying hello to us just because we requested a refund since the place was nothing like promised. Not a ln ideal quiet relaxing place, but a noisy and traffic and dust place. The sheets had blood stains on them and the bathroom has mold and also the ceiling.
The induction stove is useless since there are 2 pots and no pan so you can prepare something decent to eat. Horrible experience with awful hosts.

I requested Airbnb to ask Adina for the dates when the pictures were taken, but they declined.

I also asked Airbnb to delete the review, but they refused.

What can be done in this situation? Has anyone else experienced something similar?

[Helen3]

Hello Rafael

i am sorry you've had such a difficult guest.

1. you could have sent a request for the payment for the additional guest

2. I don't think you're response to the guests review was particularly appropriate. It would have been better to leave a factual response addressing the issues raised rather than mentioning issues not raised in her review. 

[Rafael2085]

Hi Elen,

You're absolutely right! I always follow Airbnb's guidelines since I'm not a hospitality expert. I felt like Airbnb was playing games with me, dismissing my guest's claims as unreliable and saying the issues were out of my control. In the end, Airbnb declined her refund request.

What frustrated me more was their decision not to delete the guest’s review, which was posted 26 days after her arrival. They claimed it was relevant, leaving me feeling unprotected. Although Airbnb was involved in the entire process, they still placed the responsibility on me to respond. In the heat of the moment, my reply came across more personal than professional.

Renting out my place isn’t my full-time profession, and I’m starting to think about switching to long-term rentals. It might be less profitable, but it would certainly reduce the stress. I’ve noticed that many other owners are considering the same move. 

Thanks for your response. I really appreciate it!