AirBnb removed my review of a guest

[Taizz0]

Hi Hosts,

AirBnb removed my review of a guest because it wasn’t “relevant “ to the community. Please help me know how I should have written the review. 
Here is the review:

“guest’s name” stayed a month, and was mostly in his room; smoking, vaping, and playing video games. He placed a towel under the door, so I wasn’t aware of how much smoking was going on. When he left, I was unable to get the smell out of the room, and I may need to repaint it. 
There were problems with boundaries, over sharing, emotional outbursts; and so many communication issues that I felt uncomfortable on day 3.

 It turned out I was not a good host for “guest’s name”, and he was not a good fit for this share house. With AirBnb’s help, the guest and I were able to alter the reservation, and the guest left a month early, with a refund for days not stayed. 
Guest left the space dirty. 

please help with suggestions on how this review could be more “relevant “ to the community. 

thanks!

[Emiel1]

@Taizz0 

IMO the main problem is in the sentence starting with "With AirBnb’s help, etc...".

Airbnb do not allow mentioning their interventions in reviews.

[Taizz0]

Thanks so much for filling me in about this. 

[Johanna394]

@Taizz0 

I wonder if the "There were problems with boundaries, over sharing, emotional outbursts;" bit could be the problem too. It can interpreted as you making implications about the guest's mental state (not saying this was your direct intention!), and I am not sure if such is considered acceptable in a review.

[Taizz0]

Thanks so much for the info and suggestions 

[Anonymous]

@Taizz0  I think @Emiel1 and @Johanna394 's explanations represent plausible reasons for the review removal.

Another thing - though it isn't explicit in the Content Policy - is that your review appears to be about what the guest did behind closed doors in his privately rented space, which might be uncomfortably close to some privacy issues. Nobody rents a bedroom with the expectation that what they do in there is going to become a matter of public record, so the things that might annoy you as a co-resident (bloopy video games, loud sex, etc) definitely have to be censored.

Since you have a nonsmoking home, it is definitely relevant that your guest disobeyed the House Rules by smoking in the room. But to make the review stick, it's better to say in general that the guest did not respect your rules, rather than to give an accounting of their private activities.

[Taizz0]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your input. Violating house rules is the same in a “private” room as in a shared space ( the living room. ).  I only found out what the guest was doing after he moved out, because he was so sneaky about it. ( putting a towel under the door ).  I thought the community might want to know what they might have to deal with , if they host this guest. If the space he stayed in did not have such a strong odor, I would never mention what he was doing to cause it. But of course, maybe it would have been better just to say this guest did not respect the house rules. 
The sad truth is that this guest will mess up someone else’s place, with Airbnb’s blessing. After all, they have nothing to lose, they don’t refund their service fees, even if the host refunds the guest. 

[Sarah977]

Of course violating house rules is the same no matter where in the house it happens. But stating in the review that he was doing things in his private bedroom isn't a good way to review. You can be more specific than just that he didn't respect house rules- it's okay to say he smoked in a non-smoking listing, because it was obvious from the smell in the room when he checked out. ( but don't say exactly that, because you can't "prove" a smell.) In a case like this, where he left a big mess behind him, there were communication issues, etc, it's probably enough though to just say he didn't follow house rules in addition to the other bad behavior, because no other host is going to want this guest whether he smoked behind closed doors or not.

Be aware that there are many people on the autism spectrum, and this guest almost sounds like he fits that- not understanding boundaries, what is and isn't appropriate to share with someone you just met, emotional outbursts, squirreled away alone in his room all day. It's hard to know unless someone tells you they are autistic, because that behavior can also just be the result of poor social skills and general jerkiness..

@Taizz0

[Taizz0]

Thanks so much for your input and ideas. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Taizz0 

Agree with everyone's comments and suggestions above. Your review should focus on facts and your own experience as a host, not what you *think (are sure)* happened. Something like  "after guest checked out, I went in to clean and was overwhelmed by strong lingering smells" or "guest behaved inappropriately and made me uncomfortable" or "house rules related to safety were ignored despite many polite reminders" or "guest was not responsive or communicative to host requests for clarification on arrival time or requests that house rules be respected" or "I found a cigarette butt/empty vaping cartridge on the side table next to the bed which I assume the guest left behind while cleaning my non-smoking listing". My personal favorite, "based on my own experience hosting this guest, I would not welcome him/her back into my home, and would not recommend to hosts with a shared home listing." 

[Taizz0]

Thanks so much- these examples are really helpful.