Breaking house rules

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Kezneth0
Level 3
Bradford, United Kingdom

Breaking house rules

Hello!!

Iam new to hosting and I have my first guest who has already broken the rules. First she turned up a day early and said she made a mistake on bookung the airbnb to coincide with her flights. I amended her check in/check out dates. I have listed the whole house which sleeps 6 with 3 bedrooms. on booking she indicated that she is booking for her +4adults which was fine. But she turned up with 4adults and 4 children and said some of the people are not staying they are relatives who came to pick her from the airport and they are going.

I have indicated in my listing that the guest cannot bring visitors to the house. 

 

Please help, 

1 Best Answer
Kezneth0
Level 3
Bradford, United Kingdom

Your article has helped me to understand a lot about the house rules. Thank you. I was one of those people who assume that guests have the same understanding on things as I do.

View Best Answer in original post

35 Replies 35
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Kezneth0  Your first step is to communicate with your booking guest via the Air BNB message system.  Summarize any verbal communication and reiterate your rules.  If the guest then follows the rules, i.e., limits to 5 adults, all is well.  Be sure to check back after you send the message.  If the guest continues to break your rules, contact Air BNB as soon as possible and ask for the guest to be relocated due to breaking the rules.  

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

Also please be sure to provide a negative review if the guest has to be relocated.

Kezneth0
Level 3
Bradford, United Kingdom

Thanks Linda, I will just do that now.

Additionally, I would stop by unannounced to see if the extra people have gone.  If not, I would talk to the booking guest directly about the situation.  You have to decide if you just want the money for the extra guests (sounds like the reservation is now for 8, not 5) or if you'd like the guest to be rehoused by Airbnb. If the guest doesn't agree to pay for 8, call Airbnb immediately.  

 

I cannot find your listing, but I'm going to assume that you have an extra guest charge.  You would be entitled to that for each guest after X as indicated on your listing. 

Thank you for the advice. My listing is for the house in Pretoria in South Africa. I did not add the extra charge.

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Kezneth0

Hosting sounds easier than it often is. Here's a slightly harsh but really fitting blog post on what to expect and have to know about standing up for themselves

What new hosts are usually not aware of

Kezneth0
Level 3
Bradford, United Kingdom

Your article has helped me to understand a lot about the house rules. Thank you. I was one of those people who assume that guests have the same understanding on things as I do.

Beware that airbnb do not always honour house rules!  I have recently had an incident which involved charging for extra services through the resolution centre.  Airbnb decided that they would disregard the charges clearly displayed in my house rules (aswell as sent to the guest before check-in, in an email via airbnb email service) & so the guest did not have to pay for extra services.  

This brings to me the obvious, that house rules have no standing & offer little protection to the host, even though it is airbnb themselves that state guests must agree to house rules before booking.  

Paul453
Level 2
Dunvegan, United Kingdom

I have just had a very difficult guest and want to know what to do about it.

This guy turned up with a box full of perishable food and basically insisted he put it in my fridge.

Like a mug I made a shelf free but I did say, did he not read my website page which says there is no fridge space.

Next, despite my insurance not covering me for guests in my kitchen or cooking, I find him helping himself to items and making food.

When I confronted him about this he had the nerve to say my page on Air B and B said this whole house was open to be shared, which it clearly is not and it says so on my guidelines and description. It gets worse. In the three days they were here he felt free enough to move electrical appliances from upstairs to the shared living room, he did not ask. One day he ran an expensive electric heater all day in the guest bedroom without requesting to stay in all day and run the heater. I have removed the heater now because someone may do this again. A bunch of minor things follow, like using my toothpaste, being in the kitchen when I wanted to cook, making a mess, walking around in muddy boots and essentially helping himself to whatever he wanted. What do I do about people like this?

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Paul453

 

Airbnb does not enforce house rules, you do, and hosting certainly isn't for the weak of heart!

If guest didn't read description, you stand up for yourself.

You are running a business, so you have to be the boss. 

If you had a bakery, and a customer ordered a bread, and then complained that you'd said somewhere you supply a whole buffet with it, what would you do?

Learn to tell guests nicely when they are over=stepping. Even better (because guests don't read), explain and repeat things when giving them the check-in tour. - like 'as you read in my listing, this is included...., this is not."

 

If you don't want guests in certain areas, find a way to close them off and maybe add 'private' signs.

 

With difficult guests it's important to keep or recap verbal and other off-platform conversations on the message page as record of proof in case guests later decide to refund on the basis of wrong accusations. It also proves you fixed issues if they occurred if you keep track of them. 

 

Good luck with training that hosting muscle 😉

Paul453
Level 2
Dunvegan, United Kingdom

Thanks Andrea,

I appreciate you telling me straight, I really do.

I am new to Air B and B and manifestly full of well meaning, yet clearly something else is needed too, and you have made it very clear what. The mad thing is, at the time it did cross my mind that this lad was taking the piss, but I let it ride, which was stupid of me. Being told that I have "an open house" when I know that my insurance does not cover kitchen usage, was ridiculous. I guess I will have to be on guard a lot more and work those hosting muscles! I am really grateful for your advice.

All the best now,

Paul.

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Paul453

I think we've pretty much all been there and earlier or later been 'blessed' with a version of that kind of guest. Hopefully, not a long-term guest that turns into a house-mate of horrors, and only a few days of uncomfort.

Why don't you peruse this gold mine of a forum and get one of the quickest learning experiences you've ever had. It helped me so much in the beginning!

Also there's a recent dynamite thread on reviews:

Goldmine of review wording

 

Another tip: Not having Instant Book is better in the beginning (even if Airbnb threatens your listing becomes invisible!) because you can control who comes, find out why they're in the area, sound them out.

Also, you might want to shorten your max booking time to a period that you can imagine enduring with a nightmare guest. At least until you know what your personal limit is.  What if somebody like this gem of a gentleman had booked for 2 months...?

 

 

Paul453
Level 2
Dunvegan, United Kingdom

Hello Andrea,
You are brilliant!
I am just back from mountain rescue and very tired, but not tired enough
to realize the verity of what you say. I have saved that link and will read it
thoroughly tomorrow after a good sleep. Again, I am genuinely grateful for
your assistance. Thank you again.
Paul.

Actually, Airbnb DOES support hosts in their house rules because the host may cancel the booking without penalty if they violate any of your house rules. I've only canceled once when a guest stated in writing via the Airbnb message system that they planned on violating my house rule requiring guests to leave during the day between 10 am to at least 4 pm. She said she was going to stay most of the day to "get ready for an event", and argued with me when I said No she could not do so in my home (where I live.) I kindly searched for locally available hotel rooms for her and several inexpensive ones were available. So I canceled her booking and blocked her from contacting me again because she started trying to bully me into allowing her and her group to come and basically take over my home for a weekend. When I canceled there was a pop-up asking why with a list of reasons to select, one of which was "Violated House Rules." The cancellation did not count against me in any way, and I made Superhost on the next cycle. So Airbnb DOES support host house rules, though it is best to start out being as nice and professional as possible to hopefully get the guest in line especially if they are already on the property. Yes, you are the one who needs to deal with them directly and try to resolve any disputes amicably and professionally. But if need be, cancel their booking and call the police if they won't leave.