Coping tricks anyone?

[Lisa1847]

I’m sort of new to hosting and the first dozen clients have gone smoothly and easily. I’m currently renting to a couple who seems to have ignored all my early texts through the app to be helpful in locating the property, checking in etc.  They asked me every question I already answered. They got lost and arrived a day late because of this, and they arrived sick and unable to shop for food (I provided some groceries for free), were unable to unload their u- haul and asked to hire me to help them, which I accepted and spent 10 hours assisting them unloading it in another city 2 hours away, to have to correct them afterward that they “hired” me and it was not a hostess favor (cost me $50 in gas and an entire day, then they begrudgingly gave me $200 when that would have been the Uber ride alone from Jacksonville ) and they somehow now have my personal cell, text me that they need me for something almost daily, now want to have something sent in the mail to the BnB (hemp oil- no),  have mountains of junk from their move piled up everywhere outside and two huge dogs inside sleeping God knows where and crapping huge piles all over the yard, and I just feel like they are pushing my boundaries in kind of a predatory (feeling things out) way. They didn’t ask to have firearms but they do, so.whatever....I just have that gut feeling. I know just getting my prized cabin dirty could freak me out and these ppl smell sour and gross, so I need help dealing with that already but dear God what am I going to find when I get it back?  This money will be hard earned. I’d really like to ignore them for the remainder of their two-week stay but I don’t want to be a bad hostess. I’m blocked, I mean booked, the Fourth of July weekend so sorry you can’t stay....They seem like they’ll become really demanding and dependent soon if this progresses. I’m sorry I’m too nice sometimes but I need help to redirect these folks. Can anybody offer guidance? Anybody have this happen to them? I suppose I can expect this experience once in a while but I really want respect for my property I may not always receive. 

[Emiel1]

@Lisa1847 

These guest are taking advantage of you and you show no bounderies to them, because you do not  "want to be a bad hostess". But the host-guest relationship is in the first place a business relationship. You provide something what the guest is paying for, and the rules for that are in the listing, the reservation and Airbnb terms. So be polite, but firm and protect yourself by garding the limits. Maybe ask a friend or neighbour for some assistance if you feel it is neccesary. You are not a slave or an employee of the guest, your are The Host and You Are In Charge ! So no extra favors anymore and make clear to the guest they have to obey your houserules or otherwise it is EOS (End Of Stay).

Hope this helps,

Emiel

[Mark116]

@Lisa1847  You probably should not have agreed to help them move, even for a fee.  When people ask for things we don't offer, I always just say, that sorry, we don't offer that type of service, our schedule doesn't permit it, we can't accommodate that type of request and let it end there.  I wouldn't do anything else special for them.  Two weeks is a long time, but maybe if you start setting boundaries with the next round of special requests, they will leave you alone.  You might also want to consider checking them out in person to see the state of the property when they leave it.

ETA...I admit I have a suspicious nature, but it seems suspcious to me that two people are both  'too sick' to go buy groceries?