Seeing the behavior of this 'guests'' kids i entered...my supahost of almost three years house that belonged to my mum n dad...
Anita’s group refused to pay for the damages her group did AND electric charges which are clearly visible on airbnb’s website
House manual
Hot water is managed by a switch outside the bathroom. While there is NO CHARGE FOR WATER AND GAS, ELECTRICITY IS AN ADDITIONAL FEE CALCULATED AT THE END OF THE STAY. Guests will be given electricity readings before and after their stay. This is paid BEFORE the guests leave.
These electric charges alone came to 200 euros. The heating was on most of the day and the washing machine was used almost every day and sometimes twice a day.
I offered to present them with an invoice to pay it before they left but they insisted on returning to Georgia and doing it through airbnb.
I showed Anita’s group the airbnb website where it clearly stated they had to pay a separate charge BEFORE they left. Looking for an excuse NOT to pay they then claimed to have lost a mobile phone and brought the police to investigate and search the premises. After an investigation and search, Anita’s group decided NOT to pursue the matter. ‘You’’ll pay heavily for this.’ said Vladimir
The phone was found the next day. The police, airbnb and the guests were notified.
But they left not paying over 400 euros in damages and unpaid electric charges. On inspection as they were leaving i noticed that they had taken with them three air-conditioning remote controls and five remote controls for the wifi, the tv, the satellite network, the DVD and the sound bar, rendering them all useless. They locked two outdoor keys and took those keys with them, keys that were there when the police were present and those doors need completely new locks. By the time I’d noticed these later things they were driving off.
Anita’s group included three of her kids and the nanny’s child. The kids stamped on, then threw oranges, lemons, and a pomegranate into the busy street and over the neighbor’s wall along with balls provided by the host; the kids used lemon, grapefruit and fig trees to practice their dart-throwing, and played noughts and crosses all over the broad cactus leaves, darts and dartboard having been provided by the host; left a front garden hose running till the water ran down the street; broke one and beat another elegant hanging wind chime with a broomstick as if it were a piñata; prized parts off the kettle and a blender; damaged a footrest, a table cover, ruined a cushion and the suspension on one of the living room armchairs and one under the sofa; managed to throw a large plastic tub, big enough to wash a baby in, over a high wall; damaged or lost 6 hand-made toys that had sentimental value along with a large Indian statue. Toys and garden furniture were strewn around the wet garden along with household trash including bottles and plastic even though recycling bags were clearly provided. FIVE DOOR keys disappeared and a bedside cupboard was broken. All this happened in spite of the presence of a nanny. None of these incidents were reported to the host.
Anita’s complaint that ‘The washing machine [was] broken,’ which it wasn’t, just temperamental, didn’t hamper them from using it as often as twice a day during their three week stay. The guests contacted me in Greece through Whattsapp, I had told them before they booked that I’d be absent for the first eight days of their three week stay, to tell me the ‘gas stove won’t turn on.’ By the time I had responded that they should simply hold the gas button in for a moment or two, a safety feature, they had worked it out. When I returned, the husband, Vladimir, an engineer, told me it had taken them just ten minutes.
I am not usually absent when guests arrive to point out how the tv, washing machine, air conditioning, cooker etc work, knowing that these devices work differently from house to house and country to country. Nevertheless, I leave a laminated list of ‘useful information’ that covers a lot. What is required in these circumstances is a little patience and common sense. It’s not rocket science.
I had provided them with the number of an odd job man, a qualified plumber and electrician, and asked them to use his phone number, not his Whattsapp details. I phoned him from Greece and when he visited he found they had gone out. He left written ‘instructions’ I’d already given them as to how to operate the washing machine, for which I’d left a full bag of washing powder.
In my experience, Anita’s group showed little respect for the contents of either house or garden. For seven guests at just over 5 euros each, one might expect a little more.
