First booking, unsure about the Guest - what should I do?

[Katie16]

Hello! I have just listed my spare room and a last night received a booking request. It's a small room (double bed but really only space for one person, suitcase etc), so I have it as a 1-person max listing. Also I have no children, no pets in my house rules.

My request was from a man who was new to airbnb, but had a verified ID, so after a couple of messages, I accepted his booking. He sounded friendly, educated and .... well, fine.

After accepting the booking, I had a message with his phone number, asking me to call to discuss the details. I did so, and he was very polite on the phone, asking if it was OK if he was going to arrive 8-9pm (of course that was fine, I said). He then asked if he could bring his 13 year old daughter, who he just found out was going to be alone all weekend (it's a long weekend here), as her mother was going to be away. I explained that the room was small and that it wasn't appropriate. He continued to ask, several times, arguing his case. "my daughter's going to be all alone", "we're just going to sit on the deck", "she won't get in the way", "she's lovely, I can send photos", "I can pay extra", "she's going to be ALL ALONE all weekend". In the end, I suggested that he look for somewhere else, that can accommodate the both of them. He was not 100% sure of what he wanted to do (either leave her at home and come alone, or rebook elsewhere). But now after that phone conversation, I'm fairly uneasy about having him stay. Just the way he was almost demanding, asking me to reconsider. 

I very much hope that he cancels (especially in time for me to get someone else in). 

He has just sent me a message asking if it's ok if he changes the booking to two nights instead of three (long weekend as I mentioned). I'm really not sure what to do. I would prefer to cancel but I don't really want the "cancellation" on my brand new profile.

Help?

[Jeet0]

Hello @Katie16,

I hope your future guests don't give you such a tough time.

It's simple, the Airbnb Policy only allows registered guests to stay and having more guests is a violation. You can once again mention that to the guest and ask him to kindly cancel the booking.

Now that he's asking for an extension, clarify first if it's going to be only him and not any extra guests. If he's going to stay alone, then you'll have to host him, and I don't see any reason why you should cancel. Don't worry much about what kind of review he'll leave. Make sure he has a pleasant stay and he should hopefully leave kind words.

Welcome to the world of hosting 🙂

Jeet

[Donna15]

@Katie16 That sounds very, very dodgy to me. Especially as he asked you to phone him, which was fully against AirBnB rules. All communications is to via the AirBnB site. Sounds to me like he was trying to 'pull a swifty'.

In your shoes, I'd re-state firmly - via the website - that the accommodation is not appropriate, and urge him to cancel - make he sure HE does, and NOT you - and rebook  elsewhere. Full stop. Avoid any further communication. If he cancels, you won't be penalised, and the cancellation won't work against you in any way. And he can't leave a bad review, because he won't have stayed with you. 

It's essential that you feel safe and comfortable in your own home. You're the top priority, not the guest. Other guests will come along soon. 🙂

[Donna15]

@Katie16 That sounds very, very dodgy to me. Especially as he asked you to phone him, which was fully against AirBnB rules. All communication is to be handled via the AirBnB site. Sounds to me like he was trying to 'pull a swifty'.

In your shoes, I'd re-state firmly - via the website - that the accommodation is not appropriate for 2 persons, and urge him to cancel - make he sure HE does, and NOT you - and rebook  elsewhere. Full stop. Avoid any further communication. If he cancels, you won't be penalised, and the cancellation won't work against you in any way. And he can't leave a bad review, because he won't have stayed with you. 

Of course, if he's now coming alone - which seems weird especially if he's worried about his daughter being on her own - you could go ahead with booking. But make sure all contact is via AirBnB.

It's essential that you feel comfortable in your own home. You're the top priority, not the guest. Other guests will come along soon. 🙂

[Helen3]

Hello

I would suggest if your guest won't cancel you contact BNB. Explain the situation and ask for their helping in ensuring the reservation is cancelled as it breaks your rules.

Do you really want a guest staying with you, who would consider leaving a 13 year old child home alone so he can enjoy a break?

Your propery isn't appropriate - a thirteen year old daughter needs to be sleeping in a separate bed from her father.

As others have said, going forward ensure you only communicate through BNB so there is a written record of conversations.

Helen

[Jeet0]

@Helen3 is right, since bringing in extra guests violates the policy, you can call Airbnb to get the booking cancelled.

However, just to clarify, it is fine for any father to share a bed with his daughter of any age, especially during travel if they are trying to cut down their travel expenses for any reason.

Ultimately it's your call, if your are uncomfortable having them, you can choose to cancel the booking.

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

Sounds like a scene from "Lolita".

[Katie16]

Well....

Thank you all for your advice.

What I ended up doing, as any sensible person would do, was call mum. She has been hosting prolificly for a while and always has good advice. "Let him bring his daughter along, it will be fine!".

So I took mum's advice, and allowed him to bring her. I figured it was going to be better with two of them instead of just him and I in the house. Of course for the next 48 hours I was **bleep**ting myself (Australian slang for "really nervous"), and when they finally arrived after 9pm last night, as soon as they got out of the car and approached the house, I thought "Oh, they are fine, I don't know what I was so worried about".

So he is really nice. And his little daughter is sweet. They are the ideal guests, very neat and considerate, quiet and well mannered. Yes, they are sharing the bed, but I honestly think it's all fine.

I have learned a lot through my first hosting experience - maintaining contact via airbnb website (I didn't know that rule), and not to stress so much!

They are here tonight (bed already) and one more sleep after that. They think my place is great and will be very popular!

Thanks again for your help

Katie

[Katie16]

Oh and...

PS, I had a friend fit a lock to the inside of my bedroom door 🙂

Also, when I was traveling in the USA and used airbnb, when I had to contact them once because I couldn't get in touch with the person hosting me, Airbnb took ages to get back to me, perhaps 3 days. Are they better now? That's why I didn't bother contacting them with this problem, I figured it wasn't worth the effort.

[Jeet0]

Hello @Katie16,

Thanks for sharing that update with us. Congratualtions on your first booking 🙂

There are different ways to reach out to Airbnb where they take lesser time to respond. Check out the large search box on the top and key in contact Airbnb, you'll find a useful Community Center guide with multiple solutions.

Jeet

[Helen50]

What I have learnt over many years as a real estate agent renting out property is that your gut will always tell you. If you don't feel right about someone your normally right . When I haven't listened to my gut I have always had an issue. Now my mantra is 'don't make your problems my problems' H