Foul odor coming from a long term guest

[Marisa86]

I had a guest check in Friday for the entire month of April. He has this foul odor that follows him around and lingers all over the apartment. It is a sour sweat smell and isn't easily masked with air fresheners or Lysol. Saturday he opened the door to the guest room while I walked by and the smell was so intense it made me vomit. It has only been 2 days and with him being a long term guest, hosting him the entire month makes me nervous. I have a small condo and I am worried about that smell taking over the entire place. I am also worried about getting the smell out of the room when he leaves (I have a guest checking in 2 days later). He is a friendly guy and it sounds like he was kicked out of his last short term stay place. Any suggestions on how to bring up hygiene? Lastly, if it does not improve, am I able to cancel? Or do I need to finish the reservation? Thank you in advance for any advice.

[Linda108]

@Marisa86   While it is a very uncomfortable conversation, have you spoken with the guest about your concern?  The ability to smell one's own odor disappears over time, so most he may not be aware of it.  Of course you can call Air BNB and ask for the reservation to be cancelled and the guest relocated.  If you don't know how to contact Air BNB see the posting in the community guides on this site.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Marisa86

this is very interesting story and I would like to know how it ended. There are numerous threds about smoking smell paranoya and I have to admit I don't understand why some hosts make a drama out of it but are totally cool with other smells like smelly feet, sweat etc...

If I were you, I would contact Airbnb and ask what should I do. Because after him you will have extra costs for cleaning mattrasses, duvets etc... not to mention few days of intensive ventilation. Odours are not easy to deal with and if they are intense it will take time

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

Some people have a genetic disorder that causes a really bad smell.  Other people have poor hygeine.  To solve this problem you will either have to kick him out or have a difficult conversation.

If you decide to have a difficult conversation the best way is to sit down and spell it out to him.  If he has the disorder, he will know about it already.  If he is just smelly, then telling him what to do may solve the problem:

Joe, I have noticed that there is a strong bad smell coming from your room.  I can't let it get any worse and we need to solve it immediately or I'm going to have to ask you to leave.  Is there a medical reason for it?  No?  Then here's what I need you to do:

I need you to:

shower every day

use deodorant soap - here it is

launder all your clothes. 

spray this odor eliminator in your shoes

I'm going to have to go in your room and put this waterproof casing on your mattress and pillows.  When can I do that?  I will change the sheets for you this time but then we will have to see how often this would be needed during your stay.

After you launder all your clothes and take a shower we can revisit this issue.   You seem like a nice guy.  I hope we can work this out.

[Marisa86]

I ended up having that difficult conversation with him and Airbnb had to get involved. He was allowed to stay for an additional 10 days, during which I had to leave because the smell made me sick. While away he trashed my wood floors causing signifigant damages. 

[Mahrita0]

if you think thats bad i advertise smoking allowed everyone of the complained so i bought all different odour removel still complained remember smoking alloed so then i tried joss sticks i told them i was away to shops so lock door came back to door wide open keys thrown on bed and cancelled straight away left my door open with thousand and thousands of pound there is no pleasing people

[Marisa86]

That is exactly how this guest left. Leaving my home door wide open in downtown Chicago. 

[Marisa86]

I first contacted Airbnb to discuss my options and for advice on having that difficult conversation with my guest. They classified this as the most difficult type of personality conflict and had no advice on how to have that conversation. They did however offer to follow up with the guest once I had that conversation which was helpful since I ended up having to ask him to leave. Airbnb negotiated with the guest and they agreed that he would leave after 10 days. The guest demanded to be refunded for the entire reservation and asked for additional money from me as compensation for canceling. Thankfully airbnb was able to negotiate with him and I was able to be paid for the days he stayed. During those 10 days, the smell got out of hand and engulfed the entire condo, it was making me sick, so I had to leave. When I returned on the morning he was to check out, he had left my front door wide open and destroyed my newly finished wood floors. In total damages to my floor, linens, and mattress totaled over 2K. I made a claim with Airbnb and they compensated me for a small portion of the damages; however, my experience with their customer service team was an absolute nightmare. It is now a month later and I have finally gotten the smell out after disposing of the mattress, linens, curtains, and lastly the wood desk. After this experience I discovered that you can request the guest to leave immediately. It is your home and your safety comes first. You have every right to do so. Contrary to what airbnb told me, I did not need to give the guest the additional 10 days. I received so much misinformation from Airbnb during the entire process - it was extremely disappointing. I could have avoided the damage to my home and added costs of having to find alternative housing for myself during that time. If this happens to you, have the conversation immediately with your guest and if you need to request that they leave, do so on your own. Airbnb will put the guests needs first always, not yours or your homes. Lastly, if you ever need to submit a claim, be prepared for airbnb's unrealistic requests, like first trying to get the money directly from the guest, then proving the smell came from that specific guest, and also ridiculous time frames to provide receipts for replacements and repairs. When dealing with damages this large, spending $1600 to fix damaged floors immediately is not always feasible, nor is getting a contractor out in that time frame. 

[Linda108]

@Marisa86  You were very brave to have to deal with this situation.  I am sorry that you had to go through this and do not understand why Air BNB allowed him to stay 10 days after the complaint.  All the hosts that responded to your posting supported that he should be confronted and if unable to comply he should leave.  His review sticks out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the positive reviews.  You mentioned that you thought he had been asked to leave another short term rental.  I wonder when that information was available to you since that certainly would have been a red flag.

Brings to my mind I also wonder where guests that are asked to leave one listing go?  Can't imagine another host being happy to accept a guest that is asked to leave.

[Cormac0]

@Marisa

Many years ago, I met such an individual, this must be a medical problem as the smell is way beyond body odour and is stomach turning as you say, his work mates rather un-charitable nicknamed him "mucky boys". so, I feel your pain.

I think under the circumstances and considering you had to leave your home as a consequence, it’s he who should be compensating you, rather than the other way around.

Regards

Cormac

ECK III

ECK VIII