Guest Violates House Rules, Allowed to Stay for a Few Hours "to Decide".... Awkward

[Lisa1346]

Hello Community,

So this is probably part venting, part asking advice on how to approach a problem and what to expect. Here's the situation:

I rent out a whole house. Security cameras are throughout, excluding the bathrooms and bedrooms (of course!). The security cameras are disclosed in my listing and one of the house rules is "no tampering with the security cameras." Additionally, my dog and cat stay in the house when guests are not there. This is also disclosed in the listing. Guests are not allowed to bring pets. I truly understand that some people feel creeped out by security cameras and/or suffer from allergies/asthma aggravated by pet dander. This is why I have such disclosures. 

I received an 11 night booking (maybe time to turn off instant book?) from a guest with 5 adults and 1 child. He said they are coming to visit his parents in a nearby neighborhood. He has a long history on airbnb, with about 9 postive reviews from other hosts and about 20 from guests dating back to the 2010s. Surely a former host and experienced guest would know to read through the house rules and listing disclosures before booking, right?

So, they arrived last night and I check my cameras this morning to find that several of them have been taken offline at 5 a.m. Since my utility room cameras are on, I know that the others were unplugged. I sent a message asking the guest how the stay was going and to please plug the cameras back in:

Good Afternoon -----,

How's your stay going? Please let me know if you need anything.

Also, the office and living room security cameras were unplugged this morning. Could you please plug these back in and also check that the kitchen camera is plugged in? If you need outlets for charging your electronics, the power strips in the office and the sunroom are available.

Enjoy your stay,

Lisa

Guest response:

We don’t feel comfortable with cameras in the house so will plug cameras back in when we leave.

Today at 1:24 PM

House is ok Lisa, except the fact that there was a cat or dog in the house at some point in time. There hair is still in the carpet which is now causing serious problem with my asthma. Wasn’t the house description no pets??

While I appreciate that this guest was not hostile, why does he think he can pick and choose which house rules to follow? I think it's funny that he read the "No Pets" rule but disregarded the "No Tampering with security cameras" rule. Since the house was vacuumed thoroughly, I suspect he didn't actually find hair in the carpet, but saw the cat and dog supplies in storage. Anywho, my response stated nothing that should come as a surprise:

Hello -----,

I'm sorry you are having these problems. The house rules say no pets (for guests) and no tampering with the security cameras. The description does disclose both that pets live in the house and that security cameras are in the house excluding the bedrooms and bathrooms (of course).

I realized that I had given the guests a chance to abide by the rules and they declined ("we'll plug them back in when we leave.") So, I called Airbnb. They promptly agreed that it was a rule violation. I agreed to refund the guest the nights that they don't stay.  Airbnb said they would call the guest and allow them some time to decide whether they wanted to comply with the rules or leave. Per airbnb, the guest opted to take "a couple hours"  to decide. I feel like if the guests opt to plug in the cameras and stay, I'm just getting set up for a bad review from them. Since they already stayed one night, can they leave a bad review anyway? I hope they leave for everyone's sake... I don't want to continue to host someone who disrespects my rules and the guest with asthma should find other accomodations for his own sake.

This is very awkward as a host. I don't know if I should be making plans to kick them out or what. On other hand, why do rule violating guests even get the choice between staying and leaving? 

One last rant: guests need to stop treating listing details like the superfine print nobody reads before they agree to terms. The listing contents are not just advertisments and fluff. They often contain valuable information about the listing so you know exactly what to expect. 

Thanks for letting me vent and thanks in advance for your advice and stories.

[Sarah977]

@Lisa1346  I think they did that because they want guests to book, no matter what. Heaven forbid a guest actually bothers to scroll down to read them. They might not be willing to abide by them and then they wouldn't book. The rules went down to the bottom when they decided to paste those Home Highlights, that almost all hosts strenuously objected to, at the top of our listings. You know, cause the Highlights are so important compared to the house rules.

[Lisa1346]

@Sarah977  Yes, you're probably right. I hate to say/type this: Airbnb wants to get the money from the booking even if it's a bad fit for both the host and the guest.

Oh, those highlights... my house no longer has a fireplace because of those. 😉

[Allison502]

Lisa good luck with your future guest.I am an Airbnb host also and about 20% of my guest don’t follow house rules. Airbnb tends to always side with the guest even when they destroy your property or chose to not follow the rules of the house.

It’s really sad that we, the host,  who made the investment in the property to be treated so poorly by Airbnb.

[Cormac0]

@Lisa1346 

Your Photo id is at odd with you require to keep a tight surveillance on your guest, dark glasses and a hoodie does not inspire confidence in me at least.

[Lisa1346]

I wear glasses for near sightedness. 

[Lisa1346]

@Cormac0And that's my hair, not a hoodie.

[Sammy35]

lol, some people are really funny lisa.  just so you know, i personally didn't think for a second that you were trying to be obscure or odd with glasses and a hoodie or in contradiction to your cameras.  in no way whatsoever did that give me the heeb jeebs to be concerned about trust or undermind any confidences in the least.

just like HR, hosts "'shouldn't' be evaluating photos" of potential guests--which is why the functionality was disabled until after booking is confirmed--which doesn't tell them anything anyways.  all it does is give false peace of mind anyway.  my only derelicts were professional and clean cut.  that didn't mean they didn't pull a 3rd party booking then try to sneak a frat house in.  ted bundy was considered by many to be handsome and charming *\_/* at first glance...jus sayin...

[Cathie19]

Hi @Lisa1346. To be honest, I  would not rent anywhere there was internal CCTV. It’s not a bus station or the foyer of a major hotel, or a busy boutique B&B restaurant breakfast room.

I do not have any problems with external cameras, and encourage them where needed.

Disclosure of the lack of privacy offered in your property needs to be more visible and upfront as noted by @Gordon0  & @Jessica-and-Henry0. You may be wanting to protect your property, but inside cameras in social areas (not traffic areas) is not a winning move......

Remember they don’t know you either, or your intentions........ or whether they are your evening’s entertainment. So maybe some trust building needs to be seen and actioned.

However, your written responses were fine, but it would still creep me out, feeling I’m being watched. I’d probably use the animals as an excuse to get out of the place. Especially after receiving information to switch them back on... which to them says you are watching them. Sorry, it’s just how I would feel..... 

[Sarah977]

@Lisa1346  If you are adamant about keeping the inside security cameras (I also would not book a place with indoor cameras, no way- it's quite an invasion of privacy IMO), as others have said, make it way more prominent in your listing, and also reiterate it in a message when guests book or inquire. Same with the dog and cat. Really, dogs and cats do not go well with carpeting. You may not smell anything, or notice any animal hairs, but non-pet owners will. Doesn't matter how well it gets vacuumed.

[Deborah1]

I use airbnb a lot as a guest. Although I try to read carefully, it is easy to miss things since you have to scroll below where you would expect, sometimes need to click "more" and are often reading multiple listing.

As a host, I send a message right after my place is booked (I use instant book) and remind guest of key points. It goes something like this, "Thanks for your booking. We do want to be sure that you are aware that you will be sharing our non-smoking home with us and our cat, Mulligan." This has headed off some issues and resulted in a few cancellations which I find preferrable to unhappy guests and uncomfortable interactions. Before I started doing this, some guests would be surprised that we live here, have a cat or would ask about smoking when they arrived even though these items were in the listing several times and seemed quite clear. I would suggest doing this and including information about the pets and cameras. 

[Paul154]

@Lisa1346 

Brava for handling this correctly. Guests come, guests don't comply, you give them the option to leave and return their prepaid but unused days.

I wish all hosts were so reasonable.

Please tell us all of the end result.

Also, I applaud your use of inside cameras and dog and cat. Your house, your rules.

Guests are all adults with the ability to choose. It is this diversity which allows Airbnb great choices.

Good luck

[Lisa1346]

@Paul154Thanks for reading and commenting. "Guests are all adults with the ability to choose. It is this diversity which allows Airbnb great choices" - Well said.

 I'm happy to report the guests ended up leaving later that night and did not leave a retaliatory review. I got some good tips here on how to prevent a repeat of this situation and I also believe that the guest in question will be putting in due diligence and reading the rules/disclosures before his next booking. 

Thank you all for reading. Happy hosting!

[Paul154]

lisa

Brava for handling this correctly. Guests come, guests don't comply, you give them the option to leave and return their prepaid but unused days.

I wish all hosts were so reasonable.

Please tell us all of the end result.

Also, I applaud your use of inside cameras and dog and cat. Your house, your rules.

Guests are all adults with the ability to choose. It is this diversity which allows Airbnb great choices.

Good luck

[Helen56]

Wow, this thread was really interesting reading!!! @Lisa1346  @Paul154   @Deborah1  @Sarah977  @Jessica-and-Henry0 

I would never, ever book an airbnb place with security cameras inside the house.  You say that you have cameras in the kitchen, living room and more.   These are personal spaces and I dread to think what you might have seen.  The living room is where adults are often cuddly on the sofa, at the least, and often intimate.  In the kitchen many will be making morning coffee not wearing much, especially on hot days.  In the living spaces young children often run around without clothes on. 

You might see private moments of love, arguments, etc.  Cameras in the living areas are a really terrible idea!  

Do you actually watch all this? Do you just watch it if there is damage?  Do you invite your friends over for some fun 'TV'???   I'm truely horrified!

You should just put them outside on the porch to monitor how many guests are there.  I totally agree with the guests who unplugged them.  I would do the same.

Yes, I agree with the comments that you should put the camera disclosure statement at the TOP of your listing. I don't want to stay there and be secretly watched: this is really too creepy.

[Lisa1346]

@Helen0 Thanks for reading. I respect your choice not to book an airbnb with interior security cameras. To answer your questions: 

Do you actually watch all this? No, I have neither the time nor inclination to watch all of the footage. Do you just watch it if there is damage? Yes, it is helpful to have proof if a guest causes damage in an area covered by the cameras.   Do you invite your friends over for some fun 'TV'???   Nope. Security camera footage with no audio is actually quite boring. You may see guests sitting on the couch having a conversation, but you have no idea what that conversation is about. That is not my idea of good entertainment. I would imagine that after about 30 seconds of watching security cam footage, my friends would find it tedious to watch and decide to never come to my house for "fun" again!

As for being "secretly watched," the cameras are quite conspicuous, so there is no secret about it. 

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