Guest has moved out after 6 months leaving damage and filth - what can I do

[Jane8]

Hi 

It has just taken 2 days to clean a garden studio which was rented out for 6 months. 

The loo actually had black mould and urine under the seat and on inside the loo. The floor of the bathroom was disgusting. I have never seen such a thing.

The council contacted me to say they would not collect my 'green wheelie bin' (garden waste and compost) I did not understand why until I realised it was stuffed full of used men's incontinence pads and plastic lunchboxes full of mouldy food.

There was a giant pot of yogurt down the back of the bed.

The walls had coffee poured down them, I have had to replace 3 blinds, a panel with 6 coat hooks and fix a broken mirror and skirting board. 

If they had ever bothered to take a cleaning product out of the cupboard under the sink they would have realised that the washing machine pipe lever had opened and water has been leaking for months causing considerable damage.. I have had to rent a dehumidifier and a fan heater.

I can obviously say something in a review but do not know exactly how much detail to go into? They were very charming...

Apart from a review - do I have any come back on this? 

Thanks,

Jane

I know I cannot blame them for the pipe leaking but the sheer filth is blinding.

[Maria-Lurdes0]

Your place is so nice!  I would love to stay there, and I wouldn't leave it in such bad condition 🙂

I'm not sure that you have too much recourse...I forgot to look if you charge a damage deposit.  If yes, you can go to the Resolution Center to ask the guest for compensation for some of the damages like broken kickboard, etc.   The guest has to approve the request, so it's not automatically assumed that you'll get your money.   You have a limited window of time to do this, so if it's not too late take pictures with time stamps. 

Otherwise clean it up and move on, and maybe it's worth a proviso in your description that you reserve the right to do monthly inspections (with guest present) to ensure that your space is being properly looked after - that way you can spot any potential problems a bit earlier and hopefullly not have to have this big headache again.

Good luck Jane!

[Peter0]

Bad luck.  If you talk to commercial landlords you will know that they get a number of such cases as a matter of course.  I spent 3 days cleaning up a filthy flat from some horrible tenants a couple of years ago. They were a family with children aged 3 when they left. How the kids lived in that squalor I don't know!  It was positively disgusting.  But in that case I had a month's security deposit on which to call.  That's why Airbnb has a deposit system (a charge on a credit card for example) but you have to claim or notify within 48 hours.  Did you?  Like others say, you have to just brace yourself, get on with the work and move on.

Incidentally I once had significant kitchen damage and I simply replaced all the door and drawer fronts from a company that makes them to order.  It was a very easy job really.  

[Jane8]

Thank you for all your comments. 

I was a bit worried about the 6 month guest becoming a tenant, and now I have another one! I will look into that.

I have got hold of a humidifier but it smells quite musty.

It is now repainted, bleached, new blinds etc. I did have a deposit with Airbnb but I was away when they moved out so missed the deadline for claiming. I guess I will just have to suck it up and learn from the experience 🙂

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful responses.

[Wendy-and-Markus0]

@Jane8:

I would also recommend implementing a regular cleaning service. Either build it into your cost for longer staying guests OR absorb the cost. Offering/requiring regular cleaning will enable you to maintain your listing in better shape in the long run and avoid unpleasant surprises. It also gives you an opportunity to check-in and ensure the property is not being neglected and communicate with your guest accordingly.

These type of communications should be kept on the Airbnb messaging system to maintain documentation. We've never hosted long term guests BUT if we were, I would highly consider making a list of requirements/expectations with regards to maintaining your property.

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi @Jane8,

I would make a claim via the resolution center immediately.  You only have 48 hours after the guest checks out and since you state you have been cleaning for two days, I hope you have not waited too long.  I do notice you charge a security deposit for one listing and not the other.  You might be out of luck if the listing where the guest stayed is the one with no security deposit.  

If you do make a claim in the resolution center and you do not have a security deposit AND the guest assumes responsibility, you may get some money in return.  Also be sure to give a "thumbs down" in your review where it asks if you would host them again.  That way if they try to use Instant Book, they will not be able to if the host has chosen "only hosts who recommend".

Here is a How To guide on the Resolution Center: https://community.airbnb.com/t5/General-Hosting/The-Resolution-Center-A-How-To-Guide-Request-or-Offe...

Good luck

Dave

[Helga0]

@Jane8, sorry for your experience. 

6 months is a very long time for an airbnb, legally you are probably already having a tenant and not a guest. (In France it's 90 days). So the normal airbnb agreement is not really approbriate to this period. I do all my entire lodging rentals with an additional rental contract to be in accordance with local laws. 

I would distinguish between the different acts of negligence: I'd forget the dirt in a six month rental. As a landlord with a tenant, everything not involing repainting all the walls and changing appliancies is already a success. So clean whatever can be cleaned. 

For the damages, go via the resolution center and try to get refund. For the blinds, mirror etc and for the fee, if you have to pay a fee for the garbage, a normal tenant would have to pay for that as well. 

For the paint, I usually repaint parts of walls several times a year if I rent the whole atelier, which is smaller, and once every year or every two years the larger place. (Not the whole apartment, just the part beside the table where a wine glass toppled over or beside the bed if someone had to drink beer in bed.  That happens. 

I bought a dehumidifyer, as it turned out impossible to get guests to either not confound the bathroom with a Turkish sauna or to open doors and windows afterwards. It cost 160 Euros, can be carried easily, is very efficient and I took a low consumption and low noise model. I was so pleased with that thing, carried it around and had it dehumidify everywhere, bathroom, kitchen, before open kitchen cabinets, before open living room cupboards. The most fun aquisition since the iphone 🙂 

Before renting one, you should check in a good local homeworker store.