Guest left because of pets

[Camilla164]

Hello!

So I had a guest book four days with me. I'm renting out an apartment in my house. My site states that I do have animals, but they are not in the space I am renting out, and I even have put up a fence so that my dog can't access the "guest garden".Basically I've made the apartment a seperate part of my house with a separate entrance and garden. I have told every guest that have booked with me that I have a dog and a cat, since that is the only two animals they can encounter.. but I do have more, I have a lovebird and a leopard gecko, but since they are not "dangerous" animals, are allergy frendly and the guest won't even see or hear them, I have not disclosed it. 

My guest sent me a very angry message stating that she has left and want a full refund because she decided that she could look thru my private window and saw my enclosure to the gecko. The blinds was fully down, but there is a small opening at the bottom, wich means that she bent down and looked really hard, and then freaked out. She asked me what kind of animal I had and I proceeded to tell her and I also told her that its not dangerous and that it has never escaped the enclosure. She still left. I of course went to take in the keys, and now I don't know what to do? She still has the booking as she has not cancelled, and I honestly don't know if I was in the wrong? And should I have left the keys outside in case she comes back? 

[Emiel1]

@Camilla164 

You still need to communicate with the guest about her intentions.

If she does not want to stay, she must cancel the reservation (or contact Arbnb to complain and ask for cancellation). Otherwise the reservation continues and she is entitled to stay and yes, have the keys !

[Sarah977]

@Camilla164  Sorry I'm not answering your question here, but I had to laugh- I don't have leopard geckos, but the common geckos who climb the walls. There are scores of them in my house, including the guest quarters- they are endemic to the area and run around at night on the walls and ceilings eating bugs. If I had guests like yours, I'd be in real trouble. But all of my guests have been fine with it. Right now I have a guest who is originally Malaysian- she's quite used to them, as they are all over in Malaysia as well, as they are in most tropical countries.

Your guest was highly out-of-order, peeking in the windows of your private space.

[Camilla164]

Thank you for making me smile! Hopefully Airbnb will help me figure this one out 🙂

[Lisa723]

@Camilla164 I would just apologize and tell her to cancel her reservation via Airbnb, and she will be refunded according to your cancellation policy. Unfortunately if she complains to Airbnb and gets the right CS rep she might get a full refund due to your undisclosed pets, even though it is ridiculous. To prevent future events, I would just add them to the listing with a note that guests will not encounter them.

[Camilla164]

She won't cancel it, because she won't get any refund from me. She wants me to be the one to cancel, and I honestly refuse to do so, I just started my Airbnb and she is my second guest. I don't want any of the penalties and my second review is going to be a bad one, that I know. I find it impossible to get any kind of answer from Airbnb and it's driving me mad. Thank you for your advice tho 🙂 and I will add the gecko to my list as suggested. 

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723  Seriously? I can't believe a host would be required to disclose a pet in their own private residence that is completely separate from the guest space, especially one locked in an enclosure inside. We're not taking about a leopard here, we're talking about a leopard gecko, a 7 inch harmless lizard. What's next, "I have goldfish"?

I could see a guest who's afraid of dogs being fearful of a host's dog out in the yard, even if the dog was in a separate yard, thinking maybe it would jump the fence and bite them. But this woman peeking in the host's private space, into a slight opening under the shade, is no different from a guest opening the door to a host's private bedroom- it's a total invasion of privacy. I disagree that the host should apologize to the guest- it should be the other way around.

[Lisa723]

@Sarah977 I did not say that @Camilla164 "should" do anything at all. I just said what I would do, in the interest of my business, if I were in her place. Personally, I have no problem making ridiculous gratuitous apologies to guests. It costs me nothing and can defuse upset. On the other hand, a bad review can be very expensive. Especially for a new host. And sure, I would disclose goldfish. Why not, if it's something I could do to avoid this kind of unfortunate event.

I agree that the guest is a piece of work, but if anything that only reinforces these calculations.

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723  I get what you're saying and I know you didn't say "should", sorry. Every host has to do things in the way they feel it works best for them. I'd just be hard pressed to apologize for something I felt I had no reason to apologize for, especially if the guest had invaded my personal privacy. It seems to me a guest like this, who not only peeked into the host's private space, but sent her an angry message, isn't going to be appeased by an apology , even when accompanied by a refund, she'll still leave a bad review. But I could, of course, be wrong.

[Lisa723]

@Sarah977 you're probably right. Since I view an apology as literally zero cost I'd throw it in there. A major difference between us is I do not share space with my guests-- I would never be able to do that, in part because it would probably destroy my ability to maintain the distance necessary for this point of view. 

@Camilla164's best hope at this point is perhaps to goad the guest into including content in her review that violates Airbnb TOS so it can be removed. Maybe mention of the contents of her private space would do it.

[Camilla164]

@Sarah977 @Lisa723 

I did tell her that I was sorry for my space not living up to her expectation. But I also did state that I do not have to disclose all my pets, since she would not have encountered them If she had not peeked thru my window.

I got her to cancel the reservation, and I did get in contact with Airbnb. I asked them for help before finding this forum, they actually are "on my side" and told me that I do not have to refund her for pets on my property and my "part" of the house that she did not know about and that are allergy friendly.  That's a relief, but now that I have denied her a refund I am expecting an really angry review coming my way, and that Airbnb seemingly can't do anything about. I just have to "defend" myself. More often than not I feel like guest are more likely to take other guest's side, but I do hope my one other five star rating make people book either way. 

Thank you for all of your advice, I really appreciate it. 

[Sarah977]

@Camilla164  Yes, absolutely do not cancel yourself. If she leaves a bad review, mentioning your undisclosed gecko, I'd post a response that makes it clear that the only way the guest knew that you had it was that she was peering into the window of your private residence, which is completely separate from the guest apartment, and would have required an intention to invade your privacy.

I wouldn't even bother contacting Airbnb at this point- I'd just message the guest back, offering to refund her the nights she didn't stay if she cancels. If she's not amenable to that, and contacts Airbnb ranting and raving, then you can let them know what transpired. In the meantime, until she cancels, she has an active booking, so you do have to allow her access to the listing, even though it's doubtful she'll be back.

[Christine615]

Never cancel on a guest otherwise you get dinged. She violated your personal space and spied. She should be banned from the platform frankly. But under no circumstances do you owe her a refund.

If Airbnb is trying to force people to accept guests for having emotional support animals, just tell them your guest discriminated against YOU for having emotional support animals that were contained in a space not accessible to the guest.  Let's see how they act when the shoe is on the other foot.

[Kelly149]

My next door neighbor has a dog. It may bark at my guest thru the fence. Should I disclose this?

neighbors may walk animals down the street by my place. Should I disclose this?

i could invite a pack of people to my house across the yard from my abb space. Should I disclose this?

imagine the disclosure that would be needed for apartment & condo hosts...

i dont think hosts hosts need to disclose anything that isn’t in the guest space. What’s in your house is of none of her concern. 

Now, her being a window peeper is definitely worth mentioning. Good luck!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

I absolutely agree with @Kelly149. Our apartments are in the apartment building in the city center. Should I disclose everything and everyone in my and a few nearby buildings? Cafes, the theater, the tattoo shop, dogs, cats, neighbor's kids....?

I disagree with others regarding the key. If your guest said she will leave, and she left with all her possessions then, of course, you can take the key and lock the unit, you can't leave it open for the next 3 days! If she decides to come back and if she doesn't cancel you will give her back her key.