Guest not intending to check out on booked date

[Katrina14]

This is my first hosting experience. I am working away from home and my parents have been looking after the guests in my house.

I have contacted the guest to ask about the time they will be checking out tomorrow.

The reply was

"I have booked the room till 13th, so I will be staying 13th night in the house and will handover the room on 14th morning as checkout mentioned is 12 noon ....because we have a flight on the 14th only

The booking is until noon on the 13th.

So far I have emailed and explained that he seemed to have misunderstood the booking situation and advised him if he wants to stay a night more than he has booked he must do this  through the website. He has not yet replied to my email.

Where do I stand and what do I do if he does not get back in touch?

Thank you

[Delia6]

Contact Airbnb. Tell them your problem. They may take the extra night out of the deposit, seems reasonable to me.

Call the help line, a recording will ask you if this is a probelm with your current guest. They will help you out. Sorry to hear that your guests are trying to take advantage of you. 

[Katrina14]

thank you for your advice!

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

In one sense you are protected - assuming you had a security deposit - as you will be able to claim easily for this. Thankfully the room is avaialble?

I would just chase and tomorrow if no reply contact AirBnB to ask them to get in touch with the guest - explain situation to them.

The guest might be feeling a bit embarrased about it all right now - so see what happens overnight.

As I say, it's easily solved even if they don't pay willingly....

[Andrea9]

@Katrina14 @Delia6v @Gerry-And-Rashid0

Actually, Airbnb has the policy that if a guest stays a night longer than booked without having extended the booking they will charge them double the fee.

I hope you kept the conversation on the Airbnb message page as proof. And it is important that you speak to Airbnb as has been suggested so they can take action.

These guests are either very inexperienced with hotel bookings to think that booking till date X means leaving the next day! ... or they are deliberately attempting to take advantage of you.

[Katrina14]

He has so far not replied to any of my messages but text my father his reply, I have asked him to contact me through the website but so far nothing.

[Sara2]

Not a good idea as a new host not to manage your own business

this guest is taking advantage you should have asked him an hour before check out time " are you guys ok and on time?" A good tip is to go in at check in time with a Hoover 

make sure in your rules that without permission all guest must be out with luggage by check out as you need to book cleaners in advance to service the room . Don't forget to put it in his review

[Amaris0]

E-mail him via Airbnb mail confirming that your dad has received his text sent at XXXX (time/ date)which states XXXXXXXXXXXXX (quote the exact contents of his message). That he has ignored your request to communicate with you via the Airbnb platform which is actually an Airbnb requirement. That he continues to ignore you request to vacate the property as such you have reported him to Airbnb and he will be charged accordingly. He might not respond to you but you are providing evidence which Airbnb will use in their investigation/ decision.

I trust you have spoken to Airbnb by now? Surely they must be working with you by now as well?

[Amaris0]

Tell him to check his booking confirmation and he will find that the booking does not include the night of the 13th. Explain to him using the dates he booked, that since his booking is from 10th of June to 13th of June, his confirmation will show as 3 nights booked as the final day being the check-out date, is not counted.

Inform him that you are contacting Airbnb regarding his refusal to vacate the property and they will charge his card accordingly for the extra night. I think I have also seen somewhere that the guest is charged twice the nightly rate for every extra night; although I believe this is a new policy and I don't know the full details.

In addition contact Airbnb in order that they can contact the guest on your behalf as well, might carry more weight coming from them. Although ultimately, it would also depend if your parents can accommodate him for the extra night.

[Andrea9]

@Amaris0

The part about the double fee is in the long 'business rules' agreement (cease and desist or whatever it's called in North America) where they have all the legalese. It's somewhere midway under fees or something similar.

@Katrina14

In this case don't wait for your guest to finally contact you, get in contact with Airbnb asap. Tell them he is not reacting to you, and they will try to contact him. 

[Amaris0]

Thank you very much Andrea, I'll have a look.

🙂 Ama

[Linda0]

Hello Katrina -

As previously mentioned, contact Airbnb and let them know the guest is not accepting his check out time and that you want to enforce the double rate policy is he stays one minute past noon on the booking.  Then, contact your guest and explain once more that you have informed Airbnb and the guest is confused about the check out time, and that Airbnb enforces a policy that if guest overstay their booking, Airbnb charged double the booking rate.

Then see if he responds.  I have found Aorbmb very helpful in these types of situations.  Give them a call.

Happy Hosting

Linda

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

@Katrina14 If they stay past check-out, they become trespassers. Call the police and have them arrested. Contact Airbnb to let them know the situation.

[Amaris0]

Actually this depends on the individual country i.e, in England the police will not ask the guest to leave as this is a civil matter, they will only attend the property if there is any violence involved or disturbance to the public.

Ama

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

Even if the police don't remove them, you should still be able to file a formal trespassing complaint.