Guests ignoring house rules....

[Ben253]

Hi All! 

It has all been quiet guest wise, with lots of lovely people coming and going with lots of nice things to say and no headaches from my end. Until this week....

I have some guests in, who are here for the week. They arrived Wednesday, and I guess I should have expected them to be a touch demanding when they walked in and left their (heavy) bags at the top of the stairs for me to carry. I actually don't mind doing this and almost always offer to help my guests with luggage. Except these guys wanted me to bring everything down for them like a porter. Ok, fine. 

Anyhow, onto the tour of the house. One of the first things they wanted was 'fresh towels every day'. Hell no... at this point it becomes somewhat obvious that they think they are in a hotel! I explained that this much laundry is economically bad, and that they can have a change of towels after three days (usually I give one set of towels for a week but I thought meet them halfway to keep things sweet) 

I was out last night and stayed with a friend. I arrived home to find the kitchen filthy (food on the floor, dirty pans left on the hob and food waste in the plug hole) along with a note asking me to cover my food in the fridge (?) I have some filled rolls I had made to get me through some fully booked days ahead workwise, and a tortilla espanol... nothing particularly unpleasant and certainly nothing smelly (as someone who works with aroma and fragrance on a daily basis, I am particularly sensitive to bad smells) 

There are a few other niggles; they frequently use the kitchen in my work hours and were just yesterday playing music from a phone whilst I had patients visiting. They slam the bedroom door with such force every single time they use it - waking me up at 5:45am this morning! Despite my house rules stating 'no frying in the house' they keep frying onions WITH THE WINDOWS CLOSED. THIS is the precise reason I have the no frying rule. 

They are only here until Tuesday morning but I am struggling at the halfway mark! Any suggestions on what to do? I don't really want to get Airbnb involved, particularly after putting up with them for the last few days! It is such a shame when guests like this arrive as it has been great for months now! 

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Ben253 @As you say you've put up with them so far - deep breaths but don't give in to any further demands. A short simple review. 'Much more suited to a hotel environment '

[Ben253]

Definitely a lot of deep breaths at the moment! They have, at least, left the kitchen tidy today (possibly because I am around and forever wiping things - perhaps they needed the visual cue to remind them that whilst there is a cleaner that comes in, she is not really here to clean up mess, rather to uphold a certain level of cleanliness!)

Three more days and then I will have my home back. It really is a test of patience sometimes hey! 

[Nakayama0]

How about taking away pans, oil, soasonings?. Then add "No cooking policy except for boiling water. Don't bring any cooking tools, uncooked foods, home furnishings and appliances." to the policy? Also how about entering room every day to check and resupply amenities, leaving a memo "Pls close door silently" or so.

In my listings it works.

[Ben253]

I popped into the room today just to empty bins and change sheets and it seems they have all of the oils and seasonings in there! I may have to add something similar to this; usually my guests dont want to fry first thing in the morning so it has not really been an issue. Although I am sure it definitely says in my policy 'NO FRYING' 

I am going to have to mention the door slamming, although when they were getting ready to leave this morning (whilst I was with my patients) they managed to not slam the door even once...! It is so strange! 

[Helen3]

@Ben253  why are you letting them get away with leaving the kitchen in such an awful state and slamming doors all the time?

[Ben253]

When you put it that way.... I actually don't know. I needn't feel quite so powerless in my own home! They managed to actually be quiet today; I will see how they go tonight and if the slamming continues I will just verbally tell them to keep it down. 

[Mark116]

@Ben253  You might just very politely remind them that the doors will close without slamming, maybe they're used to something else, where more force is needed?  As far as the kitchen, I don't know, it's tough, we recently had lovely guests but whatever they cooked [frying] left a smell that lasted for days despite cleaning and running a huge fan for several hours....but I hate to institute rules on use of the kitchen, it's a tough call.

[Ben253]

Its jut very peculiar, as this morning and today they have been silent around the house so whyyyyyyyy at 0545am would you slam a door. I had a similar experience with a guest who fried an entire pigs worth of bacon during the course of their stay; I love the smell of bacon at breakfast time. I am less enthused everytime I come home a week later...! (Especially with my apartments - its not the most ventilated place and smells linger!) 

Im just gonna suck it up; see how it goes with the slamming this evening and just ask them to be a bit more gentle if it continues! 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ben253  I admire your patience I am affraid to even think how would I react !  😄 😄

 " Better suited in a cave"

[Ben253]

'Better suited in a cave' has just literally caused me to spit my tea out from laughing! In this instance, it may be true...! 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ben253 

laughter is a universal remedy :))))

[Rachel0]

@Ben253 You've got a great listing and some lovely reviews.  What I cannot understand is why you are letting guests cook in your kitchen.   You live in a part of London which is  jam packed with great places to eat, so just let them use the kitchen to make a tea or a coffee and - at a push - the microwave  to reheat a ready meal.  

[Ben253]

Oh I know, we have a gorgeous deli literally outside! A five minute walk has you in range of Chalk Farm road so literally eating options galore. I do understand that some people can tell leave till they have eaten as

im one of those people! But, that’s why I’d often stay at a hotel or home that doesn’t include breakfast. I’m oretty sure the lady was making a stir fry at 8am yesterday. WHats wrong with croissants!

[Sarah977]

@Ben253  Your patience has definitely been tried. I'd say you were far too accomodating from the beginning, when they expected you to be their luggage porter. You said in your post "Okay, fine". It's not fine. It was an indication of their cluelessness as to the difference between an Airbnb and a hotel. When they said they expected clean towels every day, I would have been inclined to say " Oh, I think you might be a little unclear on how an Airbnb differs from a hotel, which is one reason hotels are more expensive. Most home hosts provide clean towels and linens once a week, which is what I do, also. I state this in my listing information, I guess you maybe missed that?" (If you don't say it in your listing info, you should)

They just basically sound like people who are oblivious to others- messy kitchen, slamming doors, playing music loud. "Not well-suited to a home-share situation".

I might be able to hear your huge sigh of relief all the way over here in Mexico when they walk out the door on Tuesday.