Is a dispute worth it?

[Sarah4086]

My family (me, my husband, our 2 year old son and our 6 month old baby) stayed for a month at a woman's house in France. She had divided the (large) house into two apartments: the bottom, which she rented out, and the top, her own personal space. This woman is never in town, and had her neighbor welcome us.

When we arrived however there was a gas leak, and her neighbor told us how to go upstairs (through a hidden outdoor entrance), so that we could stay there until a plumber could come and fix the leak. We stayed up there for two days.

When the plumber came and fixed the leak, the host messaged me and said, "so sorry about the inconvenience, glad to hear that now you can fully enjoy the house, as the plumber fixed the leak. But if you prefer, you can also stay in my upstairs apartment, it is a different style (compared to downstairs). You can also take anything from upstairs if you prefer to stay downstairs."

I took this message to mean that she had authorized us to go upstairs and downstairs, especially as the upstairs was now open. So I removed the wood plank that she had used to block the stairs inside the house between the downstairs and upstairs, and me and the baby slept upstairs while my husband and our toddler slept downstairs.

Fast forward a month - after we leave - and this woman starts sending me angry messages saying that she never authorized me to use both the upstairs and downstairs, that in her message she meant I could CHOOSE (all caps!) between the two, not 'take both.' She is angry (apparently) because the team she had sent to clean the place apparently spent 6 hours cleaning the downstairs and 6 hours the upstairs - so she's claiming that they sent her a 250 euro cleaning bill!

I don't know how this is possible, first of all, 250 euros is crazy, especially since we cleaned before leaving (not a professional-level job, but we emptied the trash, did the dishes, stripped the sheets, cleaned the kitchen). I have no idea what this 'cleaning team' was doing for 12 hours (!!) 'cleaning' this house (which is admittedly huge - 350 square meters).

So she wants me to pay this cleaning bill, plus who knows (?) because she requested 500 euros from me via AirBnB! She's claiming I 'broke' the partition that she had had installed for 200 euros between her downstairs and upstairs - when all I did was remove two planks of wood and put them in another room! She's trying to charge me 100 euros for that alone! 

She also yelled at me on the phone for using 'an excessive amount of sheets' (??) and for finding a hat of hers that had been upstairs downstairs (she claims this is 'going through her personal belongings). 

In any case, needless to say, I am furious about this whole thing, and I think she should be barred from renting on AirBnB. 

Her neighbor suggested I pay her 200 euros to avoid a dispute on AirBnB. 

Personally, I don't think I should give her any money at all! All I'd like to give her is a bad review..

What should I do?!? Help!!

[Ann72]

@Sarah4086  I would have read the host's original message, in English or in French, to mean that you could choose one or the other.

Cleaning around the world does not have a set price.  I pay my housekeeper in New York $25 an hour and my housekeeper in Maine $35 an hour.  It's about supply vs. demand.

[Laura2592]

@Ann72 ours is about  $70-$80 per hour for two people. My 3500 square foot house would take about 3-4 hours for a total deep clean. There would be extra charges for cleaning ovens, fridges or doing laundry. 

Our 1400 square foot cottage costs about $110 to clean each time. And the cleaner does not typically stick around to finish laundry if there are several loads. We would have to pay extra.

Cleaning ain't cheap. 

[Mark116]

@Sarah4086  Why don't you split the difference and offer to pay half?  That seems fair, since it appears to have been a legit misunderstanding. 

[Sarah977]

@Sarah4086  If I had received the original message you did from the host, it would have been clear to me that she was offering for me to use the upstairs instead  of the downstairs. It would never have occured to me that she meant that the entire upstairs and downstairs was available for my use, i.e. double the space.

As for the extra cleaning, I agree with Mark- offer to split it with her. And as you booked for a month, did you receive some discount? If so, it would seem pretty presumptuous to use double the amount of space you booked and think that would come free of extra   charges.

You may be under the impression that you cleaned up well, but that is quite subjective. I've had friends ask to stay and I said sure, as long as they are willing to clean the space when they leave, as I have an Airbnb guest arriving the following day. They tell me they cleaned,  and certainly were under the impression they had, but there was no way I considered it to be clean and had to clean it all over again.

You keep bringing up more reasons to feel justified in trying to get this host banned, which is really vindictive and mean-spirited. It seems it was an old home in the countryside, which you chose to book, then complain that it was old?

[Amanda380]

It seems clear that she offered either one dwelling or the other, not both.  Since you used 2 dwellings and only paid for one, you should pay for the cleaning of 2.  It's not like she's asking you to pay for using both units, just for cleaning them.  If the upstairs hat was borrowed and left downstairs then you did use her personal belongings.  If the planks of wood were removed with her permission than you should have no responsibility for that, expecially if you have communication giving you permission.

[Linet31]

i am Kenyan airbnb host and i want to start earning some cash by being a co-host 

I have some questions :

Can i be a host and the same time be a co-host to someone ?if yes will i be limited to the people i can co-host?

Will i use the same app or will i need multiple devices ?please help

[Fred13]

It initially struck me right of the bat, as there was a misunderstanding between the two parities; the host assumed it was obvious what she was offering (the upstairs OR the downstairs); the guest assumed something else (now can use of both freely). Then came the hassle over  the cleaning fee.

But I get the impression the host turned into an attack dog too easily, and if there one things that is a  definite no-no in hosting is to loose one's cool too quickly and over issues  that require finesse and diplomacy - if anything to give any differences the best chance to be solved amicably. Immediately the host threw on the table the misunderstanding, the use of private areas, the cost of now cleaning the whole house, etc  (aka attack mode).

Loose cannons in temperament make me nervous, and make for poor hosts.

[Sarah4086]

An update (if anyone is still following lol). This woman posted the following 'review' of me a few days ago:

(in French and then in English):

Si j'avais su que cette famille vivait dans la tradition et cuisinait selon la tradition indienne j'aurais pris une caution -pour payer les 6 heures supplémentaires de ménage  pour la partie locative -pour essayer de récupérer la literie tachée de graisse et de nourriture Si j'avais su que cette famille allait détruire une cloison pour pouvoir rentrer dans ma partie privative j'aurais pris une caution: -pour payer l'artisan pour réparer cet abus Si j'avais su qu'elle allait occuper la totalité de la maison soit plus que le double de la partie louée j'aurais pris une caution: -pour payer le chauffage supplémentaire -pour payer le ménage supplémentaire 6h Si j'avais su qu'elle rentrerait dans ma partie privative et se servirait de mes effets dans mon dressing j'aurais pris une caution: -pour payer les mouchoirs tellement j'ai été blessée par cette violation de domicile.

In English:

If I had known that this family lived in the tradition and cooked according to the Indian tradition I would have taken a deposit - to pay the 6 additional hours of cleaning for the rental part - to try to recover the bedding stained with grease and food If I had known that this family was going to destroy a partition to be able to return to my private part, I would have taken a deposit: -to pay the craftsman to repair this abuse If I had known that it was going to occupy the whole of the house is more than the double of the rented part I would have taken a deposit: - to pay the additional heating - to pay the additional cleaning 6h If I had known that she would enter my private part and use my effects in I would have taken a deposit in my dressing room: -to pay for the handkerchiefs I was so hurt by this home invasion.

i honestly feel like everything I thought about this woman has been proven by this review! Totally over the top and yes, unhinged! Not to mention racist !! (My husband is Indian - not that we cooked Indian food... smh).

So I reported this review to ABB as discriminatory. The agent I spoke with said he was going to 'escalate' it to see if further action needs to be taken. Not sure what this means? What does 'escalating' mean in such a situation?

[Brian2036]

Hmmm…a couple of points that don’t add up here.

What kind of “gas leak” are we talking about? If it’s natural gas it needs to be fixed within MINUTES, not DAYS, and everyone needs to get out of the building immediately. 

Nobody coming back until the house is thoroughly ventilated and cleared by the gas company.

Flipping a light switch could have incinerated everybody inside and maybe the neighbors too.

 The host seems to be suggesting that it was not a gas leak, but a cap left off an oil tank.

If I smelled a faint trace of gas I would have gone looking for the source of the smell. If it was strong enough to make my eyes water I would have got my family as far away as possible.

Removing a permanent partition? NO WAY.

How were those “few boards” fastened? Nails? Screws? 

Why weren’t they put back before the guest checked out?

[Deb-And-Nige0]

I think everyone has missed one point.  The guests moved into the unit with a gas leak.  Then they moved upstairs.   Both units would have had to be cleaned anyway!

[Sarah977]

@Deb-And-Nige0  There was no evidence that it was a gas leak. No one is missing the point. The host said the guests could use the upstairs unit "if they preferred". Prefer indicates one or the other, not both. Guest used both the top and bottom floor the whole time- twice the amount of space they paid for. And took liberties with the host's personal belongings, and removed the barrier separating the spaces, so they could move freely between the upstairs and downstairs. 

Bedding stained with grease and food. Didn't bother to wash the bedding during their stay, just kept helping themselves to clean sheets, left 4 loads of laundry.

I'm sure if the guest had left the place clean and tidy and replaced the barrier they removed and not moved the host's personal belongings, there would have been no drama.

Host should not have made that racist statement in her review, inexusable for sure, but I don't know why the host would even have mentioned cooking if the kitchen had been left spotless. I assume it was not.

Host tried to be accommodating, guest took advantage. It wasn't all about cleaning two units.