Private room back house

[Eduardo1262]

Hello. So I have a duplex property. 

The main house is a 3 bedroom 2 bath centralized air. 

The back house is a 2br 1 bath but with no centralized air but I do have 3  brand new window a/c 1 in each bedroom and 1 in the living room.

I recently added 2 small heaters that heat up the rooms very well and one for the living room because it is not a centralized air.

I've had 2 good reviews so far.

I do have a guest whom she arrived felt very uncomfortable because someone that "looked" different was there started complaining about him and basically lied about her situation and has been an on going problem with her stay. I gave her the option to cancel but she never did and kept complaining.  How do you guys handle a guest like that who finds anything to complain about yet is the only one complaining or complains to airbnb but fails to show proof that her stay is miserable

[Thao62]

You can send a message to Airbnb with a solution you think is the best for your situation. They will support and advice this case to you. 

Btw, please always keep polite and clear message when you communicate with her. 

[Eduardo1262]

@Thao62 i have a feeling she will leave a bad review. I went out of my way to accommodate her and still complained. Never was satisfied but airbnb is on the situation already and it is clear to them already.

[Colleen253]

 "I gave her the option to cancel but she never did and kept complaining".  It was at this point that you should have insisted  she cancel, as you could not possibly allow her to stay due to her stated reason for discomfort. If she was truly that uncomfortable, she would not have wanted to stay. So whatever her angle was, it was not going to end well for you. Maybe fishing for a refund on her stay? Who knows, but when you allow a guest like this to grab and keep the ball, you will lose, every time. @Eduardo1262 

[Eduardo1262]

@Colleen253 yes she was fishing for a refund that failed to do so. I'm a new host so all this a great information.  Thank you!

[Kia272]

@Eduardo1262  Raise your prices. 

At this price point, you are setting yourself up for problem guests. 

Although your post was a bit unclear, it seems that your guest was complaining about another guest in your shared space. I always see that set-up as a hot mess just asking for trouble, especially in Covid times. Your listings don't mention anything about Covid precautions- like social distancing and mask wearing in common spaces.  I saw a mention of extra cleaning and sanitizing, and also that "cleaning staff may stop by during your stay." At your price point, I'm baffled as to how you could be paying someone to clean the space, let alone that they could be stopping by during a guest's stay. That's just too messy all around, no pun intended.  

You'd be so much better off doubling your price (at a minimum!) and renting one room at a time, or renting this separate space (still a bit unclear?) to people traveling together. 

Seriously- low prices attract bottom feeders. Good luck. I hope she doesn't hit you hard on the review! Kia

[Eduardo1262]

@Kia272 well I just started hosting in the houston area and I have 7 or 8 awesome reviews. I planned to start raising the prices whenever i get more reviews unless that does not matter.l? I am still trying to figure out how to price my private room listings. All private rooms in houston go for $23-$30 on average.

[Kia272]

@Eduardo1262  I obviously don't know your market, but I do believe in the principle of placing a value on your rental space and marketing/renting it accordingly. In other words you decide what it's worth to you to rent out. It's not worth operating at a loss. If you sell quality, people will pay. $27/night is probably way less than most people have budgeted for travel accommodations. 

And believe me, low prices attract trouble. It's great that you have started with great reviews, but this early in the game, one bad review could hurt you badly. 

I would also definitely be more clear about your shared space- I don't believe you mentioned in either of your room descriptions that other guests might also be staying, and be very specific about Covid distancing guidelines for shared spaces. Honestly, I'd really only rent the spaces to a family or people traveling together, at least for now with Covid the way it is. Just my two cents. Good luck.