SOS:Alcoholic unresponsive guest sleeping in the room with carpet urinated all in a mess won't leave

[Olivia373]

Hi there! I need to speak to somebody urgently.

My present guest should have left by now and I have somebody else coming any time.

I went into her room and I found her unresponsive, sleeping and the room in a mess. I think she has urinated herself.

I have another guests in the house and I need to get her out quietly and fast. Also, there are damages to my property.

Can I, please have a phone no. of somebody I can contact in Ireland?

The last 3 days have been a nightmare and I am at breaking point and in an impossible position

Please help!

[Anonymous]

@Olivia373  I don't know anything about the laws in Ireland concerning forcible removals, but it sounds like you've exhausted your options with law enforcement for now. If you're still in contact with her cousin or any other relatives, it's probably up to them to take responsibility and come to collect her. You should make it clear that you are prepared to file a civil suit for any further damages caused by her behavior.

Have you been able to get Airbnb on the phone yet? They can't help you much with removing the guest; however, you are entitled to compensation for her staying past her checkout time ("Overstay Fees," see: Terms 8.2).  Also, at this time in the day it's crucial that your incoming guests are aware of the situation and able to make other arrangements. At this point it's not going to be possible to host under the appropriate conditions, so unfortunately your best option is to inform the guests and grant them a full refund. This is best done with Airbnb's assistance.

How to deal with your flatmates is another matter, but hopefully they will be supportive in your situation. Your only option here is honesty.

[Olivia373]

Hi, this is the situation. It appears that my guest is a know alcoholic. She was just walked out of a rehab program in Athenry. Her cousin booked her a room in my house for 3 days and "dumped" her on me not informing me of any undergoing issues. I tried to contact her cousin afterwards because the last 3 days have been hell and I was truly concerned about her wellbeing (my guess relates having lost her mother last April and been kicked out of her home by a violent dad to whom her solicitor delivered a safety order that made her very upset last Wednesday). She come to Athlone to search for work and accommodation.

Any minute my other guests and flat mates will appear and the house is wrecked, I have a young lady sleeping it off and all the neighbors watching outside the door -they gather around the ambulance.

I am new in AirB&B, but also in the neighbourhood and this is how I start off.

I am alone, in a new town, with somebody intoxicated in the house, unable to do anything to get her out (at least she is well, medically speaking) or to protect the bad reputation and insecurity that this generates.

Furthermore, I am supposed to be somewhere else and leave her in the house alone, with no help from anybody

[Helen3]

Oh dear  @Olivia373 

I am sorry you are having such a hard time. Firstly you shouldn't be accepting third party bookings on Airbnb it is against their T&C for good reason as you can now see.

As a new host I would suggest you remove Instant Book if you have a turned on so you can vet each guest before you accept them.

You are lucky the Garda removed your guest. It is a civil matter and they have no responsibility to do so.

I know this is not what you want to hear but when you are setting up an Airbnb you are setting up a business and you can't rely on help from other people other than your family and friends. It is your responsibility to manage difficult situations,  as part of running your business.

If this is not for you - I  am wondering if Airbnb is for you in the circumstances. Would you not be better having long term house mates instead ???

If you decide to continue with airbnb, then don't accept third party bookings, don't use Instant Book, vet your guests carefully before you accept a booking and if your guest is breaking your house rules, or behaving badly then contact Airbnb and ask them to cancel the booking straight away. Do not wait three days until things are at crisis point.

[Olivia373]

Hi there! The police finally took her away, but I have lost a flatmate and guest and I was left with numerous damages: a mattress I have to throw away because she urinated herself on it and the floor, burns in bedding and the carpet, broken tiles, a broken blind, dirt every where and the police packed away and took my towels with her. I had all the neighbours gathered in front of my house watching the ambulance and police cars go in and out (I have just moved in and spent 4 months doing up my house and I feel like run-ing away to avoid the embarrassment). And I am actually in pieces, still shaking and with a terrible migraine, unable to face the hugh task of cleaning and repairing she left me with. I don´t even have her details as a cousin appears to have booked the accommodation for her. So, as it stands, I am now drained, exhausted after 3 days of hell, with a broken house and a broken heart, a damaged reputation and much worse of financially than if I have never rented at all and I badly needed the income. Is there any means to at least get compensation for all the damages and hustle I have been put throuh?

[Alexandra316]

@Olivia373 So sorry this happened to you: I hope you're able to take some time to relax and decompress. It sound so unbelievably stressful.

If you visit https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/264/what-do-i-do-if-my-guest-breaks-something-in-my-place, it will take you through the steps of making a damage claim. You can claim for actual damage to your property: there is no compensation for pain and suffering, unfortunately.

Maybe it would be a good idea for you to snooze your listing while you get things back under control. I don't mean this in a blaming way at all, but as this was a third-party booking (the cousin booking on behalf of the guest), I would have called Airbnb as soon as it came through and had them cancel it, because it's against their terms and conditions. It may affect your ability to claim through the Airbnb host guarantee. The first step is to ask the booker to pay for the damage though.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Olivia373 

calm down girl, you did the most important thing - get rid of her 🙂

Now drink a glass or water and a pain killer, take a deep breath and pull yourself together.

 this is what you should do next:

1. take a lot of pictures of all the damage done by her
2. try to get an estimate for the repair. The estimate shoud be from a licenced service, not your friend handyman.
3. try to find how much cost replacement items, if you find a link save it.
4. try to find the receipts when you purchased damage items
5. make a damage claim in the resolution center (send or receive money - you will find it on this reservation

the damage claim should be filed BEFORE your next guest check in or within 14 days , whatever is sooner.

If you have any questions or need help feel free to ask, we will help you.

Btw this is hosts and guests forum, we are not Airbnb employers or customer service. We are hosts like you 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

... and one more thing, third party bookings are not allowed by Airbnb so if you get one again in the future, you should contact Airbnb to cancel it without any penalties for you. If you don't do that, it may happen that Airbnb will not support you in case of any problems with a guest.

[Helen3]

This is just such an awful situation @Olivia373 

I agree snooze - put your listing on hold - so you don't get further bookings. (see AIRBNB HELP CENTRE).

Call Airbnb again and explain the situation. Normally you would be able to claim for all these damages through Airbnb guarantee, but unfortunately you have invalidated making a claim by accepting a third party booking. However you can always ask if they would consider a claim.

If not, your best bet for compensation is to make a claim on your home insurance covering short term lets. Call them as soon as your migraine has cleared.

Shut the door on your Airbnb room. Go to bed, take some medication and sleep off your migraine.

Once you are feeling better arrange for some friends/family to come and help you clear the room after you have photo'd /video'd evidence for your insurance/airbnb claim. If you don't have anyone locally. Pay someone to come and help you clear the room.

It really sounds if getting long term tenants who you vet and credit check will be better for you and your health.

[Olivia373]

Sorry, me again!

How do I go about notifying AirB&B and ensuing that they do not return the deposit for this booking? The damages will exceed the deposit. I am finding it very frustrating that I cannot get answers or support straight away. Today has been an ordeal

[Patricia55]

@Olivia373 

How have you been trying to contact Airbnb? By phone?  I normally contact them via Twitter (direct message to @AirbnbHelp) and generally get a prompt response, so that could be worth a try... TBH, I haven't been in such urgent need of help so I don't know the best way.  I'd probably be trying everything if I were you!  But, as others have said, do give yourself a wee breather, a snifter, time to collect yourself, maybe get some assistance from family/friends... If I were nearer I would offer to help!

[Helen3]

Oh dear @Olivia373  it really does sound like you rushed into Airbnb without understanding the basics around how it works.

There is no deposit to be returned all they do is say in the case of damage Airbnb can charge up to the deposit amount against the card.

What questions do you need answers for, that they cannot give you today?

Have you looked on the Airbnb Help Centre to see how the deposit system and the Airbnb guarantee works. Have you asked Airbnb whether they will consider a claim even though you accepted a third party booking?

[Mark116]

@Olivia373   I agree that you might want to snooze your listing if you can do so without cancelling any guests.  Your place looks cute but you need to improve the photos of the beds...the sheets are totally wrinkled.  Better quality photos will get you a better quality of guest.

I am glad that the police took the person away, and you are probably over thinking that your neighbors will dislike you from now on.  Take some time to decompress and then possibly go talk to them and explain in general terms that the person had serious problems which you didn't know about and you apologize for any inconvenience.

The trick to airbnb is screening your guests properly, of course, it won't always work, the bad seeds will still find a way in, but if you make an effort at dialogue with your guests to get a sense of them and their reasons for traveling this will at least weed out most of them.  Good luck.

[Helen3]

Ah @Mark116  you clearly haven't lived in a small community like Athlone in Ireland if you think that @Olivia373  neighbours  won't be talking about this for weeks.

[Mark116]

@Helen3  Yeah, sure of course they will gossip about it, but are they going to really retain major negative feelings just because an ambulance was called for some drunk?  I doubt it, but true, I  have never lived in a village setting.

[Helen3]

Absolutely they could develop negative feelings if they feel she is bringing trouble into the community, but you are right in most cases it will blow over as long as bad behaviour by guests doesn't continue @Mark116 

Athlone is not a village. It's a small town in the centre of Ireland. And that is what is important. Not that it's a village but that is in Ireland and likely to have a small town mentality.