Very creepy guest

[Charisse3]

Hi- I am checking out the forum bc I had an issue with a guest for the first time a couple days ago. I am a 53 yr old female single host. I had a 28 yr old guy instant book same day and I messaged him thanks and room is ready after 4 pm. He shows up at my house at 12 and parks in front and messages me asking to check in early. I happened to have the room ready but my house was not cleaned up yet. I advised him of this and said he could check in early. He comes to the door and he is weird- I mean, awkward vibe, slow to speak, staring into my private bedroom as we walk by to go to the airbnb room. I felt weird having him in my home. Then he wants to help me clean up apples from the backyard- also weird (why???). All the while, I can't get an idea about what his plans are, what happened to his brother who he says he was traveling with (they had a fight). His conversational ability was off. I'm thinking, ok, maybe he is on the autisms spectrum or something. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is hanging out in my dining room which is part of the larger living area (I list only kitchen as common area). He is not renting the entire home- I rent out the master bed/bath only. I leave, bc I'm uncomfortable with him in my home, and he texts me asking about how to lock up (that info was all sent to him a few hours earlier). I respond and he sends me this text: "Also this probably sounds silly but wanted to ask if it's just you here? I looked over the details for the place but the airbnb app crashes sometimes. haha" At this point all my hairs are standing on end and I am full on freaked out. After polling my friends, I decide not to answer this. Later he asks me if that is my playstation in the living room (not a common area). I respond simply "no". Meanwhile my sister looks him up on Facebook and he has xxx rated video game screenshots, pictures of himself in front of a wall of porn pictures, lots of pics of his snake killing its prey. Just creepy to me. I absolutely do not want to be in my home with this guy bc he has creeped me out already and now I know this about him. I stay away for several hours and have a guy friend come over and watch some Netflix shows with me. This guest sits at my dining room table the entire time, looking at his phone, a magazine, and the TV from across the room. My friend is also creeped out. Says he was following me with his eyes in a predatory way. My friend is 6'3 and the guest was 6'6. My friend said he was nervous around the guy. At about nine, when my friend leaves, I also leave and stay at a friends with my dog, bc no way am I going to be in my home with this guy. I told him he needs to be out by 11. He was out on time, thank god. Now I have the issue of how to review him, and how to and should I, report him to airbnb. I don't want this creepy guy inflicting himself on other hosts. Also, he supposedly has two reviews (there was only one when he booked) and one host rec. but I can't open either of them for some reason.

 What are the best settings to avoid single men staying in the future? I hate to do that bc I've had some very nice and normal single men,  but as a single female I think it may be safest just to not allow single male guests. What security settings do you all use? Right now I am using same settings from when I started my airbnb last year: I allow instant book with verifications. I think I will change that for sure.....

Thanks so much for any help!

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[#2]

Hi- I am checking out the forum bc I had an issue with a guest for the first time a couple days ago. I am a 53 yr old female single host. I had a 28 yr old guy instant book same day and I messaged him thanks and room is ready after 4 pm. He shows up at my house at 12 and parks in front and messages me asking to check in early. I happened to have the room ready but my house was not cleaned up yet. I advised him of this and said he could check in early. He comes to the door and he is weird- I mean, awkward vibe, slow to speak, staring into my private bedroom as we walk by to go to the airbnb room. I felt weird having him in my home. Then he wants to help me clean up apples from the backyard- also weird (why???). All the while, I can't get an idea about what his plans are, what happened to his brother who he says he was traveling with (they had a fight). His conversational ability was off. I'm thinking, ok, maybe he is on the autisms spectrum or something. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is hanging out in my dining room which is part of the larger living area (I list only kitchen as common area). He is not renting the entire home- I rent out the master bed/bath only. I leave, bc I'm uncomfortable with him in my home, and he texts me asking about how to lock up (that info was all sent to him a few hours earlier). I respond and he sends me this text: "Also this probably sounds silly but wanted to ask if it's just you here? I looked over the details for the place but the airbnb app crashes sometimes. haha" At this point all my hairs are standing on end and I am full on freaked out. After polling my friends, I decide not to answer this. Later he asks me if that is my playstation in the living room (not a common area). I respond simply "no". Meanwhile my sister looks him up on Facebook and he has xxx rated video game screenshots, pictures of himself in front of a wall of porn pictures, lots of pics of his snake killing its prey. Just creepy to me. I absolutely do not want to be in my home with this guy bc he has creeped me out already and now I know this about him. I stay away for several hours and have a guy friend come over and watch some Netflix shows with me. This guest sits at my dining room table the entire time, looking at his phone, a magazine, and the TV from across the room. My friend is also creeped out. Says he was following me with his eyes in a predatory way. My friend is 6'3 and the guest was 6'6. My friend said he was nervous around the guy. At about nine, when my friend leaves, I also leave and stay at a friends with my dog, bc no way am I going to be in my home with this guy. I told him he needs to be out by 11. He was out on time, thank god. Now I have the issue of how to review him, and how to and should I, report him to airbnb. I don't want this creepy guy inflicting himself on other hosts. Also, he supposedly has two reviews (there was only one when he booked) and one host rec. but I can't open either of them for some reason.

 What are the best settings to avoid single men staying in the future? I hate to do that bc I've had some very nice and normal single men,  but as a single female I think it may be safest just to not allow single male guests. What security settings do you all use? Right now I am using same settings from when I started my airbnb last year: I allow instant book with verifications. I think I will change that for sure.....

Thanks so much for any help!

[Letti0]

@Charisse3  You simply put in your description, things guest must acknowlwdge ansd you house rules Female Guest Only. State it more than once or two in the description. As to the reviewI would probably give him a 1* and thumbs down if he freak you out so much that you had to leave your own home and are now only hosting females. The written part: XXXXX is not suited for a shared home environment. Unfortunately I would not have him back as a guest. I probably would have called AirBnB and had him removed immediately.

[Valerie192]

Hi @Charisse0, Feel free to refer to my listing regarding only hosting females. Of course I still get about 1-2 males who don't read and try to book but I always politely tell them they need to cancel or I ask Airbnb to do it for me. 

[Sarah977]

@Charisse3   You can certainly state Females only, as you are hosting in your home, if you are more comfortable with that.

But as a single female who also hosts in my home, I will say that I've had really nice, respectful male guests. But I won't use Instant Book, and I require 3 days advance booking, so I have time to exchange messages with prospective guests.

Rather than feeling you had to leave your own home, you could have contacted Airbnb and asked them to cancel the reservation immediately based on this guy's weird behavior and general creepiness. It seems risky to leave some weirdo alone in your home, although of course, your personal safety is paramount. And as soon as he started to sit around in the dining room, I'd have told him that the only shared space available to guests, as stated in your listing, was the kitchen.

Hosts have reported on these forums some pretty strange female behavior as well, although a female is not likely to be 6'6" and pose a possible physical threat to your safety.

Please do review him honestly so other hosts don't have to deal with him. But keep it as impersonal as possible so Airbnb doesn't have grounds to remove the review. 

[Cormac0]

@Charisse0

It must be great to be an Airbnb executive collecting all that fee income without a care in the world, while Hosts are literally scared to stay in their own homes.

More needs to be done, Brian Chesky please take note!