What should note on the door say?

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

What should note on the door say?

My house has an odd set up. It used to be a "family compound". Technically single family but in reality two units. The connection between the two is a door from third floor hallway into second floor bedroom with stairs down inside the bedroom. I rent the house as two separate listings most of the time so the door is permanently blocked off. You can see the nail caps (neatly) on one side and it is actually boarded off at top of the stairs where it is not really visible. No problems all this time but in the last two weeks two separate groups had kids that violently banged on that third floor hallway door trying to get into the other side. I ended up with a three star feedback from the other side for one instance (apparently their entire stay was tainted by a one minute encounter with kids at 9 am- but that's a whole other story). The other group has not left feedback yet. At the end everyone is upset though- I am sure the parents of the children did not appreciate being reprimanded either. 

Long story short, i need to put a note on the door. I do not want it to be angry like "keep out" or "do not touch". "Private" will not stop children. Long winded explanation like "if you are a child and curious, there are monsters behind there so do not touch" will probably win me a few cancellations at arrival.

Any suggestions?

8 Replies 8

@Inna22 Mischievous kids will take a note on the door as a challenge. When you give guests their introductory tour, I recommend pointing out the door between units and explaining to any parents with kids that this is the spot in the house most sensitive to disturbances. In the long run, it might be helpful to make it look less like a door - perhaps put a heavy sculpture or potted plant in front of it, or some kind of decorative wall covering.

 

I think the guests who reviewed you left fair and reasonable feedback. There's a huge difference between being awoken to the little brats loudly and directly banging on an unopenable door and the ambient noises of the city, and it's understandable that the confrontational nature of this encounter fully spoiled the sense of privacy your guests sought in an "Entire Home" listing. 

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Inna22   I would say private/quiet and start mentioning the door and the need for people to be respectful of guests on the other side in the greeting message or in person if you do that, I can't remember.  Maybe you should start restricting the age of children?

@Mark116 I like that- please be respectful of guests on the other side

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Anonymous while I agree they were generous in their wording, I do not think it warrants three stars to the host. I stayed at a hotel recently where guests across were obnoxious all  night. Does that make the entire hotel three stars? Furthermore, once the guests told me about it, it was stopped immediately. Unfortunately I do not greet every guest in person and the door is in such location that it can not be blocked, although this would have been a brilliant idea otherwise. 

@Inna22   That's a shame that it's not possible to cover up the door in some way. But fortunately this is one of those situations with a pretty low chance of recurrence. 

 

I'm neutral about the star ratings, because honestly it would drive me crazy if I took them seriously. There's no logic, no consistency, no good reason to reduce the complexities of any human experience down to a 5-point grading system. It doesn't deserve the power we give it when we take it personally. Everything else i have to say about it is already expressed perfectly in the Black Mirror episode "Nosedive."

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Inna22 thick velvet curtain?? Interesting canvas painting??

 

people shouldn't be banging on any part of the house at any time, so trying to solve that problem will feel silly bc obviously they shouldn't be banging!!!

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Inna22  Puts me in mind of sitting in an airline seat with a child in the row behind you who keeps kicking the back of your seat 🙂

I was going to suggest something similar to Kelly's, since you can't block the door- attach a thick, attractive quilt to the door, secured in such a way that kids couldn't lift it up to muffle sound. Check out second hand stores for something like that- could be a thick bedspread or curtain, etc. As well as a sign by the door and a verbal mention.

 

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Kelly149 @Sarah977  great idea, thank you