When to be suspect of a guest?

[Lisa1649]

I have a guest who booked a 5 week stay; and we are on day 2. His stories aren’t adding up. I can’t find the company he claims to work for, which is said to be within walking distance of me. He came with no food and hasn’t left, so I don’t think he is eating. He just went outside to smoke (which, of course, I appreciate) and was outside in 20 degree weather, in the dark for an almost an hour (55 minutes). He has been in the shared space of the house frequently, yet is clearly uncomfortable when I try to start the most basic conversations. He has no transportation and my community isn’t easy to get around in without having a car. I’m feeling very nervous and uncomfortable. What should I do? My gut/instincts are on high alert!! 

[Donna240]

It's always best to go with your instincts. Call Airbnb and tell them you want this man out and ask how they intend to help you accomplish that. Put 911 on speed dial and be ready to use it. It is the weekend, so his not leaving for work does not seem abnormal, but not being able to engage in the simplest of conversations is a red flag along with not eating for 2 days. Personally, I'd stay with a friend until I could have him escorted from the property by the police. The fact that he is a total stranger and you feel intimidated by him should be enough reason for them to help you. I think a drive to your nearest police station would be the thing to do...now.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@Lisa1649  What impression and information were you able to glean from the guest's correspondence prior to and after accepting the booking? Does the guest's full name and any ability to research him?  If his communication in person is markedly different from that which inspired you to accept a 5-week booking, it's possible that he's not the one who made the booking - but rather someone who's been dumped onto you.

By the time you read this, the work week will have begun, so presumably you'll know whether he is legitimately going to work. If he's out of the house at this point you don't feel like there's any immediate safety risk, I'd encourage you to write to him within the Airbnb messenger (this is about getting a paper trail) to mention that the lack of communication and transportation has left you concerned that your shared home is not a good fit for his needs. Ask some questions about how he's doing, how he's getting along with work, and what needs he has for the household. If you get no response, or he writes back in a way that confirms your negative impression, the correspondence will give you a stronger basis on which to begin the process of having him re-housed. Of course Airbnb can only do the back end of that, so as @Donna240  says you might need to take steps to ensure your own safety in the event that this causes conflict.

My vibe based on your details is that the guest may just have a mood disorder, or possibly something something related to drugs (not necessarily illegal ones) affecting his behavior. So I don't want to overstate the security risk here. But if the guest's communication fails to put you at ease, nobody can force you to keep him in your home.

[Annette215]

Hi Lisa-

Sorry this is happening to you! I would go back to Airbnb and see if his information on the site matches what you know about the person currently staying at your home. Once the work week begins, see if he leaves the house and goes to work. If he does, he may just be a very private person and feels out of his element staying at someone's home. If he doesn't go to work and you see something that raises another flag you can ask a friend of yours to come over for a bit and see how that goes. Lastly, if you are truly uncomfortable with this individual staying with you, you can call Airbnb and get the reservation canceled. This should be a last resort and be prepared to refund the stay in full. You may want to have someone there with you when this happens if the guest becomes irate when they here from Airbnb or you ask them to leave.