After 2+ Years on AirBnB We Got Our First Scary Renter

After 2+ Years on AirBnB We Got Our First Scary Renter

It finally happened.  A (sort of local) guest from the next state over wanted to rent for 108 days.  His profile stated he was an out of work trucker on disability.  Long story short. He booked for 1 day and brought a "sketchy girfriend" from Hungary with him to "check the place out".  His verifications failed the next day when he tried to rebook (and his account was locked) so we locked them out till it was resolved over the next 24 hours.  He then booked the next 107 days.  The next 3 days there was a lot of odd behavior to say the least.  Bottom line. On the fourth night, a physical fight broke out between them that spilled over into our kitchen.  After we calmed down the situation, we discovered he was on probation for a sex offense, and there was a probation officer at our home the first day he rented without our knowledge.  Amonghst other terribly disturbing stories and lies from the 2 of them, he agreed to leave for the night and let his girfriend stay.  He came back late the night and was there in the morning.  We promptly made a visit to the police department and calls to customer service.  3 officers made a friendly visit and we gave them 3 hours to get cleaned up and get out. They agreed to leave.  We cancelled the reservation and refunded all unsused $.  This could have been much worse.  We are thankful it ended with them off the property, no injuries to us or damages to speak of.  For now we are suspending our listing till we review our options.

3 Replies 3

 Safety first, right @Deby1?  I am glad you had cooperative police.  Many hosts face this type of behavior alone and Air BNB cannot really do anything about the situation.  I see that you have suspended your listing and you have quite a number of very positive reviews.  Perhaps as you consider whether to continue with this business you might decide to only take short term renters, less than 29 days.  I think long term bookings attract a different type of guest and have more risk associated with it.  Good luck, Linda

Yep. We took the 28 day option.  Modifying the listing.  Glad the local officers were so helpful.  They were amazing.  We are about to spin up another listing in FL.  So lessons learned.  

Also, during your self-imposed hiatus re-consider your price, listing description and perhaps becoming much more cautiously selective.

More tools to help you meet your goals

Resource Center

Explore guides for hospitality, managing your listing, and growing your business.