Hello @Momi0 and ALL hosts who may have insight!
First of all, thank you for all of the great information! It's really great to have this resource and review real-life situations to gain insight and guidance on certain issues! I have overall had a very smooth hosting experience with my ABB property and I am grateful for that. 🙂
That being said, I currently have guests in which I want to ask to leave. @Momi0, In reading your recommendations above you mention of course contacting ABB (which I do plan to do) but I am wondering about the "Report a Problem" link you are referring to, because I do not see that anywhere when I click on this guests reservation?? I am all for working to resolve any issues between myself and the guest first before dragging ABB into things, however I also realize it is likely best to fully document and follow all necessary steps to cover myself...
Note that my rental is the entire property, a 2 BDR house with yard, etc. The long story short is that there was an issue with the couch where one of the legs was broken...when I was alerted of this, I sent over my caretaker/handyman and had him take care of it. He fixed the couch leg and all was fine with the guests etc. Several days later however, my guest notified me that the leg had broken again. The guests repeatedly stated that it was "no problem at all...really not an issue..." and were very laid back about it etc., and I spoke to my handyman on how to fix the issue and it was going to take a little more involved approach to fix, so I contacted my guest and advised that it would take a few days, but that my handyman would be by again. In the meantime the guests had requested to extend their stay and we liaised on that...then they received word of their work being extended again, so asked again to extend. This second communication the main guest contact said that "while he was away on vacation his roommate lost the key...oh and also the garbage disposal doesn't seem to work, but we are not concerned, we just wanted to keep you in the loop and can we go ahead and confirm the second extension for our stay..."
So as I am sure other hosts can relate...THEY may not be concerned about having no key/losing the key to my house and the garbage disposal not working...but I AM! So...getting to the main actual issue...I advised the guests the day before that my caretaker would be over the next day with a new key, to address the couch and to take a look at the garbage disposal....asked their schedule to accommodate/not disturb. They said they would be gone at work so I said my caretaker will be coming in the morning, if that's okay...they said yes, that's okay...(I feel this part is important because they knew my caretaker was coming/going to enter the house).
Upon my caretaker arriving at the house, he called me right away and was in a tizzy because the house was a disaster...they were very, very dirty (my caretaker is also my housecleaner so he takes great pride in the condition of my house which is why I love the job he does for me) and he also stated that it wasn't just messy like with clutter and clothes, etc...but DIRTY, like food on plates on the floor, the sink piled high with dishes (as well as the dishwasher - dirty dishes) and the kitchen sink clogged...filth in the toilet and hair and soap scum/residue in bathroom sink...USED CONDOMS ON THE BEDROOM FLOOR...etc. etc...very disgustingly dirty.
Once he unclogged the kitchen sink, (which guests did not mention, they only said garbage disposal did not work - even when I asked them a couple questions to troubleshoot it - such as, was it making noise when switched on like there appeared to be something jammed, or was there no power/movement at all..etc.) It turned out there was a breaker tripped and once my caretaker took care of that, the garbage disposal still did not work...so the motor is very likely burned out, which means it will need to be replaced. I won't even go into the possibilities that contribute to this happening as many likely already know, but nearly always it is because of running it even when jammed and then the motor burns out. Given the state of the house and the sink (clogged and full of food waste and dirty dishes) I strongly suspect misuse is what broke it...anyhow...
My caretaker also went on to show me via pictures and a FaceTime call the handle of the refrigerator broken (how the ???) along with one or maybe more wheels of the fridge broken as it wobbled and would not coast/roll as before...as well as the bedroom door off of one of its hinges. Lastly, evidence of drug use/paraphernalia in the house (in plain view) and the smell also told him that it was being smoked in the house. Now...this last one is what I was looking for, in that for all of the things I have been reading, if you cancel a guest/ask them to leave prior to the end of their reservation, ABB will levy cancellation fees on to the HOST...unless there are house rules being broken. My house rules state NO SMOKING inside the house, that smoking is allowed OUTSIDE ONLY.
(BTW, this was supposed to be the short version but I obviously couldn't keep it short...)
My concerns are many...but primarily:
-By asking them to leave ASAP will I be penalized by ABB? On some level, I would like to ask them to leave directly and give them the chance to initiate the cancellation themselves...I am fine with refunding them for any nights they do not stay so feel like this is more than fair.
-Upon inspection after they leave, I do intend to claim the damage of the refrigerator handle and anything else that I may discover is broken, however again...if I speak to them directly first, I can discuss/ask about the refrigerator handle and the door...but I am at a bit of a loss for the garbage disposal since they have definitely stated in the way they have reported it that it just "stopped working"...so I feel they will not take any responsibility for misuse of it.
-Additionally, before there was one couch leg broken which my caretaker fixed, he now noted there were two legs broken. Also, when my caretaker was there the guests returned back to the house from work, and they then also told him that the dishwasher was not working. (They did not mention this to me - and also told my caretaker that "it never worked"). My caretaker told me that dishes were piled inside of it haphazardly and there was silverware poking downwards on the bottom rack (which...again...as most hosts/people know will stop the spinning washer wheel thingy)...not to mention, the sink is clogged so the dishwasher can't drain properly...uugghhhhh...
-Lastly (I think!) they did not mention the fridge door handle or the bedroom door off of the hinges (my caretaker told me about these) so when HE asked the guests about these, the one guest immediately got defensive and said "it was already like that!" in reference to the bedroom door, and with the refrigerator they said "well I think it was rather loose already". BOTH things are just plain untrue.
Okay...so given that recount...my even reading through it I feel like there isn't a host out there who wouldn't agree that they would not want these guests in their home one moment longer! However, I still want to handle the best way with the best outcome...OH...there IS one more thing:
-Upon departing my caretaker left the spare/new key on the desk which is by the front door. He said to me that he mentioned this once when on the way to the door, "here is the new key, I'll put it on the desk here..." and then after talking a moment longer, said that he referenced it again, "the key is here on the desk..." and that both of them were in the room at the time...however, my guests are saying that my caretaker never gave them a spare key!! So this is now a "his word against ours" stance they are taking...however....early the following morning prior to leaving the property when my caretaker went to throw away the garbage from the back house (a separate property that uses the same trash) he saw the spare key laying in the dirt in the carport (the trash cans are right by the carport). Keeping in mind this was AFTER the guests claimed to me that they did not hear my caretaker say that he was leaving the key on the desk, and that they never got it.
SO...given that I have every reason to trust my caretaker whom is also a friend I have known for years, the guests seemingly lost the key for a second time and decided it easier to tell me that my caretaker didn't ever leave it.
Whew...I think that's it...I guess my real question is: how do I ask them to leave ASAP without a lot of drama? SMH...
Any feedback/insight/guidance would be greatly appreciated!!
Terri59
