Any suggestions for this bad guest situation?

[Ryan2487]

Hello, sorry bit of a long one here.

I've just been wondering what happens when a bad guest damages the place and refuses to pay. In my house rules I have "No party's" etc and a minimum of 2 night stays but I have had my fair share of bad guests recently. One of the most recent was in September when a guest smashed the house up and threw drinks up most the walls and ceilings and left drugs everywhere. They said they "had a bit to much to drink" . They admitted the damage but said they were not paying the £1800 bill. Weeks later I finally got Airbnb to pay out after ringing half the painters in the city do a quote to their liking.

  Do airbnb take that hit of their own pocket or do they chase the guest up about it?

Reason I'm asking is because some of the  guests behave like they can do what they want to your property without consequences. I had similar guests stay this weekend . My cleaner went round 90mins after check out (1230hrs) they there were all still in my living room and they had smashed  the wooden chair and lamp up in the living room and they won't reply to my messages so I'm waiting for the 72hours to finish counting down to get Airbnb involved.

The thing most these bad guests seem to have in common is that they are from Dublin, Ireland and just come here to party and wreck the place and ignore all the house rules. I'd ban people from that area in future however it doesn't always tell me where a guest is from even though I have it set to ask the guest for it. 

[Brian2036]

@Ryan2487 

Regarding the question of who pays for damages, the answer is “usually you.”

First the host is supposed to ask the guest to admit fault and pay. Usually they don’t.

Then Airbnb is supposed to try.  Usually that doesn’t work either.

Then Airbnb tries to weasel out of honoring their “Million Dollar Host Guarantee” which is full of gaping loopholes.

Finally the case may be referred to the shadowy insurance underwriters who are, naturally, deeply committed to never paying anyone anything for any reason.

As you noted, sometimes you can get partial reimbursement after a long delay and a lot of ratcheting. Often it’s not worth it.

 I have never heard of a recalcitrant guest being held responsible for anything. This is, apparently, becoming common knowledge and the worst kind of trash are gleefully taking advantage of the unwritten “Million Dollar Guest Zero-Liability Guarantee.”

 If someone has some evidence to show that I’m wrong I hope they produce it.

 I would really like to see some of the trash prosecuted for their crimes.

[Elena87]

@Ryan2487 

One thing that would help, leave reviews.

Look, you had a guest Jack, from your response to his review you state he left a mess.

You didn't leave him a review, and in his review history, one already highlights this problem.

I don't know if you shirked the tackle, but if an inquiry with two black reviews out of four for leaving a mess dropped in, I'd be telling Jack to Jack off.

[Ryan2487]

Hi, I was under the impression that if I left a bad review that I would get one back so I didnt bother. I now see that if I let the time run out they can leave a bad review against me and I can't leave one back so from then on I'll be leaving negative reviews. 

[Colleen253]

@Ryan2487 Reviews are blind. Go ahead and be honest in your guest assessments. It’s important that we all do that. By the way, the help center is filled with informative articles on how things work. Do have a look sometime.

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/13/reviews-for-stays

Vet your guests by asking lots of questions. Their answers, and the quality of their communication, can inform a great deal. Also do a search in the forum using the key words ‘red flag’ to learn a bit more about what to be wary of. The key is absolutely keeping sketchy guests from gaining access to your space. Also important is setting your listing up to attract the best, and discourage the worst. 

[Ryan2487]

Hi, thanks for the reply, I'll look it up. I need to think of a way to politely turn people down from now on.

I see your from cochrane, I've been a few times and love the place, especially texas gate. I'm Waiting for all this covid nonsense to calm down and I'll be heading back ASAP. 

[Colleen253]

@Ryan2487 Small world! The gate'll be waiting for you when you return. It's still standing 🍺 

When declining a red flag potential guest, you can just say something generic like "so sorry, but I feel my listing will not be a good fit. Best of luck in your search!" 

[Scott57]

You probably know this already, but you can set you listing to not accept guests without positive reviews. I strongly recommend this. I made an exception recently and regretted it. And you can also (at least in the US), put a security deposit hold on the guest's credit card for any possible damage. I put a $150 security deposit which I can submit damages against up to 14 days after a guest leaves. I've never had to use it, so I cannot say that it actually works though. 

[Debra300]

@Scott57,

Airbnb doesn't put a hold on a guest's credit card nor collect any funds for a damages deposit.  You should always refer to Airbnb's Help Center to research and read the details about their policies:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140/how-does-airbnb-handle-security-deposits

Here's an excerpt,

"Host-required security deposits are different from Airbnb-required security deposits in that no authorization hold will be placed. Guests will only be charged if a host requests to collect on their security deposit. Depending on what was damaged, the amount the host requests may or may not be the same as the security deposit."

I also recommend that you research how the host guarantee process really works.  A good place to start is by doing a topic search at the top of this page.