Hi everyone, I started hosting last September and am still learning as I go. The forum has been really helpful for me as whenever I need help there’s usually a post I find with lots of answers, and even worse stories that make mine feel like nothing.
I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this situation though!
I have a girl staying with me at the moment for 4 months at £10 a night (yes, maybe the long stay and the cheap rate are two of my first mistakes). She’s a lovely girl but does my head in and i’ve been miserable living at mine since she arrived. From repeatedly putting on a wash load just for one towel (I dealt with this by telling her not to, but I know some hosts charge for washes), leaving streak marks in the toilet (I was cleaning them up after her until they stopped, then another guest told me he’d been cleaning them up), leaving the heating on constantly even when she’s out (also been dealt with), constantly moaning about the UK cold (she’s from Australia), on her phone to her Oz friends in the kitchen anywhere from 7am onwards (another guest complained), not respecting house rules such as no shoes upstairs, requested a desk in her room which I bought and built, but then she studies in shared spaces, leaves crumbs on the kitchen side, black marks all over the floor from her shoes and doesn’t clean them up (yes I do clean them up myself but I just think it’s conmon courtesy if you make a mess in someone’s house you clean it up?)
Her attitide is “I’m so chilled” (she says it a lot) which makes me feel like I’m being uptight and that if I say something about any of the above it’s my problem because I’m not chilled - though I am, just not when she’s around.
Now the final straw that sent me over the edge. She once got in a mood because I couldn’t give her a lift to pick up a bike she bought. So when she said her friend was coming to visit (“he’s only staying two days and will just crash in my bed”) she was hinting she wanted a lift to pick him up from the station. I stupidly offered, remembering the mood from last time and I guess in all honesty I thought maybe it would help us bond a bit. I didn’t realise it was 10.45pm, and I kicked myself as it got nearer the time and wondered why he couldn’t get a taxi like everyone else. He’s not a paying guest either (she didn’t even offer to pay extra for him to stay and since I can be lenient with the no guest policy once I get to know the guest I thought “ok, she’s here 4 months, it’s a nice surprise, I’ll let it slide”). I go to collect “him” and there’s 2 of them. I was fuming but didn’t let it show. I say there’s the small room to stay in as i’d blocked it off (I’m so fed up of Airbnb hosting since she’s moved in that I’ve blocked off loads of dates until after she leaves) and she says “I was just going to crash on the couch, I’m chilled” and in my head I’m thinking “no you flipping well won’t!” But again mentioning the chilled thing so that by me offering them an extra bed I’m not chilled?
I go to bed and end up ringing my mate in tears because I’ve worked so hard on my house and I absolutely hate it there at the moment.
The next morning i ask I ask her how long they’re staying and it turns out it isn’t 2 nights at all, it’s 3 nights before Scotland, and I don’t know how many nights on their way back (I couldn’t make out what she said as she did her blasé “few nights” thing again.)
I didn’t want to speak to her when I’m angry so I left the house, and while walking my dog phoned her to ask her to stay with them elsewhere. She starts crying, we talk it out, and by the end of the conversation I feel better for standing up for myself and say it’s fine, just stay at mine, enjoy yourselves, I’ll stay at my mum’s.
But it’s still playing on my mind as I feel I’ve been taken the piss out of and manipulated.
Any thoughts/opinions/advice you can offer is much appreciated! I know asking guests to read and agree to house rules when booking (I didn’t do this), and reiterating these when they arrive, are essential. I do say “no shoes upstairs” when people arrive and I have a house guide that people read on arrival (and she has read it).
Like I say, she is a lovely girl, and it’s her first Airbnb so I won’t leave her a bad review (I won’t leave her one at all as I’m sure she’ll learn from this experience and be a better guest next time).