Broken House Rules

[Meera4]

Hello Everyone

I am new to hosting, and I went through a very rough time after my first guest checkout. 

I have not received any support from Airbnb Team yet so I am seeking for some help and information here.

A girl reserved my place and she messaged me to proceed her request. She was very polite and assured me to return the house as she took it. She booked for one guest and then I realized there will be two guests and sent her the modification. At the time of check in she messaged me that she will be late, so I left the key for her in the lockbox. I returned to the to check in on her and welcome her 3 hours later, but she was not there yet! So on the next day I messaged her and ask her if she is checking out at 3 as shewas supposed to meet in perso for both check in and check out. She replied that she is gone already and she left a big garbage bag there as she did not what to do with it. Although I was shocked with the whole situation, I said she doesn’t need to be worry and I will take care of the bag.

Then I went to my place and I could not believe what just happened there and what I was seeing!

my house smelled strongly and the whole place was a disaster! She threw a huge party at my place and they smoked joint and walked with muddy shoes inside the house. My carpets truned gray and brown due to dirt and their fabrics were all over the place. I could not stay more than 5 minutes there to to strong smell of illegal drug and everything was misplaced and such a mess!

I contacted Airbnb right away and informed them about this issue. They assured me that they will investigate and solve the issue as soon as possible. It has been almost 2 weeks and nobody has reached out to me to replied to any of my emails and every time I call them they tell me somebody will contact me soon!

I had to leave my place empty for a week to get rid of the strong smell and it also cost me a fortune to get my rugs to cleaning and also I have to pay for extra cleaning fee. My guest denied everything and ignored my request of payment for the damages event though J submitted adequate and reaonable evidences about the situation. She broke every single of my house rules and took advantage of my place. She was dishonest and disrespectful and deceived me. If she wanted to book any party room for NYE, she had to pay a minimum of $500 so instead she took my house in a very highend neighbourhood for the lowst price possible and manipulate me!

I explained my expectations and house rules carefully in my listings and asked her is she went through them carefully. She said she comply and agreed to them which was all lie. 

My house is empty since the new year and I am still not able to rent it out due to cleaning and hygienic reasons. I asked Airbnb to pay me the security deposit which is half of what it costs me to take care of my place and return it to how it was the first day if she is not going to pay for the damages, but unfortunately I haven’t been helped in anyway possible yet!

Could somebody please help me and give me some reliable information about this matter? 

Thank you

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Meera4 I supose you made a damage claim through the resolution center and submited pictures and videos of damages and also all receipes for cleaning service and other costs you had. I also supose you involved Airbnb 72 hours after your guest said she don't want to pay for damages. If so, you did everything you could.

Just be persistent and contact Airbnb every day or two through twitter, facebook, mail... and sooner or later your case will be resolved with positive or negative outcome.  It usually takes few weeks .

In the future set at least 3 day minimum for the New year eve and rise your price. Low prices attract bad guests. Security cameras , a good neighbour , meeting your guests at check in and taking  a photo of their personal ID-s  is also helpfull as well as not hosting guests from the same town.

I am sorry it happend to you 😞

[Meera4]

Thank you for taking time and sharing your thoughts with me.

Yes, I did them all, but still nothing happened! you are absolutely right about the timeframe and pricing. I am installing a security camera after this incident. 

[Rene-and-Zac0]

First, Shout out to Toronto and Drake and the whole OVO crew. 

@Meera4 You’ve already filed a claim and the guest denied it. 

So you gathered the total damaged items and put a dollar amount on that plus the extra cleaning fees. You are doing everything correct at this point.

At some point you have to sadecide to mitigate your losses and move forward. 

Get back in the game!

its going to suck and it’s going to take some hard work but you will be back up in no time.

Go buy a couple of bottles of Febreeze and start spraying everything in the house.

Put a box fan in the window so it’s blowing outside and sucking the room air out.

What was really damaged or broken? 

Yes it smells like weed and cigs or whatever but what is actually broken? 

If your cleaning crew can’t get your listing clean in a day, look for a new crew. 

It sounds like you’re taking it personal and really it’s only business. 

Good Luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Tina80]

No , as host we did not sign up to have our homes ransacked and our rules disregarded! Airbnb needs to step up and protect their host or more and more will leave the platform . This making us scared of losing Superhost or getting a bad review is ridiculous! If a guest breaks a house rule , they should not be allowed to leave a review . We can not as a collective say this is ok and move on ! Doing that only conditions guest that they can destroy our homes and their are no consequences which makes for an EX Host . No host No Guest ! 

[Tara188]

I had a similar experience as Meena and was mortified. The condition in which they left my flat was shocking and they clearly broke every house rule. The mess not only impacted me, but afftected the next set of guests who were arriving because I had to ask them to delay their check-in by SEVERAL EXTRA HOURS so I could do my best to put my  place back together.

I cannot figure out how to file a complaint against these guests on Airbnb! Does anyone have a contact, link, email or number I can use? 

Thanks

[Sophia-and-Matt0]

Don't be discouraged.  My first Airbnb guest was terrible too but the other hosts in the Airbnb community encouraged me to keep at it, and they were right.  

Regarding the damage and the party-- just keep calling Airbnb's help line, keep the pressure on them, make notes of what happened so when you call, you can tell your story in a clear, calm, and concise manner.

And install exterior cameras.  I have cameras over my front and back door (the only enterances to the house.)  My guests know that they're there and having them exterior to the private space of my home makes it no different from staying in a hotel.  The cameras let me know when guests check in, that they got in safely, and that the correct number of people checked in.  A guest can't throw a party if people can't get in the house without me knowing.   

[Jadan0]

I just had a similar situation, what I would suggest is that in your house rules you add monetary penalties to deter bad guest.

[Terri-and-Tim0]

This is our 2nd year renting through Airbnb and our new 3,850 sq ft oceanfront home has been disrespected over and over again.  Last week's group (two couples checked-in, but three couples checked-out & we never knew about, or agreed to, the extra people) was horrific.  Nearly every single house rules was broken. 
What I don't understand, Airbnb, is why are hosts powerless when it comes to this?  As homeowners, WE are the ones who should be able to determine what is acceptable and what is not, and then be able to take action if there's a problem.  WE, the hosts, are the ones that have valuable real estate/property on the line.  We are the ones paying the mortgages and the insurance!
What is the point of having posted house rules, and stating that the rules must be followed, if there is nothing actionable to back them up?  If someone breaks the posted (and Airbnb agreed upon) rules, then we, as hosts, should have immediate recourse available to us.  
Last weeks group trashed our beautiful new home.  They broke a shelf/bin inside our new refrigerator, they broke one of the screens in our large 8-foot wide patio doors, they left filthy-dirty dishes in the sink and left a large lobster pot (full of leftover juice and seafood) sitting out on the counter (the smell was disgusting).  Half-eaten food everywhere and the refrigerator was packed with more food (our rules state that the fridge is to be cleaned-out and leftover food is to be placed in our trash cans).
Our rules state no bubble baths in the master bathroom's jacuzzi tub, yet when our housekeeper turned on the tubs' jets to clean them, the tub nearly overflowed with bubbles! 
Our ice machine was completely jammed (coincidentally, they had complained that our icemaker wasn't 'make ice fast enough' for them).  There was vomit residue on our towels and bed linens, which they denied.  So much more, but my point is that I think that 'house rules' are pointless.  If guests violate house rules, then a certain percentage of the security deposit should automatically be held (and forwarded to the hosts).  If there are no consequences, then why would anyone heed them??  Waiting for Airbnb's customer support to assist is absurd at this point.  I want more control over my own home.  I can see why so many hosts have left Airbnb, honestly.  We spent a pretty good penny building our beautiful waterfront home and I DO NOT appreciate people coming into it and treating is as if it's a toilet. 
Also, I want to be able to block people (not just from messaging me, but from having anything to do with my home or contact information again)?  After reading my review, this guest called me on the telephone and began telling me why I am wrong (i.e., why I didn't really see what I said in my review that I'd seen) and even invited his girlfriend to get on the phone so that she could also tell me how they would never have left our home as I'd described.  They both wanted to tell me how they 'really' left our home.  Huh?  But I have photographs of everything.   

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Terri-and-Tim0 If this keeps happening to you then I respectfully suggest you are not vetting your guests well enough and/or your pricing is not appropriate for the property.

[Terri-and-Tim0]

@Mike-And-Jane0  thank you for taking the time to reply.  I don't know how we are not vetting our guests enough as we chat via email before & during their stay, and we only allow guests that have previous positive Airbnb reviews (as well as verified I.D., etc.).  If possible, I usually check them out on FB or Google search them.
As for pricing, we are a new, large waterfront home, so our pricing is consistent with other similar rental homes in our area.  We do not use the automated Airbnb pricing, which we've found to be too low.
The past group was an attorney from NYC.  Another group that treated the house very badly was a mental health clinician; another was a school teacher.  All varying careers, but professionals nonetheless.  Another recent guest was the President & CEO of his own company.  He didn't leave the house a mess, but he decided that he wanted to rearrange all of our furniture.  Ha ha.

[Avery46]

I'm adding a $500 deposit and $100 per guest per night rule for undisclosed pets/guests.  

I'm also drafting my first bad review.  It's starting like this:

1. This guest may be better suited to a hotel.
2. Observance of House Rules: One Star
   Guest needs to improve disclosure of cat, adhere to house rules and read listings for presence of unfinished basement and firewood for working fireplace which may trigger her sensitivities. Reading check out list and timely check out need improvement.
3. Communication: Two Stars
   Guest did a great job at communicating her concerns of enhanced pandemic protocol and of non-existent plug in scents, however guest reached out to neighbor with car trouble instead of allowing host to assist with AAA /jumper cables. Guest claims of toxic air quality were not inconsistent with deciding to stay, and refusing a refund. Suggesting a free stay in exchange for a good review could read as manipulative extortion.
4. Cleanliness: One Star
   Assuming cat is disclosed in future bookings, making certain it uses a litter pan is a necessary improvement, but leaving dirty dishes and taking trash out need improvement as well.

I understand I will likely get a bad review.  I understand I'll probably not get financial restitution for the cleaning fee I erroneously left out of the special offer I sent nor her $150 deposit for undeclared cat.  I'm viewing as the cost of business and the education in airBnb/ guest dynamics. But in my mind, future guests will see my review and see through it.  Bad guests will stay and good guests will see how well flanked by glowing reviews my listing is.  

Any tips on enforcing the additional fees from deposit rules would be welcome.  It's complicated but I'm willing to learn to protect my home and my efforts.

[Avery46]

I posted my review well before the 14 day time frame was up.  They are still traveling and could easily do this to others. 

My troublesome guest is now threatening to file a claim with the health department for the toxic fumes in my home.  If that is a real thing, I would actually welcome that!  It would absolutely reveal the cleanliness of my home.  

Life comes with pain, guaranteed.  Getting to pick our pain is a small blessing.