Current guests want to invite their parents to stay

[Maya17]

Hello fellow hosts, I am in need of some urgent advice. My current guests want to invite their parents to stay for a couple of nights in my apartment (they have the entire apartment to themselves, I'm not living there). Before booking this family asked for a discount on my rate, which I agreed to as I'm still a new host and I'm keen on making guests happy and getting good reviews. The problem is that to begin with they asked for a baby cot for their 2 and 1/2 year-old child, although I have a comfortable bunk bed with good side protection he could sleep in. The excuse was that he might get up at night and the cot would prevent him from doing so. So I agreed. When they arrived, the lady told me it's her birthday this week and her parents were thinking of visiting her from a city 6 hours by car away to celebrate together, which I thought was nice. Then she asked if they could stay for a few nights and sleep in the bunk bed. Unfortunately it is not suitable for adults (weight restrictions), so I told her this and that I was very sorry, but they would need to find some accommodation nearby. She then told me her dad had just undergone an operation and was quite poorly, so she would really appreciate it if they could stay as it was important to her. The next day she insisted and sent a message telling me that they would take the mattresses and put them on the floor if I allowed it. Now, I'm starting to feel like this family is asking for a hand and taking my entire arm. My parents are also old and poorly and they would never dream of driving 6 hours to be with me for just a couple of days. I feel like they had planned this all along and put the child to sleep in a cot so the bunk bed would be free for her parents. Am I right to be suspicious and what should I do? They seem like really nice people, so should I accept and extend an offer for the extra people even though my listing says I don't charge extra? And what about her father recovering from an operation - is this even allowed in the Airbnb regulations? I'm a bit wary about bearing the responsibility for this. I appreciate any advice from more experienced hosts...

[Paul225]

A) this is where you needed to be very firm on pricing. B) better and open communication from the start "is there anything you need or request before I confirm or deny booking c) do not instant book. As this prevents you from vetting your potential guests better d) additional people staying are not part of your contract with this person, and you should avoid accepting them as they then can stay, making it harder for you to have them leave. Guest sounds like a scam artist. Avoid making any more concessions to these folks and be firm. You cut your rate and acquired a baby cot? Now they want free rent for additional people? Hell no. Stand your ground.

[Annette33]

No, no, no..... You already went way beyond your duty by accommodating all their requests! How long are they staying? they may seem "nice", that's what manipulators are good at. Don't give in, you'll regret it. and don't worry about a potentially bad review: you'll have your chance for a response underneath, which they cannot answer to again, so you'll have the last word. It might be good to monitor who is in the apartment, they might just want to sneak them in even if you say no. If you can't to it yourself, have a friend check on it daily. and as soon as you find they are breaking your house rules, put them out. not easy to do, but they owe you respect.

[Lyndsey2]

I'd tell them that you are happy to help and are sympathetic to their situation and that your policy is an additional fee of double the rent for every day the parents stay. If they try to pressure you for less say you are unwilling to reduce your policy because you have already provided a discount, thus discounting the additional fee as well. Furthermore, you have no way of guaranteeing that the use of childen's mattresses by an adult won't result in damage to the mattresses and they will be responsible for the damages should that occur. That way, you are agreeing to help but setting up a situation that is both fair to you and likely to result in them finding an alternative solution on their own. You do not have to put yourself in a bad position to make these people happy.

[NanciandNathan0]

I  agree with Paul.  In this type of situation the booking guest was fully aware of what is going to happen/their intentions once they booked.  They just introduced it to you step by step so it didn't seem like they are asking for too much and all at once. Based on the fact you have already discounted your rate be firm on charging an additonal fee for the parents to stay.  If you are allowing them too. It is well within your right to not extend the invite to welcome the parents.  Especially if the situation will not comfortably accomodate the extra guests.  Also this is working to be a good set up where they could complain that they were not comfortable and ask for a refund. And we all know Air will try to at least find a middle ground and ask you as the host to offer/grant a portion of said refund, if not a full refund, depending on how much noise the guests make.

[Stephanie6]

Hi @Maya17, I agree with @NanciandNathan0.  I have heard that airbnb will "rehome" guests who are not satisfied with their accomodations.  Perhaps suggest that because they need accomodations for 4 instead of the original 2+, they should contact airbnb and ask to be moved.  Be sure that your communication with them is through the airbnb app to protect yourself against false claims by them if they request more refund than they are entitled to.  It may be good to contact @airbnbhelp and explain that you cannot accomodate your guests if the parents must stay.  If you do contact airbnb, be sure to mention the father's poor health and that you do not have enough beds.

I am shocked that she expects her father who is "doing poorly" to drive 6 hours to see her.

[Rosanne7]

It is your place and you need to take control.

If someone had an operation, they should stay home and recover.  If they are well enough to travel, they are well enough to get another place to stay.

Do not worry about the reviews.  Your home is more important.  You can always explain what happened.

If her parents did not go thru AirBnB, and they got hurt, you are responsible and can be sued.

Be careful and be smart.  It is not worth the money.

Rose

[Maya17]

I agree with all of you and that is why I have come to think that her father has not undergone an operation.

[Paul225]

You have gone above and beyond. The more they stress "good review" or a review of you as a host is in jeopardy, stop conceding to these people immediately. They are not worth it, get them out as fast as possible. If a bad review
Comes, you have your rebuttal, and private review of the guest for other future hosts to see.

[Marwan0]

If my guest asked me for more discount than i have on my listing, then i would reject this guest right away. Because if you give a mouse a cookie, then he'll ask you for a glass of milk, and then a straw, and then a napkin...... 

[Andrea9]

And on top of all these wise suggestions - what comes to my mind is the reconvalescing father after the operation:

What if he has post-op complications, or what if he falls in your property? They sound as if they would demand a refund at the least if something like that happened...

Oh, I just saw that this was already covered by @Rosanne7!

[Victoria110]

Hi Maya...

I'd repeat / insist nicely that you are very sorry but that it is not an appropriate situation for the recovering father and help her find accommodations close by. Perhaps another Airbnb. I don't think you have to give further explanation. Call Airbnb ... I bet they'd help find accommodations close by. 

Best,

Tori

[Patricia86]

All of the above, plus this.  I have found that the neediest guests are the ones that leave the worst reviews.  If they ask for this and that, then three other things, before they book, we don't accept them.  

I would not have approved them based on their initial requests.  

But then, I learned that the hard way! 

[Maya17]

Thank you for all your suggestions! I have let them know that if their parents do come, the mattresses on the floor situation is what I will expect to find and I will send them an offer for extra fees for their parents. Only after they have accepted this offer will the parents be able to stay. Also I have asked them to write me a message through Airbnb that the father is fit to travel and any responsibility of anything happening to him is entirely theirs. Let's see how that goes, so far no response. 

[Eileen4]

I would remind them of the damage deposit--I hope you have one--and like a previous commenter has already stated, make it clear that damage to the mattresses, which are meant for children, will be likely and that you will not hesitate to claim it. 

These people sound like they're making things up to guilt trip you into saying yes to them. I just had something similar happen, albeit with a different issue. In the lead up to their stay, these guests kept asking, anxiously, about parking in my neighbourhood. The situation was made more intense by the fact that underground pipes were being repaired. Anyway, when the water went off for a few hours one day, I offered them a small rebate as compensation. Instead they took the opportunity to weep and wail over two parking tickets they got.

I took the hint--they wanted me to take care of the tickets instead and given their hysterics, I reluctantly agreed. It wasn't until after they left that I saw the tickets and realized they'd parked in an obvious no-parking zone and left their car there for two days. Like you, I think they planned on parking wherever the heck they wanted to all along...hence all the advance "anxiety" about parking. I'm certain they were going to find some complaint to use as leverage to get me to look after any tickets they got. 

My plan is to write to the city with the tickets instead, claiming that the road/pipe repairs interfered with parking and that the tickets were issued to tourists who didn't know better and obviously had some problems reading the parking signs. I'm going to ask them to waive the fines, which they may do. I think that there are obvious scammers who are using Airbnb to take advantage of hosts. Your guests and mine seem to fit that bill.