Hi there @Mary-Ellen0 I know you are incredibly upset about what has happened to your bench....and I feel for you. You try to do all the right things....You open up your house to strangers and you trust them! Mary Ellen I am going to paste across a post I put up for another host who had a bad experience with a guest....although I think her problem was not as bad as yours! But Mary Ellen there are some things in here that may be of use to you to help in the future...... This womans complaint was that guests were outrageously extravagant with her power, water and kitchen and almost ruined her benchtop. This is what I said to her.......
Hi there Natz.....Look, this a part of hosting! You have to expect that others will have a different set of values to yours. It is possible that they were not going out of their way to be obtuse……It’s just that that is the way they live. I try to anticipate what guests will do.
With regard to consumables I only put into the cottage what I am prepared for them to have. I am generous with food and drinks but, I set a limit of 6% of the tariff that I receive. I am a canny shopper and get the very best deals on things that I know I will be supplying. Sometimes I will buy a two month supply of something or other, because it was available at half price, or less, at the time….So it’s amazing how far that percentage will go if you are careful, and I very rarely reach that 6% limit
The bathroom heating is on a push button timer so it will not run for more than 10 minutes! After that, the button has to be pushed again. I only have an 80 Litre storage hot water heater (quite deliberately) because that will give the guest about 12 minutes of decent pressure hot water at any given time, even less in winter. But this is enough, anyone who expects a shower longer than that is just plain wasteful!! And it reheats again in about 15 minutes! All external lighting is on motion sensors which give ample time to access the property but will get around the risk of being left on,
In a shared space make sure you have locked cupboards for things you do not want your guests access to and have your extraction fan (be it range hood or whatever) in the kitchen hooked through a motion sensor timer so that it is impossible to cook, or interfere, with the fan while cooking, or until the kitchen is free of smells. You can have the timer, along with an override switch for yourself in the locked cupboard. Put self- closers on the doors. These things are passive measures….you don’t even need to give your guests a list of do’s and don’ts…it just happens automatically, and Natz, the bulk of the time your guests will tell you what a thoughtful touch that was.
Natz, I know you regard this guest as the guest from hell, but in reality she just does things differently from you. I don't only cook twice a week, but I have measures that ensure my kitchen stays smell free. The only thing that would concern me would be the damage to the benchtops. I have read another post here where the host is up for thousands to replace a damaged benchtop. But there are available in-expensive thin bench protectors...they are a bit like a 600mm (2ft) wide roll of thin semi-clear cutting board which would protect your benches from all but the most serious of saucepan heats. I don't need it in the house because the benches in my kitchen are black granite and there is nothing you can do to abuse these, but, I use it in the cottage, and do you know what Natz....almost every guest says...'Gee what a good idea is that".
Mary Ellen, you must protect yourself! Don't think just because it's a 'house rule' people will follow it.....they won't......
And Mary Ellen, it's probably too late this time and hey, I'm with you! This host protection insurance is a nonsense, so don't put your faith in it. I so hope you can get this sorted out with minimal expence....It's a pain I know and it is hard to fathom why some people are such......'Turkeys' ....Cheers....Rob
