Guest Inconsistencies...cause for concern?

[Meredith7]

I am a super host of 4 years. I left my home tonight to stay with a friend because I felt unsafe for the first time ever while hosting. 

A male guest reported to me that he was visiting the USA for the first time, yet his profile says he is from Seattle. 

He told me he had military experience. 

He also told me he was going to check out late and leave his bags (several large heavy bags because his flight was at 7 PM - too many bags for one solo traveler). I told him a late check out wasn’t possible and he insisted. He then said he wasn’t flying but actually taking a bus. 

So so many inconsistencies with his story that I am worried. 

Im waiting on him to check out before I call Air BnB but what should I do afterwards? 

[Paul154]

Some guests will be vague. They may be hiding things or think it's none of your business.

There's very little you can do . 

You can check ID upon checkin and make a copy. This enforces forthrightness.

You did the right thing by leaving. Your safety is most important.

[Rowena29]

@Meredith7 

I am not a vastly experienced host, but I most certainly would not wait until he has checked out until ringing airbnb.

I would be ringing airbnb right NOW and letting them know that this guest is making you feel very uncomfortable indeed - to the point that you have moved out of your own house because you do not feel safe.  If nothing else - you have got a history of notes with airbnb to fall back on.

 You read a lot of mixed stories on these boards, but my experience has been that CS have been very helpful in situations where a host feels uncomfortable.     I think that it is very likely CS will be very supportive and  guide you as to what to do next .

my gut reaction is that the best scenario here would be to cancel the booking -  just the fact that he is insisting that he leaves bags after checkout is inappropriate - especially as he did not discuss this prior. Tell CS you feel  intimidated by him  and that he is arguing with you regarding your rules and policies.  ( I wouldn't focus too much on the stories not matching up - that's moving into privacy territory - just focus on your hoe uncomfortable his interactions are making you feel and the lack of willingness to stick to your rules) Personally I'd want him out of my space pronto if things are that uncomfortable.

Other more experienced hosts may have more specific advice, but I'd definitely start with a phone call to CS.

Please keep us posted.

Good luck!

[Yadira22]

Hello @Meredith7 

I am so sorry to hear this.

As a host you should never feel uncomfortable in your own home. 

Re- enforce that late check out is not possible and reiterate the rules  as stated by airbnb’s Terms of service (see photo).  Remind him that as you have not agreed to it, his overdue stay can and will therefore be considered « trespassing ».

Finally there are plenty of places and companies which will store your luggage for a few hours- some maybe located at the airport/bus station or very close by so from a logistics stand point it may even be Easier ( you just need to check online).

Lead from the later and if he resists remind him of the prior point made above and keep all communication on this within the Airbnb message board. 

Good luck to you and keep safe out there! 

Yadira 🙂

If you (guest) stay past the check out time without the host’s stay the host .... the host is entitled to make you leave in a manner consistent with applicable law.. each twenty four hour period (or any portion thereof) that you overstay, ... additional nightly fee for up to two (2) times the average nightly listing fee is paid by you (the guest)... ».

[Dimitar27]

Everything is possible. Born in Seattle, but spend all his life somewhere in Africa or Asia, now returning back home with all his baggage...

Worst case scenario must be always in your mind, but your fears must be based on something real, also. "Military experience" can include a large number of post-war stress disorders, that makes people act and think different. My cousin was in Cambodia, as part of the UN military forces there.

2-3 months after his returning, he slept with a loaded revolver under his pillow. In the real life- very nice and kind man. Everything became normal after few months.

[Sarah977]

@Dimitar27   While compassion is certainly a noble human virtue, Airbnb hosts are not repositories for damaged people. Anyone who is suffering from psychological problems which impact others should not be booking shared accomodation. Airbnb hosts aren't psychologists (altho some may be by profession), mental health professionals, PTSD experts, nor should they be made to feel unsafe in their own homes because a guest has "issues". 

[Meredith7]

Hi all! 

He checked out at noon as requested. I haven't been home yet to verify everything is ok. 

My main concern is the inconsistency with his Air BnB profile and his lying about travel arrangements. How is this his "first visit to USA" but his profile says he lives in Seattle? His name reported in messages is different than his name reported in his profile as well. He told me he needed late check out because he had a late flight, but then he said he had an arrangement with a bus company. 

I'm on the phone with Air BnB now. They "submitted a ticket" but basically told me to contact them if anything was wrong with my home. They didn't seem to care at all that I had left my home because I felt unsafe.

I kind of want to have my locks changed. 

[Emilia42]

@Meredith7

Unfortunately, profiles on Airbnb virtually mean nothing. I stopped looking at them because they give me no information most of the time. This guest could have been thinking about moving to Seattle when he first logged into Airbnb and his profile will forever say Seattle until someone points out that he should change it. I would say 25% of my guests actually live where their profile says they do. I hope that someday Airbnb will put more emphasis on accurate and complete profiles so that hosts will feel more at ease. 

[Alexandra316]

@Emilia42 100% this. I just had a guest stay with me who still had their phone number set to an English cell number and they had been living in Canada for some time. I specifically mentioned it to them in correspondence, and of course they didn't bother. Whaddayaknow? They booked an experience through Airbnb and the Experience host was trying to get a hold of them last minute due to some issue, and of course they couldn't get them. The experience host started calling me, and of course I was at work in a meeting. Airbnb SHOULD be making sure profile info is accurate, but they have shown they just don't care about it.  

[Kelly149]

@Meredith7 I hope this story has a good ending and maybe, hopefully, a truly dangerous person would have been actively trying to have a better cover story?

You now know what many folks have also found out in an uncomfortable manner: ABB profiles can be a complete fabrication. I ask for names, addresses, email, phone number... from all guests. I also physically verify ID if anything seems fishy.

ABB profile is not (necessarily) reality. I hope all is well at your home!

[Lawrene0]

Will you let us know that everything is okay, @Meredith7 ? I would say yes to changing your locks. If it is possible, get a number code keypad so that you can change it after every guest. 

[Sarah977]

If ever there was a post that points out how vile the attitude of this company has become....

Home hosts feeling forced to vacate their own homes because of a sketchy, lying, demanding guest, leaving the home unattended in the presence of the guest, as if it's HIS home, and Airbnb expresses a total lack of concern or interest. Shame on them, just shame.

[Meredith7]

Hi all, 

I just wanted to provide an update. No guest here tonight and finally have a chance (it's been a crazy week full of new job interviews for me) to update all of you. Thank you for being so supportive. I've never reached out to the host community before for anything, kind of have been just doing everything on my own, but your messages really made me feel like I was not alone. So thank you!!! 

I am actually former military myself (to give you all context) and would never have done what this guest did. I might be a little "shaken up" given all the media this week with shootings, etc. - DC is always in the back of my mind as a potential target. 

Quick timeline for all of you: 

FYI: I rent out my guest bedroom in my Capitol Hill Rowhome (where I live) - I started doing Air BnB so I could keep my home while I attended law school. I've been doing Air BnB for nearly 3 years now. 

1. Guest books about a month ago. Has a middle eastern name. Visiting DC for a day to do some sightseeing. I think nothing of it. I host single male travelers all the time in DC for business and pleasure. I send him my standard thanks for booking message and promise to get in touch closer to the travel date. 

2. A week before travel, I send him a message with all the access details for the home (lockbox, location of his bedroom, etc.). He tells me the time he will arrive. The message also says that I have a small dog inside and to be sure not to let her out when he arrives. I also clarify with him that he knows he is renting a GUEST BEDROOM IN MY HOME - THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE THE ENTIRE HOME TO HIMSELF. 

2. Day of arrival, guest arrives an hour earlier than he told me he would. Texts me a quick "can't find key. help." I tell him the info regarding where the key is kept and encourage him to read the previous message that I sent that has all the details (that he obviously did not read before). He finds key, lets himself in. I observe him on my security system (just one camera, at the door) leaving the door WIDE OPEN for about 10 minutes while he brings in four large plastic CRATES and one suitcase. Very odd for a solo traveler "visiting the US for the first time" as he reported to me. I think this is odd, look at his profile. Profile says he is from Seattle. How can one be from Seattle and visiting the US for the first time, I think? Pretty odd. 

3. I come home after interviews at 5 PM. He is not home. I see a luggage sticker that has a different name from the name he reports in Air BnB. I notice the name on his profile is a different name from both of those names. I'm feeling a little on edge at this point. 

4. I called a friend and went to her place (with my dog - thank god nothing happened to her when he left the door open) because she insisted. I describe the situation to her, she thinks it's also pretty odd (she is also military) and is glad I left the situation.

5. He messages me that evening requesting a check out of 7 PM  due to a flight as opposed to my standard noon. I tell him no unfortunately I can't do any later than noon. He insists that he should be able to keep his crates downstairs, says actually it is not a flight but a bus, and will come back for them later. I tell him unfortunately I can't accommodate the request (because a new guest is checking in later that day). I'm wondering why he lied about his travel arrangements (flight versus bus? how do you confuse the two?).

6. The next day I go to more interviews. He checks out at noon. When leaving, he sends me a message that "Uber doesn't know your address just FYI and that he wished I had higher quality toilet paper and that I should have a deadbolt on my bedroom door." My bedroom door is normally closed and off-limits to guests, so I'm wondering, how does he know my bedroom door doesn't have a deadbolt? Was this guy rummaging in my bedroom last night? [For the record, I have to use low-quality toilet paper in my home because it was built in 1830 and can't handle the new stuff. Also - Uber doesn't have anyone's address. You are supposed to look at the email and tell Uber...]

7. I call Air BnB. They tell me that they will "flag" his account but that they can do nothing else and tell me to let them know if anything at the house is missing.

I think some of you commenting here are absolutely right. Air BnB has gotten "too big to fail" at this point and forgotten that its success is based on a foundation of authentic, real hosts. I don't know how it is in all of your cities but I know here apartments are being swiped up and put on Air BnB via management companies and Air BnB doesn't seem to mind so long as it's taking a cut of the profits, even if the experience isn't "authentic" anymore. This experience has taught me that I can't be doing this for much longer - Air BnB isn't concerned about my welfare in the slightest and they can't do anything more than "verifying a government ID" to verify the identity of a guest. And what a guest says in messages or how they report their name apparently doesn't matter. I can't keep doing this. I am going to continue hosting until law school is over but I can't wait for the day that I can finally be free of this nonsense. It's really gotten out of hand. 

Thanks all for your thoughts. We are in this together, I suppose. The company will not succeed without us and we should try to do a better job of standing up for what we need to feel safe. 

*******Final thoughts - what do I need to put in this guest's review to help other hosts??????

[Sarah977]

@Meredith7  How about "I'd like to take an entire roll of the higher quality toilet paper this guest told me he would have preferred and stuff it down his throat"?

Just kidding.

Something along the lines of " There were many discrepancies in the information this guest provided, from the name on his luggage tags not matching the name he booked under, to telling me it was his first visit to the US, when his profile says he is from Seattle, to telling me he needed to overstay check-out for 7 hours to wait for his flight. When I told him a late check-out couldn't be accommodated, he insisted, now saying he was catching a bus.  Did not read check-in messages, arrived an hour before stated check-in, with 4 large crates and a suitcase. Ignored house rules, left front door wide open for 10 minutes, in spite of being warned to make sure the dog didn't get out.  Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this guest.".

[Meredith7]

Update: Air BnB has re-affirmed that his account was "verified" and would not disclose how his account was verified or why this burden was passed on to me as a host. They also told me the guest had stayed with other hosts with "no issues" despite have no reviews on his account. I asked them how "no issues" can come from "no reviews" (personally, i tend to not leave a review if it will be a negative one). They had no answer. They said revealing any other information would be discriminatory in nature. I also asked if Air BnB would cover the cost of changing my locks given that they wanted to continue allowing this guest with inconsistencies to book. Supposedly they will be getting back to me. 

So disappointed.