Guest Used my address to Obtain Permanent Redsident Card and Bank acct

[Kelmany0]

Hi, this past week has been a colossal nightmare in the Airbnb world. I had to kick someone  last week and now, over the course of the last three days, I have learned a guest visiting from Nigeria has used my address to secure permanent residence card and imported salted and smoked fish and a huge bag of grain products using my home address. What made it worse his he put the salted and smoked fish in my freezer and the smell is so bad .... even after I packaged in three garbage bags. No labels and no sign it was purchased from a store. The fish smell is so bad I need to repaint the Fortunately he had booked for a month and the second 6 month reservation was supposed to start tomorrow so I cancelled it and got him out today. He says Airbnb told him to use my address and Airbus told him he could import the food to my home. I asked for the proof that the food was declared at the border but he didn’t give me the documents. Today was his check out and he tried to stay saying Airbnb said he could stay until tomorrow in my home. Again I asked for the proof but he didn’t give it to me. Now it’s time for review. What do I do? I know he is gonna slaughter me with a bad review. .... he didn’t follow my guest rules, used my address to get mail and apparently set up a

bamk account. I have no idea how he did it since I practically had to offer my first born before the bank seemed satisfied that we could prove our new home address. I made it clear to him he didn’t have my permission to obtain all the documents using my address and now I am worried if there is trouble with him some day cops are gonna show up at my door looking for some dude who rented a room as Airbnb guest. I am stunned that Airbnb isn’t doing something to make sure this doesn’t happen. They make us declare shampoo and towels but don’t make guests confirm they won’t try to establish squatter rights in my home? 

[Gordon0]

A crappy guest, yes, but what do you expect Airbnb to do about it?

[Kelmany1]

Hi, thanks for reading and the response. I guess as a new Airbnb person with star studded hope in her eyes, if Airbnb can make a dongle option ensuring guests get shampoo and hangers, they should make a dongle option to allow you to select that a guest “can” or “can not” use the home to receive mail. Local post offices in Canada rent post office boxes. If the dongle was there it would prompt the question and my ability to recommend Canada Post and a P.O. box rental so that family can forward important mail to them while traveling. When I explained to him what should have been done he knew full well a P.O. box wasn’t an option for him. He responded “I can’t use a P.O. box to get a residency card or a bank account”. So he was fully informed and knew exactly what he was doing and what he needed to succeed. 

Now, because he has registered himself as residing in my home, if he gets in trouble with the law or doesn’t comply with the rules regarding permanent resident or disappears off the grid, the police are gonna come looking for him at my home. That is what stresses me out most of all. I do not want to be responsible in any way shape or form to someone I do not know seeking residency status in Canada. I never guessed this could happen until it did and now it’s too late and can’t be undone.

Yes i know Airbnb will say familiarize yourself with local laws, but this is a National issue that could impact any Airbnb host. That’s why I think a dongle option in Airbnb platform is needed.

Cheers, K 

[Jeff158]

@Kelmany0 I feel your pain, but long term rentals in your own home are often a nightmare. Much better to have the guest for a week and then if you get along they can book a month or more.

[Linda108]

Long term rentals are usually under different rules than short term, @Kelmany0  In the US, long term rentals are landlord/tenant rentals and the tenant has the right to use the address to establish residency.  Is it different in Canada?

[Kelmany1]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I reviewed our provincial tenancy regulations and if I live in the home, feed them breakfast and the guest shares my kitchen and bathroom the person staying are deemed a guest in my home up to 30 days or week to week. As far as I can understand it anyway.

But, I could have got myself in trouble had I allowed the long term request to take effect. He had booked me for 30 days, was checking out for 1 day, then checking in for 6 months the following day. In hindsight I think he actually had it all planned out. Had he checked out and then checked in for 6 months I would have had to let him stay for the 6 months and he could have reported me to the authorities as he threatened and succeeded because he could argue I established tenancy rights. If I wanted him to leave I would have needed to find him a place comparable in quality of lifestyle and cost to what he had in my home. I think I dodged a very big bullet. ..... after all, all his mail would have been officially getting delivered to my home by that point in time. Very scary and I am grateful my intuition kicked in and I took action to canc3l the second request for the long term stay. 

All my listings are now now changed to week to week only and 30 day max. I have 1 booking for 60 days accepted prior to this event, I am messaging him shortly to explain that the room is only available for the 60 days so there is no arguement to be made that I owe him more than that. I can’t cancel it or I think I will get kicked off Airbnb. 

As for what I would like Airbnb to do, (as noted as a question in another response) I guess as a new Airbnb person with star studded hope in her eyes, if Airbnb can make a dongle option ensuring guests get shampoo and hangers, they should make a dongle option to allow you to select that a guest can or can not use the home to receive mail. Local post offices in Canada rent post office boxes. If the dongle was there it would prompt the question and my ability to recommend Canada Post and a P.O. box rental so that family can forward important mail to them while traveling abroad. 

[Gordon0]

>>As for what I would like Airbnb to do, (as noted as a question in another response) I guess as a new Airbnb person with star studded hope in her eyes, if Airbnb can make a dongle option ensuring guests get shampoo and hangers, they should make a dongle option to allow you to select that a guest can or can not use the home to receive mail<<

Yup, and let's have another 'dongle' (cute word btw, which has a different meaning here in the UK) for guests to select that they're not going to shout at the cat, murder their host, leave the toilet seat up and cross-contaminate the butter with Marmite. 

[Kelmany1]

Ha ha ha....too funny .... we have two cats and when he arrived he told me he hated cats. My cats rock as they seemed to make sure the wrapped themselves around his legs everywhere he went. What is even funnier is that cats LOVE fish smell, the more rotten the better. They spent the last two nights of his stay moaning and howling all night right outside his door because of the fish smell.... what goes around comes around....I thing the “dongle” image they use should maybe be what it means in the UK 😂😂😂😂

[Fred13]

@Kelmany1 "Now it’s time for review. What do I do? I know he is gonna slaughter me with a bad review. .... "

You worried about a review? You are hoping HE isn't 'mad', about what exactly? That is the least of the present issues: the long term renting, the fish, the possible illegal importing, the residency, the bank. etc. 

Airbnb is a booking agency, is not in a position to 'guarantee' the behavior of every member of the human race spanning 200 different cultures which are not playing by the same 'rules', not even close. It is up to each host to protect themselves from their 'fellow' man, who are not necessarily members of the same 'brotherhood'. (Rolling eyes at this point).

[Kelmany1]

I hear you, I am literally 3 months old to Airbnb and very very new to Host with only 7 guests under my belt so far. I see how naive I was and I know for certain I dodged a bigger bullet and have been struck (metaphorically) in the sense that a bank account, ID, and importing of illegal fish occurred. Trust me when I say I am so very upset st myself that this happened. I am currently cleaning the room, repainting it, scrubbing down my fridge etc. all in attempt to get the gross fish smell out so. Am definitely paying dues for my nativity. 

I can see see how this stuff would be annying to a veteran Airbnb Host since it seems so obvious but my grandmother always said to me “ you are only capable of seeing in others what you would do yourself” and because I could never do this, her words are ringing in my ears.....ugh... back to scrubbing and painting...K

[Fred13]

@Kelmany0 You should hear the mistakes ~we~ all have made at the start, many would make yours to be 'minor league'. LoL 

[Susie35]

@Kelmany0, you need to reply about his stay with the facts , e.g. the unauthorized use of your address to establish residency and a bank account. I'd put that in writing somewhere (like the airbnb community forum!) so that in the event of trouble down the road, it's  clear that you did not agree to this. Agree you probably dodged a bullet!

[Sarah977]

@Kelmany0 Your concerns are valid re being held responsible. Why would you wait for the police to show up at your door? If it were me, I'd contact Immigration Canada and the bank to report that this person used your address fraudulently to obtain his papers and that he does not live at your address.

[Kelmany1]

Wow, what a great piece of advice. I didn’t think of that. I am going to do it Tuesday morning. Thank you, Kelmany

[Helen3]

Personally I don't think Airbnb is suitable for long term bookings. You will really need to have proper checks in place for these ie landlord references, credit checks, tenancy contracts.

Of course you should be reporting this guest to the authorities for using your address fradulently.

I make it clear to all my guests who are moving to my area that they can't use my address for identity purposes.

How was a guest able to import huge quantities of goods and store them in your freezer without you noticing - are you hosting remotely.

Having had two problem guests in succession, can I ask what checks you are making before you accept your guests? Do you require photo ID? Do you ask them about plans for their stay? etc 

I noticed you left a positive review for a problem recent guest, who you then went on to leave a more comprehensive, honest review, once they complained on their review.

Please leave an honest review for the Nigerian guest, you can always respond to theirs if it is inaccurate - but a word of advice, please stick to the facts, take out the emotion and make it much shorter than the one you left for your recent messy female guest.