Guest booked a room, but takes over the whole house for a party

[Henley0]

I just had a guest book 1 of the rooms in my 4 bedroom house and took over the whole house for a party. One of my other guests arrived to find that there was a party and their room was already occupied by a group of teens hanging out. Due to the party along with the smell of weed, they decided to leave. After I drove over to kick everyone out, I cleaned everything up and also noticed that I've lost some red envelopes with money (although only $2, phew) that I had placed in the home for good luck. 

What can I do now? I have 3 things I want to report:

1. They caused another guest to leave who will be receiving a full refund from me.

2. Significant amounts of clean up

3. Theft

Can I request for additional payment for any of these reasons?

[Linda108]

@Henley0  I think you have two issues: criminal and Air BNB.  If there was criminal activity such as theft, you need proceed with authorities.  If there was rule breaking, Air BNB provides a platform for reviews.  If there was damage that can be documented, then use the Air BNB system to submit a damage claim and clean up by itself is not considered damage. 

You need to look at this terrible situation as a learning experience as well. What types of changes can you make to avoid this in the future?

[Henley0]

@Linda108Thanks for the response.

I don't think guests partying is something that can be avoided since I do not physically live in my rental proprety. Also, I'm not going to contact authorities over $2, but just felt like it was worth mentioning. 

It would really suck if there were no consequences aside from a negative reviews (which she'll leave for me as well..). Nothing was damages. Only thing that really irritated me was that they caused another guest to leave which I had to refund. Guess there isn't anything I can do about that, huh?

[Pete69]

Things you can do to scare off these types of "guests"...

1. Stop accepting 1 night bookings.

2. Require a deposit of perhaps $200.

3. Raise your nightly rate.

4. Describe your neighborhood as quiet (if it indeed is).

You might think that by eliminating 1 night bookings you will lose business. I'm not too sure about that. A one night booking might prevent you from getting someone to book for 2 or more nights, especially on weekends and during peak season (if you have one).

Personally I want to avoid being a "maid" as much as possible. Less short term guests means less cleaning.

[Henley0]

Good points, I'll consider them.

1. 1 night bookings generate a lot more for me.

2. What do you think about security deposits? I don't see any of my nearby competitors using them so I wonder if it detracts guests from booking overall.

3. Raising nightly rate is a tough one for me as well. I programmed my own rate adjuster which works really well to maximize revenue. I would much prefer a different method to avoid parties happening in my place.

4. Currently stated in my listings already. 

[Christine615]

Exactly. You CAN  prevent parties by having neighbors alert you and put clearly in the description And house rules that no guests are permitted on the property unless they are on the reservation without prior permission.

And I agree get rid of one night reservations unless the person has prior reviews. 

I am not 100% clear how you can rent one bedroom in the house to one party and another bedroom to a completely different party while you don’t live there. Here in Kansas City that’s not even legally allowed under the short term rental rules.

You have to start thinking of this is both your personal space and your business. I think you’re going to go to easy on them because you’re scared of a bad review but you can’t see their review until you write one and they can’t see yours until you write one so be honest. Because honestly the rest of us host are sick of having good reviews for gas onl I am not 100% clear how you can rent one bedroom and a house to one party and another bedroom to a completely different party while you don’t live there. Here in Kansas City that’s not even legally allowed under the short term rental rules.

You have an obligation to write an accurate review so other hosts will be informed. Be truthful, constructive and objective but do report to Airbnb now!!!

[Henley0]

Thanks for the reply. Good point about using my neighbors to alert me. Also, it's legal here to rent room by room.

[Paul154]

@Henley0

I do believe that revenue loss from guests leaving due to bad behaviour of other guests is "damages" . Whether Airbnb will charge that onto the offernding guests is something you can try, but no guarantees.

You have a 4 bedroom home, but rent only 3 bedrooms. Do you live in the other bedroom? You say you "drove over". Does that mean you live elsewhere?

If so, you must control your house better.

How can strangers gain access to another guest's bedroom?  That is unacceptable.   Do you go to this house daily and impose your presence? 

Good luck

[Henley0]

I rent out 4 bedrooms. I don't go here daily. My housekeepers clean almost daily though. 

[Henley0]

@Paul154 Also good point about the rooms. I leave the keys in the door knob for each guest. It's never been a problem for the past 1/2 year. I guess I'll have to change that

[Donna240]

@Henley0 you are breaking the rules of short term rentals in San Francisco by not living 75% of the year in that home. By not living there when you rent out rooms, you are setting yourself up for a big liability. There are laws against teens buying and using weed in this state and if your neighbors called the police you could be dragged into court for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, because it happened in your home. If neighbors complained to the Office of Short Term Rentals they could revoke your license and Airbnb would eliminate your listing.

When a guest rents a room, it is not unreasonable for them to believe that you will be there, should anything go wrong....like party guests taking over their room. Can you imagine a guest from another country wanting to stay in a house with drug use, whether legal or not in this city? I believe you got off easy this time.

Try putting yourself in the place of your guests. Would you want to rent a room in a home with 3 other strangers and no host on site? Do you even tell your guests that other guests will be staying there at the same time? That simple act could have saved you from a guest who would break your rules. It is to your advantage and the safety of your guests and property to start thinking beyond the booking and come up with some better managing strategy. 

[Henley0]

All your points are invalid. I don't rent in SF. I am fully transparent with every point you mentioned in all my listings.

[Paul154]

@Donna240

Your "legal" and moral advice to @Henley0 is incorrect.

This is Airbnb. We are all very different hosts offering different types of housing.

A host need not live 24/7 in a house advertised on Airbnb

@Henley is offering very necessary and inexpensive housing option  in expensive California. That you are equating his offering to partying and drug use is incorrect. He has no more or less drug usage and partying than any other host here. 

Like all of us, he can improve safety and control, but his listing itself is 100% fine.

[Donna240]

@Henley0 I stand corrected. I should have looked at the listing first instead of making assumptions, but I was trying to point out a few things that could turn into a liability and legal nightmare for you, like minors using controlled substances in your property. If one of them had been injured, you could be pulled into a lawsuit, since you are the "big pockets" in the scenerio and the young guest who created the problem is most likely too young to have liability insurance. You are very transparent with guests so my question was out of line and my assumption that doing so would have resolved your problem was obviously wrong. I do apologize for that. @Paul154 I was not "equating his offering to partying and drug use" but pointing out that he needs to consider that those things happen when the host is not present in the property. I think the loss of income from the guest who left, and the mess left behind by the problem guest were the main points he was making and I believed his biggest problem was minors and his liability as the property owner. The "tight ship" still has a loose plank. I agree he can improve safety and control. @Julie143 has 2 great ideas to impliment that.

[Julie143]

I see security cameras mentioned in your listing? Can you monitor them from wherever you are?

If not, something like a Ring doorbell camera would be a good idea. This way you could see who is entering the property right from your phone.  When you notice a bunch of teenagers walking in, go shut down the party before it gets out of hand.

Overall, it sounds like you need to run a tighter ship. How proactive is your housekeeper? Perhaps you could pay her more and have her function partly as a co-host who keeps an eye on the place.