Guest brought indoor furniture outside, got cake and Glitter everywhere!

Jared287
Level 2
Quincy, MA

Guest brought indoor furniture outside, got cake and Glitter everywhere!

I'm having a real hard time dealing with disrespectable guests lately. Past 2 guests have been nightmares.

 

First one made reservation for 2 and ended up have 8 more people show up throughout the night, they knocked my mailbox over, used my front lawn as a driveway to park and complete 3 point turns off the property, glass bottles by the pool. Most recent guest brought my indoor furniture outside, moved/unclipped(broken clips from shoving the entire sectional) all my patio furniture and moved the grill to the literall edge of the inground pool that we just spent $7k to repair(new liner).

 

To add they got cake frosting stains on what seems to be everything.... permanently staining both sofas, glitter scattered everywhere, some kind of sauce all over the clean utensils that are inside of a drawer, over filled outside  trash bin with "props" for whatever celebration they had which ended up blowing all over the yard.

 

I call airbnb and for both these situations and it's clear Airbnb does not seem to protect their hosts. I called to ask about my rights to go over and put my furniture back inside after not being able to handle it politely and directly with the guest. In this circumstance I was told the guest had violated enough terms I could legally have them removed from the property. I told them all I want is my furniture back in the house to which they responded that I could not do that unless I recieved the guests permission to enter the property without incurring a penalty of some sort from airbnb. They told me to just file a claim if the furniture is ruined or damaged or if I need to hire a delivery crew to move the furniture back inside. I ask how many claims can be made cause id hate to waste my 1 claim on something stupid like a piece of furniture when its entirely possibe someone may damage the pool at some point.

 

They couldn't give me a straight answer, so I'm left feeling like guests have more rights over my property/belongings than I do and Im suppose to just let people do what they want with my stuff at my expense. It all seems so ass backwards...just needed to vent. Thanks

6 Replies 6
Lenore22
Level 10
California, United States

That is so frustrating! And how additionally difficult that it has happened more than once! I'm glad you got to vent here and if you are looking for advice, this is what I have to offer:

 

 

 

1. Considering this has happened more than once, you may wish to revisit how you are vetting your guests. Common measures are:

 

- turn off instant book of it is on.

 

- if you use instant book, use the most restrictive settings (only guests with good ratings, verified IDs, etc)

 

- when you receive a request/inquiry/booking ask questions about what brings them to the area, who is in their group (friends, family, etc) to start the dialogue and hopefully go from there.

 

-include specific verbiage in your listing and/or confirmation message regarding policies/expectations around guests/unregistered guests, moving furniture, damages, food/drink in various areas, etc.

 

- Some hosts just say breaking any house rules can lead to immediate cancelation of the booking with no refund and removal of all people from the property; other hosts seek to deter behaviors by associating each with a hefty fine ($100 for smoking any substance anywhere on property; $200 for moving furniture, etc.) and that booking serves as and agreement to all house rules and subsequent fines/consequences. Many times this is a deterrent more than a solution as guests looking to break these rules may simply move on and book somewhere else.

 

 

 

2. While the AirCover policy provides some measure of security/peace-of-mind, I would not rely solely on it to resolve issues (for more evidence, search through the posts on this community center on hosts' experience with making claims). I consider Airbnb's Air Cover as a way to recoup small claims and/or part of a deductible for my regular insurance in the US (I can't speak to the situation elsewhere). Air Cover will not cover the truly disastrous damages, like having to replace/repair your in-ground pool. It is extremely difficult to prove that this level of damage was due to the actions of a single guest during one stay. And even if so, they are unlikely to cover the entirety of *all* of the damages for something like flooding a bathroom (mold remediation, flooring repair, plumbing, etc). A solid, reliable insurance policy with a short-term rental clause is necessary for these larger claims. If your deductible is $3000 or so, Airbnb may reimburse you for some of this--- so hiring a delivery service to move the furniture inside is a great one for this and well worth claiming it with AirBnB (be sure to get a professional invoice on letterhead), as it's only a couple hundred dollars. Maybe you can be compensated for the broken clasp on the sectional or maybe even replace the sectional if it's truly stained. AirCover is also great for small damages (a broken door knob, lamp, faucet) or losses (a pan goes missing, a comforter is ripped, curtains ripped, etc) Just be sure to document, document, document!

 

 

 

I am so sorry you're going through this, but hopefully these experiences will help you set-up your listing and policies in a way that saves you more heartache in the future.

 

 

All the best,

 

Lenore

Lenore22
Level 10
California, United States

@Jared287 this right here might be what's giving you trouble:

 

Screenshot_20220926-150117.png

... With that beautiful pool, even though you say your max is 4 guests, this listing screams "party house." 

 

If you want more control over your house/belongings and what happens to them, you need to take it. It is not up to Airbnb to determine what is/isn't ok and unless you spell it out for your guests & Airbnb, they cannot have your back.

 

If you say your listing is suitable for events of 25 or more, you need to spell out exactly what that means.

- Do they need prior authorization?

- Is there an extra fee?

- What are noise ordinances and quiet hours like?

- Are we talking a wedding, or a reunion or a birthday party or an "Animal House"-style frat party? (*Note that some of the craziest fights and damages happen at "family gatherings")

- What happens when 10 of the guests get drunk and pass out on the sofa/floor? 

... Spell this out as specifically as possible to set expectations for yourself and for your guests. Airbnb can better serve you when it is written in your listing as your policy. 

 

... Best of luck to you!

@Lenore22 @Wow! I didn't even know that is how my rental is listed. Thank you for pointing that out

@Lenore22 @Jared287 

 

Well spotted, there is your answer thats like sending out an invite for trouble,

Over time you will learn there are many Red Flags appear,

We have some large villas and we watch them as we live on a party island, No one night bookings, Pools can be a nightmare guest insist on drinking in the pool we had one guest drop a bottle of wine in the pool it smashed on the bottom, we had to empty the pool you cant see broken glass on the bottom, we charged them and they lost the use of the pool for a day, Wanting to move the BBQ next to the pool, Leave it where it is, Please, 

Can I suggest, you sit down and learn how the STR business works on here there is load of info but also go over to YT mountains of video's there.

@Lenore22 Thank you for the good advice. This is our first completed year hosting(rent seasonally, live in home over winter) and it has for sure been a learning experience. It is just mind blowing what people think is acceptable while on someone else's property as a welcomed guest, things I would never do. I've called support often throughout this rental season in attempt to learn more about the process of the do's and don't of being a host and it just seems like they never have your back or all the rules are always heavily in favor of the guests. We also don't allow pets (mostly to protect the pool) but guests get around this by claiming their pet is a "service animal" when that is very rarely the actual case (They make it too convenient to dub your pet service worthy in this country). Both times something has been damaged, first our expensive woven pool loungers that have what are now very large holes and the cushions on the patio furniture with tears that the guest just flipped the cushion. So you're saying I can make multiple claims for thing like I have mentioned? I'll have to take your advice and dig further on the reason for each stay because renting out our actual home and expecting respectful results from adults is just not working out

Lenore22
Level 10
California, United States

@Jared287 

 

You will hear lots of horror stories in this forum, but from my own personal experience, I have found that if I  document well (photos, etc) , and bring it to the guests first (giving them the opportunity to basically admit they did it without my accusing them on the platform), Airbnb has fully covered the few items or damages I've claimed and I submit each as they happen. 

 

Several times, guests have actually been the ones to inform me of damages before check-out (we encourage that in our pre-check-out messages that we'd prefer to hear it directly from them.) Sometimes I charge them, sometimes I don't (a stained towel is easy to replace and just the cost of doing business. ), But usually these are small claims like $40 or so and it goes straight to the guest, so Airbnb isn't out any $$.

 

I have a specific fee for extra guests, which airbnb immediately gave me when I submitted  photos from our ring camera with all the guests in frame. Not sure if they got it from the guest or not, but because it was explicitly written in my house rules with evidence, Airbnb honored it.

 

Sometimes things go missing, so I'll ask, "we're having trouble finding the ****. Do you know where it could be?" And they might say, "I remember seeing it in the living room. It's got to be there!" Well, if it isn't, we've submitted it and been reimbursed (This happened with a PS Switch that one of my kids accidentally left in the house before the guests came. One of their friends probably walked away with it and they ended up with the bill... Because we offer a variety of gaming systems in our listing, they acknowledged it was there during their stay but that it clearly was missing afterwards, we were quickly compensated).

 

I'm sure there is a limit, but so far Airbnb has been very fair when substantial evidence & documentation is presented. Extra Cleaning is the trickiest to document, which is why it is helpful to note it in your listing (excessive cleaning required over 4 hours will be charged at a rate of $50/hr or something like that). I don't do this, but some hosts do.

 

I hope this helps,

Lenore