Guest failed to mention advanced pregnancy and upcoming birth - whilst in our property

Answered!
Nicole327
Level 1
Kilmichael, Ireland

Guest failed to mention advanced pregnancy and upcoming birth - whilst in our property

Hi All,

 

This is my first time using this forum, but I'm rather desperate and need some advice... We are fairly experienced hosts but now face an unexpected challenge:

 

Yesterday, we were expecting a couple who are booked to stay with us for a month. We had no specific info from them as regarded the purpose of their stay but, based on positive reviews and normal booking-related conversation, had accepted them. On their arrival we were completely overwhelmed by the fact that the lady was 38 weeks pregnant and had chosen our property with the idea of being closer to the maternity hospital.

 

Not only are we not particularly close to the hospital, we are in no way prepared for any medical emergencies on that level, nor trained to aid in a potential home birth! I was gobsmacked to say the least that somebody would knowingly put us and, after all, themselves in such a situation. Of course we are always happy to help and are listed a family friendly but not in the sense that we feel comfortable taking on such a huge responsibility, without ever being asked in the first place. The guests came equipped with baby things and today even had a midwife visiting them in our listing. This indicates that, from their perspective, all is planned but without ever consulting us or asking our permission!

 

Now my question is how do I deal with the guests? This feels weirdly like an unrehearsed Nativity play in which I have, for obvious reasons, no interest in taking part. The guests have not given us any information or clues as to their background story (as in WHY would you want to do this?) since their arrival yesterday and seemed completely oblivious to any issue when I tried to talk to them today after the midwife's visit. 

 

Anybody got any ideas how to proceed? Thanks a million in advance, 

 

Nicole

1 Best Answer
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

Apparently this discussion thread has morphed from the original issue of what a host should do when a guest is using the space without proper disclosure to guest rights.  Interesting.  @Marit-Anne0 has been very clear and @Kenneth12 has given us all an alternative perspective.  I am inspired by this discussion because it is at the heart of our shared home industry.  We are not hotels with inpersonal amenities.  We are very personal.  We may even be in the space.  Regardless, we are more  dependent on accurate specific information than the generic hotel/motel experience.  If guests cannot or do not want to participate in that process, hosts have the right to cancel.  These hosts do not have to be subjected to judgement, but should be supported as good hosts.  @Helen3@Monika64

@Marit-Anne0 seem to speak to this.  Thank you.

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61 Replies 61

She most certainly did make that comparison.

So if a guest has a telemedicine session,  which are normally conducted in homes,  sometimes with medical workers present,  sometimes with medical procedures performed,  they need to make the host aware?

@Kenneth12 In one word: yes! Stating the purpose of your trip as a guest is your first responsibility towards your host. It's all about the information that was NOT presented.

 

If @Kenneth12, or anyone else,  wants women to be able to use your house as a place to give birth, then I say "Go for it".

 

As for everyone else, I recommend that, for our safety and that of our guests,  we all put in writing that we do not allow guests who intend to partake in medical procedures INSIDE our home, or procedures that would "normally" be performed in a medical facility.  Seeing other posts about guests' misuse of houses, I'd add that guests are not allowed (without permission) to hold an event or to run a business or to use our homes for profit.  And I'd limit the number of visitors to help prevent the wild parties or wedding receptions  they might try to say are not an "event" but just "happened".  

I'm sure there are other things to add to that list, but those appear to cover the most common misuses. 

Great list, @Kim238!

So you get to decide that childbirth should "normally" take place in a medical facility?   Riiggght.

@Kenneth12

No I am not making any cmparisons - I simply state what I would tolerate going on in my home and what I would not. It is my home after all !  Sex workers can get pregnant too btw.  

Giving birth in your home and staying in your home and having treatment at the hospital are two very different things.  

Although one lead to the other, being pregnant and giving birth are also two different things 

@Kenneth12 maybe, but even in US you can cancel abusive guests

The alleged abuse is another thing-- and I had an abusive guest tonight--  but the OP doesn't begin with that.  

And,  well,  I'll just say,  the pregnant women I've had the honor of dealing with,  were generally not necessarily entirely rational throughout the whole process.  As hosts,  we have some obligation,  to be welcoming and responsive to needs.

@Kenneth12 Thanks for your input. I did not cancel these guests because of the pregnancy/home birth but because of their lies, dishonesty and heavy verbal abuse! Surely that is a valid reason!?

Thanks for the reply and explanation.

I understand it may have been a difficult situation.  You led with the pregnancy.   You didn't lead with lies and abuse;   you listed them as secondary,  and began with concerns about pregnancies and childbirth.

If I were a harried counsellor,   or whatever you call judges of appropriate jurisdiction in Ireland these days,   I'd read that as a reaction to the pregnancy,  not the abuse.   I'd hope AirBnB staff would too-- if you led with the pregnancy and related issues being the problem.

Else I can't tell what happened,  don't know how you address expectations about behavior in your listing,  etc.  But with a pregnant woman,   as with any patient coming for treatment-- which happens to us given some of our property locations-- I'd be cautious at the least.

Now our guest last year with full-blown psychosis or schizophrenia?  That was a much harder call;   we managed to get him out the door without allowing him to re-book.

Good luck.

@Kenneth12Wow Ken I couldn't disagree more.  First stay focused - the question was not about Fair Housing Act and most understood her main concern to be the deceit and rudeness.

 

In the U.S the Fair Housing Act does not apply to privately owned property.  I did not read it per se, but I'm still going to say that pregnancy discrimination would not apply to private home rentals.

 

For further consideration:

When the Fair Housing Act applies;

Here's a summary of the FHA's applicability, so that you can determine if it applies to one or more of your properties:

Small owner-occupied buildings.  The FHA generally isn't applicable when a building has fewer than five apartments and one of them is occupied by the owner.

Single-family homes rented without a broker.  The FHA doesn't apply to most situations where a single-family house is sold or rented without a broker.

@Kenneth12 The point was not the pregnancy but the fact that this couple planned a medical procedure on @Nicole327 property and was not honest about it. None of us would turn down a pregnant lady or guests who are renting our places while getting treatments. However, these treatments are NOT taking place in our houses. There is a reason why lots of women give birth in hospitals: there might be complications. It is our right as hosts to decide whether we would like to be involved in something like this. Again, this is not about hosting a lady who ACCIDENTALLY goes into labor while staying in her house, no, this is about someone who planned a birth from the beggining but didn't want to disclose that to her host.

Oomesh-Kumarsingh0
Level 10
Pamplemousses, Mauritius

Just be yourself dont change anything deal with them as you used to deal with previous guests give them some freedom dont visit too often. Good luck and thank you for hosting such guests this is the human part of Airbnb it only shows how better this place is than anywhere else!!!

Cormac0
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Nicole327

 

Where do this couple live that your place is the nearest that they can get to a Materity hospital ? the problem as I see it is, they probably won't want to leave when the month is up.

 

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer's Club Krakow III

The Explorer's Club Krakow VIII

Joanna85
Level 10
Las Vegas, NV

I guess the first thought in my mind was:  who cares, they pay upon booking and as long as they leave the place the same as they found it, doesn't matter.  It's not like they are making drugs in your place.....it's a baby. It's not different than if someone needed a place close to the hospital because a loved one was in the hospital with heart surgery or something and they just wanted to be close by.  I had a guy come the other day to just check on his grandson the day they put him in hopspice care...isn't that what we are for--to host folks who are going to be in town for all sorts of reasons, vacation, graduations, sports, etc etc.  Am I missing something?!  If they are bringing a newborn to your home and you live there, that might be a whole other thing because babies like to scream and cry and have fun times while the rest of us humans sleep...but if you aren't there---it's kind of neat someone's first few days on earth are spent in your space.   You are not needed to oversee their needs--you are to provide the space as you list it--so relax.  🙂