Guest staying without paying

[MikeandTina0]

I am having a horrible experience, checkout date is past and guest is still in the property.

I have tried to call Airbnb so many times, I can reach to the person handling the case.

she occasionally send me same email saying she tried to call laying in email 

Not providing any resolution or guidance for next steps.

What are my options here? 
guest refuse to leave 

[Helen350]

I think that's very harsh @Kia272 . Ratings of 4.20, 4.30, 4.35, 4.50, 4.57 are not 'dismal' at all! (The 2* room had had only 1 guest and the 3.3* room only 3*, so one low opinion skews the averages, as we all know.)

We're talking BUDGET listings in a shared house, and a proportion of folk will always give those a lower star rating than they would a luxury place with elegant decor. - I get the impression that guests in the US are more likely to rate low for simple basic places with no frills.

Furthermore, some guests were highly complimentary, and there are some repeat guests. There will always be a few bad reviews for basic budget accommodation, from people who hoped for something flasher, but weren't prepared to pay for it!

Obviously where kitchens & bathrooms are shared, there isan element of pot luck regarding whether the other guests will be tidy & respectful of others or not... It's not the host's fault if fellow guests have low standards. You take that risk when you book a shared place.

I disagree that these places should not be allowed in the pandemic. They serve a need if that's all some guests can afford. You get what you pay for, and guests who understand that write OK reviews, appreciating they got value for money.

[Kia272]

@Helen350  I do appreciate your input as it made me think about what I had written. I may be brainwashed or an elitist, but to me those numbers are pretty dismal.

Also, having taken a brief look at the listings, I could see why. I understand the concept of budget listings and the market they serve, but all I saw was an assembly of cheap and ugly furnishings thrown together with very little thought towards aesthetic or any type of appeal, in order to pack "guests" in to a shared house. Perhaps the dismal appearance of the properties pushed me towards the word dismal. 

Throw in the whole pandemic-shared space thing, coupled with obviously not cleaning to the promised standard, and I'm afraid I have to stick with dismal- referring to the whole thing. 

I'm totally open to being called out for anything I say, so my appreciation is sincere. 

[Sarah977]

@Helen350 The listing says "Self cleaning common areas these days",  which indicates to me that the host doesn't bother to clean the common areas at all, expecting the clean guests to have to put up with ones who leave a filthy kitchen or bathroom in their wake.

While guests would be agreeing to the "self cleaning" if they choose to book here, it just seems like a really poor business model and is leading to bad reviews.

I suspect the wording "these days" means the host doesn't want to risk COVID by going in to clean, but if that's the case, and he's aware of the risks, why is he running a listing where so many guests are in a super spreader situation. 

[Helen3]

Why haven't you gone to your place and evicted these trespassers? 

what are you waiting for Airbnb to do @MikeandTina0 ? 

[Sarah977]

@Helen350 "It's not the host's fault if fellow guests have low standards. You take that risk when you book a shared place."

I strongly disagree. The host has no way of making sure everyone in a listing like that gets along with each other, or that one guest doesn't have some irritating habits that annoy others, or smells bad, that is a risk guests take when booking this type of accommodation.

But the host is most certainly responsible for maintaining the shared areas in a clean state, not doing so would be like you or me expecting our home share guests to clean their room immaculately in preparation for the next guest, so we didn't have to clean at all.

And as he's advertising that he cleans to the COVID protocol, he's outright lying.

[Helen350]

@Sarah977  My point was that the host or a cleaner can not nip in between guests. Yes you expect the kitchen to be cleaned regularly, but there can not be any guarantees that when a guest goes to the kitchen, some other guest has not just created a huge pile of unwashed dishes & unwiped surfaces.

And the 'Covid protocol' is by definition impossible where a guest uses a bathroom or kitchen which someone else has just used. - Can be done in bedrooms, but not kitchens or bathrooms, unless you have the equivalent of a German lavatory attendant (as I remember from the 70s/80s - do they still have those?)- standing by the door waiting to pounce with a wet rag, the moment someone exits? And if you DID have such a putzfrau, she could ADD to the risk by breathing virus onto the surfaces through those non-medical flowery masks which don't work? - Life is risky!

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  If I were running a hostel type listing, I would find someone responsible who works from home (this listing indicates that they cater to people work in IT, anyway) , give them a free room in exchange for being in charge of keeping the common areas clean. Even if it means cleaning and tidying the bathroom and kitchen several times a day. 

A friend of mine has had a hostel in my town for about 20 years. There are 3 private rooms with private baths, and a large room that has 4 beds and a bathroom. They all share an outdoor kitchen and courtyard.

The place is quite simple and basic and she pretty much does what I described. If she's staying there, she or her cleaner keep the common spaces clean, when she leaves for several months each year, she gets someone who is responsible and needs housing to stay there and take that on.