Guest who breaks rules and sneak in extra guests should not get to leave a review.

Raquel24
Level 10
Gibsons, Canada

Guest who breaks rules and sneak in extra guests should not get to leave a review.

I am a super host with over 146 - 5 star reviews and I cannot understand how a guest who breaks the rules, disrespects your home, sneaks in extra guests and leaves past check out time, is allowed to leave a review.  If a guest breaks the rules they should not be able to leave a review.  

58 Replies 58
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Raquel24  While I totally agree with you in concept, there are hosts that have some pretty idiosyncratic and weird rules which would make any blanket rule about not being able to leave a review if you "break the rules" unfair.  

Jeremy100
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

Don’t forget it is the hosts home/property and therefore their rules.  If the guest does not like them or can’t, wont keep to them then they should stay elsewhere.

Raquel24
Level 10
Gibsons, Canada

I was pretty specific, a guest who sneaks in extra people unpaid, is in clear violation of the terms of being a guest in your home.  

 

@Linda108  hosts have some pretty idiosyncratic and weird rules

 

Thats entirely the hosts prerogative. The guest booked the accommodation fully accepting all the term and all the House Rules. Breaking them is breaking them - whatever they are.

 

Breaking rules, sneaking in guests and leaving past checkout time is three rules broken. Dogs, smoking, littering, running AC with doors open, eating in bedrooms, damaging furniture, not putting out rubbish, leaving the front door open, not observing quiet times, parking... whatever the rules are, they're there for a purpose and not something to be broken or negotiated.

 

I would agree with @Raquel24 

I recently had a guest who tried to sneak in an extra two guests Into my apartment  without paying the extra charge.   I asked him via Airbnb to pay the extra charge which I eventually received.  However, the guest then left me a retaliatory review that my apartment was dirty.  You can’t win for loosing!

Instead of asking for the extra charge I would have simply left them a bad review.  It's an option that may work out better in the long run.

Ricardo741
Level 6
Kingston, Jamaica

I do agree that once a guest is dishonest enough to sneak in unwanted people, that guest would not leave a honest review. Some rules are clear such as smoking, extra guests, substance abuse and other criminal act. It should be mandatory that once these rules are violated then that person should automatically loose his or her rights to a review. In fact, these people should be red flagged for misbehavior. Airbnb should remember that if there is no host then there is nowhere for guests to stay. Everyone already knows that the bulk of the income is coming from the guests;however, 100 long term stays cant purchase a home. Many guests are very vindictive.

Ricardo I totally agree with you 100%.  Many of my guests too are now starting to get very vindictive.  I never used to have this problem.  

Rowena29
Level 10
Australia

@Raquel24 

I also agree with you in principle but I can see it descending into bedlam.

I anticipated one group my guests were going to try to sneak in extras, rang airbnb, and was told I needed photographic evidence that they had actually slept over ( right so I was going to break in and photo them sleeping??) and /or a police report.  these boards are full of CS taking the guests side over the hosts, so I think it's unlikely. Trying to be absolutely detached, I can also see some dishonest hosts, make some sort of accusation like this in order to head off a bad review.  But I do think if a guest OR a host have had to make a claim/ raise a dispute  that the option to review should be removed.

 

It sounds like you are concerned you are going to get a not so great review because of guest dishonesty. that's never nice, but as you have so many great reviews, it's not really going to affect your ranking. So long as you leave a factual detached professional reply to anything negative they may say, prospective guests reading it will quickly see what's going on.  IN fact it may even work in your favour - potential dishonest guests reading your reviews will see you've held guests to account and decide to head elsewhere!   There's no doubt the review system is deeply flawed, but great hosts such as yourself will win through in the long run. And the good thing is you can still review them and alert future hosts to their dodgy tricks.  Put them to the back of your mind, leave THEM an appropriate review and move onto your next great guest.   

p.s I have found having a video camera at the front door ( disclosed in my listing) combined with a substantial security deposit and the removal of "guests can check themselves in with a keypad" has eradicated the problem for me.   ( so far)  I still HAVE a keypad and some guests still have to use this, but I now say on the listing I will greet in person if possible, - otherwise there's a keypad for easy check in.   I think the guests who plan to be dishonest specifically look for places with  self check in.  It's much easier to head  off the dishonest ones and get them looking elsewhere,  than to deal with them actually flouting rules.

Lan1
Level 10
El Cerrito, CA

I had experience that even there is proof the guest broke the rule and violated the review guidelines, Airbnb won’t care! The case manager only sent messages about 2am, mostly pre saved messages, not too much touching your case details.... 

I finally decided to give up super host dream as even you get many 5 star reviews, one or two threatening could ruin all...

周蘭
Mj51
Level 2
Toronto, Canada

There should be a one time use private review that only hosts can see. I had someone rent my place and and when I was driving by I saw a huge party in my balcony and many people leaving from downstairs.

 

a public review would make the guest close their account and open another one. It would be great to leave a private review that host can see for this special case to warn others of this guest and save others properties. 

 

I can can see some people using it wrongly but the good will outweigh the bad usage.

@Raquel24  A big hesitation I have with this proposal is that a less scrupulous host, anticipating a justifiable negative review, could easily concoct a phony allegation of rule-breaking (or exaggerate a minor grievance) as a Get Out Of Jail Free card. 

 

On the other hand, anyone considering your listing can look at a single retaliatory review with some perspective:  your reciprocal review of the guest, your Host Comment, and especially the many great reviews from other guests. Also, one advantage to not silencing your bad guests is that they give you an opportunity to demonstrate that you don't tolerate any rule-breaking or disrespect, and perhaps deter those unsavory folks who expect hosts to be doormats.

I agree with you, Andrew.  I think great hosts, like @Raquel24 ,  might not be aware of the "less scrupulous host".  I know I have had my eyes opened by looking a posts from such hosts and posts from guests that have been victimized by such hosts.  

As a host, I am responsible for having a vetting process in place that will weed out undesireable guests.  Sometimes it takes an undesireable guest to teach me what to add to my listing and to my process.  

I have suffered from a few (luckily very few) guests that have broken rules and have given me a negative review.  

@Anonymous

 

Sa sait du pipo

Il y a des voyageur mlahonnette qui se serve   de evaluation comme une arme pour essayer de faire baisse le prix de sejour futur ,d'avoir des chose non prevue,de chier sur ton reglement a veut tu en voila ,il arrive meme a mmenace airbnb pour russir a faire enleve votre mauvaise evaluation alors que il on cassez chez vous car il on des carte bleu ou ou save que airbnb peut par charge des caution apres cout car il recharge sait cb au coup par coup...

Sait une des raison pour lequ'elle des que j'ai le temps je vais repassez sur une autre plateforme

Car je suis pas la **bleep** airbnb ou du client qui me menace sans arret avec leur evaluation.

Mais un hotes honnette qui veut juste que on lui casse pas le materiel chez lui et que les voyageur malhonnette et un moyen de pretion.

Je prefere louez moin souvent que beaucoup et perdre mon benefice avec tout la case que font certain voyageur malhonnette sachant que airbnb les protege