Guests broke National Forest littering law

[Kelly0]

Hi everyone,

We rent our downstairs DC apartment and our WV vacation home through Airbnb and I have a combined 315 reviews and SuperHost status. I have never had to make a claim against a guest's deposit until this week. Last weekend our WV cabin was rented to a guest. When my WV housecleaner arrived to clean, she said it was the worst she'd ever seen: vomit out a window, beer bottles in our yard, cut-up towels on a broom to clean up messes inside, sticky floors, trash in our front yard, etc. The trash was filled with Corona bottles and red plastic cups and the neighbors told my housecleaner they heard the blaring music until 1am.

I decided to make a claim for extra cleaning; thankfully nothing was broken.

Then I learned as my cleaning lady was going home that there were filled trash bags thrown onto the shoulder down the street. The trash bags matched the bags we have in our rental. Because we're not full-time residents in WV, we don't pay for trash service, so we have to being our trash back with us. I make sure guests agree to this before approving a booking.

My housecleaner had a sneaky suspicion that the tossed trash bags were from our guests. As it happens, she's also an employee of WV Dept. of Natural Resources and as this was located in George Washington National Forest, she was required to report the littering. A WV state employee came out and analyzed the trash and the contents of the three trash bags matched nearly identically the trash that was found strewn about our yard: same beer bottles, same red plastic cups, same brand of hot dog buns, etc. Any reasonable adult would say that this trash found came from my guests. The State employee said that without definitive proof (like some piece of personally identifiable I formation inside the trash bags), no fine could be issued.

Which really stinks! The poor state employee had to clean up my guests' trash, and there's nothing that can be done.

Two days ago I filed a claim through Airbnb's Resolution Center regarding the extra cleaning costs, but I've heard nothing back from the guest. I'll probably have to ask Airbnb to intervene.

This is really a pity as the guest said she was coming "with family" and paid over $1,100 for the weekend.

In retrospect, though, she was a brand new Airbnb guest since July 2016 and had zero reviews. I should have been a little more aware.

Of course, now I need to decide how to frame the review. I'm sure even a fact-filled review from me will beget a retaliatory review from her. I guess I'll have to deal with that.

Thanks,


Kelly

[Sandra126]

The guest can't see your review before she has posted hers. Most likely you won't get one at all, who knows. I am so sorry about the disrespect shown to your house and the forest. Some people! Dreadful. Glad it wasn't your first guest, as you would have had doubts about continuing.

[Donna90]

Hi Kelly,
I'm sorry to hear about this bad experience. That was horrible. I would hate to have that happen to my house. I'm wondering what kind of questions you asked her to make you feel comfortable renting to her. Did you get the names of all the guests and ask for a brief introduction of each person? Prior to booking, did you tell them that you'll be requiring her to send photos of each guest once the booking is done? I do that with my guests. But, sometimes I wonder if that's overkill. I figured if they are not comfortable with that then I don't feel comfortable with them staying at my house. But, I'd like to learn what screening process you go through. You definitely have a lot more experience than me.

Donna

[James1]

There can be no purely retaliatory reviews, just for a bad review. The guests will not see their hosts review, nor will the host see the guests review, until you both complete and submit your reviews. It is sort of a mutually assured self destruction/cold war approach to problem solving. If they write you a bad review they wrote it before they read your review. That's how the airbnb review system is supposed to protect us from retaliatory reviews.

BUT, and it's a big but, if you want to open a resolution claim you must do so in generally 48 hours after the guest leaves. That means they know you have filed a claim, before they have probably had a chance to review you (since we all have 14 days to leave a review.) Any 'retaliation' will be for filing the claim in the resoliution center and not for your review. The claim itself is likely a fair indication, to the guest, that the hosts review of them is probably not going to be 5 stars.

So bottom line, for the sake of all other hosts, you must write a fair and accurate review. They won't see it till they have written and submitted their review of you. Write the review you would want to see as a host if this guest makes an inquiry. As for the claim, that can be a dilemma. Is the money you claim (which you may or may not get) worth the likely bad review that will result? Only you can make that decision.

It's a serious and fundamental flaw in airbnb's review and claim resolution system...

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Hosts/Travellers-admit-to-threatening-a-bad-review-to-get-discounts-...

[Marcus22]

It's both unfortunate some guests so disrespect property while fortunate is a rare case such as yours!
If u took photos that should help convince everyone including inquiring potential guests that the "trash guest" was retaliatory. You may even b able to post these trash photos on another website and refer inquiring guests to that site having the
Photographic evidence.

[Yotam2]

I think Airbnb should implement harsher penalties against renters who disrespect properties. There's no reason renter such as the one you described should walk away with a small extra cleaning fee and a poor review. In my opinion they should be banned from renting again.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Do not leave a fact filled reivew - people don't read them and get turned off and it can make you seem like the picky one. Keep it brief and to the point. Hosts will get it if you say something as simple as. 'These guests required significant addtional cleaning after their departure.'

[Yotam2]

I think Airbnb should implement harsher penalties against renters who disrespect properties. There's no reason renter such as the one you described should walk away with a small extra cleaning fee and a poor review. In my opinion they should be banned from renting again.