HELP! How would you handle this?

[Katja25]

Hello!

I am a fairly new airbnb host and have until now only had good experiences. Until last night.

A couple living in a city a five hour drive away booked my apartment and early on asked if they could check in late, saying "it might go up to midnight". Although a bit unconvenient, I agreed to it. I'm renting out the whole apartment, so I have to be present to give them the keys, but can't stay there myself when I have guests. On the day of the arrival I told them that my friend would be meeting them as I was out of town and I could only be there half an hour after their estimated arrival time, so I sent them his number in case they would arrive before I was back. To this they replied that they will be late (without saying how much late, should have had some warning bells already then) and suggested meeting at a hotel in the city center so it would be easier to find. Thankfully I didn't agree to meeting anywhere else than the apartment. Would have been a long wait..

I told them I was now at the apartment and asked for the time of arrival, this was half an hour after they were already suppose to already have arrived according to their original plan. Then I got a message from them it would still take them THREE (?!?!!) hours to get to the apartment, so they would be more than 3,5h late in total. On a Friday night. Although that meant missing the last public transport, I still waited for them that time, hoping to at least get an answer to my messages. They knew I had to get up early the next day. Three messages without a reply later, I finally went to bed at a bit before 4 am.

I didn't end up hearing anything from them until after 9am this morning. Instead, they had called my friend 40 times, no more no less, starting at 5 am. His phone was on silent so there was no response, and it was anyway clear from our messages that any arrival after 00.30am would be met by me.

The thing is, they have a booking for two nights and I am now unsure how to handle the second night. I feel highly uncomfortable letting these people stay at my place (especially since I wouldn't be there), but would not like to receive a penalty from airbnb either. I am afraid that something will "disappear" from my apartment, or that there will be damages to it or something else (the woman who booked only has phone number and email verified, and of her husband who's also coming I know nothing). The message I have received this morning (9.30am) is very angry, and blaming me for them having to sleep in the car although they didn't even arrive in the city until 5am (when original check in was supposed to be at 00.00, and it's only a five hour drive away from their hometown), and they had not once contacted me (only my friend who was scheduled to house watch until 00.30) before after 9am.

Like I said, I am new to hosting on airbnb and could really need some advice here.
What would you do in this situation?

[Danny9]

@Katja25

I used to have a friend who worked for the law enforcement all his life, and he used to say that the security locks and doors, and alarms, etc., won't keep burglars away from your home. All of the investment into added security was to keep otherwise perfectly honest people from being tempted to go wrong... 

If you translate this into the Airbnb world, you go to your House Rules and make sure that they clearly protect you from all kinds of contingencies, including the one you have just described. You'll probably never need this. And you'll probably never again have guests like the ones you have just described. But, you want to have your all your aces covered, don't you? You are not a hotel featuring 24/7 reception desk services. It is perefectly within your good right to state that there are no check-ins between 12 mindnight and say, 6 am. Remember, it is your house and these are your rules. If the guests do not like them they are perfectly free to book elsewhere. 

Hosts are here to host. We do not enjoy discouraging bookings or rejecting the guests. Fortunately, we hardly ever have to do so. But at times, we do. Consider going for the 'guests with verified IDs only', and invest some time in communicating with them if you have any shred of doubt about them. Losing one booking is usually a very small loss. Going through the repair works, insurance and Airbnb damage claims is usually a much bigger one. Your home - you choose!

Danny

Expert support for your listings in Palma de Mallorca, Spain

[Helen3]

Give BnB a call. Explain what has happened and that you no longer feel comfortable hosting these guests as they missed your agreed check in time and have been rude and abusive to you. You waited  three hours past their agreed check in time ( till 3 a.m. in the morning) when you had to  leave as you had work the next day. That they failed to let you know they wouldn't arrive and didn't respond to your messages.

Explain that rather than calling you (as you had agreed with them) they contacted the alternative contact who was only available to 12.30 in the earlier hours of the morning arriving 5 hours after their agreed check in time (this means they mustn't have left their place till midnight).

Ask BnB to cancel their reservation and find them an alternative.

Also message the client through BnB to reiterate what happened in a factual way and how disappointed you were to have waited three hours beyond check in time with no contact at all, despite you trying to contact them three times. Say the first contact you had from them was a message 9 and half hours after they were supposed to check in. This will then provide a written record of what happened on BnB's message system. Always make sure you message the client through BnB so there is a written record of what happend. (for example when you contacted them three times in the early hours).

Good luck

[David126]

I have stayed up through the night, I do not any longer and would tell them to make alternate arrangements, I need to sleep.

[Dee9]

Keep your keys, lock the doors, do not answer their calls/texts any longer and tell your friend the same. Let them go elsewhere. End of story