Just when I thought I'd seen it all .....

[Louise0]

[David126]

I am not sure what you expect AirBnb to have done anyway, they just arranged the booking, you chose to allow them to stay and party?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

I couldn't disagree more!  

1. Third party bookings are not allowed on Airbnb.  You should be aware of this and not allowed them to stay.  You most definitely can review her for her failings as a host who sent people to a property to which she was never in attendance.  There was a reservation made by someone and that person is responsible for the actions of their guests. 

2. Nitrious used in this way is ABSOLUTELY  illegal in all countries. Gasoline is not illegal but huffing it certainly is!  

3. You absolutely have a problem since you allowed the illegal booking and the all-night partying.  In this way you are complicit in the degradation and condition of your property.  You need to contact Airbnb right away to see if they will assign you someone to help.  You've made this situation more difficult by not following the rules yourself. 

4. You are correct that age is not necessarily an outright reason to decline, but it might be a cause for heightened concern on your part to ensure your things are safe and your property is undamaged. 

If you aren't willing to use the services provided by Airbnb or stick to the contracts set out in the Terms of Service, maybe Airbnb isn't for you.  

[Louise0]

1) I am aware they're not allowed, I'm also aware that when you contact Airbnb with the threat that you're not going to let a guest over the threshold because it's technically a third party booking they will ask you to accept it anyway.  I know, because it's happened to me before.

2) You are wrong.  In Australia, the possession of nitrous oxide, even in these large quanties isn't illegal unless you intend on supplying it to someone and know they will use it to get high, which is almost impossible to prove.  In the UK, the situation is slightly stricter in that the production, distribution or supply (but not usage) in even small quantities is now illegal.  There are no states or territories in Australia in which the use of inhalants is a criminal offence and there are many states in the US where usage is also not a criminal offence.

3) I didn't 'allow' the all night partying, I didn't know that they were doing anything as high risk as nanging.  I didn't intervene to shut down the noise because I assessed the risk of the situation and came to the decision that  it would have been pointless at best and could have turned ugly.  Again, this is based on experience.

Please don't lecture me about sticking to the Terms of Service.  It's my experience that when a host's back is to the wall, as mine has been on more than one occasion, that the Terms prove to be a highly maleable construct.

[Helen3]

I am so sorry you have had such an awful experience.

You say you have had problems with parties before, so I am thinking about what you could do to minimise the risk fo this happening again. I am sure you already do these things in your listing - but this would be my approach.

1. As you say never accept a third party booking. In your place I would review the guest who booked - it might make her think twice about doing this again (either she did this deliberately and had no intention of coming or knew what her friends were like and didn't care)

2. Make it clear in your house rules on your listing that no parties, no guests allowed on the premises others than those who have booked, no loud noise on the premises after 12, no smoking. Say that any parties held on the premises or smoking on the premises will lead to guests being asked to leave immediately. Reiterate this through airbnb messaging and get guests to confirm they understand this before they book. This will deter most guests thinking of partying at your premises.

3. Don't have instant booked turned on

4. Always ask chat to guests before you confirm the booking to find out their plans for their stay. Ask them to confirm that they understand there are to be no parties on the premises. Remind them that you have CCTV on the premises that monitors activity and that you live above the premises.

5. Make sure you understand your local noise abatement laws and use them. Here are noise patrol operates till 3 a.m. at weekends and will come out.

I do hope you have a deposit on your listing. If so claim against this. If not do claim through the resolution centre on the host guarantee. Clearly this is not wear and tear and you have photo's to prove it. You also hopefully have CCTV installed so you can use this as evidence of guests activities.

[Linda108]

@Louise0  Having read all the responses, both other hosts and yourself, perhaps you just needed to vent.  If not, what do you need from the host community?

[Robin4]

@Linda108 @David126 @Alice-and-Jeff0 Hey Linda is right! Please lets not beat each other up here. @Louise0 is one of THE most competent knowledgeable hosts on this forum. She has offered countless posts with good solid advice for many over the past year or more. She has been a Superhost with many more hostings and reviews that many of us!

What has happened to her is just bloody terrible, it's a scenario we all know about, and hope will never happen. As much as we all like to think we have the bases covered there is always that one that will slip under your guard.

@Louise0 knows perfectly well what she could/would have done but seriously, would any of you, knowing what you do about Airbnb resolutions have done it any differently??

I can't tell you what you should do Louise, you know more than me..... I just want to say I feel for you and what you have had to go through.

Let it out......It hurts now, but it will mellow with time and I guess you will change a thing or two to limit the possibility of it happening again....cheers.....Rob

[Lawrene0]

Thanks for posting @Louise0. I had a nasty mess last week, but not so bad as yours. Completely unexpected. Feeling badly for you, and liking @Robin4's response, even though everyone's is helpful in different ways. 

[Louise0]

@Linda108 Thank you, yes, all I'm doing is sharing my experience [and also a bit curious as to whether anyone else has had to clean up after the aftermath of a 'nanging' - apparently that the term for inhaling nitrous oxide -  party.  It's a new one for me.  ]

I also thought it would be useful to share my tale of woe to remind fellow hosts how easy it is for situations to get out of our control.  I live on site, I meet guests on check-in, I ask for the names and ages of all the guests and do background checks on all in the group where possible, I have the tightest house rules you could possibly imagine and I'm no shrinking violet.  Yet still it happens.

One thing I would say to those whose knee-jerk response when they hear of experiences like mine is  "why didn't you kick them out/bang on their door and tell them to shut up/call the police? etc, etc"  is that until you've had to do it you don't realise just how difficult it can be, particularly when you have no idea why it is that they're aren't obeying the rules which you clearly communicated to them on check-in.    

You wonder ......  Are there 20 people down there?  Are they drunk, drugged, both?  What drug(s) have they taken?   Is it something that's going to make them passive or aggressive?  Will kicking them out make more of a ruckus and disturb my neighbours even more than just letting them party on?  

As for calling the police, it is usually not an available course of action.  In my case because (1) the guests have a right to occupy the premises, (2) no neighbour has made a noise complaint, (3) I have no evidence at the time that there's property damage going on and (4) there is no immediate threat to my safety the police would be unlikely attend.  There's also the complicating factor of the current regulatory environment in NSW which makes me reluctant to draw attention to any problems which could possibly be attributed to the short term nature of the rental.

[David126]

I am concious I am filling in the gaps and may have the wrong picture in my head.

Years ago non AirBnB I had an incident, 2 drunk ladies, tried to let it go, in the end had to call the Police and then they got into it with them and spent the night in Jail, always wondered if I should have called earlier.

I used to let things roll, much less so now. Got annoyed with myself for being taken advanatge of, still occasionally happens but I think I have less issues by cutting situations off quickly.

My situation is obviously different to yours, anybody else responding will be different. I know they would have been gone one way or another if I had the situation you described. Not everybody has the same options.

The only suggestion I can think of is to do your best to avoid such a situation, it seems you have had several similar scenarios, I am going to guess there may be common traits.

Just found your listing, I see you have 5 rooms and youi mention an adult son on site, I would reword to suggest that all your sons are around and you are basically around, might deter the party goers.

[Linda108]

@Louise0  You have certainly hit some nerve here as there are so many responses.  I think when a host describes a very negative hosting experience, hosts want to believe there is something that could have been done differently by the host.  Understandably, we all want to think we are in control if only we take the correct steps.  Perhaps your post is a cautionary tale about how things can go wrong.  I am most concerned that you felt you needed to "lay low" due to:

There's also the complicating factor of the current regulatory environment in NSW which makes me reluctant to draw attention to any problems which could possibly be attributed to the short term nature of the rental.

This is a factor that could affect many hosts worldwide.  Is there a Home Sharing Club near you?  If you are not aware of these clubs, please see the Home Sharing Club page of this website.  It is an Air BNB supported group of hosts in your area, often addressing the regulatory environment you have in your area.  Please keep us advised of how all this comes out.  We really care!

[Robin4]

@Linda108....I understand exactly what @Louise0 says about keeping a low profile. The hotel Lobby in Australia have enormous clout and, as the operators of poker machines, they have the finance to back it up.

Hosting does not fall under the same regulatory rules as the hotel industry and this is causing a serious push for more stringent government regulation by the hotel lobby.

The last thing we need to do is give them more ammunition by way of negative experience, particularly as most of this business takes place in designated residential areas, and my position would be precisely the same as Louise's.....'Let sleeping dogs lie'!!!

Cheers....Rob

[Louise0]

Unusually @Robin4, I agree with you (for a change). Whilst my situation is unlikely to be negatively affected by likely future regulations, (because I live on the premises) just right now I'd prefer not to be involved in any incident that links an Airbnb rental with the need for a police presence.  In short, I'm prepared to 'take one for the team'; for now.  Though make no mistake, there's no altruism behind my actions.

[Lois-and-Darryl0]

Oh, this is awful.  We've had a bad experience, but not this bad.  I don't have a solution or great advice about preventing this in the future, other than to make sure that your listing and all the options, and your House Rules cover all the things you don't WANT to happen.  Then make sure you check the past reviews and the profile of your prospective Guest.  I'm so sorry this happened; I would pursue the criminal acts that took place.  One tip:  When someone books more than two people, I ask for specifics of not only who they all are, but what each of their relationship is to the Guest that is booking, as well as why they are specifically choosing to stay at our Mountain Haven.  Use your gut instinct; if they write with fun and enthusiasm, as they are looking forward to this great trip - then you know it's probably not just about finding a place to do drugs.  Good Luck.