Late check out when another guest is checking in

[Kierland0]

A week ago I had a guest checking out on Sunday, check out time is 10:00 am.  My cleaning crew went inside the unit at 10:30 and he told them they were not ready to leave but they could start cleaning.  They told him they are not allowed to clean with guests still in the unit and they would come back.  They came back at 12:30 and again at 2:30 and they were still inside.  

The new guests that were to arrive that day called me at 3:15 to inform me that there were still people inside.  I then called the guest that was still in the unit and he told me his son wasn't feeling good and wouldn't get out of bed.  I now had to find another place for the new guests to stay and arrange for cleaning when they departed, no easy task since it was late in the day and the next day was the last day of the month.

I called Airbnb and have filed a complaint with the resolution center......he also let caked-on fish in the pots stacked up in the sink and broke the coffee pot.

Airbnb said the guest wasn't willing to pay for the 2 nights (nor one night) that the guests had to be moved.  I emphasized to Airbnb he signed the contract and knew the consequences of his actions.  They told me he would tell his bank card company to dispute the charges and Airbnb proposed a 50% settlement.  I'm livid!  I don't understand why Airbnb doesn't back its hosts in a more forceful manner.

I had all conversations through texts and receipts for different lodging arrangements and forwarded all to Airbnb.  It's not that they don't believe me, it's they don't want to go to battle with the credit card company.

The customer service rep from Airbnb is from another country and emails me usually at 1:00 am my time and isn't around when I respond so it makes it even that more difficult.

Somebody help me out, what am I missing?

[Sarah977]

@Kierland0  What you are missing is that it is up to you as the host to ensure that guests check out on time. If you don't live near your listing, you need a local co-host who can physically go to the place and boot out overstaying guests. Standing there while the guests pack up their stuff and leave. If they refuse, you call the police- they are now trespassing.

And a check out time reminder should be sent to guests the previous afternoon.

You cannot rely on Airbnb to enforce your rules or anything else. 

[Karol22]

I agree with Sarah. Hopefully it doesn't come down to a police call, but a perpetual physical presence with a sense of urgency will send a very clear message. You or a co-host need to be in their space by physically being there, start cleaning in the room or begin inspection right in front of them. Proceed assertive. Unfortunately cleaners are not in the right position for this, so you or a co-host/assistant will need to assert.

[Nanxing0]

@Kierland0 @Sarah977 Just sharing my own experience. Guests overstaying without prior communication and no intention to leave are referred to as "squatters". I once had to call the police to kick an overstaying guest out and it appeared the guest was a homeless looking for somewhere to squat, and it's quite straightforward that Airbnb provides a nice opportunity to those people to enter someone's property with a very low cost.

[Aaron685]

It's not up to Airbnb to enforce checkout, but it is within their power to charge the guest for an extra night.  But at Airbnb guests are the customers and hosts are the product, so Airbnb pretty much ways goes with the guests. For all the talk about "community," Airbnb is really just a giant corporation that seeks to maximize income however they can. Hosts have to understand that and not expect Airbnb to do anything for them.

[Mark116]

@Kierland0  Your story is a little confusing.  You want Guest A, who wouldn't check out to pay for part of Guest B's stay?  Or are you saying that Guest A, who stayed an extra two days, refuses to pay for them?  Depending on the answer, my advice would be very different, but my most important advice is to never fall for another sob story and let a guest overstay like that, especially if you have guests coming on the same day.

As @Sarah977  said, if you aren't close enough to come in person, you need a co-host who can serve as a back up if such a case ever happens again.  Look up your local trespassing laws and see if police would or would not intervene to kick out a guest who won't leave on time.  Make sure to send a check out message the night before or morning of check out that reminds guests of the time and that cleaners will be arriving shortly after.  

[Kierland0]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  A check out notice was sent on Saturday.  Also, my 23 year old son went to the unit when I notified him the guests were not departing.  The man told him the same thing, "my son sick and won't get out of bed".    Probably should have called the police.

The customer service rep from Airbnb said Airbnb regulations say a host is eligible to collect up to 2 1/2 days daily rental rate in such an incidence.    Was just curious if anybody else has ever encountered this.

Thanks

[Nanxing0]

@Kierland0 This sounds like a stupid excuse rather than a valid reason. If his son was so sick to get out of bed, they should have called 911 and get an ambulance for him. Nevertheless it's the guests' responsibility to figure it out.

Guests overstay is quite common. I have experienced two digits number of such incidents in the past ~5 years hosting. Most of time it's the guest mess up the booking date --they thought they booked until the next day -- which makes me to feel the Airbnb booking system might be confusing to some guests.

[Sarah977]

@Nanxing0 "Most of time it's the guest mess up the booking date --they thought they booked until the next day".

I've read of this happening before- the guest was quite innocently confused about check-out day and were actually apologetic and embarrassed when realizing their mistake.

But if hosts send check-out reminders the previous afternoon, it shouldn't result in an overstay. 

I was thinking along the same lines about the "sick and won't get out of bed". If it's a child, the parent picks them up and carries them to the car. If the son is a teenager or adult, the guest should just tell them to get up and out the door, they can lie down again in the car.

It's certainly not a valid excuse for a very late check out. 

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

I have only experienced this once after several hundreds of stays when a lady and her daughter thought they were checking out a day later than they had actually booked. Luckily, I discovered their mistake by asking (as is my usual routine) the day before the real check out what time they were heading off.

I can actually see how this confusion might arise because the booking shows as 1st to 31st March, when actually that means check in on the 1st and check out on the 31st, not that your booking includes the 31st. However, it rarely does, because from the guest's side, they see the 31st as 'checking out' and they put in their check in and out dates when they search and before they book.

It's very, very rare oil my experience for anyone to get this wrong. To be honest, the one guest who did was pretty clueless in other ways. Her daughter was a much more experienced Airbnb user so no idea why she left it up to her mum, who had never used the platform before, to take care of the booking, other than perhaps she thought it would be easier if her mum was paying for it.

[Laura2592]

@Kierland0 is there a way to move your check out time to a bit later in the day? 10am seems early. Perhaps move it to 11 and then move check in back too? Or have a day between guests so there are no incidents like this in the future?

It does sound like this person was taking advantage. An easier solution to all of the drama is to say:

"Sorry to hear you are having trouble checking out. Please be advised there is a $50 fee for every half hour beyond check out time. It equates to what we have to pay our cleaners to wait. I will waive the first fee but the remainder will be automatically added to the cost of your reservation. Thanks!"

(There is no way to automatically add. You would have to go through the resolution center to request. But many guests are not aware of this!)

[Jennifer2670]

10 am sounds like a fine  and is used a lot by hosts. If they have someone coming in at 3 or so the same day they need room to me able to clean what could be a horrible mess. If they have later checkout,  they may have to have later check-in which perpetuates the same cycle.

[Laura2592]

@Jennifer2670 I have never stayed anywhere with a 10am check out but perhaps its more common than I think. if cleaning is such an issue, I would just put a day between guests. That's what we do and it works beautifully. You avoid all of these problems.

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

10am check out is pretty common in the UK, including at traditional B&Bs and hotels. It's actually been the standard at pretty much anywhere I've stayed here as a guest. I've even had the staff at one hotel call my room at 10.03am (not exaggerating) to ask when we were going to check out. We happened to be already down the hallway with our bags, so I had to run back to the room and unlock it to see what they were calling about. Bear in mind, I was there as a journalist REVIEWING the hotel, so that's how strict they are about that 10am check out.

12pm would be more normal in most European countries. I set mine at 11am, which I think is a happy compromise. Not being a morning person, I can see how 10am could be stressful.

[Nanxing0]

I can't imagine someone travelling to sleep in a hotel/Airbnb until close to noon. If the travel is for business, they usually start their work pretty early. Those travelling for sightseeing or touring would want to maximize their experience when it's bright out there. If a traveller sleeps till noon he/she is wasting the travel expense.