Messy guests

Terry61
Level 2
Jacksonville, FL

Messy guests

Hello I'm new to hosting.  I have had three guests so far.  The first two were a dream come true..However the third guest is waking me up to I guess you would call reality.  Messy,messy,messy.   In addition to that she is booked to stay 14 days and 6 days in I am counting the days.  If I read a review before hand this person was this messy I would have declined.   I am reading however a lot of people (if the person is otherwise nice) are not posting about their messiness.  I want to be fair and kind but cleaniness is very important to me.    I'm liking the concept or the Airbnb but am dishearted by the posibility of guests being possibly naturally messy.  Plese shed some light on dealing with this issue. 

15 Replies 15
Zoe14
Level 2
Johannesburg, South Africa

Are you clear in your listing about what is common space and what is the guests private space?  If you share a common space (s) unfortunately you are going to have to deal with the person direct.  Not everyone will be as neat and tidy as you unfortunately - however, I suggest that you chat to the person, make a comment that it is the common space and it would be appreciated if they could keep there things in their own room.  Specifically mark out to guests where dirty dishes and clothes go, how you handle the dishwasher i.e. load and wash each day, or load, rinse and wash every 2nd day.  In future, try to do this when the person arrives and set boundaries, and ask that they respect the common areas.

Or, you will just have to limit the areas that you will allow guests to go into if you dont want mess.

If it is their private space (the room they sleep in, private bathroom), then there is nothing you can do but close the door on it all and do the cleaning after they have left.  If you have comments about the person you can write them in your reveiw.  There is nothing stopping you - just try to be diplomatic and as kind as possible but state it e.g. This guest was exceptionally friendly and chatty, however I did find that her personal belongings overflowed into the common spaces.  Or, This guest is really kind and generous and it was therefore easy to have a chat about her clothes all over the lounge.  If messy means downright dirty, unhygienic etc. you need to also comment on this.  As a fellow host, I want to know this.  You can also tell Airbnb in a private message when the person has left, and also in a private message to that guest when they have left.

Good Luck!

You,re correct..I will have to make adjustments to update my expectations in the common areas.  This is a learning experience for me and  I thank you for your imput.

Babs0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Terry61,

 

Too bad you still have a week to go, I feel for you! Try to get through it... I see you share your kitchen, it is a good idea to put something in the house rules about cleaning up after using it. Same for all other common areas (living room, bathroom) that are shared. That way you have something to use when you address the issue. 

 

There are just some things we all have to accept as a host... People shed hair and usually leave them in the shower drain 😞 If it really bothers you... Address it sooner rather than later! And when it comes to the review, you can always mention something like "too bad that we have a different idea of cleanliness, which is unfortunate when you are sharing a space". Be polite, but also warn other hosts.

 

Good luck the upcoming week!

Babs

 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Hi @Terry61 it's difficult to comment as you don't actually say what you mean by messy. There is a huge difference between them leaving communal areas dirty and being a bit messy in their room.

 

Also you have nothing in your house rules around your expectations.

 

My view is that guests are messy in their room I ignore it. All have tidied up before they have left. I make it clear that any food is to be eaten at the dining table and that guests should clean up after themselves.

 

If your guests are leaving communal areas dirty such as unwashed pots and dishes and messy bathrooms, I would just have a quiet friendly word, remind them that you are sharing your home and what your expectations are about how they should look after your home, follow this up with a message on BNB so you have a record in writing.

 

Going forward update your house rules and expand upon this is your guest book, so there is no room for confusion.

 

I find that reinforcing this as I show them around helps ie please put towels here when you have finished with them, please rinse your plates after you have used them and before they go in the dishwasher.

You're so right..I'm glad I wa able to post this question.  I may be a little to sensitive to the mess in their private areas.  I will make this mental adjustment in the future.(also in house rules)  thanks!!!

Just like we wish guests would manage their expectations and communicate, I think we have to do the same. Like the others have said, if it is in their room, I just ignore it and make sure the door is shut when they are out. If it is common areas, I would have a (very casual) chat to them 🙂 Don't let this marr your experience hosting. I have met some lovely people (and had some lovely meals from around the world cooked for me!) through hosting.  Maybe for your next guest you can have a laminated card of house rules in the room (eg. Please close the back gate at night, here is the wifi pw, and feel free to use the kitchen but please wash your dishes and wipe the counter down after, as this is my home too!)

Gerry-And-Rashid0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Some people will have the same standards as you and others won't. Yours may be very high and expect that of others - others may just have not so great standards. In most cases you take the rough with the smooth. Your cleaning fee should balance out over time to reflect both types of guests. It doesn;t mean they are bad guests (unless of course it is completely unacceptable) and you can mention it to them in private feedback that you would have preferred if they had been a bit tidier, etc..

Trina-L0
Level 2
Woodruff, SC

Hi newbee here. I am very much enjoying hosting, but get a little discourged when I return to do housekeeping. Granola all over the floor in the dining area, jelly (or something like it) on the desk or kitchen counter, wet towels draped over new wood dining chairs- we have racks in the bathroom for that. How do you set out rules and limits so you don't sound overbearing? We provide brooms and cleaning supplies as well. Also, there are not reading the houserules. Should I cover these items with them through messages before they stay in our apartment? This is not a shared space. I am also having a time just trying to get them to respond to me to let me know if they are going to leave early so I can start housekeeping duties. Any suggestions? 

@Trina-L0

I totaly understand you but after reading posts here on CC I am happy if they don't break something expensive or make a party and trash our apartments . You will clean the floor and kitchen counter and everything will be ok 🙂

And yes, we have found wet bath towel with hair dye stain thrown on yellow tabouret ... of course it stained tabouret too. Luckly everything is washable. God bless IKEA! 🙂

 

 

 

My guests are ruining furniture tops. Easting in the room and leaving food and dirty dishes. My stays are long term so this could attract bugs and even mice 😞

I'm having similar problems. I have the house rules in a nice frame in each room but some guests just ignore them. I have shared spaces, like the bathroom, and have to go in and pick up towels. And I have almost all long term guests. I need to think of a tactful way to explain that this is not the same as a private hotel room. This sounds like what your guests are treating your property like.

I'm not having any success with my guess not trashing my rooms. I've tried everything. You are right they don't read the rules. I have thought about sitting down with them when they arrive and having them initial each rule as they read them.

@Donna372  You have to be clear and assertive about what your rules are and that ignoring them won't tolerated. If a guest ignores them once, sit them down and explain that house-sharing entails respect for others, that food and dirty dishes in their room will attract rodents and cockroaches and that if they can't comply with simple, reasonable requests, they should look for another place to stay. 

 

It sounds like these guests are acting like they are teenagers still living with mommy.  

 

Consider putting clear glass or plexiglass tops on the bedroom furniture. 

 

Make it clear in the house rules that aside from a water glass, all food and beverages are to be prepared and consumed in the kitchen and dining areas, that food in the bedrooms is absolutely not allowed and that no dishes are to be removed from those areas, either.

 

If you allow guests to continue to stay while continuing to ignore this, you are responsible for the situation. Your house, your rules. 

 

And by all means, after they arrive and get settled, make some coffee or tea or serve them a beverage, sit down with them and make sure they are fully aware of the house rules. I don't know that you need to get them to check the boxes, but making things clear from the outset is better than nagging at them afterwards or biting your tongue and resenting their presence.

 

If you are simply expecting them to follow rules only mentioned in your listing, that isn'tgood enough. A vast amount of guests do not even read the listing information.

 

 

People are messy and then when they write a review they make false acusations AIRB&B only shows their side of the story this  is  not fair. They should put the host's version as well