My guests husband just threatened to sue me.

[Angel205]

Los Angeles Superhost here. 

I booked a woman who initially booked for 3 months. 

She drove by my home and said oh, this looks like a busy place and parking is concerning to me.

She downgraded her reservation to one month.

This was in May 2018.

From May-August 2018 I got her a parking permit allowing her to park on all surrounding 15 blocks of my home but she would need to walk 2-5 minutes home. I explained this. She said amazing thank you. I paid for these permits out of pocket  $100.

Fast forward to her showing up and freaking the hell out that she can't unload her car and there is no parking directly at the house and on the block. 

I live IN the sauce in hipsterville in LA. It is a busy spot. 

I am aware of this and we all combat it by using our driveway and the neighbors driveway to double park with flashers to unload.

This is ok to do so, I assure her. I show her a screenshot of where to unload with my finger showing where. 

She freaks the hell out and says shes going to a hotel.

Which is completely absurd. You take a couple of trips upstairs you leave your flashers on. It's not ideal -

I was waiting to help her check in her items and she couldnt make it so I drove the keys to her and she came on her own later that day..

She goes to a hotel.

Next day she freaks out and says that someone in my driveway and she cant park there still.

I said thats perfectly ok. My neighbor can park there. Just park in the next driveway over its ok.

I go above and beyond and offer a friend to come over and help her unload her things.

At this point she stops replying to me goes over my head goes to airbnb and tries to get a full refund on her reservation to which they deny her.

It's day 2 into the reservation at that point. 

They uphold my strict cancellation policy. 

It takes her 4 days to get her things out of my house and leave the keys. 

Finally she is out, she can't get a refund from airbnb. Airbnb said you went above and beyond you gave her parking when the listing said street parking only and she agreed to that. you owe her nothing. 

Today I get this text from her husband - threatening, bribing and extorting me:

-----

Hi, this is Neil ***, husband of Ann ***.  I am sorry that Ann wasn’t able to stay in your place as she was looking forward to being in such a good location.  As you can see, having a reliable place to park is really important to her as she and my young son have multiple trips daily.  The listing promised parking and there is none. She couldn’t even unload on the first night and had to get a hotel room.  I have contacted an attorney and he is confident that he can recover 100% of her payment based on this.  He will charge 1/3 as well as hard cost on filing.  To avoid this, you can choose to credit us back half of our total payment for you place.   That is a little less than with the attorney for us but much easier.  You have your place back.  You can make the other half back easy.  Plus if you take our deal- no review.  Please let me know.  I will hire attorney on Monday morning if I don’t hear from you

------

As a woman I love being threatened by a man out of the blue that I've never met and I'm not in a business transaction with at all and he is trying to scare me and strong arm me. I love that as your first line of communication with.

And I don't owe you anything. 

I went above and beyond and gave the woman parking permits, explained what that meant in the city, she agreed.

Then had a weird panic and wanted to leave.

She has not offically cancelled either. She is still on my calendar blocking it all up.

So for him to say oh just rent it out - technically I can't

and She booked in MAY. trying to get someone for a month long booking today is absurd. Almost no one is coming to rent like that. Last minute for a month.

This puts me in a financial hardship. We all plan on those monies. 

I can let the dice roll on this and feel secure that Airbnb has my back (feels like for once) but they really have had my back and said you have done nothing wrong she's not getting a cent back from you.

But I have been in many a lawsuit and have seen how it can fall, and to people who don't deserve it. 

My skin crawls and my stomach is twisted just getting this text. 

Lawsuits dredge up so much **bleep**. 

My boyfriend (rational pragmatic type) says just pay them to avoid anything popping up in the future. 

I feel like this is the final straw with men pushing me around. 

I do see where she is coming from that she is not happy with the place and its not entirely fair to pay me $4,000 to not stay there for a month.

I would feel bad if she didnt see it in May and have 3 months to cancel and didnt. And then have the parking explained to her and then still say wonderful. Then suddenly pull up and wanted assigned parking and door man and freaked out wouldnt let me help her even more and here we are...

What do you guys think I should do??

Thank you so much in advance. 

[Clara116]

@Angel0 - Important - when and if you review this guest - DO NOT mention anything about what actually transpired with the husband, legal stuff OR YOU will be putting yourself in a bad place and you might not get the continued support you have gotten. Let Airbnb handle it all. 

Airbnb works quickly and hard to keep all the legal, press and negative stuff hush.

But you can write you tried your best to please the guests with her parking challenges but she left early and you wish her well.

(then give her a thumbs down) and 1 star - you never want her back right? they say 1-3 stars will keep them from rebooking capabilities. 

of course you don't want to mention you paid for parking $100 or all your guests will want this too!!

wishing you the best - and happy hosting, Clara

[Fred13]

There is a reason why some would have given her 1/2 the money back; she still has a legal right to be in the premises. By resolving the issue on the spot (by 3rd day), dates are open, you are being paid (half), Airbnb not involved, and she would have been already been far, far in the rearview mirror. Out of sight - out of mind. 

    I don't get into the personal aspect with my guests - they fit or they don't. I will take half pay everytime to be stress free and be happier.

[Ute42]

.

@Fred13, good policy if You can afford it.

Not everyone is fully booked out till Feb 2020 as You are.

[Marie21]

@Ute0, i dont think sometime is about being fully booked or not.  I think on those situation peace is priceless, as more you spend time and energy fighting any issue and less ur brain focus on something positive. And u can miss more opportunity and drag into endless messages.

[Fred13]

I have had the same approach all along the way, from the very 'starving'  beginnings. Subconciously, I am protecting my genuine good will toward others,  child-like enthusiasm toward life and sense of humor in exchange for an occational economic cost.  One need not fiercely swing at every single pitch, it's exhausting.

[Kathie21]

Tbh, I'm actually sceptcal that he has even contacted a lawyer and is just trying it on.  I would consider calling his bluff and reply saying that as a result of his threat you have taken legal advice.  I'd say that my lawyer is confident that if the full facts were laid before a court, ie that the parking situation was acurately reflected in the listing, and was confirmed to your wife when she inspected the property before booking, it would find that there was no misrepresentation on my part, and therefore no legal basis for his wife's suit*, and that it is vexatious.  Obviously in those circumstances, I would be seeking recovery of my legal costs from his wife.  I'd reiterate Airbnb's long term cancellation policy, remind him of September's payment, then graciously offer to refund the costs of any nights that I am able to re-let, (minus the $100 that I spent on parking permits), pointing out that I am more likely to be able to re-let if his wife immediately cancels the rest of the booking.

*Keep subtly reminding him that it is his wife who would have to participate in court procedings.  It sounds like she would not cope well, and he likely knows it.

[Fred13]

Smart answer @Kathie21. 😉

[Paul154]

"So sorry, for important privacy matters, I can only discuss these matters with the account holder and only through the Airbnb app. Thank you"

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

I found this discussion interesting, but for an entirely different reason. Please forgive my derailment.

This has been a bad year for genuinely unpleasant people. I have been SH for +2 years, over 100 reviews, and a 4.9/5 average. A man booked by IB and was utterly disgusting. As in, why flush when the host will? 

Essentially he awarded me one star. My SH status is toast and my position on platform is circling the drain. My live in co host and I are both traumatized (we both have PTSD) How do we defend ourselves?

Sue the **bleep**. Or let the next SOB know that we can and will. 

It may never come down to that. It has more to do with having recourse other than the police to defend us in our own homes. If I am still here in 3 weeks. 

Before I was a host I was a landlord. Your thread told me that I can sue. I am sorry for what has happened to you. In my experience your situation could well turn out to be a split payment. Leave that to the lawyers. It will be whatever it will. And thank you for showing the rest of us that we have options. 

[Swan-V-0]

I will not give her 1 penny back.