Need advice on writing a negative review

[Leigh36]

As a first-time host, I'd appreciate advice on what's reasonable justification for a negative review, and how to address some minor damage to a piece of furniture.  

I recently rented my house and the back garden at a low price for my area.  Somewhat desperate to book before I left for a trip, I accepted a booking for 2.5 weeks from a 20-something guy with a new account and no reviews.  He said that he would be traveling with a male friend (who he named, but who didn't have an account).  I felt strange about renting to someone without any reviews, but as a new host myself without any hosting reviews, I took a chance.  When he arrived at the house after a cross-country bus trip to the area, he said the friend he mentioned while booking wouldn't be joining him, but that another buddy who gave him a ride to my house might spend the night, and that they were heading to a Phish concert that night (this friend stayed in his car during our key exchange, so I never met him).  He also said he planned to hang a hammock in the backyard.  Frankly, I felt uneasy with the situation, but didn't raise objections because I was heading to the airport that day for a month-long trip, and he did book for 2 guests, so I figured he had a right to have 2 people there.  Our brief message exchanges during his stay were cordial, and on his last day he mentioned that he would be leaving me an "excellent review," so of course I'd like to be able to return the sentiment.

But now that I'm back, I'm unsure how to review him.   My security cameras recorded groups of up to 5 people going into the house at strange hours of the night on at least a few nights (I stopped watching the footage at a certain point).  There is a chip on the front of an antique dresser, lots of spills dried on the floor, a couple of open bags of junk food, and a dirty refrigerator, and the house smells funky (not like pot, but maybe cigarette smoke).   I'm the most uneasy with a package insert for a handheld digital scale I found under the bed.

I charged a $30 cleaning fee with the reservation and asked for a $500 deposit.  I have a "no parties/events" policy and a "no smoking" policy, and ask that guests leave the house in the condition in which they found it.

My questions:

1) Are my complaints above valid reasons for a negative review?  I don't know that he was dealing drugs and don't care to suggest that in a review, but it freaked me out on my vacation watching the video of groups of strangers going into my house at 4am.  

2) Should I, and how should I, address the chipped dresser?  

3) My policy is "no smoking," and the house smells like someone may have smoked inside, but there's no way to verify that anyone was smoking in the house.  

I don't want to be unreasonable, but I feel like he's a type of guest I'd like to avoid in the future.  Thanks for your advice.

[Huma0]

@Leigh36 you may be too late now to claim for any damages as Airbnb gives hosts a very limited time to do so and I'm not sure anyway if you'd get any money back for the chipped dresser, annoying as it is.

However, the guest should certainly not get a 100% positive review. They clearly broke your house rules.

If it was clear to them that they could not have unauthorised visitors, you could maybe mention this in your review, e.g. "Unfortunately X had many unauthourised people enter my property at highly unusual hours, which is against my house rules," as you know from the footage that this happened. You could add "as well as breaking some other house rules" or "as well as breaking some other important house rules" in regards to the smoking/drugs, as you are not 100% sure of the specifics of this so it's maybe better to keep it vague. You could also add, "left the property quite dirty".

I know you were in a rush to get to the airport, but in future, do not accept any guests staying at your property without meeting them if this makes you uncomfortable. I would have insisted on meeting the other guy who was in the car.

[Huma0]

@Leigh36 I should also mention that just because a guest says they will leave you an excellent review, it doesn't necessarily mean they will. Early on, I had a guest tell me he had a fantastic stay and would leave me an excellent review but then barrage me with a list of complaints (none of which were valid by the way, e.g. saying the floors were dirty even though they had been thoroughly cleaned right before his arrival). He was also a host and I reckon he told me that intentionally to guarantee a 5 star review from me knowing full well he was going to give me 4 stars. I learnt my lesson.

Even if he does leave you a great review, that doesn't excuse his behaviour. Yes, you might feel bad for being less than complimentary about him if he leaves a fantastic one for you, but you were not the one reneging on a host/guest contract, he was.

[Farah1]

@Huma0 yes! Also, many guests have no mercy. They will mention all the bad things (even if those things are not true) and left the good things. The 15mins long drive complainer lady, her review is not legitimate 100%. And she purposely did not mention that I let her store her luggage until 3pm because she had a late flight. So, yea... sometimes it still feels like a hit and miss (get a good review, leave a bad one or vice versa), but it is ok as long as the reviews are honest.

[Huma0]

@Farah1 very true! The guests who nit pick about small things, true or untrue, are often guests you have gone out of your way to accommodate and be helpful to, and they don't necessarily mention any of the positive things you did for them.

The guest who complained that there were too many stairs (even though the amount of stairs is stated in my listing) and that it was so difficult to get her suitcase up them did not mention that I helped her carry her ridiculously large suitcase up. She also complained that the place looked smaller than the photos and the five minute walk to the underground was too far.

She failed to mention that I sent her detailed information on travel options to save her money. She was arriving on Christmas Day when there is no public transport and taxi fares are double, but hadn't done her research so had no clue. I saved her a fortune. She also failed to mention that I waited for her, almost missing my family Christmas lunch, because she was late (not through any flight delays by the way) and didn't bother to update me about this even though she knew in advance that I needed to leave by a certain time, which I had specified before accepting the booking. I couldn't have been nicer, but she just wanted to complain regardless.

Sorry, I'm ranting, but I still get angry when I think about this ungrateful person!

[Farah1]

@Leigh36 I agree with @Huma0 . I want to add that you do not owe this guy a good review just because he said that he would leave an excellent review unless he was a good guest. Please be honest in your review because this will be really helpful for future hosts. I think you have a good reason to leave a negative review. I have had a bad guest who told me that she would leave me a positive review. It did not stop me from leaving her an honest negative review because she was not a good guest and if any of her previous hosts mentioned any of the issues I had with her, I probably would not accept her request.

[Leigh36]

@Huma0 and @Farah1, thanks very much for your comments.  As I've read more threads on the community forum and thought more during the three days I spent cleaning my apartment so I could move my things back in, I've realized more clearly how negligent this guest was.  And, by the way, he never left a review at all.  This was a valuable learning experience for me.  My review for him mentioned the unannounced guests but not the mess.  I hope it will be enough to warn off other hosts.  

I found a vial with a scorpion on the cap in the garbage and rolling papers, so it's pretty likely my suspicions about the guest dealing drugs is true.  I don't care if people smoke in general, but I don't want it in my apartment and I don't want my space used for crime.  

Here's what I've learned:

1) Leave nothing in the apartment I don't want damaged.

2) Vet guests much more carefully, insisting on positive reviews and asking for a government ID upon checkin.

3) Insist on meeting all guests.