new host, first guest

[Evonne17]

Just checked out my first guest from our rental and came across the following conditions. I'm asking for advise on how to rate this guest, given the fact that it's my very first guest, and she apparently has never used Airbnb. Should I just bite my tongue or divulge so the next potential host is aware:

Several broken items (door accessory, drinking glasses, kitchen curtain rod hanging off the wall) stained the kitchen sink floor mat, left sticky spills and stains that had to be scrubbed off surfaces and the floors, left the exterior side door open/unlatched when checking out, left the fridge and freezer full of food and had to be cleaned from top to bottom, put a burn mark in the living room rug, slid the queen bed over and broke the center support leg, stained the queen comforter, left new beach towel in yard and in the rain, left garbage under the beds, closet and bathroom, rearranged the curtains in the sun-room, left the A/C set to 60 upon checking out, relocated the patio furniture, got food stuck in our living room carpet in several spots and left many personal items behind.

This seems like a long list and was certainly more than what I was expecting from two late 20's professionals on vacation.

[Linda108]

Your bungalow is adorable, @Evonne17 .  You can see the pride of ownership in the pictures.  So if I understand correctly, both you and the guest are first timers, right?  I don't know if you met the guests and toured the space along with providing expectations of how the space is to be used.  Perhaps you also had written expectations about how to treat the property.  It is essential to provide a check list, especially for new guests.  They usually have a hotel frame of reference and do not think of treating the home with more respect.  That is what you can consider for the future.  For now, your review should reflect that you would not consider hosting again due to the poor condition of the space and the lack of respect for rules.  Don't go into great detail, but down grade in all relevant areas.  

While a mess is not claimable, damage is, so you need to review the Help articles about making a claim.  Do it now as you have 2 days to make the claim and you need to contact the guest with the list of damages.  More than likely the guest will not accept responsibility so you will need to supply proof of damages and cost to repair.

[Evonne17]

Thank you so much for you reply and I also thought about the checklist in the house to help aid in my expectations. Will absolutely work on that tonight!

[Mark116]

@Evonne17  I would say either that the 'guest is better suited to a hotel environment' or that 'the guest failed to follow the house rules and it took substantial additional time to clean and replace a variety of items.  I'd give them 1 or 2 stars and would write the review on the 14th, last day for reviews to prevent a revenge review as people who trash places usually write a bad review and once you do your review the guest will get a notice you wrote the review but won't see it until either they write their own or 14 days.

You also  might want to rethink asking the guests to start the wash, because you or your cleaner might want to see the state of the linens and towels before they go on the wash.  You can also put in your house rules that guest should not re arrange any furniture and that they are responsible for notifying the host of any broken or damaged items and any issues with appliances/wifi, etc. 

I'm sorry that your first guest was so terrible, that is really unfortunate.

[Helen350]

So sorry to hear this  @Evonne17 .

They deserve a 1* review, or 2* at most, if you consider it could have been even worse.

One thing to bear in mind is that some hosts have their instant book settings set to only accept IB from guests with previous good reviews. Sadly, Airbnb allow 2* reviews to slip through this system, and only consider 1* bad. (Whereas hosts are expected to average 4.7!) SO, if you want to make sure she can not instant book another Airbnb, you would have to give her 1*.

1* cleanliness for obvious reasons

1* observance of house rules

1* communication - because she did not communicate that she had caused damage & stains, & did not attempt to negotiate how she could make this right!

[Alexandra316]

@Evonne17I host a lot of first timers, and this isn't normal. Guests should know not to break stuff without having to include basic stuff like "don't be a slobby jerk who wrecks the furniture" in the house rules. Create a checkout list, by all means, but bad guests are going to be bad guests, unfortunately.

Did they say they were new to the platform? What I've often seen happen with bad guests is that hosts just don't want to deal with writing a less than stellar review, so the guests get passed around like a hot potato with other hosts not being alerted. If you're mad, wait to write it until you're not mad anymore. Keep it short and factual: I really like the phrase "The house required substantial extra cleaning after the guest's departure" without going into detail.  It gets the message across for sure. 

[Anonymous]

@Alexandra316 What I would add to this is: "The guest failed to inform us that many items throughout the house were damaged and stained during their stay."

Among hosts there's a wide range of expectations about how much guests should clean before they leave, and whether it's OK to reposition furniture. Not every host expects compensation for incidental boo-boos. But I've never encountered a host who believes it's acceptable for a guest to knowingly damage several pieces of their property and not even say anything about it. 

@Evonne17  I agree with @Helen350  that this guest merits 1 star ratings on all categories, but those are only seen by Instant Book hosts. For the rest, it's still important to leave an honest review that unequivocally communicates how irresponsible and disrespectful these people are. Wouldn't you have wanted such a warning before you accepted their booking?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Evonne17 My suspicion is your guest is not new to Airbnb but has just created a new profile to escape previous bad reviews. Sadly this is all too easy for guests but please do review honestly and at the very least they will have to create yet another profile!

[Sarah977]

@Evonne17  Absolutely write an honest review to warn other hosts. There's no point in reviews at all if they don't paint a true picture. When you write a review, try to keep it general, though. Fine that you listed all the damage and mess here, as it give other hosts an idea of how bad it was. But no need to list all the details when writing the review.  Phrases like "Home was left in an unacceptably dirty state, with many damages. Disregarded house rules, left front door unlocked on check-out and AC turned up high. Unfortunately, not recommended."

Don't ever assume that people will behave a certain way because they are "professionals" or anything else. I've rented to people who were personally immaculate, well-dressed, well-groomed, with good jobs who lived in total squalor. Make your expectations clear to guests. Be specific. "Please clean up the kitchen before you check-out" isn't good enough. What they consider clean and what you do may be not at all the same. "Please wash all dishes, wipe down the kitchen counters, clean stove-top, dispose of perishable food" leaves no room for interpretation.

[Helen3]

Hi @Evonne17 

I am sorry you had such a bad experience. This is not normal guest behaviour. I have been hosting for five years, had hundreds of guests and no-one has every behaved in such an appalling way.

Unfortunately some bad guests deliberately seek out new hosts, because they know they are more likely to get away with bad behaviour.

Can I suggest you remove Instant Book from your listing so you can manually vet guests to make sure they are a good fit before they book until you get more comfortable with understanding red flags and what will make guests a good fit for your place.

I ask my guests a) who is travelling with you b) why did you choose my listing c) what brings you to my city. I also only take guests with photo ID.

Do have a look at Airbnb Help, great for the basics around managing your Airbnb, do look up what to do in the event of guest damage. In your situation I would make a claim for the broken and damaged items. Do take photos and video's.

I agree you shouldn't ask your guests to start the wash as you/your cleaners should be checking them for damage/stains.

If you don't have one already do put together a visitor book covering your house rules, key amenities in your house such as TV, cooker, heating system etc, local attractions, transport, restaurant recommendations. I have a laminated sheet with my check out instructions and house rules on the fridge as a reminder along with key contact details.

[Kia272]

@Evonne17  I don't know much about the area your property is in or the rental property competition, but it seems to me that you are undercharging for what you are offering. Your space is lovely, and it's a beach property. $85/night seems very low. If it's possible to raise your price, I think you'll find that you get a better class of guest. Low prices seem to attract bottom feeders. I know you want guests since you've just launched, but in the long run I believe that if you raise the price and attract a different type of guest, it will serve you well. 

[David6824]

@Evonne17 

Take proof of those little all damages with pics, make a total and start a despute on airbnb, an airbnb manager will contact you soon back and try to close the dispute with a minor fee that you would had asked. Say you'd ask for 200USD and he'll offer you 100, take it asap and close the question. Don't try to message the guest, she did it deliberately and would be a waste of time and patience.

Thanks god she didn't fire the house! LOL

[Linda108]

@David6824  @Evonne17   Contacting the guest about the damages, while it very well be a waste of time, is still a requirement of the claims process so do not skip this step.

[Gordon0]

@Evonne17 - is this Kelsey we're talking about? If so, your review of her is a thing of fiction, whimsical even, and wholly unhelpful for other would-be hosts.  

[Helen3]

Wow - just read the review. @Evonne17  as a host reading your review I would never have understood the awful way they treated your home from your review. In you review you gave a strong  impression that they were great guests, when clearly from your post here they were anything but.