Do you allow guests to break house rules so they do not give you a bad review?

[Letti0]

I'm seeing a startling large pattern lately, especially since they changed the SuperHost qualifications on AirBnB. But it's not just here but on other hosting forums for other sites too. Hosts are over looking extra guests they can prove and not confronting their guests and letting them stay free when they clearly have a fee that should be paid. Guest check in way too early or check out way to late and they say nothing. Leave the place a total pigsty and they do nothing or say nothing. Guests bring vistors on to the property without permission; yet you look the other way. Allow the guest to control the environment, rather than the host this one is more related to shared homes than entire houses and appears to be happening to more and more hosts in the last 6 months or so. Guests asking for things you do not supply, but you go the extra mile and give it to them anyway to make them happy and it continues to happen again and again once you give in once. There's a lot more but those are the bigger ones. I been seeing a lot of. 

More than half of the hosts do not leave any reviews of the guests at all with the bad behavior out of fear of a retailory review. I have also noted that a lot of hosts do not actually understand the review process at all and think if they don't write one then the guests won't appear. Also that many host never leave a review for the guests good or bad. This is troublesome for a few reasons. One a guest rent out places from hosts that do not review at all and have issues renting with hosts that require reviews. Bad guest get to repeat bad behavior at another hosts place without any warning to future hosts. Some guests won't review a host that has not reviewed them first, the logic is if they can't bother I can't. 

For the first 10 reviews I let things slide a little, but not anything major. I also use the stategy of reviewing the guests immediately and usually get a review back within 1 to 24 hours, then I ask about the issues that came up on check out along with any costs involved if there were any there usually isn't, since it has to be a claim worth putting in the effort to get before I bother. This has been a very useful method, so far anyway. I am now at the point I will confront them during the booking stage or when they show up with extra guests issues, infants being paid for, vistors showing up, etc. Reviews be danged. I will not be abused or taken advantage of by my guests. I prove a great place with many extra amenties they will not find elsewhere for the most part. I let the place speak for it's self now. I understand all hosting styles are different, but why do so many hosts allow this abuse to go on and continue renting to the guest or guests and not get AirBnB or whatever site to cancel them and get rid of them? It just boggles my mind. 

The other thing I have noticed is very few hosts actually have rental agreements with their guests. I not only have the rental agreement I get a copy of the government ID. My guests do not really have an issue with this, out of all my guests on all the sites I list on only one has refused to sign it and return it. They cancelled. No big loss in my mind. Also surprisingly many hosts are not aware of the host and guests email's provided by AirBnB to send the rental agreement and ID back and forth via PDF and JPEG. 

So my question is are you one of the hosts allowing major House Rules to be broken for fear of a bad reviews and if so has it really stopped the bad reviews from bad guests? I personally don't see how it would, but I'd like to know what your actual experience has been.  

[Tueykay0]

@Victoria567 , 

I can't speak for other companies you mentioned, but I do know this. Costco is one of the most progressive in how they treat their employees.

Many Costco stores are unionized, therefore their starting pay per hour is higher than the states minimum wage, plus health benefits, bonuses and paid vacations. Same even if they are not unionized. The overall average employee at Costco is paid $22.50 USD/ hour (after 4 years) plus annual raises on top of their hourly wages. The general manager makes a low 6 figure starting salary (plus health benefits & bonuses) which is approximately $113k/ year.

I've talked to many Costco staff members. They are NOT leaving their jobs unless it's a serious emergency. 

I just talked to a long time staff yesterday at the store. He said he took about 3 months off to take care of personal issues. He came back- no problem. 

Just because Costco employees are well paid,  does not give permission to be mistreated by customers. 

The same goes for Hosts. No matter what we charge the guests, it's still our home(s) and we and our property deserves respect.

[Letti0]

@Jessica-And-Ryan0  Nordstrom and I are having a huge disagreement at present. They allowed my husband who is currently living with his mistress for the last 8 months to charge multiple thousands on my Nordstrom Visa charge that his name is nowhere on only mine and he just gave them the account number he got from looking in my wallet and taking photo's of the front and back of the card without permission to get the number, CVS and expiration date. I have a $16,200 limit with that card and he can spend it with no authorization. Both him and my 18 year son have been allowed to redeem all the reward dollars just knowing my email and phone number. I've basically stopped using the card I will cancel it soon need to move the auto pays off it and use my AAdvantage with a higher limit and have hidden the card, although they did cancel his flight booked since I had the password for their last flight to Phoenix and his admirals club membership I paid for with it ;D love this company Citi. I explain to the custmer service person I did not want him and the girlfriend to have the use oof the Admirals club, She said I could not do anything about it, but called me back an hour later and said she talked to corporate and they removed him from the Admirals club and refunded the spouse membership to me. I have informed Nordstrom I will not pay for any more charges that are a result of unauthorized users I will report it as fraudulent charges. Still have not been able to stop the rewards from being used. So I would say Nordstrom's customer service sucks. 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Letti0

Blimey....sorry to hear you are being rolled over by your ex.

Being married to Mr@Victoria for over 3 decades and if he tried the same nonesense, It would be snipped in the bud........including both buds😉 I might add.

If I were in a similar situation why don’t you cancel your agreement with this crappy company and move your business elsewhere.....vote with your feet gai!

[Rebecca181]

Here it is again, precisely what I mentioned in my last comment: Undercurrent to this message is: "If YOU were all as compassionate, understanding, and forgiving as ME then you would not be having these problems."

You obviously still don't get it. 

[Sarah977]

@Jessica-And-Ryan0   Why do you assume that the hosts who have disagreed with your idea of not warning other hosts about bad guests, and bending over backwards to accommodate what you yourself called "the worst guests" don't behave with compassion, generosity and forgiveness, just because we don't let obnoxious, entitled people walk all over us? One is not exclusive of the other.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

When did treating guests with respect mean letting guests treat the host like a doormat? 

I don't care how much money a guest pays.... no one has the right to abuse me or my home or my hospitality. I refuse to put up with bad behavior from anyone. 

[Ute42]

.

Hi @Jessica And Ryan , 

the policy You are promoting is the so called „the guest is always right“ policy. There are places to stay that execute that policy like the Riz Carlton. You want lemons from Sicily flown in for Your cocktails? No problem, we'll do it for You.

But the Riz charges $2000 a night. There are a good number of airbnb guests who want the Riz service for $50 a night and that is just not possible. What is the reason why people book airbnbs instead of hotels? The airbnbs are cheaper, that's it.

• „Usually this means swallowing your pride“

But not for $50 a night. I'm having a problem to swallow up my pride anyway.

• „Anyone who hasnt tried the compassion, generousity and
  forgiveness style of life should try it a bit“

This picture taken this june of 2018 shows a group of 10 guys who have come to my place for the past 8 years in a consecutive row. They are loud, they drink a lot, their jokes are rude. But they love me, I do some cooking for them. I show a lot of generousity towards their behaviour. But they must understand that they have to reduce their noise level past 11 pm, if not, the lights will go down. If I do not enforce my noise level rule, my neighbours will complain and the community may shut my place down.

There are things I allow at my place and there are things I do not allow. And if I communicate that well, everyone understands it. To enforce my houserules does not mean that I want to ruin the guests stay, the guests can still be happy but following my rules. Why would these guys come back every year otherwise?

• „the very best hosts will find a way to make the very worst guests
  feel important and happy after a stay.“

To make the very worst guests feel important, great idea. You are the type of host that ruins the guest quality on airbnb. Thank You for that in the name of all the fellow hosts out there.

[Thomas192]

OP wrote: "Bad guest get to repeat bad behavior at another hosts place without any warning to future hosts"

I just had a drunken belligerent guest with a loaded .45 handgun staying in my shared home listing.  This person was probably 6'4" weighing around 240 or 250 lbs.   He drank to excess; first night i counted 16 empty beer cans in my trash + he asked if he could have A Shot of my Seagrams 7 he spotted in liquor cabinet.  I told him he could.  He drank 3/4 of a 750ml bottle of whiskey along with all those beers. This amount of drinking was not a binge, he drank like this almost every night of the 22 he stayed in my home.

My issue now is with Airbnb.  They paid me a 2nd payout after the guest was removed from the property and it totaled about $950.  That was on October 31st.

November 6th I got a new booking and guest is currently staying here, but I noticed the other day that Airbnb DEBITED my account when paying out this new booking and I received a total latest payout for new book of $79!  

My December payout is scheduled for $99.  I should be receiving about $1,200 but Airbnb has gone back and arbitrarily decided that am responsible for cancelling the drunken guest in Violation of Policy and House Rules?

I would appreciate any advice from the community regarding the debit of a payout that IMO was illegally   debited later because AIrbnb foolishly decided to allow this Blackout Drunken Alcoholic to continue as a guest in Another Unsuspecting hosts' home.

I guess they'll have to Learn The Hard Way, After This Belligerent, Angry Alcoholic causes harm to future Host and/or Property.

I cannot believe Airbnb would allow this person to continue having an account on their platform.

I did not cancel this reservation due to any fault of host, this was predicated on Safety of Life and Property.  The drunken guest was in possession of a Loaded .45 Cal Beretta Handgun he brought into my home.  

What more do I need to say?

[Olivia215]

I’m glad you started this topic. 

I just had the same issue but I’m not kind of person who says nothing. 

Actually I’m pretty fed up and decided to report discrimination to police and seek further assistance. So over past few months I’ve been renting out extra space and I noticed a pattern of guests DEMANDING extra services for free knowing how loosy the review system is and they can do whatever they want - damage, steal, I had even guest who teacher my apartment and text me I did and he was there only 10 minutes and will notify the bank to get charge back. I contacted Airbnb straight away cause it sounded ridiculously. I sent screenshots showing guest messaging me all night about his stay. I wanted to warn Airbnb from him. Obviously he left fake defamatory review. But AirBnB replied it doesn’t violate their policy and everyone has a right to express their opinion. Seriously? Even if it’s discrimination? How about anti discrimination policy ? 

Futthermore his low review encouraged another guest - also 1st time booking at Airbnb to leave low review because I didn’t allow her to bring random stranger she just met ... seriously? Nothing about late check in - 4 am or my dedicated hospitality. I don’t feel safe on this platform anymore and action needs to be taken. It looks like Airbnb is waiting for serious tragedy to happen to finally update review policy and put penalties on those who lie.

[Nung0]

At the end of the day guys we always try and see the funny side to situations me and my husband always laugh about things later because there is some clowns out there who think they can try it on.

We think the good times outweigh the bad times.

[Nisachol0]

I normally send them the rule 2 times. When they booked and before they check in . That’s way they will read your text and I will ask them to confirm if those rule is ok for them .

Click on your he link below for local guide where to go and what to do in Lakeworth

https://abnb.me/Q0gHhekX4X

We would like to inform you about the basic rules:

1 No pets.

2 No Smoking in the house ( if you need to smoke please only smoke outback in the outside patio area)

3 No loud noises after 11 pm)

4 No socializing outside on the property grounds after 11pm.

5 No parties!

6 No BBQ.

7 Check out anytime before 11am.

If you feel that anyone else on the property is not respecting your privacy and our rules please contact us immediately.

Thanks, Nikki & Rich.

[Jo275]

Interesting conversation. Back to the original topic. I have been doing Airbnb for over three years. I review every guest who stays at my place.  99% of my guests are wonderful.   Have only given one bad review to guests that were essentially having a rave in my house every night.    Recently I hosted some guests who broke the house rules by inviting more people then were accepted by me.  When I brought up the subject to the guest I ended up being the one that got reprimanded. It’s a very humbling feeling having guests, who are  essentially strangers staying in your home, tell you that you shouldn’t be putting these rules down.  This particular guest I had originally declined because of no reviews and this is what ended up happening. I have to admit I did not give her a review out of fear she would come back and ruin my rating and super host status.  I used to take guests without reviews thinking everybody had to get a start sometime. The majority of the time these “no review“  guests are just fine.  I am happy to give them a good review so they can go on renting on Airbnb. But now because of the trend of hosts not reviewing bad guests it becomes more risky excepting people without reviews.  So I agree with the original contention that this is a frustrating trend. I am at a loss as to what to do because I am not in a position to have people take a bat to my rating and super host status.  Even if you do leave a bad review for them chances are they sense you will and they will not review you. So no review for them will ever show up. They will go on skating under the wire as “a guest with no reviews” who needs to get started. Gullible hosts will comply.