Guest from Hell

[Toni225]

So I had this young couple checkin on 6/8/19 for two nights, the female who made the booking asked if  I would do an early check-in, that they would be arriving at 9:00AM. I had a one night booking for 6/7/19 and was not sure how early I could check them in ,so I offered to allow them to drop off their luggage. My booking for 6/7/19 cancelled so I message the female and said my booking cancelled so I can do the early check-in, then I get a request for a one night booking again for 6/7/19 which I declined.

So the couple arrives at 10:30AM and I checked them in going through the apartment with them and going over the house rules with them verbally again.  So I was  at a loss for words when I return home from dinner that night to find my entrance door wide open. that was 11:08 PM, I  then heard the male  come in about 20 mins., later and again reminded him to please close  the entrance door when entering and leaving the home. He was very nice and said he was sorry and will make sure to close the door when leaving or entering. 

     On Saturday night 6/ 9/19  around 12:15AM they both left out of the home, now remember I had gone over the house rules with them, So on Sunday morning at around 9:30 AM I notice that the utilities had not been turned off like I have in my house rules and I also went over verbally with them. So I sent her a message over Airbnb at 11:13 AM.   I got no response back from her so at 12:18 PM I called Airbnb who reached out to her at 1:07 PM the male calls and said I could go and turn the utilities off, so I go up and walk right into a mess., they had eaten and placed all the garbage in a bag and left the bag in the middle of the kitchen floor, mind you there is a brand new stainless steel garbage can right there in the kitchen, a bottle with unfinsh smoothie in the middle of the living room , a plate with pizza on the sofa and two pillows from the bedroom also on the sofa, on the sofa was also a wet bath towel.

Their dirty clothes were thrown over the back of the dining room chairs  and all the kitchen , dining room and bathroom lights were left on. You could also see that one of them had been sleeping on the sofa because the room smelled of body odor. At this time I also on the phone with Jason from Airbnb and he is telling me thanks for reaching out to Airbnb support team he has forward my inquiry to a member of his team so they can help me better.

   Today at 11: 15 AM,  I go up to let them know its time to check out only to find out that she has already checked out and leaves  him there, he told me she told him checkout was 12:00 Noon  I pulled up my listing and showed him its 11:00  AM . I then called Airbnb and as always its have you reach out to the guest, now remember some one was to get back to me.  So at 7:01 PM tonight I get a request from Emily over Airnb requesting a full refund stating that her stuff was tampered with and being locked out the apartment upon return, plus a review based with lies. I find it horrendous that Airbnb has yet to return a call to me since  I made the first call to them yesterday , allow this person to ask for a refund based on lies when a member from the Airbnb support team was with me on the phone at 12:00PM when her male friend was checking out .

It is my honest opinion that Airbnb cares nothing about its host and thats why guest does the things they do.  I am interesd to see if any other host has ever had ths same problem, I am considering delisting my home again from Airbnb  and going back to 9Flats .

[Paul154]

@Toni225 

This is a terrible guest - one who leaves another guest in possesion of your bedroom. Clearly NOT your agreement - that man was a trespasser. 

Because you are new, you are exposed to scammers more than more seasoned hosts (but it does happen to everyone from time to time)

You must protect yourself more. DO NOT BREAK YOUR OWN RULES.

Your checkin time is your checkin time. MAKE guests respect you and your rules.

Good luck. It will get better.

[Toni225]

@Paul154  Lesson learned I will never check-in a guest at 10:30 AM trust me on that one I have also remove the instant book so no more last minutes bookings. I will now be selective about guest who wants to book my place.

Thank you so much for your input its very helpful to hear from others its a gain of knowledge for me.

[Ann72]

@Toni225 You can still use InstantBook if you like, but under "availability" you can require "at least 1 day's notice" or "at least 2 days' notice" or whatever you like.  Many experienced hosts suggest, however, that you turn off InstantBook until you've got more hosting experience.

I'm a remote host and only occasionally have been in the house when guests have been there.  I see suitcases around and general disorder, but I turn a blind eye.  That's how they live when they're there and it's not for me to judge.  However, I did add to the house manual:  "If you're going to sleep or have sex on the sofa, please put sheets on it first."  LOL.  In your head you're thinking, Do I really have to tell people this?  But you do.  People are gonna live the way they're  gonna live, you can't control that, but in keeping with all the great advice from @Robin4 @Anonymous @David6 @Helen350 you can set a clear and firm tone in all your communications that lets the guest know you're in control, even while you are welcoming them into your home.

[Mike1034]

@Toni225 My experience of guests who asked for the early check-in is not very good either. About 70% guests who asked for early check-in were bad.

[David6]

@Toni225 

I have sympathy , but I really feel if you wish to ever continue hosting you need to relax a little.

1. Guests will leave lights on when they go out.  It’s annoying but you need to factor this in when you set the nightly rate. Sometimes they will leave heating on all day too.

2. Guests will watch tv/take a nap, lounging on the sofa  and may drag bedding from the bedroom. I’ve done it dozens of times when a guest. 

3. I would never, ever enter a listing unless threat to my property, when guests are mid stay. Garbage in wrong place or messiness! No sorry, some people live like that. As long as no damage at checkout, it’s totally normal. 

Guests should be offered ‘quiet enjoyment’ when staying in your listing. If I was a guest, and a host treated me like that, honestly I’d be at war with them!  

I honestly believe this guest has grounds to make a complaint against you. The messages you sent to her - if accurate; and if so Airbnb will have access to them  - this is a paying guest - you cannot IMO - speak to guests like that. I would be ready for Airbnb to offer at least a partial refund. 

[Toni225]

@David6 , Thank you for your input , I have been hosting for many years with Airbnb and while it may look like I am a new host I am not, I did take down my listing with airbnb two years ago when New York City started changing the guide lines about Airbnb in New York  I did not want to run afoul of the law. I just put my listing back up a few weeks ago so I know what it takes to be an excellent Host . I also know how to be an excellent guest and respect people's homes and house rules. 

 1) While I appreciate your input, since we can all  learn from others , you were not in my shoes and you do not know what was cummunicated between the guest and myself .

2) The guest was not watching  television on the sofa, her company was sleeping on the sofa, what you do as a guest and what your host allows is fine.  I ahve no control over how others host and what they allowed. I do have house rules which I verbally go over with each  and every guest  when I check them in.

3) What you do with your property is up to you , I will never tell you or anyone else how to host. I would never leave garbage all over anyones home , I would not leave uneaten meals on the living room  floor , or wet towels on the sofa.

4) This booking was booked as a couple, had she told me before it was her and a friend I would have given her another set of keys so when she left out before him he could have lock the door, and offered them a roll away bed .

5) I agree guest should be offered quiet enjoyment when staying in any listing,  and every guest I host is given that privileged , how ever guest do not go out all day and leave entrance doors to the home open with out consideration for the safety of others in the home, this is New York City and anything can happen .

What I will say is that I pray you never have to deal with a bad guest who breaks all  of you house rules and have a total  disregard for your property and safety ,  as for a refund its up to Airbnb . 

I thank you for your input and advice do have a great day.

[Toni225]

@David6  

Greetings just wanted to give you a follow up and thanks again for the great advice, Airbnb step up to the plate for me, they did not refund the guest like she wanted them to do ,  they told me while I did not break any airbnb rules, they would not remove the review just like I knew they would. Guess what the same guest went to Spain in July and left another host place in a mess .  I have a wonderful young couple from France staying until December 15,2019. I pray all is well with you .

[David6]

Haha. How thoughtful of your to remember me. Actually, had a few nightmare guests myself recently. All part of hosting and mild/minor compared to previous issues.

One was calling me every day - i ‘saved’ her apparently as she arrived to filthy airbnb and I accepted her late booking - she checked in within 45 mins.

Anyway she planted hairs on sofa & stains in fridge & demanded refund. She’s an Airbnb  superhost herself. My housekeeper sends me detailed pictures after every clean !!! I was able to call out this horrendous guest & phoned her and told her straight. She only did this AFTER leaving her review. In messages she said ‘you sure are superhost, thanks for responding so quickly’  

#fact some guests are weird!!! 

[David6 · Accepted solution]

My apartment was trashed and everything stolen, windows broken, furniture hurled from 4th floor roof terrace - so I would find the issues you list EXTREMELY minor. 

I have also hosted for over 5 years and have over 600 reviews . With other platforms I’ve hosted way in excess of 2500 bookings. I’ve stayed as a guest over 40 times.

My lights are left on at least once per week. Heating too. It’s part of hosting IMO. As stated in my previous post. My OPINION... 

The door issue - yes agree  a major concern. The guest is entitled but not at fault if YOU agreed to her early check in request. 

But I don’t know what is fact. The guest mentions in her review messages you sent. Airbnb will ask to see these. If they were sent,  only you know.

I wish you well. But to any host. If you enter a listing mid stay, please be ready for accusations from the guest. For your own self protection I strongly advise to never do this. Unless some threat such as flooding/fire hazard, etc, or agreed prior to the guest arriving such as cleaning.

I host ‘private rooms’ and ‘whole apartment’ we NEVER, EVER enter without prior approval - and never under any time of ‘conflict’ - only when communications / relationships are cordial. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for major problems. 

[Anonymous]

@David6  You have a solid point here - with Entire Home listings it's expected that the property will not be entered by the host until checkout, barring truly exceptional circumstances or emergencies. Private Rooms work differently, and to @Toni225 's credit she has switched to "Private Room" to reinforce this.

I'm lucky enough to live in a place where utilities aren't super expensive and the cost of leaving something on a few extra hours is negligible. But it's not like that everywhere, and I guess some hosts can't offer affordable pricing without regulating guests' resource consumption. 

[David6]

You have a lot of experience @Anonymous  but we never, ever enter a private room listing. My cleaner enters  the apartment to clean the shared bathroom, the guests see her, But she never enters their locked rooms. I live upstairs and would never enter a room to turn off a light.

After all the ‘Me Too’ Controversy, I feel 

male hosts Need to be particular careful. Each host is different 🙂 we have had 6 months, even 6 weeks bookings with  agreed weekly cleaning but it’s all in writing in the Airbnb message thread.  We would never enter a room if there was any conflict or disagreement. Literarily, why risk it. A laptop could be set up to record you; a guest could accuse you of anything. 

[Anonymous]

@David6  I also wouldn't enter the guest's private room without a very clear agreement and purpose. Their room's threshold is respected as a boundary 100%. But in booking a shared space, the guest has signed up for being in a place where the host will take notice if they leave the front door open (!), make excessive noise, throw a party, or conduct any activity that would be disruptive to the rest of the household. I don't care whether they don't keep their own room tidy between checkin and checkout, but they have no reason to be surprised if I catch them breaking an actual rule.  If there is a genuine reason to open the guestroom door, I'd place it as a lesser transgression than opening an apartment or hotel room door.

On the other hand, to most people Entire House means unsupervised; the guest has every reason to expect that their activity and whereabouts won't be monitored during their stay. People who want privacy would be upset to find that actually they're sharing a house with a host who can keep tabs on them and enter the unit as they please. This is why I feel that an onsite host in a multi-unit building can have good cause to undersell their self-contained suites as Private Rooms. 

[Sandra856]

@Anonymous I think a private room is just as "private" as an entire home. I would never, ever enter the room I rent out if there wasn't an emergency or without contacting the guest first.

Best, Sandra 

[Toni225]

@Sandra856   The notion that I entered the space with out reaching out to the guest is incorrect, I message the guest who never replied , I then contacted Airbnb Support Team who reached out to the guest , she replied that they had not been in the home since  Saturday night because they were at friends house .She even apologize about the mess and leaving all the , lights  and the entrance door open it’s in her IMO . When she checked out is when she made these allegations.

Best to you also .

[Sandra856]

@Toni225 I wasn't talking about your situation but to @Anonymous who seems to think there is a difference between hosting an entire listing compared to a private room when it comes to privacy and entering the rented space.

Some guests are very messy and some leaves the lights on. Some take 45-60 minuttes showers 2 times a day. I have also had some guests who didn't lock the door properly a couple of times like you experienced. 

It is not even possible to prevent things like these to happen by making house rules because things you wouldn't even imagine will happen happens 🙂