Guests Engaging in Illegal Activity

[Amy470]

I wanted to write a post as an FYI for hosts who may find themselves in a dangerous situation with guests who may be engaging in illegal activity. This happened to me recently and I ended up getting the police involved.  At first I contacted Air Bnb as soon as my red flags went off.  It took Airbnb hours to respond and when they did they accused me of judging my guests based on their criminal history and told me that if I wanted them to take action that I would need to go in the unit and take pictures and video which places me in extreme danger and is a huge invasion of privacy. They then asked me what I wanted them to do.

I tried to explain the situation further to Airbnb and they kept sending me messages that they were going to have someone contact me, it took over 12 hours for me to even get a phone call.  They did say that they could contact the guests and cancel the reservation but that they could not do that unless I gave them a copy of a police report.  Again, getting a copy of that takes time especially since the report occurred after hours and of course if Airbnb does this then the guests are going to be made aware that the host is the one canceling it.  So not only does the guest who is doing illegal acitivity know that is the host they also have full access to the unit. When Airbnb did contact me (12 hours later) I had already dealt with the situation and told them I did not wish to talk to them.  They followed up with me later with an e-mail that said that since I told them I was safe that they were long no pursuing the situation.  I never spoke to them and told them I was safe.  They lied. 

I want to share this story because I had a guest for almost entire week that required police intervention and Airbnb offered no support and they lied about my well-being. Airbnb is great when things are going okay but when it comes to a real safety issue they offer no support and place blame on hosts.  If you ever find yourself in a situation with guests that places you in danger please call the police and take tips from neighbors seriously. Also document everything thoroughly and do not go into the unit even if it means you have to grit your teeth and wait until they leave. Also, wait until calling or messaging Airbnb until after you have called authorities because Airbnb will take forever and they will not even look into it. 

[Victoria567]

Hi@Amy

Did you Tick all the boxes within the booking requirement section of the host section,?

This section allows the host to vet the potential guests.

Reason these guests have chosen your area/accommodation?

Guests must have government verified ID and previous reviews?

Reason for their visit!

Identity of who else is coming to stay?

Estimated time of arrival?

There is a section you can Tick if you will not accept guests who have NO previous reviews.

If you have already looked at this host section, it could be helpful in deciding whether such future reservations should be accepted by you, as it screens guests.

It IS worrying that if you did all this, prior to accepting and these guests still slipped through,into your home including the air bnb intransigence during this situation.

[Tueykay0]

@Amy0

Sorry this happened to you. Focus on your safety first. Do anything and everything necessary to protect yourself and your home. 

You can always deal with Airbnb later. 

Please keep us posted with your situation.

[Andreas-and-Anna0]

What did guest do illegally and how did police handle it?

[Helen427]

Good on you for going to the Police about whatever the unlawful activity was, they are the correct authority to investigate and follow up on any alleged/ actual crime, not Airbnb customer services who are not legally qualified and would be acting outside of there legal qualifications and knowledge.

Our personal safety is important at all times, as is that of our guests

[Cathie19]

Hello Amy. Welcome to the community centre. 

Without knowing what has gone wrong, it can be hard to advise. I do think Airbnb needs to respond quickly when something goes wrong, but your safety is paramount and getting the police is the right course of action.

You have the basic house rules and specifics for the kitchen and personal items.

Consider also adding separately from ticking the boxes, “no smoking” and “no parties or events”:

Something  like this... as it just may deter the unsocial guest booking in the first place.

“To maintain a fresh and healthy environment, this is a strict non-smoking premise. This includes e-cigarettes and illegal substances.

“No parties or events, no illegal activity or inappropriate anti-social behaviour.

- Authorities and Airbnb will be contacted for your removal.”

Hope this helps...

Cathie

[Linda108]

If I had a guest whose behavior was illegal or unsafe or anything that created an unsafe environment, the first call would not be to Air BNB!  It would be to the authorities that are charge with protecting me.  Then I would contact Air BNB.  Not sure what you expected a booking platform to do regarding your situation, but am glad you got what you needed from your local authorities and you are safe.

[Fred13]

@Amy0 In your long FYI post you failed to say what exactly the activity was that you considered it may (your word) be illegal.  You said that the activity required police intervention, but you expected support from Airbnb; they suggested getting a police report, meaning call the police.  Why did they end up being the 'bad guys' in this whole affair?

    Some basic facts would help immensely for some of us that still are totally lost about this mystery.