Guests cranked up the heat and left the window open among breaking other house rules

[Amy2433]

My guests just checked out - 30 minutes late after I already extended the checkout an hour for them. 

I walk in to realize the room is like a sauna and the window is open, the heat is set to 78 degrees! Our house rules specifically state to please not open the windows when the heat is on. Not to mention the guest left dirty dishes in the sink and their clean ones to be put away. 

I hate to get a bad review over this but my heating bill costs a fortune as it is, and there was no need for the heat to be cranked up that high, as it's 65 degrees outside. These guests already received 20% off the nightly rate as its our shoulder season. Depending on how long that window was open, I may be spending all of their nightly rate on the heating bill. 

What should I do?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Amy2433 leave an accurate review and move on

[Amy2433]

Thanks Mike, I definitely plan to leave an accurate review. I’m having a hard time letting go of the extra costs I’m going to incur. But you’re probably right. 😞

[Debbie210]

Hi Amy. 
Raise your nightly rates to cover these costs that can happen. Most guests, use the heat or air conditioning, full blast. They also leave the interior and exterior lights on, all day! I have driven by our rental home in the day and noticed all exterior lights on. Etc… we don’t give discounts. If they want to rent our place, pay the price we are offering! We constantly update and clean our home perfectly to ensure the prices the guests are paying are worth it to them. 
I feel your frustration! 

[Amy2433]

Thanks so much Debbie! I totally agree about raising the prices- there are so many Airbnb properties here that the price has been driven prohibitively low these last several months. I keep my space super clean and well stocked for guests, but I’m worried we won’t get booked if we don’t stay competitive with the local market, which is unfortunately way too low to cover these extra costs. Maybe I can do some experimenting. Appreciate your input and sympathy! 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Amy2433 

As @Mike-And-Jane0  said - leave an accurate review, move on. This is the cost of doing business. Don't accept a reservation from them again. It happens to all of us at one time or another.

[Tomica3]

Hi Amy,

I had my AC guy to install a Honeywell T5 smart thermostat that links to my phone. This way I can monitor the heat and air while it is being rented. I have exterior cameras only so if a guest has left for the day and the air is left on 60 or the heat is left on 78 I can just adjust it on the app. there are smart lights but I have not purchased any yet. I do have smart plugs that I can turn lamps off and on using an app. 

[Amy2433]

Thanks Tomica, great idea! 

[Tomica3]

You’re welcome 

[Pat271]

@Tomica3 

Just a caveat: I’ve read on this forum where some guests have become very irate when the host adjusts the heat and A/C on them, or limit it remotely to a certain temperature window. Along with uncomfortable beds and noise, temperature is one of those things where guests can get super fussy.

[Tomica3]

Hi Pat!

I had it installed 2 days ago. Thanks for the tip! I will definitely take it into advisement. It also helps with last minute bookings. It allows me to turn on the air for guests without going to the property. 

[Pat271 · Accepted solution]

I had this exact thing happen early on as a host, and had the exact same reaction as you. I looked up online the A/C usage, and that one visit doubled my A/C bill for the entire month!

I had a management company at the time, and I called them to demand that the guest pay for that spike. They very firmly told me that the guest is paying to use all amenities offered, including the A/C, and that it isn’t normal to charge for extra usage.

Although it still rankles me when a guest does this type of thing, it no longer throws me into a tizzy. Basically, if there is nothing, lost, stolen, or broken, I’m good. I have it in my business plan to absorb these kinds of costs. This includes extra cleaning costs sometimes, too, by the way.

[Amy2433]

Thanks Pat! It helps just to know that others have had the same frustration and reacted similarly. Unfortunately we have too many properties in my town for the level of demand so prices are at an all-time low. I can't really raise my prices to include these extra costs and still get booked consistently. I hope that will change! 

[Fred13]

Why not prevent (or try) for these things from happening in the first place? Set up the heat thermostat to only go up to a certain number, and this may serve to cause the clueless guests you had to > close the window. 😉