Guests disregard house rules and not pay violation fees

[Emily2037]

Hi, My guest had agreed with the house rules but had a cat in the house anyways which violated the house rules. The guest refused to pay the violation fees. Airbnb support was not very helpful. They did helped with the host damage but not with the violation fees. What's the point of the violation fee if there's no way Hosts can enforce them? I would like some advice as to what I can do to prevent this in the future?

Currently, we have all the guests read and acknowledge the document with house rules with violation fees, before we give them the code to access the house. But sometimes,  there are always that does not respect the rules and just do what they wanted to do.  How can Host enforce the violation fees? 

Thank you.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Emily2037 Airbnb rightly does not support 'violation fees' because they are both unethical, and not allowed under contract law  in many jurisdictions.

[Emily2037]

Thank you for the input. What do you recommend to Hosts to work with Guests that disrespect the House Rules and do not comply with violation fees? There's no point in setting violation fees if they cannot be enforced. The house is in FL, USA. Thank you.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Emily2037 For me a violation of an important rule = cancellation of stay and refund of remaining nights. But we are lucky and 99% of our guests comply with our rules - Either we have better guests or fewer rules!

[Emily2037]

That's great for you! We haven't had many rule breakers but we have learned from a handful of our disrespectful guests to help us to put the current rules in place. We were forced to put them into place but some still do not respect them. So the question remains how to address violation fees that they refuse to pay. Thank you.

[Zheng49 · Accepted solution]

There is no way to enforce these violation fees. 

[Kia272]

@Emily2037 It's not a rule if you allow guests to pay money to break it. 

If the guest violates your house rules, kick them out. It's silly to allow them to break the "rules" and then pay. It's more like a suggestion, and not a rule if you do it that way. 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Kia272 @Emily2037 

That's exactly what I was going to write. 

[Emily2037]

Thanks Zheng49 for the clear answer! That means the violations fees are just to deter offenders and no one to enforce them.  

I totally agree with you Kia272! Unfortunately, we didn't find out they broke the rule until after they left. I'm gonna install outdoor security camera for the public open outdoor spaces. That may help. 

Thank you Everyone for your input! 

[Maya737]

That's why you should list with VRBO where you can ask for a Damage Deposit and have guests agree to your own Rental Agreement (attatched separately and guest agrees to at time of booking). When you have a Damage Deposit, guests are more likely to take care of your home.

I strongly dislike being a host on AirBNB, they have never supported their hosts and only side with the guests. Covid was a great example of this. Many times I have filed a claim, only to never be compensated for expensive linens ruined or smoking in our luxury home. 

[Joan2709]

@Emily2037 

It is partially true that we can put fines in place for rule violations in Addl House Rules, but if the guest declines to pay them, Airbnb will not usually reimburse the Host under Aircover for that. In that sense, it is just a deterrent if the guest refuses to pay.

The only "fine" Airbnb will probably cover is if you add an Addl Guest Fee to your listing that is in the amount of your "fine" an actually only used if a someone brings undisclosed addl guests. I'm told if you add that fee and mention it in addl House Rules, Airbnb will cover it if the guest doesn't. Of course, this only works if you normally don't have a normal addl guest fee for the listing. 

[Victoria69]

Curious, how do you handle it when guests break rules but you do not find out until post stay? We typically do not know what is going on in the home and how it is left until after the stay is completed so there's no 'kicking out' option. Do you simply leave a negative review and not host again?

[Kia272]

@Victoria69 I'd say in this day and age, with technology being what it is, it's incumbent upon hosts to have cameras- exterior and fully disclosed, of course. 

Most of the posts here are from hosts who have seen rule violations, etc. on camera. That's how you'd find out during the stay. 

If it's after the stay, there's not much to do except leave an accurate review and  check the 'wouldn't host again' box. 

If there's damage, file an air cover claim. 

My experience is different because I'm an on-site host, but I have actually had to ask/tell guests to leave on two occasions, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again if necessary. 

[Emily2037]

Great question! We have discussed with the housekeeping ahead of time before any incidences occur. They are to take photos of anything and everything out of the ordinary, evidences of violation. It is critical to document everything in writing with photo or video showing the damages. 

We also have an additional document of the house rules with violation fees that they have to acknowledge & 'esign'. But, still, not all guests read it. But the acknolwedgment on the message board documents that they are aware. We make sure everything is already clearly posted on the listing, so no surprises.

We also have exterior cameras in place. Fully disclosed. 

Since we've added the extra steps, troubles have substantially reduced, but not completely eliminated. Whenever we have Airbnb hosts stay with us, those are usually not very good guests because they know the rules and knows the loopholes. 

We do not let one bad apple spoil our business. We stay professional in working with the Airbnb support and stay objective and document everything. And be very patient! 

We don't like to leave bad reviews for guests, but sometimes it is necessary. Always respond to their bad review publicly and be professional about it, pointing out the deficiencies objectively and no name calling.  Always involve Airbnb support whenever possible. 

Oh, follow your own rules and don't bend them. We always get into trouble when we try to be extra nice. Your rules are there for a reason. 

Hope that helps.

[Emilie]

Thank you @Emily2037 for sharing your approach to this with us! I'll tag in @Victoria69 to make sure she gets a notification of your response and can come back to read your insights. 🙂

Quick tip: To tag someone, tap "@" and select the host's username from the dropdown menu.