How to appropriately review messy guests?

[Ann489]

Hi, everyone.

We are still pretty new to hosting. 

So far, everything has gone pretty well--until this morning.  We had a couple and a relative booked for a one night stay.  When they left our guesthouse this morning, it was--well kind of a mess. 

They had re-arranged all the living furniture for some reason, thrown all our sofa pilows on the floor, clearly had eaten on the living room table (house rules state to please at dining table),  there were food remains on the table as well as the floor, dirty dishes in the sink(we ask to please wash your dishes prior to departure), trash not taken out, lights left on, wet towels thrown on the floors, etc. 

They were pleasant enough when they checked in last night and I always point out the welcome sheet with the house rules on the table. 

I am not sure how to review them. 

Am I too picky by asking to please leave the guest house in the condition they found it?  We do charge a small cleaning fee.

Thank you,

Ann   🙂

[Sarah977]

@Nicole1062  No, most of us would never think to move anyone's heavy furniture around, but for some inexplicable reason, it appears that this isn't too uncommon with Airbnb guests. 

[Natasha45]

I said "So and So is better suited to a hotel' and gave one stars and a thumbs down when I had a guest from HELL who did not check-out by 11:00 and did not anwer my beating on the door, stained up the furniture, towels, and bedsheets with bodily fluid, and left my Airbnb smelling and looking like a frat house. 

[Cindi0]

Jumping into this old thread, but I just had this experience. After several years of hosting, I have had a few guests who weren't particularly clean, but nothing like the guests who just left this morning. To begin, I do NOT charge a cleaning fee, and I do ask in both my house rules and in an info pack in the room, that people respect that, and my home, and clean up after themselves. Not only did these guys rearrange furniture (why would you put a drying rack in the livingroom?!) both inside and outside, they left a disgusting mess! What's wrong with a trash bin!? Seriously, used tissues everywhere - on the bed, bedside table, counters, desk, floors, coffee table....everywhere! Wet towels all over the floor and on the bed. Tub faucet was on and dripping  a steady stream, with a cloth plugging the drain, door was left wide open on my return (from yoga) following their departure, FOOD everywhere, including the floor! And more...just disgusting. And they have 7 reviews, all of which mentioned their "private" nature (understatement....they seemed annoyed by my presence in MY home) but nothing mentioned their messiness. I will definitely leave an appropriate review for future hosts to beware. And maybe they will show a little more respect next time they stay somewhere. I would never leave someplace like this...not a hotel, B&B (regardless of whether I'm charged a cleaning fee), or campsite! Never. 

[Will53]

Newer host.   Had my first sort of messy(er) guests.   Not the horrers listed here but certainly wet towels on the furniture and garbage left on the kitchen counter etc.    Admittedly the can under the sink is a bit small and I don't yet have recyling for the bottles etc.  Notes for me.  Also I don't yet have detailed house rules posted.  (working on that too).   A bit stuck on the review.  I don't want to gloss it over nor do I want to give everyone an idea it was fine although most of it was...   I have work to do as the host including perhaps hooks for the wet towels in the bedroom  (the bath is across a shared hall....)  any thoughts?  thanks

[Emma719]

Thanks for the posts everyone, I have come on here today as I have had a similar problem. Have had to repaint one of my walls as there were greasy smears all the way up it to the ceiling. @Jessica-and-Henry0  thank you, I am going to use your response. ( I also have a broken wine glass and poo on one of the towels).   Not sure how many stars to give them (communication was good before they arrived). 

[Stacey442]

I'd love to see some reviews by hosts that addresses messy guests.  I've only experienced a couple recent guest stats where they did a little of all the above: moved home accessories, bedding, furniture, rearranged cupboards, food all over the floors, ate in bed and left stains on sheets from food and drinks. We have also had items misplaced like remote controllers and put in places that took us a few days to find!  And the sour food smell !  The day that we clean upon checkout!  
we do not require a lot on checkout.  We only ask that they put dirty towels in washer, dirty dishes in dishwasher, and garbage in garage.  That's it!  

im amazed at how people feel it's ok to stay in someone's home and leave such a mess.  

[Anne8398]

I have the problem of people clearly bringing dogs to the property when I state very clearly, no pets. It’s doing my head in!

[Laura2592]

Why do people move the

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@Ann489 wrote:

Hi, everyone.

We are still pretty new to hosting.  So far, everything has gone pretty well--until this morning.  We had a couple and a relative booked for a one night stay.  When they left our guesthouse this morning, it was--well kind of a mess.  They had re-arranged all the living furniture for some reason, thrown all our sofa pilows on the floor, clearly had eaten on the living room table (house rules state to please at dining table),  there were food remains on the table as well as the floor, dirty dishes in the sink(we ask to please wash your dishes prior to departure), trash not taken out, lights left on, wet towels thrown on the floors, etc.  They were pleasant enough when they checked in last night and I always point out the welcome sheet with the house rules on the table. 

I am not sure how to review them.  Am I too picky by asking to please leave the guest house in the condition they found it?  We do charge a small cleaning fee.

Thank you,

Ann   🙂

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furniture?? I just dont get it.  Especially for a short stay. I have puzzled over this many a time myself. Other than accessibly issues like accommodations for a walker maybe they get inspired by HGTV and want to redecorate?

I would sa and something   " We enjoyed interacting with thesrcguest so communication was not a problem.  When it came to cleanliness and following the pisted house rules we were surprised that such pleasant guests seemed to have issues in both areas. We cant recommend them to others for that reason. 

That way you address which areas future hosts might have to deal with. 

[John1080]

@Laura2592, it losses me off and it’s perplexing! I’ve had people move all sorts of things - furniture, the position of my track lighting, cactus moved around and even outside where they froze! 

I’ve had to put a special section in my rules about it, as it can also obviously scratch floors and damage rugs and the furniture itself. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Moving the furniture around may be some sort of territorial thing- making the place theirs for the duration of their stay, with the furniture arranged the way they would do it if it were their home.

And I recall a post where a host said that guests had moved one particular piece of furniture so many times, and into the same spot, that the host came to the conclusion that it was actually better where the guests kept moving it to.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977  must be "making it their own" in some way. Its really interesting to me as it's not something I have ever done  on my own stays. I had one guest that had small kids who moved things around for a bigger play area. Understand that for sure. But it's a lot more common behavior than I ever realized. Hosting is nothing but eye opening at times!

[Penelope0]

So, would you give 3 points to a messy guest?

[Sarah977]

Depends how "messy". If it's just that they didn't put things back where they go and it was disorderly, I wouldn't mark that down at all. Some people are naturally tidy and some aren't. If they left the stovetop swimming in grease and food and piles of dirty dishes, that would be another story.

@Penelope0

[Penelope0]

@Sarah977 Thanks for the feed back- I didn't know how to find any replies and just found my way back to this conversation.

[Mar125]

@Ann489 

It’s guest’s right to mess up and leave dirty, but it’s not guest’s right to leave damages. my rule of thumb is as long as it’s recoverable, i don’t rate them badly. 

but, if the extra mess is to the extent that i have to hire junk guy, then it’s $50 per bin charge.