How to deal with a nosy intrusive guest?

[Debra465]

I have a guest nice older lady has been staying at my shared housed house with her 17 yr old granddaughter, I do not live there. I have 3 other rented rooms. She was a great quiet guest in beginning no issues. It’s been 3 weeks now and I am getting complaints. I have noticed as well she follows me around house , when I stop in. Asking about other guests, telling me this one did this or that and how she keeps the place clean. I think she expects me to pay her LOL.

The real issue is other guests say she is always in their face. Listening to phone conversations, one guest working on his computer said she would come up behind him looking over his shoulder on his computer he asked her several times to please stop. He would go outside to talk on phone for privacy.

He left 3 days before checkout without saying a word, she told me.New guests arrived they called me into room pointing saying she thinks she is running place. I was giving tour yesreday to another new guest and she kept following us around. I asked her twice could I help her with something and she said oh Nono just taking out trash or I just came in to wipe counter down. She speaks broken English and Spanish.

Does anyone have a polite idea or way of telling her to mind her own business? I am not planning on accepting her next request to rebook, as she pays weekly. I have blocked room for her weekly because I thought she was a kind guest. Apparently I was wrong. Ideas welcomed. Very strange person my first issue in 2 years. Please share any similar experiences if you would or ideas to get her to stop without being rude, hopefully 

[Emiel1]

@Debra465 

Just talk to the guest about the "problem", seems to me a matter of communication.

[Kia272]

@Debra465 I think having this type of listing in Covid times is just asking for trouble in general. It doesn't really sound like any of your guests are social distancing, or nosy lady wouldn't be able to get all up in their business. She honestly shouldn't be "keeping the place clean", as she may just be spreading Covid or something else if she's not cleaning and disinfecting, which she shouldn't be doing as a guest. I have no idea where your listing is located, but the whole thing just seems like a bad idea. Nosy lady should be the least of your worries. I'm just sharing my opinion. Kia

[M199]

Sounds like my father in law, all heart  but not aware of others feelings.  It's  not intentional on his part, just his honest, trusting and naive nature.  Maybe a quick conversation and gentle guidance will resolve the concerns.

[Sarah977]

@Debra465  She doesn't sound unkind, just someone who is nosy and maybe lonely and has no sense of boundaries.

You just have to be straightforward with her about minding her own business and respecting other guests. And not let her rebook. And leave an honest review, mentioning that she isn't suited to a home-share listing.

But I have to say, like @Kia272 , that I'm rather shocked and dismayed that you are renting shared home listings in the midst of a deadly pandemic, unless you are in New Zealand. ( I can't see whether you are, as you have no active listing)

This sort of thing is exactly why the virus continues to spread and kill.

[Jennifer1897 · Accepted solution]

@Debra465  Being nosy and asking questions is one thing, but infringing upon someone's privacy is another. In regards to your other guest asking her to stop watching him on the computer, the first time might have been a mistake/innocent but the second time she should have respected the other guests request for her to stop.

You need to have a conversation with her and let her know that  in a shared setting she needs to respect other individuals space and privacy. If it is a language barrier, perhaps try to incorporate her granddaughter, maybe she can translate. Also, I think it is a good decision moving forward to not allow her to book again. Her behavior will like go unchanged. 

[Randy-And-Barbara1]

I also have an intrusive neighbor, they live 2 miles past our rural farm house. fed ex drops their packages off at our place, its up to every day now, then the older retired,Bored?, neighbor lady comes to retrieve them and bangs on the door, i have confronted her and was told I was not very neighborly, I really need some advice, I treasure my 5 star rating and superhost status and would feel really bad to lose it from this disturbance. Thank you for any info

[Colleen253]

Why is fed ex dropping someone else’s packages at your place? Maybe take this up with them to stop it.

@Randy-And-Barbara1 

[Randy-And-Barbara1]

They won’t even talk to me. They are not my packages. They say the recipient needs to call to correct. I’m getting so frustrated with this while thing.