Issues found during checkout - advice needed

[Carlos2911]

Hi:

I have a property at the beach. The check- in is at 2pm and check-out at 12pm. I use to move the Airbnb using self-check in/out

I had a reservation of 2 persons for 18 days in totals . One day the people contacted me because the coffee maker broke. When I arrive to the place to deliver the new coffee maker the lady asked me for a late check-out because they were suppose to have a flight at night and they didn’t want to arrive to the airport too early. We agreed upon a 2pm checkout time. I had a new reservation arriving the next day.

I was disappointed to find that during the agreed check-out time 2pm the cleaning person found all their stuff all over the place. I contacted the people and was told they had a flight delay.

So they will be returning to the house later (between 8 to 10pm).

We never touched their personals things, but we started with some cleaning work in: yard, windows, bathroom all in preparation for the reservation of the next day.

When the people finally arrive after 9pm, they moved really slow. Leaving the place at 10pm.

 When we were able to check all the place in detail, I found some glasses broken under the bed, the custom user guide was gone. And the worst!! They toke out one of the keys. So today, before the new reservation arrived I needed to replace the door lock (with a missed key I was tossing and turning all night worrying ) I don’t know if those people are planning to return.

I missed some business meetings due to this issue.

What is your advice?   First, I think it is totally fair to request money (pay the full day plus enough to compensate all the missing or broke item and my time).  

Summary:

They changed their plans without notifying me in advanced (extremely late checkout).

• Broken items.
• Missing items.
• Lost key (new lock was required).

[Rowena29]

The first thing you must do immemdiately @Carlos2911 is make contact with aribnb Cs and let them know about your concerns.  Take photos of the damage - this MUST be done before another guest checks in.  Then you can assess how you want to proceed.

For what it's worth, I think you should have been much much firmer about checkout time

@Lisa723  recently posted how she handles this sort of thing on another thread ( i don't think she'd mind if i re posted)

Hi, X, it is now YY hours past your check-out time. Please be advised that per Airbnb terms of service you are liable for an overstay fee of up to  two (2) times the average nightly Listing Fee for each twenty-four (24) hour period (or any portion thereof) that you Overstay.

Please immediately remove all your belongs, vacate the premises, and return our keys to minimize your overstay fee. If you are still occupying the space at ZZ:ZZ today I will be forced to call the police to evict you.

Thank you.

So strictly speaking you are entitled to an excess stay fee.  you are also entitled to claim for the missing key and the cost of replacement.  I personally would overlook the broken glass - this is a standard cost of doing business breakage. However the extreme overstay adn the taken key are NOT.

Different hosts will have different advice about how to proceed next. Some will suggest contacting the guest directly about the extra expenses and even raising a claim through the resolution centre.

BE aware that this will almost certainly result in a negative review from the guest

I will not offer any more advice as I'm sure more experienced hosts will be along shortly who can be more specific and detailed about the best way to proceed making a claim.

However I am quite sure you should take photos ASAP and ring Customer Service ASAP. Try to be brief, factual and polite when talking to them, I"m sure you are feeling upset, but the calmer adn clearer you are, the likelier you will get good service

Good luck

[Carlos2911]

Hi @Rowena29 thanks for the advice. It is a great idea have a template ( statement) for the next time. Unffortunate I didnt take any photo. I was so focus in preparing the house for the next reservation. At this point the most important to me is the reviews reputation. Agree with you, if I request a compensation fee at this moment can result in a negative review. So, I am going to wait the 15 or 16 days of the review period of time ( I dont want additional negative consecuences of the commented reservation ). Then, I am going to process the claim directly to the guess. I let you know how everything move in some days. 

Thanks 

Carlos

[Rowena29]

Did you document your concerns with aribnb BEFORE your next reservation checked in though @Carlos2911 ? If not, they will not support you with any kind of claim. You can still request from the guest, but if the dont' accept it, then you've nowhere really to go claiming damages.

YOu can of course still leave a review for this guest. The guest will not be able to read what you have written until she has reviewed you, or until 14 days has passed. After that, no one can review you can safely write an honest review with appropriate stars without fear of retribution. This is a good way to ensure future hosts are warned about this guest.   Its best to keep it factual and fairly brief and include any positives. Do NOT mention the fact that you are going to make a claim - its grounds for having your reivew removed

I'm not great at this, but you could say something like  XXX stayed at my property for 18 days.  They were polite and friendly ( if they were). However, they ignored several house rules - check out time, return of keys, -  which resulted in a great deal of extra trouble and expense. As a result, I could not recommend XXX to future hosts.   Mark down stars on house rules and communication at the very least.

Hope this helps

[Carlos2911]

@Rowena29 I was not able to report the case to the Cs. I had a reservation the next day. I focus all the attention in prepare the place for the new guess ( my bad and lesson learned). Maybe is late but I am going to do it. I am totally agree!! The review need be polite and friendly but need be clear for future host. 

Thanks for your advice and time. Much appreciated.

Carlos