Long term guest, Noise complaints and possible domestic violence

[Jon32]

We're a Seattle host with listings on Capitol Hill. Yes, the same Capitol Hill where 6 blocks have been taken over by protestors. It's now called the Capitol Hill autonomous zone or CHAZ.

But I digress; we have a long term guest (about 30 days now) at one of our Capitol Hill Listings, and we just received a second noise complaint. The second complaint we found much more troubling than the first. The second complaint came from a very credible source. I will paraphrase some of the complaint, "I heard a women screaming (probably his wife or GF) around 4:30AM and the police were called. But no one answered the door, and the police left"…

We raised the complaint with Airbnb and asked for help, and they referred us to help center article 1608, concerning Experience Protection Insurance.

www.airbnb.com/help/article/1608

This is no help what so ever...

So at this point, I'm turning to the hosting community for advice. We want the guest(s) to leave now. We'd be happy to refund any unused rental fees. Any help and advice from the community would be appreciated.

Just an FYI, we had 8 listings in Seattle. We've now converted 6 of those listing back to long term stays (apartments). Until some semblance of sanity returns to Capitol Hill, we won't be doing any more short terms rentals (Airbnbs) in Seattle.

Thanks everyone,

Tiffany

[Sarah977]

@Jon32  You'll often get cut and paste replies from CS with no relevance to your issue. Very irritating. Try again. This time write  "Thank you for your reply. However, the link you sent is not relevant to my issue. Please reread my message. I need to have Airbnb do a neutral cancellation of this booking (of course I know I won't be paid for cancelled dates) for the Trust and Safety issues encountered with these guests.

Obviously this booking, for which noise and domestic violence complaints from the neighbors to myself and the police have been repeatedly received, cannot be allowed to continue. As this is urgent, I await your prompt reply, thank you. "

Maybe that will get you a more appropriate response- I hope so. I'd be concerned about people like this also trashing out the house, so good luck there.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Jon32 < I will pray for you!   I think @Sarah977 just gave you excellent advice!  Good luck, JR

[Mark116]

@Jon32  Here is what I would do:

1) Send a message as per @Sarah977  and then immediately telephone airbnb, use the 415 SF HQ number.  Tell them of the two complaints, and the evidence that is suggestive of domestic violence, and that you no longer feel comfortable hosting this person.  Ask for a neutral cancellation.

2) Simultaneously, send a message to the guest and tell them of the 2nd noise complaint, and that you feel as a result of the two complaints,  that your listing is no longer a workable match and that they will need to find other.accommodations, and you are happy to refund them for the unused days and that you have contacted airbnb to arrange it.

3) You should be prepared for a bad review from this guest.

Good luck. 

[Lisa723]

@Jon32 re. dealing with Airbnb and getting the reservation terminated, I can't add to the advice above. In your place I would probably do exactly as @Mark116 suggests. But if this is a domestic violence situation, then someone is in danger. I might first call a hotline and ask for advice about whether/how I could do anything to minimize that.

https://wscadv.org/get-help-now/

[Anonymous]

@Jon32   Based on other hosts' reports, Airbnb tends to be willing to terminate a booking without penalty to either party when the host agrees to waive charges for the unused nights. Usually you need to use the telephone contact to get an arrangement like this through, and it's frustrating because Airbnb has drastically cut its service staff/budget and the waiting times are inconveniently long. But if you report that the guest has violated your House Rules and jeopardized your home's safety, you'll most likely get funneled into the early-termination protocol.

Like others who have commented, I'm more worried about the person who might be a victim of domestic violence than about what happens with the booking. Being a host does not make you legally responsible for whatever is happening in the relationship between your guests, but it does sound possible that the woman in this situation is in real danger. So if you've gotten reports of screaming or anything else indicating distress, it seems imperative that either you or a representative qualified in conflict management make direct contact with the person at risk. Perhaps the guests were just a couple of drunk drama queens who you can forget about tomorrow, but there's still the uncomfortable possibility that one of your guests is in danger, and that you might be the only local point of contact that's capable of helping her out of a scary situation.

[Jon32]

Thanks everyone for your help. This is a lot more help than I got from Customer Service.

Tiffany

[Karen2788]

Hi. I'm in Melbourne (Australia) and a property in my terrace block has been let out through AirBnB for 2.5 months to a couple who pretty much yell and throw things on a daily basis. It's triggered my tenant's domestic violence trauma and made her feel unsafe at home. I've spoken with the police who gave me an emergency number to call anonymously when the situation is underway (alternative to 000) so she doesn't have to get involved. (They said it doesn't usually help to go to a home when there isn't an incident in progress as they often get brushed off.)  Anyway, it's a very quiet property. No major party people. So you can hear them screaming one minute and laughing hysterically the next, as if in your own living room. How do I find someone in admin locally who can contact the host and let them know of the situation? Perhaps get rid of them sooner than later? 

[Helen3]

As you know the address you can find the listing on Airbnb and contact the hosts via the listing to let them know what is going on.

What did the management company for the block say when you reported this situation to them @Karen2788 ? 

[Karen2788]

Thanks Helena3. Unfortunately I don't seem to have mastered the platform so haven't had any luck contacting the property host.. Sadly the management company is useless in all matters and is likely to soon be taken to tribunal so not an option.

[Karen2788]

Ah ha, found it using the map search option. Great. Thanks Helena3.

[Fred13]

@Jon32  I could only imagine your frustration. 

If the local police didn't take it that seriously to just knock at the door and leave because no one answered it, I could only imagine how hesitant Airbnb will be to get involve also. I believe this situation is up to you to solve and granted is no fun. Good luck.

[Laura2592]

When is the guest scheduled to leave? Can you contact some other hosts in your area and ask if someone would be willing to house them on your own?

This is why long term guests are a bad idea. If they are a nightmare you are stuck with them. You have no lease, no support from Airbnb. If this person hurts someone on your property there may be an attempt to hold you liable. I agree  with calling the SF HQ number and also tweeting ABB that you have a dangerous situation with a guest and got no help. Best of luck.