Mixed reviews of guests - are people being honest?

[Laura5831]

We have had two years of good experiences overall - small issues here and there. A recent guest left such a mess that we left a bad review, honest and clear. We don’t want them back. They took all of the available toilet paper, oil, coffee, and flour in the kitchen, wine glasses and plates. They left trash in one of the beds and blood in the other. All surfaces were covered in a coating of dirt and there were muddy handprints on the walls.  They even put extra pillows under the mattress to elevate it, crushing them. Nothing was permanently damaged but it did take some time to restore order. The other tenants in the building complained about them too - smoking in the yard despite clear instructions that we are no smoking property - not sure I can enforce that because it was outside.  My confusion is that they received 5 star reviews before our (2) and one appears to have been after ours. I know I am not being overly critical of the guest - we are not new to Airbnb hosting. Most of our guests leave almost without a trace. It is quite amazing. Even so, I expect people to cause normal wear and tear.  Since the bad review was published, this guest threatened to sue us, claiming to have fall down the stairs and shared a full bare bottom photo with a bruise - not taken at my apartment and not reported for at least 2-3 weeks since they stayed with us. They had left no review at all and did not contact us at any time.  The same day we received this threat, we received an inquiry on Furnished Finders, where that guest was also looking for a place to stay, asking to do business with us directly - was very odd coincidence that was too close for comfort.  We have since closed that account. 

Here are my questions: Are other hosts not giving honest reviews because they are afraid of retaliation?

[Rebecca]

Hello @Laura5831 👋

I'm really sorry to read about your recent guest experience. From what I've read here from experienced hosts such as @Robin4, @Joan2709 and @Oksana127, leaving reviews is really important to help the next host. 

We were chatting about it here 'Do you leave honest reviews of your guests?' and @Lorina14 left a reply there which is very insightful! 

[Lorna170]

@Laura5831  Unfortunately there are a lot of hosts both experienced and new to renting who do not write honest reviews about their bad guests.  Many hosts live in fear of retaliation from the guest and AirBnB as they can lose their host standing or their location on the webpage if AirBnB customer support sides with the terrible guest.

Also unfortunate are the media postings by influencer "guests" who give directions on how to get a cheaper rental, how to get a full refund after the stay and how to game the system in general.  

I commend you on being willing to post an honest review of this lousy guest.

[Sarah1754]

This is so sad to see. I know as a host I am afraid to leave a bad review of a guest because of retaliation. Also, usually a guest knows theyve been a bad guest, and if they see the host reviewed them they are likely to leave a bad review knowing the review left of them can't be good.... it just makes logical sense. I too have had a few recent guests with fabulous previous host reviews leave my place in bad shape. The system for reviews doesn't work. It leaves hosts at a large disadvantage. We have guests at our place right now who apparently are having their wedding ceremony there. Our neighbors called to say there are 5 cars there, some parked in our yard. There are 2 people on the listing. She did say they were saying their vows, but she didn't ask if they could say them at my place, and invite people there who weren't on the reservation. I am very concerned how the space will be left- and I stumbled upon this thread during my search for what recourse I have as a host when a guest has an unauthorized event at my space. I've overall had good guests, or at least no permanent  damage left by most guests. Over 7 years of hosting I can think of maybe 3 stays where something really bad and lasting happened. Beyond just a big mess needing to be cleaned up, or broken dish, stains, etc. But I've had to make several changes, and am now off instant book entirely because even those with 5 star reviews are not giving 5 star behavior. In fact, I just had someone instant book last week (before I turned it off....with many warnings from airbnb that I will nor get as many views or bookings if I turn it off) who had all 5 star reviews, but that latest review was terrible. 5 stars, but awful. It said they came to party, and were disrespectful to the host and to the space. Messy, etc. I don't understand why they left them a 5 star review! I reach out to customer support often, but unfortunately they seem mostly interested in apologizing for what I'm going thru and closing my case as quickly as possible.

[Helen3]

Hi @Sarah1754 

I think you misunderstand how the review system works the guest can't see your review before they write theirs so they can't leave a retaliatory review based on what you say .

[Laura5831]

I will continue to be honest and ask everyone else to do the same. If you see my review, you can count on it as accurate. I have only left 2 review in two years not recommending a guest to other hosts. Most people have been wonderful. One guest stayed for 2.5 months - I could hardly tell they were there, which ha often been the case. Compared to this last guest, the other guest I gave a bad review to wasn’t all that bad - looked like he shaved his dog in the kitchen and left some dog feces on the rug. I expect some wear and tear of course though. This last one freaked me out a bit more because the people live close enough to make my life difficult. I am choosing not to escalate because I want them to leave me alone. 

Thank you for this affirmation. It means a great deal.

[Frances3408]

@Laura5831. The lack of reviews is also likely indicative of them staying at places where the host doesnt bother to review.

Its been a long time since I had a bad guest but its always a possibility so thank you for helping the rest of us out. Eventually these type of guests will find it harder to stay with good hosts and I truly believe that the good guests attract more good guests.

I assume you have blocked them on Airbnb as well? Time to move on to the next lot of wonderful guests 🙂

[Laura5831]

Yes on all counts. I blocked them and moving on. Thanks!

[Zheng49]

It makes sense to not give a (completely) honest review, because retaliation is obviously possible based on what you've said.

Usually I don't leave reviews for bad guests; unless they leave one for us first. Then we'll usually try to find something good to write about, and then give less than 5 for the categories where they've failed in. 

However I found that Airbnb added a new feature that allows us to select in which area(s) they failed in when you give less than 5 in the house rules (and I think also for the cleanliness) category. I feel like that helps those hosts who would like to stay low profile and avoid retaliation. 

[Laura5831]

I agree it doesn’t make sense to nit pick. I would do what you recommend in most cases with minor infractions - especially if they bother my long term tenants. This one was way over the top though. 

[Greg2406]

@Laura5831 

Recommend that you charge them extra for the cleaning and your time.   What that individual(s) did to your property amounts to theft.   File a theft charge with the local police, get a copy and then send it to ABB CS.  

Photos and videos sent to CS should be sufficient to remove any negative posts.   If not, elevate it to the next level.  

We had those false 5-star guests a couple of times.   Like you, our posers did extensive damage and extra cleaning costs.   After civil small claims suit paperwork was served to them at their place of employment, they paid the four figure repair and cleaning costs,...oh, and I had them banned from the site.  

[Laura5831]

These guests didn’t put in a review - indicative I believe of their overall slack behavior. We have received silly bad reviews from time to time, but so many good ones that we can live with that if it is infrequent. Most people are wonderful. Your advice is solid though. I will do a better job tracking what is in the apartment before guests come - inventory checklist, which I should have done before. I do have photographs.  Thank you!