Nutty guest went mad when I asked her to lock the door and take her shoes off

[Neil408]

I'm sure many times on Airbnb we've had odd guests but I think this has to rank as the strangest.

So a guest checked in via my outside lockbox an hour before I came back from work  - she was okay in her communication beforehand. I came back from work and found the door had not been locked so I locked it after I came in which I do normally.

I then went upstairs and found she'd trailed mud all the way through the house all over my carpets. The check in instructions ask people to remove their shoes 'because I have cream carpets that stain very easily' which I feel is clear enough. I was a little peeved but 5 minutes with a hoover fixed it. I knocked on the door to talk to her and got no answer so figured she might be asleep and decided to message her on the app.

I then politely messaged her saying 'sorry to trouble you Martina but I think you have forgotten to take your shoes off. My carpets stain very easily and it's really important that you don't walk on the carpet with shoes at they can take a long time to clean. Also could you please remember to lock the door when you go in and out. Kind regards, Neil'

Two minutes later I heard someone running down the stairs in their shoes (the wooden stairs make a distinctive click-clack noise when you walk on them in shoes) then unlock the front door and slam it without locking it. I figured she'd gone out for food so I locked it after her. 

An hour later I got a message from Airbnb demanding a refund saying the host had made her uncomfortable with 'multiple messages asking me to remove my shoes' and that the host had 'locked the door from the inside,  locking her in and she was forced to use the key and couldn't get out without unlocking it first'. Let's be clear here, I sent her a single (polite in my opinion) message in my opinion asking her to remove her shoes and explaining why and asking her to lock the door. 

Later on I found the key thrown on the kitchen floor which she must have flung it after 'escaping'. 

I lock the door to keep all occupants safe. All guests have keys and are able to leave at any time.

Of course I declined the refund but she's challenging it via Airbnb. Not sure on what basis but I don't feel I've done anything wrong here.

She could have come to me and said 'Hi your messages are making me upset' and I would have gladly discussed it but to just vanish (without telling me) is just weird and odd behaviour.

[Branka-and-Silvia0 · Accepted solution]

@Neil408your message was polite. More than mine would be, trust me 🙂 And yes, everyone I know locks the door behind itself. I had a hard time explaining it to my guests so I just changed the normal lock to a digital one and the problem was solved, although it still happens they don't notice a piece of paper or something on the doorstep preventing the door from fully closing and causing the battery to die. Oh well... that's why I came at least once a week to change the towels and check the lock. Hosting is very like parenting or working in a kindergarten...

I would do what you have done, decline her request, she cancelled so your cancelation policy will apply, that's why we have it.

[John5097]

@Neil408 All of your other guest seem perfectly satisfied. However as a host also I have noticed the odd situation or guest that is so much different. I'm also very detailed oriented. That being said knocking on the guest door to her private room may have alarmed her. I host solo female travelers all the time and need to maintain very clear boundaries. Knocking on the door is an absolute last resort if they are way late checking out and not responding to messages. Then I'm extremely kind and caring. I also decided early on that if any guest wanted to leave and didn't like the place or me, I would issue a refund. So far no one has. Taking shoes off will also be a difficult situation and having carpets. I would just message them and have a note or sign posted. For messages its best to first thank them so much for staying, or some nice gesture, and say "just a friendly reminder to please lock the door" Some guest simply can't operate a lock. I get about 1 in 25 who do something strange like lock the door then unlock it. For that would be best to get a key pad lock installed. 

I think everyone is getting more challenging guest. 10% who don't read the listing at all. But I think knocking on her door is what set her off, so in this situation I would accept responsibility for that and issue refund if it were me. 

BTW that's just my style of hosting and having a place that is compatible for guest. As I said your other guest are all perfectly happy with you and your listing. I would have more flexibility with one guest and improve communication. Although its very challenging and a lot of host are frustrated with guest who don't lock the door. Good luck!  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@John5097  as I understood @Neil408  didn't knock on her door, he messaged her

[John5097]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 In his first post @Neil408 said he knocked on her door first before messaging her. He has more courage than me and glad he came out unscathed. 

[Neil408]

Hi John. I did knock her but I’m the kind of person who prefers to have a face to face talk to someone rather than a text message - I actually find it easier and quicker to get things resolved. For me, sending a text message is a last resort rather than face to face, even in Covid. 

I think she may have been a bit unsettled by me knocking on the door perhaps but I knocked gently. I think it’s probably worth just accepting that a very small percentage of my guests are going to have problems come what may and budget for that. 

[John5097]

@Neil408 Yes a gentle knock would help and it goes without saying that a shared place would have direct communication. However as you hadn’t met yet face to face and it was self check in, and running vacuums cleaner, it’s also understandable that she had a different assessment as it’s very common to misinterpret reading knocking and commotion. Also As a host I’ve noticed that a good many guest expect the rental to be exactly like the last one they stayed in, including check in and lock. Airbnb buries host additional house rules so she may not have been aware of no shoes, and may not want to walk on floors with bare feet. You seem very nice and polite but she could possibly claim harassment. I also have to self check in and it does make communication more challenging. Anyway these situations can be challenging and I’m sorry there was a complete misunderstanding.