Reviewing a guest that ignored every house rule and trashed our house

[Karen4309]

We are in our third year of hosting; our house is unique and charming, a single family vacation home on an island.  The house is seasonal, and we list it accurately as "rustic chic".  We offer many amenities and go out of our way to spoil guests.  We are now five star, preferred hosts.

Our most recent guests trashed the house.  They left garbage, half eaten food, many personal possessions, dirty underwear, sticky half eaten candy, broke a shelf in our refrigerator and a screen door and violated our number one, sacrosanct house rule.  To restore the house to pristine check-in status for our next guests will require at least three times the normal length of time we devote to cleaning.  I already had to pay our housekeeper more money than we collected because of the extra time required.

Any suggestions how to handle this horror?  We are considering changing our very guest-friendly conditions.  

[Helen3]

Contact the guest with evidence of the additional cleaning required  and damaged property . Raise a claim for additional costs . Leave an honest review @Karen4309 

[Alexandra85]

@Karen4309 Take photos before guest check in and after the guest leaves. You will need evidence to support your claims.

[Karen4309]

Never had this issue before, so I did not think to take photos, especially since we had limited time to turn the house for the next guests.  

We were so discouraged by this violation of our sweet house that we have decided to sell the house and give up this back-breaking work.

[Karen4309]

Thank you very much.  I had such limited time to turnaround the house that we kept cleaning.  I did leave a very specific negative review of this unvetted guest (my mistake).  The guest replied that "someone must have broken into the house".  Really??  

I appreciate your thoughtful suggestions.

[Guy991]

Hello @Karen4309 ,

The first time a guest ignored the house rules and left a mess at my property, I also didn’t take pictures. It’s a learning curve, and I hope that if instant booking is turned off, you might have a better experience with future guests than you did with this one.

You have such a unique property; I wouldn’t rush to sell it. Also, based on your reviews, it's clear that you go above and beyond for your guests.

Give this platform a few more chances before making a decision. Yes, from time to time we all encounter "rotten apples" as long as Airbnb keeps its current review system.

I believe this is all part of evolving as a host. As strange as it sounds, these experiences can actually make you a better host, teaching you to say no when needed and to claim what you deserve.

Airbnb is accustomed to handling extra cleaning fees. In the incident I described earlier, they were fully supportive but asked for proof, which I didn’t have at the time.

Keep sharing this amazing property with the world!

[Frances52]

@Karen4309, so sorry you had this experience.  But yes, agree with other hosts. Why give up because of one bad guest? 

I've had my share of bad guests and I've learned to take photos too and lodge claims for excessive cleaning, replacing linen, etc. 

It does feel like a violation when folks mistreat your holiday let that you've given much care, love and attention to. 

I tweak and retweak my listing description as well in hopes I'll attract the kind of guests I want to have. Maybe that might help? 

Best of luck!