Second time hosting for long-term

[Jazmin143]

Hi everyone new to the Airbnb hosting platform, I've hosted my first time last year with a really great guest. Im currently hosting another long term guest that has recently expressed some feelings about being able to refund her a month or reduce the monthly for the next two last months. He reasoning is that the washer is not draining which we have fixed, fire alarm going off at time (is a more sensitive alarm do to the new codes for the houses in Sonoma county), bed spring broke?, and garbage disposal not working ( we have fixed it and terns out they dropped plastic in and when using it it caused some screws or something to just not make it work properly). On top of it the reservation was only for two people because its a small two bedroom  brand new updated apartment (recently built). We come to find out a day after they check in that they have two other guest and a service dog that was never mentioned. 

Need some advice on how to go about this situation!  Thank you all in advance, i have reached out to airbnb and they did say to file for any damages but just wanted to get advice on how to go about it. 

[Mary5479]

@Jazmin143 

if you search deeply in this forum, most hosts in california or even in US in general would tell you not to do long term hosting. 

[Jazmin143]

Thank you @Mary5479  im starting to notice that now.  I'm trying to figure out how i can change the amount of days guest can stay from 15+ to less 

[Jennifer1897]

Hi @Jazmin143 welcome to the platform.

Along the way every Airbnb is bound to encounter some issues, a big part of those scenarios is the host's ability to address them in a timely and accurate manner. It sounds like their issues were fairly minimal, and you addressed them appropriately.  Things like a fire alarm are out of your control unless the issue is related to the battery or maintenance. I had a guest once that set it off 5 times in their 3 day stay due to continually burning food in the oven.  Some alarms are sensitive. 

That being said, it's up to you to decide if those issues warrant a refund of any sort. A month seems extreme to me, as again, the issues were rather minimal and solved efficiently. As far as discount, again it would up to you. Personally, I would offer them a bottle of wine or a gift card to a nice restaurant in the area for the troubles they incurred or a discount for the first month in which they experienced the issues. You would have to decide on an amount provide a refund via the platform.  

As for the issues with the extra guest and animal. These should have been addressed immediately upon their arrival. Coming in a month after the fact makes it difficult and can appear to be retaliatory or petty. Basically, they are saying "xyz went wrong" and you come back with "well you broke rules xyz." It's not a fight of who takes more responsibility for the problems, it's about addressing them in a constructive manner. where both host and guest satistfied (hopefully).

Ultimately if you feel the guest is not a good fit for your property, you can always elect to end the stay, however they would be refunded a portion of their reservation. 

Good luck with everything 

[Rebecca]

Hi there Jazmin, 

Sorry to hear about your situation with your recent guests. What did you decide to do in the end?

You've got a couple of replies on this thread, did any of them help you make a decision on what to do? 

 If so, it's always a lovely gesture to mark it as the best answer. It's like a big virtual hug to the member who supported you. 😊

If you need any help, just shout.