Unauthorized guest

[Priyanka44]

Hey folks, I’ve had a few issues with a guest that I’m currently hosting. She had issues with her payment being processed when she initially came. It finally came through. She was unresponsive in the beginning and did not clarify when she checked in. I am renting out a room in a house that I’m also living in so it is also my residence. Well I wasn’t here for the first five days that she was here. She used the self check in feature and came in to the property. I just got home today and she came out of her room and said she was taking a nap and she happens to have a guest with her who would like to stay the night. I have a rule that there are no unauthorized guests allowed.

I am terrible at saying no to people so what I told her what she needs to send me a request to the Airbnb portal. If she can do that and I can charge her for him being here tonight then he can stay.

She swears that this individual wasn’t here for the rest of the week that I wasn’t here, but she also made it clear that she was reluctant to ask me for permission for him to stay because I wasn’t here to begin with. It seems to me like my kitchen has been used by two people. I have no cameras in the house so I have no other way of proving that they’ve both been here all week. Personally, I would just like to be reimbursed for the fact that I had a second guest in the house all week. I’m just a bit peeved that people can’t follow basic rules and I’m wondering how other people handle this situation?

[Stephanie1933]

@Priyanka44  sounds fishy to me! I would say there has definitely been two people in the house for the week. How dishonest and sneaky. I would ask for payment for the remaining days then write an honest review. Such a pain.

[Normen0]

It seems that you don’t have a lot of leverage in this case and you may want to take this as a lesson learned.  There is no way to prove the guest was there all week so your option is to collect for his stay moving forward. 
You didn’t state how long she is booked for so if it’s not much longer, my advice is collect for the days he will be there and ride out the remainder of her stay.  If it’s a longer term stay, you can try to cancel the booking by calling AIRBNB and explaining that you are uncomfortable with the situation being in your own home as you don’t feel she has been honest and going forward would like to end the reservation. 
If you plan to continue to rent and be away, I would advise that you invest in exterior security cameras. This way you can be alerted to when and how many people are checking in and staying. 

[Priyanka44]

Hey folks, thank you both. @Stephanie1933  I appreciate that you second my assessment. It just looks like they have made multiple dinners, etc based on the state of the kitchen!

@Normen0 You’re probably right. I’ve been trying to weigh the benefit versus the risk. I say that because I’m normally home when I host people this was an exception that I made because I had to leave for a family emergency. But I will charge him for staying here tonight and they’re both supposed to check out tomorrow so thankfully not too much longer!

[Elaine701]

Yep, they do that. More often than you might think.

Some assume it's a small thing not noteworthy.

Others are deliberately trying to save a few bucks. It's always wise to try to discourage the ones who exhibit this character. 

Having said that, you can make claim on the illusionary "host guarantee", as long as you do it before the day of the next guest's arrival. The downside of this tactic is that you'll likely lose, and in the process receive a nasty retaliatory review from the guest which won't be removed. 

So, you need to decide whether to just chalk it up to experience, or risk insult added to injury.

In most of these cases, although we know it's happening, and unless there's something else that's more serious, we won't confront the guest about it or get Airbnb involved, but will write it in the review of the guest, avoiding the risks of Airbnb involvement (and retaliatory reviews). It's really all you can (safely) do about it... ...other than vetting the guest by getting them to expressly restate the number of people before they book it (but even that isn't a guarantee). Still, a few friendly questions can reveal a lot about who you're dealing with. Look closely before accepting. 

Yep, they do that. It's just the nature of the beast. It won't be the last time. 

[Inna22]

@Priyanka44 would you to be comfortable asking your guest for some sort of proof? Say hey, of course I want to trust you but I wasn’t here. When did your guest arrive? Is there an air ticket you can share with me?

I have a device at my house called party squasher. It counts the number of people. If you out of town when you guests arrive, often it might be worth it for you to get one of those. 

[Brian2036]

@Priyanka44 

Your first rule is:

No authorized guests allowed!!

I think that’s enough to establish that this guest did, knowingly and willfully, break the rules.

You might consider emphasizing the point by making that UNauthorized guests. Or, better yet:

NO unregistered guests or visitors are allowed at any time!

This guest deserves a review that will let other hosts know that she can’t be trusted. Whether her non-paying visitor was there for a week, a day, or an hour is irrelevant.

She allowed someone into your home without your knowledge or permission. For all you know it could be someone she just met at Mr. Goodbar.

The good news is that they’re about to leave, and you have every right to make sure they never come back.

[Aneka2]

@Priyanka44 I think your conclusion is spot on since you don't have cameras to prove anything. Collect for the one night and have them clean up that kitchen! How rude to leave a dirty kitchen in a shared common area like that!

@Brian2036 is right! Please give a very honest review "Would not host again! Came home to find the guest had an unregistered person in my shared home and a kitchen full of dirty dishes."

[Helen3]

I would never let a guest check in and stay for five days in a home share situation without me being there.

Nor would I let the guest have someone additional stay who wasn't on the original booking when it was clear she was lying to me and had been there all along. @Priyanka44 

At the very least you should have had someone there to greet her on arrival and check in every couple of days if you are going to choose to have people stay when you are not there.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Helen3 @Priyanka44 

Agreed!

[Linda108]

It appears you are very new to this platform, @Priyanka44 .  I see that you have 2 reviews as a host in your shared home listing.  I agree with @Helen3 you made a risky judgement call to allow a stranger to stay in your home without your presence.  Most private room listings where the host remains in the home during the stay are not set up to manage situations such as you experienced because you are there.  

Also, in reading your listing which you state is for females only...kind of.  You invite men to give you a reason you will consider if a man is seeking a reservation.  Discrimination based on gender is allowed in the shared home but your providing exceptions might weaken your case.  If it is more comfortable for you to host only women, then make that clear and final.  You can also make it a marketing strength for single women travelers.