Under what circumstances can I ask guests to leave early?

[Chey1]

I have a spare room and bath in my own home on Airbnb.  My currents guests (M28 F24) are on day 12 of a 31 day stay, and I am not comfortable with them here.  I have been told I can end their reservation early, though I can't find anything about this on Airbnb.com.  Has anyone had to do this?  Was it scary??

Thanks!

[Chey1]

I don't use instant book because I don't think Airbnb allows for enough parameters to be put on who can use it.  I've been documenting everything that goes against the house rules inside the home, and I have learned from this, for sure.  You are right that there is no proof of anything illegal, and there might not be, but why be so slippery about things.  And I've been noticing that she takes her backpack out every time for these itty bitty sojourns to the parking lot.

I ran into two neighbors today, one of them the nice one that has been noticing all their activity.  I gave them all the deets, and tried very hard to get it factual, no emotional hyperbole because I am concerned, and they both say what all of you are saying - there doesn't seem to be any immediate "danger", they've not seen them interact with anyone else, but it is all too sketchy (the description everyone agrees on, it seems) to ignore.  they offered to keep an eye out during their own comings and goings, and at minimum let me know if they see anything more untoward.  

[Sally221]

This sounds like dealing and/or sex trafficking, yes you don't have proof per se, but it's the simplest & most logical explanation. I think you must have a medical emergency that will end the stay early, you seriously do not want these people as permanent tenants, right? You might get into trouble with airbnb but if they are using your premises for illegal activity you could get into real world trouble. After you recover from your emergency, do not use a platform like airbnb for longer term tenants.  Stick to stays shorter than the 30 day trigger, 2 week increments should be safe.

You look flushed & feverish, I think you are coming down with something bad, maybe your great aunt broke her hip and needs your help, your sister and her triplets lost their home & must move in, all of the above, it's not your sketchy guests, it's an emergency. Trust your gut and your common sense & maybe ask your nice neighbor for a little support. Best of luck & wishing you better times ahead.

[Chey1]

@Sally221  - you are funny, though i will admit to being concerned for the triplets.  my sister just can't get her act together, but i can't let them go out on the streets.  😉

[Anonymous]

 I wonder if perhaps I'm naive or unobservant, but I haven't deduced from the description here that these guests are sex traffickers. Slightly too many characters in the plot. There could be illegal drugs being sold, or California-legal ones being consumed - I don't know. 

If the ambiguity of the situation freaks you out, go for the suggestion from @Sally221 . Seriously you could even say you are suddenly quarantining from a possible Covid exposure, although that would result in your listing being suspended for a few weeks.

In all honesty it sounds to me like these guests are harmless inside the house but troublingly disingenuous about what's going on just outside the house. If they're locally connected enough to have frequent visitors, there's no reason that they would be depending upon your address. So what I would do in your situation is tell these people straight up that the cohabitation isn't working, and I'm happy to refund the rest of the stay but I'd rather not get police involved. Perhaps I'd throw in the last day free while they move their belongings. And as @Jessica-and-Henry0 pointed out, call in backup from a physically intimidating friend if you don't feel that they'll cooperate.

[Chey1]

The county I live in is in the top ten in the country for human trafficking, and one of the local malls is a top spot nationally for abductions of young girls for sex trafficking.  When I moved here and learned of this, I don't know if I was more surprised that this still happens, or that it happens so  much here when we are hours away from any big city.  I agree that I doubt that is the case here since no one has noticed anyone else (yet?), but it is not as far-fetched as it sounds.

[Chey1]

@Helen3  @Meehyun0  @Huma0  @Sally221  @Anonymous @emiel1  @jessice-and-henry0

Again, I want to thank everyone for the advice and support, and especially for not telling me I am paranoid!!

[Sarah977]

Andrew's "I'd rather not get the police involved" is a really good line. I used something similar when my daughter was a teenager and some of her friends had a outta control food fight in my house one night when I was out, which was an enormous mess, including breaking her loft bed and ripping down a ceiling fixture. They really weren't trying to be destructive, they weren't even drunk,  just three 16 year old boys being crazy stupid.

When I called them all the next morning to tell them to high tail it over to clean up their mess and they started coming up with excuses why they couldn't, "I really don't want to have to talk to your parents about this" did the trick. They were all at my house within 15 minutes.

[Chey1]

Oh my!  That was some food fight!!  

[Sarah977]

@Chey1  I hadn't bothered to clean up the kitchen after dinner,  had just gone over to friend's place a couple blocks away to watch a movie with her. There was left-over hot chocolate dripped down the bathroom walls and over the toilet and floor, bacon grease thrown against the kitchen walls, leftover salad all over the oriental carpet in my bedroom. The pulled down ceiling lamp was in my other daughter's bedroom. That was the most disturbing part- they'd gone in to my room and her room, which was such a violation.

[Chey1]

bacon grease!  what were they thinking?!?!?  

and i agree - going into your room was  a violation and that would have been the thing that got to me, too.  i'm impressed that you made them come clean it up.  i didn't realize that kids were still afraid of "i'll talk to your parents".  

and now that you told this story, i remember that the GF's parents brought their stuff here (he only has a 2-seater car).  the dad said they might come back in a couple of weeks to check on them.  i wonder if they do, and if they ask me any questions about how it is going, if I would say "well, since you asked ....".  (of course, i wouldn't do that, but man it would be tempting.)

[Sarah977]

@Chey1  The interesting thing about that incident was that after I had set them up with pails of soapy water, rags, towels, etc, hammer and nails to fix my daughter's loft bed, and they had completed all of it (not a great job on any of it, but as good as I expected from three 16 year olds- at least they tried), I asked them to sit down and I had a chat with them. Those boys hung out at my house a lot- I was the "cool" hippie mom who didn't care if they drank a beer at my house, or used swear words.

I asked if they had been drunk, and they said no, not at all, they just kind of went nuts and weren't thinking about what they were doing (The boys had speedily made an exit when I had come home the previous night, passing me in the yard with their heads down and a mumbled "G'night" and I found my daughter sitting on the stairs crying, saying she couldn't get them to stop the craziness).

Then one of them said "Thanks for making us come back and clean it up. We're really sorry,  and we were sure you'd just tell us we could never come over again." And they were always on good behavior after that.

[Ann72]

@Chey1  Please promise me you'll go with one of @Sally221's brilliant suggestions.  Her idea is really the safest way for you to go.  Then combine it with @Emiel1's suggestion for ending a reservation early.

If they try to argue, just have to keep saying (or writing through Airbnb, preferably), "I'm SO sorry, I WISH I didn't have to do this, but it's an EMERGENCY and I need to end your reservation by TUESDAY MORNING.  Again, I'm SO sorry."  Don't get into any of THEIR specifics.  Just repeat and repeat and repeat until they leave.  Then please tell us what happens.  You should not be uncomfortable in your home.

[Chey1]

oh, i am considering it all - plus, i have some new information.  last night she was at work, and he had just come in from yet another short trio outside.  i finally asked him about all of the coming and goings, justifying my asking by letting him know that two neighbors have asked me about this, as well (which is true).  he told me that they go out so the GF can vape and they do edibles.  i believe that is true for at least part of these trips, but he does it when she is at work, so there is more to it.  and, i happened to be out checking the mail yesterday when i saw him drive by, and he was back in seven minutes (gotta love a timestamped motion sensor!).  because of our location, there is no errand he could run to a business that would be done that quickly, which of course makes me more suspicious of selling.

first, i am going to write a note confirming our conversation and send it to him through Airbnb.  i think i will be able to use that on its own to get them out. even though pot is legal now, "partaking" a minimum of ten times a day with neighbors watching is excessive. i want to get some ducks lined up before ending the reservation to make sure nothing of mine goes with them, and i have back up on hand.

second, i am going to pay more attention to the what happens in the parking lot, or if they are actually leaving the complex more than i realized.  that might be enough to get the sheriff involved (but only if needed!).

@Ann72 - thank you for your concern!  this whole group and conversation has made me feel supported in a way i haven't in a very long time.

[Anna9170]

@Chey1  I find it difficult to imagine how hosts share space with guests, this requires a certain "thick skin". Maybe minimize the risks by taking into account the laws and rights of tenants after 28 days and offer a lease for about 7-14-21 days?

[Sarah977]

@Anna9170  I've never found home-sharing to require a thick skin- I'd be way more stressed out if I hosted an entire place, wondering the state I'd find things in when the guests left.

It may just be because of my location (why guests come here) or my house set up- my guest room is up a flight of outdoor stairs, so my guests often come and go without me even being aware of whether they're home or not, unless they're using the kitchen. There's been many a time I assumed the guest was out because I hadn't heard nor seen them for hours, only to be surprised to see them come down from their room.

Some guests have lots of activities planned and are barely here. Others hang out more and are either the kind who tend to stay up in their room reading, online, napping, whatever, or the ones who are more sociable, I have some great conversations with and none have been needy of attention or gotten in my way. They also have all cleaned up after themselves well in the shared kitchen. 

I think it also helps that I only host solo travelers, who tend to be quite self-sufficient and adaptable. And because it's only one person, I don't end up feeling like I'm being overrun with other people in my space.