Etiquette and common courtesy.

[Frank1311]

I’ve been a guest at a Welland, Ontario Air BnB for over 2 months and overall feel comfortable. There are 8 rooms in this house. However, I am noticing, hearing and seeing unusual (suspicious) things from a guest. My rice bran oil was sitting on the counter and saw oil spilled on the table, floor and chair where I eat my meals (twice this has happened). There was also some oil spilled on the washer in the laundry room. Banging of pots/pans and dishes. Inappropriate loud voice and music. Leaves the kitchen untidy. Doesn’t properly wash dishes. Today (1/14/21) this guest wearing only a towel started preparing/heating up food in the kitchen. These incidents have caused undo stress and would appreciate any suggestions on how to best deal with these issues regarding this guest?

Thank you in advance.

[Sarah977]

@Frank1311  If you book a hostel type listing, you have to expect that not all the other guests may be respectful of others and may have annoying habits, not clean up after themselves, help themselves to others'  food or shampoo, etc. That is generally the nature of house sharing with multiple unrelated guests, whether it's an Airbnb or simply a shared house long term lease situation.

If it was just one thing, like not cleaning up in the kitchen, I'd say to speak to that guest, but there are so many disrespectful issues that I don't think it would be productive.

What you should do is contact the host to make them aware of the behavior of this guest, who obviously isn't suited to sharing space respectfully with others. 

Have you spoken to any of the other guests to see if they are being disturbed by this person? If they are, the more guests who make this known to the host, the better.

If the host declines to get involved, or the guest ignores the host's warnings and is still allowed to stay, your only option is to look for another place and cancel the rest of your stay.

This listing actually sounds quite illegal, given the COVID restrictions in Ontario. And highly dangerous for you and the other guests as far as contracting and spreading the virus.

[Frank1311]

Thanks for your reply Sarah. I definitely will be contacting the host. First, I thought reaching out to the Airbnb community to get opinions on moving forward. Yes, one of the other guests who is acting superintendent mentioned the same guest smoking/smelling up the kitchen and having the smoke detector sound.  I’m no psychiatrist but there’s something strange about this guest and I feel my safety is compromised. I’m aware that I have the option to leave and it’s being considered. 

[Helen3]

I presume you've already spoken to the guest about this and they refuse to change their behaviour?

To be honest in your shoes there would be no way I would stay in that sort of set up, the host can't possibly be ensuring Covid standards are being adhered to such as guests not being in communal rooms at the same time, cleaning down bathrooms and kitchens in-between guest use etc.

Please find yourself somewhere safer to live. @Frank1311 

Airbnb advises guests in this situation to speak to the host. The superintendent guest should have already done this to be honest.

In your situation I would ask Airbnb to cancel the booking because you feel uncomfortable and unsafe and look for something self-contained.

[Frank1311]

Thanks for your reply Helen. I indicated to the guest that I felt that wearing only a towel in the kitchen to prepare food is inappropriate, especially since it’s a common area. He felt differently, the conversation became heated and dwarfed into other disturbances. The superintendent contacted the host about the unusual oil incident. Not sure if the host was contacted regarding the towel/kitchen incident, yet.
The COVID situation is a different matter. My main concern/issues currently,  is with the guests inappropriate behaviour and unusual antics.

[Alexandra316]

@Frank1311 It's Welland... some of it comes with the territory in a shared home like that, I think. 

Definitely talk to the Super first and see if they're getting weird vibes or complaints from anyone else about this guy. Maybe everyone else is also feeling uncomfortable also. If you don't get satisfaction from that, perhaps talk to the host directly. I would also make sure you have a good lock on your room's door and that you're using it. I wouldn't leave anything of value in common areas. 

Do you know how much longer the other guy is staying there? Maybe he's leaving soon (fingers crossed)?

[Anonymous]

@Frank1311  I'd recommend taking a closer look at the House Rules (under the "Policies" tab) that the host set for the listing.  A host who chooses to have multiple parties unacquainted with each other sharing a living space would have probably stated some rules that all tenants are expected to follow in the common areas (smoking, noise, masks, etc) and it would at least establish the conduct the other Airbnb tenants agreed to follow at the time of booking.  Some hosts do set guidelines around kitchen use or a minimum requirement of dress; others take a laissez-faire approach. Either way, it's their role to set the standards of propriety - not the guests'.  

I'm not quite understanding how the sloppy kitchen antics compromise your safety; actually it all sounds like the very typical and banal annoyances of having roommates. I could fill a book with wacky and cringe-inducing tales of roommate drama over the years I lived in San Francisco - drug freakouts, arrests, awkward orgies, psychiatric meltdowns, even finding a guy stark-naked but for a cowboy hat passed out on the sofa whom nobody believed they let in.  Perhaps Covid-era Welland is a more subdued environment in general, but all things considered I think the number 1 issue here is that living in a shared house with strangers is just not for you.