How to handle slobs and maintain a 5 star review

[Jeremy908]

After many years of hosting guests once or twice a year, we recently started hosting full time. Everything started out fine, but the last two weekends we've had some real slobs staying at our house. The first group spilled a coke on one of the beds and left gum stuck on the bathroom floor. They didn't tell us anything about this or attempt to clean it up. Instead, they left blankets over the mattress stain in an attempt to hide it. I was able to get the stain out and the gum removed, so no big deal, just annoying mostly. I chose not to leave a review and they haven't left one either. I would not be able to stay honest in my review. 

This past weekend, I was asked to break our no pet policy because the guest's dog sitter cancelled at the last minute. These things happen, I said, and after the guest promised they would leave the place clean and we would not even notice they had dogs there, we let them bring their crate trained dogs rather than cancel their reservation. Well, they left dog hair all over the house, hid some decorative pillows that their dogs clearly chewed on and damaged, and didn't clean anything except for the backyard. 

I left a positive 5 star review because that's what we would like left for us. I asked the guest to please leave us the same 5 star review because we bent over backwards to accommodate their last minute request. No response. Perhaps the desire to maintain our 5 star review average is causing me to ignore warning signs. 

Are we perhaps pricing our house too low? I cannot imagine how else we are attracting the slobs. I am tempted to open an AirCover case due to the dog damage, but I did make the exception to allow the dogs, so in the end this is my fault. 

Is there a way to ban past guests from ever staying with us again? How do I avoid bad reviews as retribution? Does opening an AirCover case (or at least starting one) protect us from spiteful bad reviews? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jeremy908 I cannot believe what I am reading. A 5 star review left for a guest that damaged your place, no review left for a guest who spilt drink over a bed and left chewing gum on the floor. Frankly you deserve these guests if you are not willing to warn future hosts what they are like.

[Jeremy908]

Excellent point. We even allowed this most recent guest to check in hours early in order to prepare for a birthday party. We even blocked the day prior for this very reason. Some people are just plain disrespectful. 

[Pat271 · Accepted solution]

This is often a trial-by-error business. Sometimes you have to try a few things to get optimum results, even if it means losing business in the short term. It’s a process that never ends for a host.

Are you booked pretty solid this summer? Raising your prices probably won’t help if your bookings are slim, unless you try to market to a more affluent guest base, I.e. stressing luxury components rather than ping-pong tables and fire pits.

If things are going well booking-wise, you might want to try the following:

Check other properties comparable to yours that are a similar distance to Downtown Austin. I am familiar with your city and area, and you are priced quite reasonably for being able to host 8 people. On the other hand, Austin is one of the places in the country that is over-saturated right now, so that might affect how much play you have in your prices.  If others are priced the same or higher, and also seem t be booked well, you might try raising your price.

Try not to compromise on your policies. Allowing pets is opening up a significant array of potential issues. Plus, it sets a precedent for guests being able to push other boundaries you might have set.  Be kind but firm.

On the sticky subject of reviews, as @Mike-And-Jane0 implied, it is much better to be honest, for your sake, the guest’s sake and for the protection of the rest of the host community. Guests can’t read your review until they have written one or 14 days has passed, so you don’t have to worry about a retaliatory review based on your review. If you complain and the guest leaves you a bad review, you can briefly and professionally respond to the review, stating actual facts and reasoning. This is actually an opportunity to sell yourself a bit and display your hospitality skills. Being honest also helps the guest improve, because future hosts are going to see your review, and the guest is going to have a hard time booking future properties. This results in guest behavior improvement.

Although I’ve never been through the process myself, I think there is a way to block guests from attempting to book with you in the future, but I’m not sure there is a way to do it online. There is a “Would you book this guest again” question asked during the review process, but I have heard some hosts say that it doesn’t block the guest.  Best to call Airbnb.

Remember that you can try different things, some of which will trigger improvements, and some of which won’t. Nothing is irreversible, however - you can always stick your toe in the water and yank it back out if it’s too hot. Being a host is an ongoing, iterative process.

[Jeremy908]

Well that is incredibly helpful. Thank you for that detailed response. This part I was not aware of: 

Guests can’t read your review until they have written one or 14 days has passed, so you don’t have to worry about a retaliatory review based on your review.

That's a relief. I will be honest, for the sake of other hosts. 

To answer your other questions, yes we are booked solid, probably because of our entry level rates. I thought the low rates would help us to get started and it sure has. I've been slowly raising the rates for future bookings in order to be more in line with the neighborhood. We do not want to constantly undercut everyone. 

What makes our property unique is the neighborhood. Everything is walkable. I am trying to market that part, rather than this just being another house in East Austin served by endless Uber rides. 

Thanks again, @Pat271 ! 

[Mary-Rose17]

Mine is different the guest posted not working heater in the masters bedroom and they communicated with us and our maintenance team go to the unit and we agree to leave the keys at the Guard house and when my maintenance team ask the guard if there is a key left the guest fail to do so and we communicated that  for my team to go back the other day..then it happens that my maintenance assigned have an emergency her wife was broght to the hospital on the succeeding day and he was not able to come back....then the guest check out and there make a reviewed as appeared it was not fix...not our fault because she forget then later its our fault already

[Emilia42]

"Is there a way to ban past guests from ever staying with us again?"

YES! Leave them an unfavorable review and select would not recommend. 

[Elaine701]

@Jeremy908 

Tactical Advantage

Never, ever confront a guest with leaving a mess. It's not really "damage", it's just a lot more work, and terribly inconsiderate of them. In fact, it's best not to confront them with minor damage; stained sheets, towels, a few broken glasses, etc...  and getting any compensation is highly unlikely. It's a cost of doing business.

If you confront them prior to checkout, you should expect a nasty retaliatory review complete with imaginary atrocities you committed against the guest. Worst case, they file a fabricated claim and get a refund.

You're far better off just smiling, thanking them and wishing them a pleasant journey home. If they were real slobs, they probably know it, and as many don't fully understand the "blind review" process, are more likely to write a lovely review of your place, hoping you'll do the same.

But hosts should always write an accurate, concise, and impersonal review of the condition they left the accommodation. This will alert future hosts, and make it much more difficult for them to book places in the future.

Your review of the guest is really your only recourse. Confronting them about it will only result in damage to you. 

Having said that, the best way to minimise this is prevention. Screen your guests. Ask a few simple questions prior to letting them book. Their responses (or lack of them) can tell you a lot about their character. If they seem dodgy, scare them away. Tell them your boiler isn't working and there's no hot water, or demand a large security deposit. Or recommend one of your cheaper competitors - tell them it's a much better deal. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Elaine701 So true - excellent advice for all hosts.

[Elaine701]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Thank you. We've received many glowing reviews from some of the most undesirable, filthy and disrespectful guests, obviously a result of that tactic. It seems to work well. 

But they always got the review they deserved 🙂 Surprise! I doubt we'll ever see them again. Problem solved.