Bad Guest experience w/ guest that lives in my area

I’ve hosted about 30 guests and for the most part they’ve all been lovely reminders that humanity is good. Then there are the complete shits.

I recently had a girl instant book my room (I’ve since removed instant book as an option) who began her messages to me as lists of what she didnt like about my listing and then asking repeatedly for a discount.

Another guest booked the dates she was requesting and I thought I was done with her. Well she booked the room for one guest a few days later for different dates. When I saw her name pop up as an instant booking it practically sent chills down my spine as I could tell that she would be difficult.

Heres where it really gets fun, and by fun I mean really uncomfortable. My check in time is 3pm. I send her the directions and a photo of the front of my building at 9am. She replies that THEY will be there in 45 minutes. This raises 2 red flags. First, who is they? she booked for 1 person. Second, no consideration for my check in time. She ends up telling me that she didn’t know the number of guests mattered. and that they’ll wait around until Im ready for them. I tell her that there is an extra 5 dollar fee per night after the first guest. She doesnt respond.

They check in. My floors white tile and Ive never seen this before but they left black shoe prints across the floor. I guess they had just arrived from big bear and the dirty floor they immediately created was just an added bonus to thier charm.

Well, 4 nights later and we’ve suffered through the obvious STRONG smell of tobacco/pot coming from the room. We ask them not to smoke inside and she says shes burning a candle. A candle, really?

Here’s the really odd part, she lives about 35 minutes away from my area. What.The.Hell. I googled her and it says she works for a hotel chain!!! ahhh, what is going on?

I’m going to wrap this tirade up, I promise. They leave the room trashed with blunts and ashes and wax of some sort, sheets and duvet totally stained. books ruined. furniture rearranged. 6 Huge rolls of ultra thick toilet paper gone, after 4 nights? 2 kleenex boxes gone. Every single towel and amenity they could have used they did, washer dryer, printer, used my phone charger and once I got it back after 2 days they asked to use it again within an hour. wtf.

So after 30 guests Ive finally decided to leave an honest negative review and will be requesting reimbursement for the extra person/ruined sheets/trashed room.

My final question to you my fellow hosts is if 140 is too much to request (Sheets and Duvet cover were brand new and cost about 50 each) and is it even worth it since she lives so close to me?

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It’s absolutely worth leaving an honest review, and also fo claiming costs to replace damaged items.

One question though, why did you suffer through four days of strong smell and indications of smoking, and also why did you not hold her to accepting the extra guest fee right away? I know it’s easy for me to say this, and you’re the one with the crazy guest in front of you…I’ve been there! But after a while you just learn to take no shit from guests and somehow, like a stern nanny, the guests comply.

So bottom line is to write an honest review indicating showing up hours early for a 3pm check in, extra guest not disclosed, and indications of breaking house rules.

Good luck to you!

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Def request the amount that it costs to replace the stuff they ruined, including your books. Also, I charge for all of these inconveniences: early/late check in $10/hr, extra guests $20/night if they are surprise guests it’s $40/night. I would’ve charged an extra cleaning fee too which I charge $60 for Handy to come and clean.

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Thank you so much for the support and affirmations! I want to make sure Im not being unreasonable in the price adjustment.

Honestly when I told her she needed to pay 5 dollars extra per night I thought as an adult that she would pay up. Probably more honestly I am nervous about that fact that she lives so close to me and… well knows where I live! Its unsettling that she obviously has no regard for other people and also happens to live 35 minutes away from my home. She said her boyfriend was in from out of town and that her mom is old fashioned so they couldnt stay at her house. She has one other review and it also mentions the smell of smoking and that the girl said it was just a candle.

Heres my review of her:

When booking with **** be certain that she understands the house rules and the perimiters you have for extra guests. Encourage her to read what your listing offers and what it does not.

I realize that its not the worst review but I hope that other hosts can tell that she’s awful.

I just need to develope more of a backbone with guests! Ce la vie, live and learn… hopefully;)

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@ohisee

No i wouldn’t read between the lines with your review. I would think you had a mildly unpleasant experience but wouldn’t realise they had been so disrespectful as to cause actual damage to your property.

Never mind; there’s always next time. I do understand you’re scared because she lives locally and knows your residence.

Maybe start screening and rejecting anyone local…

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Excellent review, doesn’t plunge into detail, yet ‘says it all’. (I fixed the word perimeters)

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Oh yes :slight_smile:

I first started ‘hosting’ in 1980 when I took in student lodgers. I’ve been hosting more or less all the time since then in various ways and even after all those years (hell, I’m old) I’m still learning! Almost every group of guests are a learning experience.

Your bad guest has gone, she’s history, so the best thing you can do is look at the experience objectively and learn from it. For example, when guests turn up with an extra person, just don’t let them in until you have changed the reservation to add the extra person and had it accepted. Specify strictly no smoking (of anything) in your house rules on the listing and that open flames (candles) are not permitted. Don’t leave anything such as six rolls of paper towels that you don’t want to be used.

Then next time you have less-than-ideal guests, see that as a new learning experience too.

As a side note, I know that many hosts don’t like local guests but we’ve hosted several and we even stayed in a place 100 yards away when we had to leave our building for maintenance work :slight_smile:

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I just love the way you think Lady J. Learning and applying gained knowledge to the future is what is indeed the most important, in anything one does. Knowledge is cumulative. Every time one feels that someone ‘gets away with something’ best to put one’s energy to tweak or change things so that in doesn’t happen in the future. Best to act first versus react after the fact.

@ohisee In this particular case, what should this experience tell you? A - you have a check-in time; no one is allowed to trample on it. B - If they show up with added guests, and if ok with you, charge upfront. Careful with making that charge too cheap, it adds exponentially to your work and encourages an entourage; and IF someone is trying to be tricky over $5 then they are either in dire straits or are low-lifes (they stole the toilet paper and kleenex). C - post No Smoking signs and no candles allowed, that removes the potential trickery. D - remove personal items (chargers, printers,etc) from the place you rent. E - renting to locals, tricky one, maybe do so with added caution, for locals have a tendency to add people in a jiffy or have ‘friends over’.

Protect yourself from the ‘least common denominator’, then you have everyone else covered. Good luck.

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They should have been gone the moment you smelled smoke.

The first hint of cigarette smoke in my house gets you booted to the curb, with no refund, no place to stay & a hefty cleaning fee to pay.

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I think you and the OP want the word parameters

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Huh??? If your goal is to keep her in the Airbnb system, then you will succeed. Certainly another host will accept her. I would have no clue what was meant by making sure she understands the house rules. I already have all my guests confirm they understand all house rules - before I accept the booking.

But I would never accept her in a million years if I knew she

  • she will smoke up the place with cigarettes and pot
  • will take home any “supplies” from the room
  • show up over 5 hours early without permission
  • refuse to accept the alteration for extra money
  • ruin books, bedding, etc.

You said you got chills down your spine after you realized she instant booked. She kept messaging you what she didn’t like about your place, then repeatedly asking for a discount.

I can’t say exactly what I would say publicly since she sounds like a complete low life, and no telling what she would do since she lives so close by. But she somehow was able to instant book your place even though the last person mentioned smoke and she saying it was a candle. So I really don’t know how the “host recommended” thing works - and if it goes by a percentage.

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Ah, didn’t take the ‘fix’.

@cabinhost

Couldn’t agree more.

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Thank you! that is exactly what I was going for!

Yes we were, thank you!

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This is a lot of information! I needed to hear these things. I thought the review was negative enough without throwing mud but I think an honest, bulleted list of issues would have been the better way to go.

She is new to Air, I was her second stay and the other review hadn’t cleared the 14 day mark yet and so was hidden from view while she stayed with me.

I’m going to go back to screening guests as I used to especially now that I know some of the indicators that mark a nightmarish guest.

I really love this community so far and am SO glad that I joined!

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I don’t understand this strategy of writing reviews in code language and hoping hosts get it. Why? For what possible reason? She’s a terrible guest, none of us want to host her and why not just say so.

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I agree. If I could read minds I’d have a much better job. The smoking for sure should be clearly stated.

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I agree with @cabinhost, this isn’t an adequate review. Your task (should you choose to accept it) is to warn other hosts about “low lifes” (as cabinhost puts it). This review doesn’t do it. In bad reviews, just state/describe explicitly and factually and concisely (but including important details), without using offensive language, and without revealing confidential/private information, what the guest did that you considered bad. And stop there.

I don’t think IB offers any protection against people with bad reviews booking. Yet another reason not to use it, if any was needed. However, I would be happy to learn otherwise. Bear in mind, we don’t know what ratings guest get from hosts, because Airbnb doesn’t choose to reveal them. Vive la difference.

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Yes it does. I’m not on it, but I believe you can only accept users with five star ratings and thumbs up.