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Very disappointed in our last guest. The sink was full of 3 days of greasy, food covered dishes. Under the dishes we found the sink basket had been removed and food lodged in its place. The hot plate was returned to the shelf full of grease and food remnants. A frying pan returned to the cabinet unclean. This person is an Airbnb host also, so we expected courtesy and respect. His house rules for his rental are only “ the Golden Rule.”
So… my question is…. I know we charge a cleaning fee, but Since I don’t state that dishes need to be clean, is it fair to leave a poor review?
You got what he believes - and you were warned. When a guest says things like “I treat your house like it was my own” that is a huge red flag - never assume that things like cleanup or pickup is at your standards.
Swings and roundabouts! Some guests leave it like a pigsty, others you would barely know they had been there……it balances out!
Clean it and leave an appropriate review for the other hosts.
Yes, it’s fair to mention the dirty dishes, the dirty hot plate and pot. Also ding him on cleanliness and click on “wouldn’t host again.” I usually try to say something nice and then mention the issues. I know it’s being passive aggressive but I hate to be all negative. You can say something like “great communication and friendly guest. I wished he would have cleaned up the kitchen a bit more since he left dirty dishes, pot and pans.”
Dirty kitchen items are not unusual BUT stowing dirty hot plate & pot is beyond ridiculous to me. Did the guest expect the cleaners to seek out dirty items. I would have to call that out. Even considering there is a cleaning fee, putting away dirty items is just wrong.
Absolutely. Deb has it right - you’ll get many guests who are great and some who are less than ideal. I’d be worried about the world and society in general if all guests were robotically perfect.
If it bothers you, then yes, mention it in the review so that other hosts are aware but it’s not something to stress about.
I would definitely want to be warned about a guest who was so disrespectful. An unwashed cereal bowl and a coffee cup, no big deal, but that level of filth is inexcusable.
I’ve only had one guest not clear up their dirty dishes in nearly six years so I would say guests not cleaning up dishes is highly unusual for me @Annet3176
Definitely mention! The food lodged into the sink is especially offensive, that could definitely cause some plumbing or pest issues and it’s just disrespectful. Btw- We include in our checkout directions to please do dishes before leaving as a gentle reminder.
Lesson learned - make sure guests know what to expect. I have the following in my rules and state it again in the welcome email w/ instructions:
"We do not charge a separate cleaning fee. Your rate includes turnover of the house (cleaning, laundry, sanitizing) but does not include cleaning up big kitchen messes, i.e. frying, etc., doing dishes or moving furniture and items back to their original location. We expect the house to be left in a tidy condition, including all dishes, glasses, pots and pans to be washed or in the dishwasher. There are plenty of cleaning supplies and dishwasher pods under the kitchen sink and a vacuum and broom in the pantry cabinet if needed. Please help us by following the check-out instructions on the refrigerator door. Additional cleaning fees are charged at $25/hour or any part thereof. "
You can change the first sentence to read that your rate and cleaning fee covers the following…
I reference the broom and vacuum because we once had a guest drop sugar on the floor and then track it throughout the house.
I would also mention the “fellow host” part in the review - a regular guest may be able to pass the red face test on this one, but not a host.
One of my worse guests was another Air bnb host. Trash everywhere, dirty dishes in the sink, fridge full of take out containers, scratches on the wood floor; piles of dirty landry left on the sofa, not in the laundry baskets in the utility room. And a first in three years, they managed to clog a toilet upstairs which is on one line to the city sewer; and 15 minutes later, a toilet on the other side of the house which happens to be on a separate line to the city sewer.
After the first message, I told the guest there was a plunger in a bucket in the bathroom cabinet. After the second message I called the city on a Saturday morning at 7:30 am thinking it had to be the city if both lines were clogged. It was not the city, so having just had surgery on my hand, I called my plumber. He came over and fixed both toilets in less than 5 minutes. Both were clogged and needed to be plunged.
They left a huge mess. I will admit I left no review as I had nothing good to say. I have found a negative review gets the host a worse review. Since air bnb never stands up for a host, I just do not bother. I do not like it, but until air bnb supports hosts, I feel my hands are tied.
??? Reviews are blind- the guest can’t see your review until it’s published and by then it’s too late to leave or edit theirs. Bad guests generally leave bad reviews, it has nothing to do with the review you write.
You do a grave disservice to other hosts by not warning us about guests no one ever wants to get stuck with.
Not leaving an accurate review for us other hosts to see means you failed the host community. Reviews are not about balancing good or bad, or are based on your needs. Never give a bad review, always give an honest one.
Also, you misunderstood how the review process works at Airbnb. Nobody sees each other’s review until both are done. Withholding review or deciding not to give a “good“ review because of your misunderstanding of this also suggests you need to do some reading of the basic terms of service of Airbnb to become a good host.
The worst thing is that you haven’t time to seek out dirty items that have often been hidden in the back of a cupboard. Then the next guests arrive and find them and leave us a poor review.
Horrible experience for you. I’m so sorry. Hard to believe it was another host! Crazy!
I did end up leaving an honest review saying I was disappointed. He left us a good review. I don’t think we can see each other’s reviews until they are both in, so if that ever happens to you again, I think k it’s safe to leave an honest review.
I think experiences like these are rare overall. Thankful for that.
Thank you for the kind words. I do understand that the guests cannot see the review until you both complete a review. Twice I have left honest reviews. Both times the guests had to have known it was not going to be a five star review. In both of those cases they brought extra guests, had a party and left damage and a huge mess. In both cases I asked for and received money for damages. Yet air bnb would not remove the bad review they left after I gave an honest review.
So that said, how can you break even? I tried waiting until 5 minutes before the review cutoff, but apparently they meant the MT not Central time where I live because the guest still replied.
Now I just fight to get reimbursed for damages. I do not like it but please tell me how to get air bnb to work with me in the reviews. They did help me get money for damages so what is the answer?
How selfish. The entire system won’t work when there are hosts who have that attitude. Even if hosts don’t care about their peers it’s still better to be honest.
