This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I am a superhost in England - 20 reviews 5* all round in a year - lots of longer stays.
My last guests had 2 labs & 2 grown up sons. I saw bad feedback for a previous stay in UK with dogs - why on earth did I agree!!!
Sent them heaps of strict info about cleaning up etc.
NOTHING could have prepared me for what I returned to - dog hairs all over including upstairs.
A bath full of dog-pee stained laundry - thank goodness for tough mattress and duvet protectors!
The guest maintains it was her 32-year old son who had an accident and is very sorry - what? So he also peed on the pillows and cocked his leg on the doormat? He walked upstairs with grass and mud on his feet then left paw prints on the bed?!
I am in shock. Am devastated. Iāve worked so hard to give my guests an immaculate home which has now been violated.
My āguestsā contacted AirB&B Resolution Centre and have not even agree to my absolutely minimal claim - the majority of which is my standard Ā£40 per dog cleaning fee.
Iām now stressing their review - please lovely community, help me deal with thisā¦ā¦
First - sorry about the guests. Next time trust your gut or at the very least collect in advance something like $250-500 quid as a damage deposit.
.
Air does not compensate for pet damage. Even for ānormal damageā they make it a big challenge unless the guest literally agrees. Yes that sucks.
.
Unfortunately, you are now asking them to give you a bad review over Ā£40. We hope that does not happen.
.
If you are lucky they will forget and not review you at all. That would be great. Then you post your honest scathing review at the end of the 14 day review timeframe with 1 Stars and āWould Never Host Againā, etc.
Swings and roundabouts.
Some guests with pets are fabulous, some are awful and you were forewarned.
Do you charge a cleaning fee?
A pet fee?
You have some extra washing to do after a year of guests!
Leave an appropriate review and move on.
Thank you so much for your support and advice - very much appreciated.
So I can possibly wait until the absolute last minute and post my review? And it will be too late for them to post?
Yes, yes and yes - Iām cross with myself and couldnāt feel any more regretful.
I do charge a pet fee of Ā£40 per dog but they are refusing to pay it. I didnāt know I should collect in advance. Previous guests have been so careful Iāve not charged it.
Yes I charge a deposit but I would have to escalate the claim and I really want to move on.
Airbnb wonāt pay for any damage done by a petā¦.but since she said it was done by her son , you may be covered.
She will be expecting a poor review, are you prepared for one at your end?
Is it worth the battle?
No I donāt want a battle and told them Iād accept what she offered and not escalate.
Ha ha - who would rather blame a son than a dog?
Iām scared stiff about the review she may post - Iāve never encountered such an unreasonable, dishonest and deluded individual!
Next time please TRUST YOUR GUT and TRUST THE HONEST REVIEW that a Guest EARNED. It was there to warn you off.
.
If we were in your shoes, we would go quiet and not pursue any further with Guest or Airbnb. Just sit and wait. If you are lucky they will get the notion that āitās all overā, and ignore messages from Air to review your stay.
.
The Guest has 14 days total from Check-Out day (when the message is sent) to submit a review. You WILL SEE if they submit one. If they do, then technically they have 48 hours to change it but that isnāt going to happen.
.
If they do NOT submit one, wait until a few min before the 14 day deadline and BLAST THEM with an honest nasty review. Make sure to hit NO for āwould you host againā. Even if they do review you, it is best to wait until the end of day 14 - so you might have more good reviews before their (probably) bad review is listed.
.
We would write: "Would Never Host Again. Left our place a disaster. Bodily waste on floors, sheets, pillows and linens. Broke House Rules".
Sorry you had disrespectful guests, but ādevastatedā, āviolatedā, āscared stiff about the reviewā, is a bit dramatic.
The first thing you seemed terribly upset about was the dog hair. If you accept pets, of course thereās going to be dog hair. And the rest just sounds like a bunch of stuff to wash.
If guests like this are going to affect you so emotionally, maybe the hospitality business is going to be too stressful for you. Most guests are great, but some are not. Itās part of the business.
I can see why the scent of urine wafting through the air would bring up some emotions. But I guess itās not as bad as if the guest had to use an app to open the door.
Of course there will be hair. But there should never ever ever ever be urine soaked laundry. If it was the dogs then they are not fit for traveling. And if it really was the son, who could have washed his own urine-soaked laundry but didnāt, then none of the entire group is fit for traveling.
You seem to think I was saying these guests werenāt so bad and that the host had no reason to be distressed? Thatās not what I was saying at all, and I think you know that.
Dealing with the public can be wonderful or a big PITA. But hosting is a business, and getting all emotional because the guests were disrespectful jerks seems like a very stressful way to host.
And what on earth that has to do with appreciating simple home entry systems, rather than having a door lock that relies on a guest downloading an app, is beyond me.
Most professionals advise that itās healthier to express your emotions, rather than keeping them inside and ending up with pent up anger, or worse (to me) being passive-agressive.
I have worked in nursing homes for 26 years so urine soaked linens donāt generally stress me out, but they would if they were in my Airbnb. But, of course, thatās because I have guests coming sometime soon and the stench is quite pervasive. Maybe itās been awhile since you had guests that soaked your linens with urine so you donāt remember how annoying it is.
āPicking apartā, āanother posterā and āacting as ifā. Why are you making it personal? That is dramatic and emotional and I didnāt even piss all over your stuff, lol.
I am only talking about OPs post about urine soaked linens and your response that :
And donāt call me Louise (or Shirley for that matter)
Yeah so from the time that you get the email from Airbnb, you have 14 days to submit your review. Technically, it is based on when Air SENT it to you so there can be a delay.
.
On day 14, you will actually see a countdown timer in the app or web page, with how much time you have left. So, draft up a quick review - feel free to use mine - and paste it, hit 1 stars for the 4-5 questions and NO for would not host again.
.
If you send yours at the last 3-5 min, there should be really no way the guest will be able to submit theirs and you will at least have justice and properly warn off other hosts. Just donāt wait until like the last min - as you donāt want to miss blasting them.
@2CupsofCoffee I was just thinking about this today. A year ago I would have had the same reaction as you are having. I felt theyād been disrespectful of me and my home (yeah, I call it my home, like you do, because I want people to see it that way and treat it that way ) and they had. But it is a hard way to approach this. Very draining, really. It took me some repeat bad experiences to change, to be honest.
I was livid today ( see Why Is It So Hard To Tell The Truth post) but I decided to just stay calm and deal with the situation. 12 HOURS (ugh!) later my home is mostly restored and Iāll wrap up tomorrow, a day before my next arrival.
Some things I did differently today than a year ago:
Remained calm & got to work. I have more skills now & know how to whip things back into shape & have basic backups on hand if I cannot.
A few things I was upset about, I was way less bothered by once Iād addressed them
I was super agreeable/kind when I messaged my guest to say X,X,X &X was missing or damaged; I proposed a flat fee of $X & asked if it sounded reasonable for my time & the value to replace. He said yes and paid immediately. I did NOT mention what I knew Air would not back me on (the nasty smoke smell!) & which would have increased the chance for a bad review. I did photograph everything, just in case.
I even messaged guest after to say Iād logged out of Netflix/Hulu for them and were there any other apps I should check. He was thankful. Good or bad guest, I would have done this.
Guest was brief but gave me a 5 star
I gave the guest the poor review and few stars they earned (should have been less probably)
Youāve received some good advice from the other hosts. This will pass. Clean your place up and youāll feel much better. Iām so sorry this happened.
BTW, I just got some BioKleen Bac-Out to try on just these kinds of āchallengesā - check it out. If a good Oxy soak (for a few hours) doesnāt do the trick, assuming your sheets are white, try Out White Brite. It does wonders for making things white w/o the damage bleach does (smells when soaking but fine once laundered).
Thanks for your understanding - and acceptance of my āemotionā - itās just the way I am!
In the great scheme of things - smoking against rules, scuffs on walls, rude to neighbours, extra visitors including another dog, seemed minor. Maybe to other hosts they are worse.
I have super-strict guidelines for dog owners, in particular those with dogs that shed. Others have vacuumed as theyāve gone along and left the house hair-free. The amount of hair left this time was disgusting.
No more shedders is the way forward!
I even have a Mudroom with dog shower to make life easy for dog owners - most appreciate and love the setup.
Iām slowly getting over it - new guests in today so a nice message will help!
, you may be covered.
) and they had. But it is a hard way to approach this. Very draining, really. It took me some repeat bad experiences to change, to be honest.