Exterior Photos and Other Oddities

How many of you show exterior photos of your listing? I am asking because I had an unusual request. The man listed himself as the only guest, then proceeded to ask how many the home slept, duh, it says in the listing. He was coming to town for a family reunion. I stated that no parties or gathering were allowed, and how many guests would there be staying. I knew it had to be more than one for a home and guest cottage. He said “Answer my question!”, and then said there would be four guests. My gut tells me he was wanting the reunion at our lake home. He then wanted outside photos of the home. I was uneasy with this question as we are in a very small lake community with only 13 other homes. The location circumference map shows the lake, so it would be very easy to find ours by just driving around the lake. As I have photos of our large screen TV and other items in the listing, the home could be an easy target by identifying the exterior. He became angry and said all other renters complied with his request, so why couldn’t I do the same. I told him I would not send photos so he got huffy and said he wouldn’t want to stay in a home with an owner like myself. Was I being paranoid? Thanks to all!

Umm, at that point I’d have hit the zap button, cheeky fecker.

JF

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So would I. I’m a pretty easy-going host but I’m not putting up with out and out rudeness.

I do.

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He was rude. Count your blessings that he’s booking elsewhere. Sounds like he wanted to know how much outside space there was to set up tables, chairs, etc for the party. Folks lie all the time. I had a guest tell me it was just him and his girlfriend and they had a party. More than 16 stayed over.

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We would have done exactly the same. Bullet dodged. Good on you! We do not show photos of our building either.
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Guests with attitudes don’t get to book.

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Thanks so much to all of you. All of his questions didn’t add up, and so rude to boot. It makes me feel easier that you all would have done the same.

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My first response after “Answer my question!” would have been a simple “This listing isn’t a fit for you. Good luck finding a place.” Then I’d report the guest to Air and block them. Done and dusted with no additional drama.

That attitude is an automatic “NO” from me. Rude people can stay someplace else. It’s an indicator of how they’ll behave during the stay.

Not paranoid because “stuff” is insured and can be replaced. Wary of an asshole who says “everyone else complied,” yes.

I doubt anyone complied based on his attitude. And Yes, he’s looking to host at your place.

I had exterior photos. Took them down. No one has asked for outside pics of my shared home listing.

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Should’ve sent this pic with the note: btw my real name is Bates. Guests enjoy the freshly sharpened knives in the kitchen. :skull::ghost::jack_o_lantern:🧟‍♂

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Blocking him. Because, why not? I don’t want to hear from him again.

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Regardless of whether you should post an exterior shot of the house, or whether he was being dishonest about his intentions in booking, this guy is an a**hole supreme and I would have completely stopped communicating with him the instant he wrote “Answer my question!”

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I don’t post an exterior shot because the guest suite is at the back of the house and I don’t want them to think they’re booking the part that we live in.

I do include an exterior shot in the check-in instructions so they can spot the house when they arrive.

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Sometimes I say no and I’d rather remain anonymous to a turned-down guest. Also, the exterior is not particularly attractive (not Bates or anything). I consider our exterior as part of our under-promise-over-deliver approach :laughing:

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The bathroom knife is the real worry …
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If I recall correctly he had to use chocolate syrup to make the blood look good in B&W

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Could be. Sounds more accurate than the story of using newsprint with water running over it.

Wow. Just wow. We don’t all often agree 100% but this is an easy win. My boys would call it “GG” (Good Game). In other words, ‘Game Over’. You’re pretty amazing. I’m with the others…I’d have blocked as suggested w/o another word as soon as he “yelled” at me. Can you imagine hosting someone with an attitude like that!!!

And I do show my exterior with the house number blurred out, but most people think it’s cute and mostly I wish to draw attention to it being a single-story (gets me lots of older clients, whom I generally adore :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:)

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What’s astounding is that it doesn’t occur to him that a host wouldn’t accept his booking after messaging like that.

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Ha! Yeah, I wonder how many paintings he’s helped himself to, or how many doors he couldn’t manage to lock. SMH.

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Classic bully. I"ll bet he’s really fun to live with.

I have my photo of the deeply hidden in the photos but mailing to help find my house. Since my space does not include any outdoor space and while it’s a whole unit (it’s not the whole house) I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.

Also, a while a go, it was suggested not to show your exterior so that scammers and thieves couldn’t find your place if they were driving around I the area that airbnb shows you live.

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I post an exterior shot and know from conversation that many guests are drawn to my large Victorian by the first impression. We do a home share so there isn’t too much danger of parties. We don’t post pictures of any valuable antiques inside. I have had one person in a decade seem surprised that we actually lived in the home. Like many guests, she didn’t read. I too would have stopped this inquiry dead in its tracks - the guy’s rudeness was probably the tip of the iceberg.

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