I gave a poor review to a guest (3 stars for house rules). They left 2.5 hours after checkout time and didn’t follow my checkout instructions despite the laminated sheet with them on. The worse thing was resorting their rubbish (recycling here in Southern England is stringent).
When she read my review, however, she immediately apologised and said she’d know for next time.
Now I feel a heel!
No need to feel a heel. It sounds, from her response, that you’ve done her a favour going forward.
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Why feel like a heel? Ultimately you did this person a favor. Poor behavior needs to be addressed, just as good behavior deserves to be rewarded. Stick and Carrot.
There’s no need to feel bad about it at all. You gave your honest opinion and that’s what your fellow hosts need.
For future though, do be sure that you’ve made sure that your guests understand what is required. (Simply having a list of check out requirements written in the house manual is hardly ever going to work). You do have to take charge - I don’t understand, for example, why the guest was allowed to stay after check out time.
I agree that you’ve probably done the guest a favour by pointing out that her behaviour wasn’t acceptable.
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I agree you shouldn’t feel bad at all and if you are not living on site then you need to have cameras to monitor when guests check in and out. Please don’t allow guests to check out late. Most of us hosting people back to back simply can’t accommodate that.
I know what you mean. I have hosted a few dozen.
My guest was well reviewed. But she came in 6 hours early, left 4 hours late, was high maintenance, and was so, er, cheap she squeaks!
Never turned down a fruit bowl, a meal, and kept us waiting 15 minutes at the Salvation Army to get maximum value out of the discount coupon I gave her!
Two months of this!
On the upside, so clean … Meticulous!
People, honest to goodness! 
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I would say even if you live there you should have a camera. Only because Airbnb won’t care what you say you saw when there is an issue. They will need to be provided video proof.
I read things like this and I never understand how they happen. If guests arrived here 6 hours early they wouldn’t be able to get in and yet even if they did, they’d find the previous guests still in residence.
Guests can’t leave four hours late because they are booted out at check out time when I start to get the rental ready for the next guest.
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I concur on the early arrival (although that doesn’t mean they don’t still show up early). On the late check out though I respectfully disagree only because you can’t physically remove them. Regardless of their time being up and me entering to prepare the place for the next folks I would need to get the police to physically remove someone that chose to stay against my policies and requests and demands…that’s the case with most Hosts I imagine. There really are Guests that refuse to leave like this.
It was not a poor review - it was an honest review.
Reviews are how hosts determine whether to allow guests. Without honesty, then hosts do not have the tools they need to decide who to host. For some hosts, disregarding checkout time (no matter how much they apologized to YOU) sends a strong signal that the guests do not understand how the platform works, for example.
Never feel bad if you are honest.
She came in on an all nighter flight and I picked her up.
She left when I was out of town; again no big deal.
The part that chafed is that it was posed as a done deal and not a request…
I think I will say something under private comments. Again, it’s consistent with her frugality.
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Are you speculating or this is what happened to you? Because it sounds like the vast majority of hosts here don’t actually do anything. Some don’t even bother to message the guest and say “check out time was xx time. You must vacate the premises now.” And they certainly don’t go knock on the the door or enter the premises. Hosts here post that they are mostly afraid…of a confrontation, a bad review or damage. I realize I’m talking out of turn to an extent because I’ve never had a problem but I just can’t imagine myself letting people walk all over me and my property in the way that so many here seem willing to do.
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RANT WARNING!!!
Ms. Thrift is now leaving 5 hours late. No one is home.
Her suitcase is too heavy for her to carry and she wants to drag it over the hardwood and use another guest’s door to exit. I said no.
But she won’t spring $10-$12 for an Uber, who would help her, to the main station.
Why didn’t she think of this?
How is she going to get to the airport on public transit if she can’t even lift her own bag?
Why is this my problem?
Why am I bothering you!???
It’s tea time somewhere…
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Tea time? What’s that code for? LOL.
Really? Because if I were an Uber driver I would not be going into people’s homes and I wouldn’t be lugging heavy bags around. I would help someone get their bag into and out of my vehicle,
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I have come close to calling the police but luckily haven’t had to. Like you said most Hosts do seem to get walked on as you stated. I am not one to do it willingly that is for sure. Having just retired for the army after 24 years and 3 days I am understandably the atypical single female Host. I will not just take it some of the crap Guests dole out to Hosts though without taking action myself. I always remain professional but I would never not act. I also know that I am not about to physically touch someone to remove them. The police are authorized to do that.
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Having been a public school teacher for 28 years I’m also not used to letting people walk all over me but I also understand the value of convincing any overstaying guest that they really do want to leave…NOW. (One guest was about 15 minutes late and I messaged him and turned off the router. Next would have been the hot water heater and maybe the electricity. I’ve never had to escalate past that gentle first step.)
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Clearly, I am expecting too much from everyone! 
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Ah! When it comes to expectations you should under expect and then the guest usually over delivers.
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I love this. I just giggled, imagining a guest leaving by flashlight, only to be told “No flashlight for you!”
No criticism meant, I love the approach!
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If they are leaving by flashlight they have definitely overstayed. I think some “fart spray” in the ventilation system would have been employed before that. Another thing I considered keeping on hand are one of those devices that emits a high pitched sound that only young people can hear. They have been used in places where they don’t want youth loitering like in front of convenience stores. I could put one of those in the ventwork as well. I’m afraid it would bother the dogs though.
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