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This is a first! A guest arrived last night around 10pm (self check-in to a bottom floor suite that is basically the first floor of my home). Within 5 minutes of their arrival, I hear someone hammering into the wall below my bedroom. I go outside and knock on their exterior door to welcome them (but mainly to find out what the heck they are doing). We exchange greetings and I say “It sounded like someone is nailing something to the wall. What’s happening?” with a smile. She says, “Oh my husband can’t sleep with any light so he hung up a blanket over the window. We will not damage your wall, I promise!” Oh, O.K. Have a nice evening! And the next morning when they left for the day, I went in to see a dozen nails in the drywall surrounding the window with a black-out material hung over the nails (with grommets so it seems a piece of material that was meant for traveling). Has anyone had this happen? How can she say she is not going to damage my wall when she just created a dozen nail holes?
So unfortunately for me, this is outside the Airbnb platform. The person who booked the suite has stayed with me for the entire month of June for the past 3 years and this is the first time I’ve taken her out of the platform since she’s always been a great guest (and I have short term rental insurance to cover any issues). The person who did the nailing was my guest’s boss who came to stay for the first week (my normal guest is not arriving until next week). She didn’t tell me that her boss was coming instead of her until a few days before the arrival. I would have put her boss’s portion of the rental back on the platform had I known. I really, really like the guest that is coming in a week. I’m not liking the boss very much. I’m a bit unsure of how to handle this. I’m irritated. I’m wanting to charge the boss $100 for me to go get spackle, sandpaper, and a can of matching paint at Home Depot to repair this. I’m not sure if I am overreacting. Any thoughts are appreciated. And if you agree that I should charge for this (I think she will pay me because she wants to be able to come back next year since I give her a good discount for the month long stay), how much do you think is appropriate?
Also, as an aside, the room does already have black out blinds that are set within the window space. Since they arrived after dark, they didn’t know there was no need to do this to my wall.
I would charge at least $100
What would they have done had you not found out about it? Pulled the nails and put toothpaste in the holes? The more I think about it who travels with a hammer and nails? WTF is wrong with this guy? I think I would pack up their stuff and have it outside the door when they get back.
I would immediately inform your “regular” guest of what her boss did and tell her that she can pay you now (via PayPal) for the damage fee of $100 (which she can collect from her boss on her own), or you will charge him directly, and that if he isn’t cooperative, you will put him and his wife out immediately.
I’d be incensed at this guest and contact her about the boss’s behavior at once. Since she’s a good guest, hopefully she will be responsive. You may need to remind her that only registered guests are allowed in the flat.
In the future I’d only rent off the platform with a carefully worded lease agreement, and yes you should have one where you spell everything out such as no additional guests and no hammering into walls, sheesh.
Absolutely outrageous behaviour, and very odd. This does leave you in a tricky position too; he’s her boss, and she’s booked to stay as well. I think, given you sound like you have a good relationship with her already, I would speak to her first to find out her views/reaction to her boss’s behaviour are before deciding what to do. If she is helpful, can come up with a resolution (i.e. has a good, if bonkers, boss she relates well with) and sort the matter on your behalf, all well and good. If not, I would have a non-confrontational, but firm, discussion with her boss along the lines of it not being okay to do this, that you have a blackout blind at the window and that he will need to pay for the damage caused. Or get out immediately.
I agree with you, especially about the mask. In my one bedroom beach condo I found the ONE window in the bedroom blocked with painters tape & black trash bags. The window has blinds & blackout curtains. I’ve slept in it (without trash bags) and upon awakening in the morning can’t tell if it is daylight outside.
At least there was no damage but it means a guest packed or purchased the trash bags & tape and installed the makeshift blind. Packing a mask would have been much easier.
That’s all I have to say. What lesson have we learned here? Never. Ever. EVER book someone under the table. Your house rules need to be explicit that unregistered guests are not allowed on the property.
Can you imagine someone doing this in a hotel room? Can you imagine a hotel saying to a guest ‘Oh, hey…you’ve stayed with us before and we like you…so we can just forego the credit card incidental this time around. Don’t worry about it…’?
Of course they wouldn’t. Neither should you. Remember…if you are collecting money from someone it means it’s a business transaction. Always treat it as such.
A good example of “it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission”. You should ask them: “if you thought it would be okay why didn’t you ask me before you arrived?”. Usually at this point people go a bit quiet and say “because we knew you’d say no”. At which point they’ve answered their own question about: “why are you asking us to pay $100 for the repair or leave?”.
I say this guy needs to learn to sleep in an eye mask. I have a friend who needs total darkness and that is what he does rather than making his issue into something that affects others and damages their property. Honestly people are so selfish and self-centered these days. No consideration for others what-so-ever.
Also, totally uncool of the long time guest to take advantage of your kindness like that. Is she really such a good guest if she does this to you? Give and inch and they’ll take a mile.
So what was the advantage of going off platform with this long time guest? Save her taxes?
I did have some guests hang their towels over the curtain rod, this was odd because there was already a curtain and they just left them there. It was in a room that was not meant for dark. i.e. the dining room. The bedroom already had a black-out curtain.
Something new I hadn’t thought of… I am updating my House Rules RIGHT NOW!!! Yikes! 