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Hello, new here. I had posted a few months back about a cruddy b and b I stayed at, full of weeds and bugs. I got a full refund after complaining to my bank and sending them pictures. Air BnB didn’t fight it.
Now, my airbnb is in great shape, but a long term tenant is complaining of noise at night, and drugs being done underneath the balcony by late night partyers. I didn’t think my place was noisy, but it is. Tenant says the partyers come at all hours of the night and talk loudly outside the apartment. It’s in a town square and quite the place to congregate.
How would you state this on your listing? Tenant is angry that I didn’t tell her, but I didn’t know and my previous tenants didn’t complain so much. I think it’s summertime and that’s the problem.
What does “drugs being done underneath the balcony” mean? Are we talking people shooting up heroin or just passing a joint around, and marijuana is legal where you live?
That would somewhat influence how you disclose the situation. Like is there a bad element that might scare guests, or is it just a matter of the smell of marijuana drifting up.
As for the noise aspect, something like “Please Note: This apartment is located right on the town square, so a quite vibrant area, which can also include people gathering and partying late at night, especially in the summer. If you would be disturbed by the noise, this isn’t a good choice of rental for you. Earplugs advised unless you are one of those people who can sleep through anything. No refunds will be given for noise complaints.”
You say your previous renters didn’t complain “so much”. If they complained about the noise aspect at all, you really should have stayed there overnight yourself to assess the situation and disclosed it in your ad.
In dealing with your current guest, if she is staying for awhile, I would negotiate some kind of discount at this point if she wants to stay. You don’t want her staying for 2 more weeks and then trying to get a refund.
While I would address this with your current guest to the best of your ability with reasonable financial compensation, going forward I would just add it to the property info section on Airbnb:
I am currently staying at an Airbnb in a lively part of town. I knew this going into it but I was myself a little surprised at the noise level on the first night. I thought I might let the hosts know just as an FYI but first I checked their listing and saw that they had already addressed this so there was no reason to let them know.
Anyway, I would add it to your listing and then also make a quick reference in your booking message, something like, “We are looking forward to hosting you. As I hope you noticed in our listing, our place is located right in the middle of the town action meaning the sights, smells, and sounds of the city are right out your front door. If you prefer a more quiet and calm setting, this unit might not be the right fit and we would encourage you to cancel now within in the free cancellation period.”
Mentioning any possible deal breakers in the first message to guests is an excellent practice. It also gives you an indication as to whether they have thoroughly read the listing info. It can ward off bad fit guests before they darken your doorstep.
I always do this “Did you see the cat? The canal? The steps? Read the HR?” People appreciate that and I’ve only had one or two cancellations based on that. I’ve had a couple of folks with children or infants and I’ve gotten those canceled without penalty.
“Room is for 2 adults; no children; no pets.”
Of course, I’m more polite than that, but that’s the gist.
