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A young woman (20’s) rented my place for Friday night, the whole house, we live here but I got it guest ready. l. It was her birthday so I left her a nice note and bottle of wine. I offered to meet her to give her the garage door opener (I offer garage parking) but she was running late and I needed to leave so I left it out for her. She also asked for an early check in and late check out which I agreed to. This was Friday night and Saturday I heard nothing until I got a “Guest requesting Money” email, she went on the completely insult my home! Saying it was a piece of shit, dirty etc…omg. I have a fully renovated home with french oak floors and gourmet kitchen. Then she complained about the cats which were clearly in my listing saying she was not made aware. I was so beyond upset. I texted her asked why she didn’t contact me if there was an issue…but she was apparently disgusted by my house and stayed anyway. I have a full time housekeeper so it’s far from dirty! Anyways, I told her i would respond about the refund when I got home and I’m so glad I did! I came home to what was a party scene, beer bottles, shot cups hung on my wall, dirty dishes in the sink…towels and water bottles everywhere. I am also missing two towels, they were brand new and I know the two from the guest bath were missing.
The worst part is she posted photos to the air b nb request of the insides of my personal drawers, areas of the house such as the side storage yard, inside closets etc…she basically invaded my home…she was makign a point that she didn’t know she was staying in a home where people lived but still I feel so violated…wtf!
I’m so upset I temporarily snoozed my listing. Anyway I have another guest coming tomorrow so I sent him a note making sure he knew about the cats, and he told me he loves them and volunteers at the shelter. He’s a business traveler so hoping it will be a better experience but I’m on the verge of backing out of this whole deal…needing some support
We have been dealing with resolution center request all summer, bc we feel guests are having ‘buyers’ remorse, and not wanting to actually foot the bill of our expensive urban listing. So, don’t take it personal this guest just wanted a free ride.
Since your people actually broke the rules and created a mess for you, I would highly request asking them for money for extra cleaning, etc.
Since I have not had this happen to me, all I can suggest is that you document, document, document. Take pictures, lots to them. Don’t just do close-ups. Provide some context shots as well, i.e… the whole room and the detail. Grab whatever photos this demon has posted to AirBNB, to demonstrate that she is showing people your personal possessions.
So this wretched person wanted a sterile, made-for-ArBNB space and was disappointed that it was a family home? So disappointing.
Also forgot to mention, we only had ‘private’ signs on the areas before and now we have replaced the door locks with ‘privacy’ locking doors.
Not sure of your moral standing, but you can also ‘stage’ the photos to show ‘privacy signs’ do not enter, etc. The guests have no morals and I am kinda over taking the high road at my own expense.
Yup, she even said “had I know I was renting someone’s filthy house I would have just got a hotel” what a total b&& I was so upset and then when I saw how she left things I couldn’t believe she was so picky.
Sounds like you might find it in your best interests to make the fact that this is your family home really obvious. I would have thought pictures of a home with your personal items would have been a tip-off, but potential guests sometimes only see what they want to.
It sounds as though you should. You don’t want your place to be insulted, and by making “family” home clear, you might discourage the partiers from trying to rent your home. The whole goal, in my opinion, is to attract the kind of people that you want to host. This AirBNB thing isn’t just about making money. It is about mutual happiness. I will always err on the side of over-sharing in my listing. Happy guests are so much more fun!
Its an interesting topic. As next weekend we have decided to rent our whole home for the first time (We usually just rent the private room).
However, I made it plain and clear in listing that it’s our home. I’m thinking of removing personal photographs etc…
Pesonally i think you have had a bad deal. That particular guest sounds like shes wanting a freebie. Why was she going through your personal drawers anyway? Did you have your own bedroom locked etc? Or was that part of the let to?
it was my bathroom, I left my hairdryer and some make up items, she did rent the whole house but I didnt’ think having personal amenities in the drawers of the bathroom was a big deal until she took photos of them complaining they weren’t cleaned out. I’m so new to this, I don’t know how much I should put away vs leave out. It is our home. I only started on Air BnB because my work pays for me to stay out of town in a hotel 2 nights a week so I thought I’d make money and also it’s nice to have someone here while I’m not here…as soon as I listed it, it took off! Tons of bookings I got overwhelmed and so I’m snoozing it until I get my act together more and I can write the listing in a way that smtucker mentioned. Saying it’s a family home and there are pets here…the dog leaves for the pet sitter but I can’t haul the cats away every time I have a guest so I want to make sure that is clear. PS: I actually was loving hosting until this…
@Nikker7, I can tell you that I have been renting my weekend / retirement home for six years and I make it quite clear in my listing that this is our home. I do have clothes in drawers (although some empty and marked for guests) and closets and food in the pantry and not one person has ever complained. I keep everything neat as a pin, mind you. This is what I HATE about Airbnb. Aside from the horrible guests, the expectation is shifting towards sterile spaces that people don’t actually live in.
Mind you, I think you got duped. She planned on having a party, had a party and planned on deflecting the responsibility by complaining about you first.
Word of advice, get an external security camera. Also, you will no doubt need to beef up your listing with rules and emphasize that you have an external security camera.
So, again be specific. [off the top of my head here]
“[Host name] conveniently clears out the top drawer of the bathroom vanity, so your items have a safe home. Spices and condiments are left in the fridge for your use, leaving plenty of room for your special treats. In the bedrooms, you will find that all the top drawers have been cleared, but the closets will still have a few hanging items with 8 open hangars for your use.”
I am sure with thought, and knowing your own house, you can do a much better job than that, but setting up the expectations properly will always make for a happier guest.
It’s obvious she wanted free ride. You definitely can keep your personal items there, that’s none of her business.
I know it’s very upsetting but these kind of people you won’t encounter very often. Most guests are nice and respectful.
Business travelers are the best
