New host intro with first guest & already it's a 'fun' one

21

Wow, just wow! This is a serious pathological case, never heard of anyone behaving like this (some veteran hosts might know different).

I hope you’ll fight to get your full booking money. This is exceptionally rude of the guest and you shouldn’t have to pay for it by losing potential income.

1 Like
22

I have never experienced anything like this. Ever. I have not hosted for as long as some or as many as @EllenN, but I am now at about 96 guest groups and truly, nothing even close! I have had about 5 or 6 groups of people I didn’t particularly care for, and one group that used bronzer that killed a few towels, but aggressive and abusive language like that? Never.

I wouldn’t change your rules, or if you do, just add “Please do not burn anything inside the house.” or “No open flames.”

Ugh. I am so sorry that this loser chose to stay with you.

1 Like
23

This is not just breaking the rules, it’s a notch above - it’s abuse - physical or verbal, doesn’t matter, it’s abuse.

2 Likes
24

Wouldn’t it essentially be covered by the No Smoking rule?
(I’m assuming OP has that rule on.)

Also on the plus side @adigitalnative, I think there’s only way to go from here re your hosting - up.

2 Likes
25

No smoking doesn’t cover burning candles or incense, both of which has the potential to 1. smell horrible and 2. burn down your house.

2 Likes
26

But if generating smoke is a No, generating fire is a No-No!

27

Smoking, as termed in the rules, is considered by most of the world to be a human inhaling smoke. To create smoke is a different rule. So to take your literal approach further, if the rule is No Smoking, does that mean I can’t smoke meats in the provided grill outside?

Open flames are different for most people. No smoking would not, in general, mean no candles.

1 Like
28

If one takes this approach to my reasoning, then no turning on the stove either, no cooking nada. Of course, that’s not what I meant.

29

Glad he’s out.

I wanted to put a star next to “make your maximum stay 7 nights” for one more reason- potential guests who want to stay longer will still contact you.

As said in other threads, Airbnb is best for short term (28 days or less) renting. If someone wants longer than that, you need a real long term rental agreement and can take money directly after you’ve lived with them for a month and gotten a sense if this is someone you want to continue to share a roof with.

All my terrible guests have been through non Airbnb connections, and they have pushed my boundaries early and often.

1 Like
30

Surprised they’ll still contact - do you then have to do a special offer to make it work?

31

I think you’ll have to temporarily change the settings to fit their number of nights within your maximum to allow for the booking. Airbnb didn’t allow you to simply extend a shorter booking to a figure beyond your max. But they might have improved the functionality around it. Can’t be sure.

32

At that point you’d probably take it off the airbnb site. I have never done it, but other hosts have.
(I really really don’t allow anyone to stay more than 2 weeks, no matter how nicely they ask)

1 Like
33

Update: He left a review about 5 hours after he left the apartment. No doubt it’s a bad one.

I’m guessing I should wait 10-12 days to post my review of him (and inevitably to write my response to whatever he wrote) to keep it from showing up and give me a chance at some bookings (and other future reviews) before his appears?

If anyone wants to give some feedback on my draft here, I’d love to hear it. (And thanks @KenH for the phrasing!) Among other things, I’m not sure how much detail to give/if I should mention the ‘bitch’ comment. Alternative phrasing so very, very welcome:

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend (GUEST) to other Hosts. Early in the stay he was generally well behaved if quirky, but uncomfortably argumentative when certain subjects came up in discussion. Mid-way through his scheduled stay he insisted on burning incense in my living room, and when I told him he’d need to put it out he asked why I was such a bitch. His stay ended early.

34

Why should you have to wait that long??

35

It doesn’t appear on the site until either 14 days pass or I post my review, correct? Given that I have 0 reviews so far, I’m assuming it would be better to have no review for my listing than 1 bad review. Especially since if I ask Air to remove the bad one and actually succeed, they’ll also remove my comments about him (or at least that’s how it seems like things work, correct me if I’m wrong!)

2 Likes
36

I think you’ve got it all upside down.

Please read the Help section on reviews. If you leave it till 14 days from now, you will NEVER be able to write your review for this host. You’ve lost the chance to explain this rotten behavior forever.

So, please DO write your review at the earliest. Let’s see within 24 hours, after getting some inputs here on how to word it. Don’t delay it beyond that.

37

@Astaire I’m confused!

His review will be visible to myself and potential guests:
A) After I give my review of him, or
B) After 14 days from the booking, whichever happens first. Correct?

So if I hold off for at least a few days, I might be able to get some bookings in my very new and almost-empty calendar before the bad review drops, correct?

Given that, it seems like holding off might make sense. Unless it’s very likely I can get Air to remove a poor review from him since he was rehomed?

It might result in him booking with someone else in the interim, which is certainly not ideal…

4 Likes
38

Ok, I can see what you’re saying. But, please review at least a day or two before the 14-day period ends - call me paranoid, but you don’t want to end up not reviewing him.

I don’t know how many other (hopefully good) reviews you can amass before that period. But if you’ve stated your experience about this person calmly and factually, including his abusive behavior, I should think potential guests can see through his no doubt stroppy review of you.

I don’t think you can get Airbnb to remove his review, at least, I wouldn’t bank on it. I’d hope his rotten behavior is exposed in full detail by a review from you.

2 Likes
39

I am shocked that Airbnb hasn’t banned him. If I were you I would call Airbnb and point out that he was so aggressive and hostile toward you and your friend that you felt unsafe and that he shouldn’t be allowed to use Airbnb.

4 Likes
40

I agree. This is an even better course of action than just asking for a review removal.

Also, as I said in an early post, I’m not sure @adigitalnative got to find out why he was re-homed. There’s probably a pattern here.

2 Likes