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Let’s talk about the things no one likes to deal with.
We’re all familiar with messes, etc. That’s easy. Bad reviews, whatever.
But… What about about a domestic dispute/argument on your back porch? Like, right now? What do you do?
I’ve been upstairs the whole time, pretty sure it’s not escalating at this point…but if it did, what should we, as Airbnb hosts, do? Anything? Nothing?
Maybe I’d go downstairs to take out the garbage or something? Then say, I hope you’re going to wrap up soon because it’s bedtime and I can hear you. Regardless, I’d be tempted to make it clear I could hear them if for no other reason to get them to get to the point where I could not hear them. Then hope to god I can’t hear the “make up sex.”
I’m not very PC. I would tell them their behavior is unacceptable and if they cant be polite and respectful they will have to leave. It’s not all about the money when one of them stabs the other in your room. Don’t think it can’t happen.
I don’t think you should actually interfere. Maybe just make yourself visible? With your phone in your hand?
Unacceptable and yes you should say something. Your neighbors have to hear this?!! No. If they can’t control themselves you will need them leave now.
They don’t get to act like this in your home. Absolutely not. Furthermore, I would be sure to notate this in a a review. It’s disrespectful, stressful and rude.
I wouldn’t comment on any of their personal issues, but if it’s late I would march in there and remind them about the noise level. Bring tea and biscuits if need be.
I should have been more specific. They have been very quiet. The only one who could hear them was me, because I was out on the 2nd floor porch. It’s a whole house listing. But I felt weird going back in my house, because I had been out there for so long while it was going on, that to go in (aka make noise) would have been weird, as though I was outside listening all that time. Which, don’t get me wrong, I was, but…
All good now though. Just was super awkward for a couple hours.
I’m sure we’ll get a great review out of it. In my experience, sad as this may sound, arguments equal great reviews. As though it’s an apology of sorts.
I originally meant this to be a topic on how people deal with odd-negative situations that seemingly no other host has dealt with before. I’m pretty bad at intro messages, obviously. 
I led with something potentially awful.
An example of the kind of thing I was thinking: a guest who stole my morning paper every day for a week. I had no idea until I saw them all in the recycling bin after they left. What do you say to that? Why would they think that was their paper? This isn’t a hotel, where USA Today just shows up for .50 every morning! I had to call and apologize for the poor delivery person who probably got into trouble when I complained!
Ok, I’ll step out now. Too much porch time with the arguers. Sigh…
Soooo…what was it about, huh-huh-huh? nah-nah, just kidding.
I’m with KKnutz on this though, totally unacceptable. You need to remind them to control their behavior so you, as host, cannot hear them nor anyone else within earshot…or they need to take a hike.
So the newspaper …seems like a small thing but is unfortunately, just indicative of people who have no manners. I mean are you going to put that in your house rules? Please don’t steal the paper. Oy. I sometimes don’t know what to think of this business we are in.
I really mostly never ever have guests like this. It’s beyond irritating
Things no one likes to deal with…
I’m assuming this is uncommon - last month I had a girl staying with me for four weeks, during the time she was here she turned 19 so she was very young. She was also not very fond of wearing clothes around the house, and walked around in what I would consider lingerie! I really couldn’t have cared less, but I rent out TWO rooms and after the first week considered blocking off the second one because my other female guest mentioned that the little nudist had taken off all her clothes in front of her. I finally had to talk with her, because I couldn’t afford to lose any potential $ and had a few male guests lined up while she was still here… I approached it the way I speak to my sixth-grade students because I didn’t know how else to say it, lol, so I talked to her firmly and sternly about self-respect and objectification of her body. So awkward, she actually asked me questions about American men and their expectations of women (she was Chinese, but goes to college here!).
Host Rule # 3269 – Do Not rent to under 21s, for any reason! They are much more trouble than they are worth in dollars. Especially if your economic situation is such that you can’t afford to lose potential $$…
I’ve rented to at least a dozen without issue. Nothing magic happens when one turns 21 or 25. I’d say if someone has concerns about youth then asking questions prior to their stay is the best. If one lives in a party town and wants to avoid spring breakers then, yeah, don’t rent to people under a certain age. If you are renting to students at the nearby university or like me students to are traveling from summer home or job to school.
Nothing magic happens when one turns 21 or 25
Most car rental companies require you to be 25 to rent a car. There is a reason statistically. Under 25 drivers are less responsible and more likely to have a serious accident.
Yes people under 25 are statistically less responsible. If I were basing my rentals on stats I wouldn’t rent to males since they commit 75% of all crimes. Ken’s experience in FL is that they more trouble than they are worth and as I said, if I were renting to possible spring breakers it would be different. But he also said “Especially if your economic situation is such that you can’t afford to lose potential $$.” If I didn’t rent to anyone under 21 I would definitely lose $$. I rent to individuals, not classes of people.
Made me giggle. Imagine house rules: You must have completed college level Calculus, Level 1 and received at least a B-. Please bring your transcripts for review upon checkin.
Unsurprisingly…
My latest problem: how do you deal with guests that immediately you meet them you know it’s going to go downhill from that moment …?
Two young Danish women, here to have a “relaxing weekend” (for them, maybe …) got dropped by the taxi at the wrong house (this is a Google Maps error which we’ve been trying to correct for ages) so I went to collect them, bring them home, then offered to take them to the supermarket because it’s a public holiday next day and the minibus service for our estate wouldn’t be running. During these two journeys they sat in the back, chattering in Danish and shrieking with laughter and did not address a single word to me unless I asked a direct question. Obviously I am only the taxi driver and therefore not worth being polite to …
Thing is, most of the time they didn’t do anything specific that would call for a Bad Guest review - you can hardly put down “Guest looks at me as if I’m stupid every time I speak to her” or “Although like all Danes the guests spoke fluent English, the words Please, Thank You and Excuse Me did not appear to form part of their vocabulary”
Until the third night … it is the big Malaga Feria at the moment, when everyone goes a bit mad, gets drunk etc. so I was expecting a late night and maybe a bit of noise … but not a 5a.m. loud ring at the door because, guess what, they’d forgotten their keys. And THEN, just as I was falling asleep again, loud splashes and shrieks from the POOL! When I went to tell them in no uncertain terms to get the hell out of there they explained that they were trying to sober up … they were damn lucky not to drown!!
Anyway, that quietened them down a bit and they did make a kind of apology and when they left the following morning; we breathed a sigh of relief - until we saw their room and THE TOWELS!! Yes, at last I can join the Trashed Towels Club! Quite honestly it looked as though they’d actually applied the make-up to the towels, bypassing their faces altogether. Same with the cushions on the pool loungers, which we guessed had had fake tan applied.
Well, at least they left us most of a bottle of Bacardi and half a bottle of tequila … and, no, of course we don’t charge a Security Deposit and I can’t join the Bad Guest lounge because I haven’t been here a year but … if you should get a request from a Danish girl wearing a bikini on her profile photo who looks as if she’s, er, pleasuring herself - Just Say No!
Just to add, and to confound any stereotypes, this was a big contrast to the previous guests, two girls and a guy of similar ages from France but of Moroccan and Cameroon origin who were here for two weeks, during which they gave us not one bit of trouble. We didn’t have much communication because we were very busy most of the time they were here and their French was quite difficult for me to understand, but they were polite, reasonably quiet, being Muslim they didn’t drink, of course, and left the flat clean and tidy even though they had to leave about 4am to catch their plane. They broke one glass and left a note of apology and a 5euro note!
Making mental note: only rent to fully clothed profile pictures.
[Who would post a bikini shot on AirBNB?]