OUCH, it finally happened to me, BIG PARTY in my home

My guest asked if he could have a small, quiet get together for his friend who was leaving for the military. He promised a max of 9 people, no loud noises of any kind, and only 2 spending the night. I made it VERY clear that I do NOT allow parties. I’m not new at this, my house is rented 75% of the time and I’ve been doing it over 2 years now

At 10:30PM I got a text from a neighbor saying there was a big party going on at my house with super loud music, strobe lights and a LOT of people.

I viewed the backyard with my surveillance cameras to see a bunch of people dancing on my wet lawn (it had been raining all day). They had moved my patio furniture and set up a DJ station.

I called Airbnb for help and advice. I got through quickly but was transferred 3 times. The end result with them was they would send me an email and contact the guest the following day. No advice. I asked if if I should call the police and they said, “that’s up to you”.

This was a Saturday night that went into Sunday morning and was still going on at 6AM. The police were called 3 times, once by me and twice by another neighbor who happens to be a police officer.

Sunday the guest asked if they could stay late to clean up. I gave them an extra hour.
When I got there, 1/2 hour after they were supposed to be gone, they were still there.

My house was thrashed. Spilled fruit with wine drink everywhere. The laminate flooring had mud and grass all over throughout the house. They had moved my pool table 2 feet. You’re not supposed to move them at all. There was a lot more damage…

I had new guests due in 4 and 1/2 hours. There was no way I would make it in time.
Luckily, the new guests were very understanding and gave me an additional 4 hours which still wasn’t enough time.

The night before several Airbnb support representatives told me that even though I had guests coming in, since I had reported already I would be covered even if I put a claim in later.

I kept getting sent from one rep to another. The last one said that I had to get a claim in BEFORE MY NEXT GUEST! I explained to him what I have written above, and I asked if it was too late. Got a reply that did not answer the question. Finally they said I have to put in a claim with details, receipts, and estimates before they will decide whether they will even review it.

This has been a nightmare.

I suggest to everyone reading, have a plan on what you’ll do if this happens to you. Oh, I have surveillance cameras and a ring door bell. They wanted photos of everyone that was there. I offered to provide a written statement from my neighbor the police officer who said there were at least 50 people there but they said no, that’s not good enough.

Anyway, I could write a novel about this experience so I’ll stop here.

Anyone else have an experience like this? Any suggestions on how to deal with Airbnb? The guest no longer has an account

I have had other bad Airbnb experiences, but this was 10 times worse than the previous worst guests.

I’m 65 and do all of my own cleaning…

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For example, part of the plan should actually be using the cameras to monitor what the guests are doing. They have no effect if you don’t look at them. As soon as you see the excess guests arriving and the DJ being set up you go over there shut them down.

I know Airbnb can be frustrating but I don’t see how they remove guests from your place. They are a booking and payment platform.

I also would not have back to back guests during a pandemic, especially in a whole house. How in the world does one person do all that cleaning in just a few hours. And a 65 year old going into a home that a bunch of non mask wearing partiers just vacated?

Lord have mercy.

Sorry, I have no help to offer you but for others reading this thread to whom this hasn’t happened yet…I had thoughts.

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Every host’s nightmare. So sorry you had to experience this. I’m wondering if the police fined them since most states have banned parties due to COVID. Seems like the only thing Airbnb did was close the guest’s account.

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I dont think Airbnb closed their account, I think they closed their own account.

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Even though Airbnb makes a big deal in its PR about cracking down on parties, it’s all talk to shine up their image. The reality is that they are far too slow on the draw to nip this kind of thing in the bud and they can’t physically deal with it. You are on your own.
As KKC says, one of the reasons for cameras is that you should monitor how many people are arriving- you don’t wait until there is a party in full swing, and the neighbors have to phone you, you boot them out the instant it’s evident that they lied about their intentions.

Nor should you agree to any extra people coming over for any reason. The number of people should not exceed your max guest count and all need to be accounted for and paid for on the reservation. This should be your ongoing policy.

Now if you get some quiet older couple as guests who have been in residence for a few days and ask you if they could have another couple over for a few hours for cards and a drink, that’s the sort of thing you can play by ear. But never agree to any visitors when you are in the booking, or pre-arrival stage with guests.

Good luck- sorry this happened to you.

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Soooo, you got a text from a police officer neighbour regarding a party at 10.30 pm, which you confirmed by your camera that this was happening and you didn’t head straight over there and with the possible assistance of your neighbour, close it down and clear the house?
You let this happen?
What did you expect Airbnb on the other end of the phone to do? Send the SWAT team?
After what you saw on your camera you are surprised at what you found?
I’m sorry that it happened to you, but there is no way I would have not been at the door of my STR to hunt these bastards out at 10.35 pm.
Why didn’t you go there?

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I’m sorry this happened to you; I’ll defer to all those before me who have given good advice.

During a Pandemic

  1. How do you even allow a grouping of 9, 10 people?
  1. How are you able to host a subsequent AirBNB guest without, at least, 24 hour buffer day?
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I’m with everyone else here. I would head over and handle it immediately.

I’m not sure what this means… We host guest’s 4 hours apart every single day.

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What that means is that it’s not a safe protocol.

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How’s it not safe? We follow all of the extended cleaning guidelines and then some between each guest.

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Thank you for you advice. I have a little different take, but have learned.

I was two hours away.
The “guests” looked like possible gang members. Figured it was better to deal with the aftermath than risk bodily harm. I doubt my neighbor would have wanted to either. Plus I figured the police would put an end to it, but they didn’t, I’m not sure they even ever came.
I have allowed several, small gatherings at my house and never had an issue (until now:-(
I would rather know about a guests intentions before hand then after a booking.

I didn’t expect Airbnb to do anything short of giving me advice. Something like, “yes, call the police, they will help” Certainly they’ve had more experience with out of control parties than I have.

Anyway, I was requiring a minimum 2 night stay but now I’ve changed that to 3 nights. I figure party goers won’t want to pay for 3 nights. Plus I’ll be installing more cameras.

I’m surprised they didn’t disable the internet.

Airbnb support acted like this was the first time a guest threw a party.

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All that makes sense. That would be a lot of people to confront. As for the cops, they rarely come. They were likely out trying to arrest someone for recording in public instead.

Clearing the air of all the aerosols takes more than 4 hours. I don’t even go in to clean the same day…but I’m not judging you. I’m just stating what I think are best practices. I could be wrong.

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I follow the recommended minimum of 24 hour buffer between guests along with the enhanced cleaning protocol. At one point it was an AirBNB requirement, but as per the attached article, AirBNB seems to have obfuscated those requirements.

Hosts who participate in this program are required to maintain a 24-waiting period after a guest checks out before entering to clean a listing. A property may not be flipped and offered to a new guest with a reservation on the same day that the previous guest checked out. This is meant as a way to ensure any airborne particles have settled out of the air, although experts believe this happens within a few hours or much less.

The other option for hosts is a program called Booking Buffer, which is less rigorous on the cleaning side but requires a longer time buffer between guests. Hosts not enrolling in the Cleaning Protocol, because they can’t or won’t adapt to its stringent requirements, may instead opt into this tier that enforces a longer vacancy period between stays. Reservations will be automatically blocked during that timeframe, which is currently set at 72 hours. With Booking Buffer, listings must still remain vacant for 24 hours after a guest leaves before a cleaning team or host can enter, and then another 48 hours must pass before a new guest’s arrival.

Previously, as a third option, hosts could opt to participate in neither of these new standards and instead continue their existing procedures. Their listings reflected that choice. However, they now must at least commit to the new five-step enhanced cleaning process.

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NOT SAFE. It needs to be empty for at least a day. Where have you been for the past 6 months?

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So you’re turning the listing round in one hour, complying with the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, and “then some” additional measures?

Wait before entering the listing

Check your local authority for guidance on how long to wait before entering a space occupied by a person who may have been exposed to COVID-19. For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests waiting 24 hours. If that’s not possible, we recommend waiting at least 3 hours, which is what the European CDC recommends. This waiting period is for your protection and helps to ventilate the room, to limit your exposure to aerosolized virus droplets that may be in the room. For up-to-date information on cleaning standards in your region, visit the Airbnb Help Center.

If you’re following the guidelines then all I can say is that you are feckin quick with a mop and duster.

The waiting time, post check out, is there for a reason. In this instance, it’s for your protection, not your guests. Aerosol droplets can hang around is the air for a while, and I think most organisations have agreed that aerosol transmission is the biggest threat.

Maybe you’ve just been lucky; but given the infection rates in many US states just now, if it was me, I’d be looking to minimise my exposure as much as possible, and not risk my health, or the health of my family, just for an extra few bucks.

Funny things is, since we introduced a buffer day when we reopened in July, we’ve decided that we may actually keep it, even when the time comes that it isn’t needed. Our old turn round window was 2hrs, and sometimes, when we had same day check in/out on both apartments, guests would be arriving just as the floors were dry. It’s cost us money, but what a more relaxed time we had!

JF

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I feel the same way about the cleaning buffer day.It gives you more time to look over the place, air it out, and detail it. The buffer also allows the host more time to take care of unexpected surprises or oversights. These days it may take you 24 hours to find more toilet paper, for instance. Our toilet paper shortage is back!

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One of the reasons I got a bidet seat for my personal toilet.

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Right from the start of this issue, it seems that the guest was in charge and not the host, asking for a party and being given permission, despite the listing saying parties and events are not permitted. (Yes, 9 people counts as a ‘party or gathering’ and I would imagine classed as extremely foolhardy in COVID times).

It doesn’t seem sensible to rely on any advertising platform to ‘do anything’ If there are damages, these should be reported to your insurance company if they are severe enough to warrant that. And for extra clean-up, hosts should try to build up an emergency crew of three or four people who can help out in a pinch.

If you have a security deposit set on Airbnb, then you can claim from this as long as the guest agrees. But inconsiderate partiers aren’t very likely to agree. (And yes, as I recall, the claim has to be made before the next guests check in).

Like @Debthecat I don’t understand why you didn’t go straight to the rental as soon as you knew all wasn’t well. I don’t understand why you don’t have a co-host if you’re not able to do it. I don’t understand why you spoke to them the next day (to give them an extra half hour!)

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When you are a host, you take a crash course in guest behavior. And they will misbehave, even if you are there on site.

Your subtle hint was having 9 people over. This is a pandemic. And that’s a party. And they won’t care about your review. Because they in all likelihood made money on this.

When you hang out on this forum, you will learn the subtleties. That’s a promise.

What disturbs me is that you clearly had an emergency that Airbnb vowed to end.

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