I recently gave contact information for my cleaning and handyman personnel to a local host who had just gotten started with a whole home rental (he says this will eventually be his retirement home; he lives in a neighboring town). After they started working for him, they both told me that he wanted them to “cut corners”, engage in practices that might be dangerous (i.e. installing electrical outlets in a way that was not up to code) and work beyond what he was originally paying them for. As they are both business people they chose to do what their business, moral and common sense led them to do. They worked for him on a limited basis, although the cleaning person worked much harder and longer hours than she probably should have. He hired his own friends to do other work. He had booked back to back reservations (nineteen, I think) beginning in about two weeks and was pushing her to get the place ready, and she needed the work, apparently. Mr. New Host opened his rental and promptly left for his home country for two months without arranging for anyone to oversee the rental property properly (in my opinion) other then a friend who was an emergency contact. When I learned that this was the case I was very concerned but could not think what I could do because I thought, “It’s none of my business.” Then I realized that he might endanger the nice, no meddling history that vacation rental owners have with our local government. I must add, here, that this property sleeps 16, has a pool and is within walking distance of a beach, so will attract partiers. I sent him a short email advising him that he should arrange for someone to a) provide accountability to his guests and b) oversee the property on a daily basis so that the neighbors will not complain, mostly regarding parking, noise, or trash. (The cleaning person does have a property management business, but he did not want to pay for this service). His response was that he had a friend to check in in case of emergencies, that he did not want to be “intrusive” because that is why guests like to book with him, and then he sent an email rebuking the cleaning lady for breach of confidence.
Long, long story short, my cleaning person/friend came to my house looking like she was in shock, saying she had finally quit because the last guest had yelled at her (they had refused to leave at checkout time) because the dishwasher and 20 electrical outlets didn’t work, the hot water ran out after 5 guests, the garage floor is flooded, trash is all over the yard, the neighbors are complaining about the trash, the noise, the parking, maggots are crawling out of the trash bags, the lock on the doors have been broken for days, the laundry is piling up, the heater in the hot tub doesn’t work. All the guests have complained to her, the neighbors tell her they are fed up, and they’ve told the handyman they are going to call the police. The handyman asked the neighbors to hold off and wait until the host comes home and talk with him, first, which they have agreed to do, for now.
Even though the host has been on the other side of the world for two months, and there was no oversight at all, the place now has four five star reviews on Air. “Amazing.” “Overwhelming hospitality”." Absolute pleasure." “Amazing host.”
I am befuddled.
As it now turns out he asked you for help and advice you were right to contact him and express your concerns.