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Sigh - this is only our second guest like this - but I will say this time around we have a lot less heartburn.
So sound familiar? - guest is completely silent during stay - and doesn’t respond to standard checking in messages
After checkout - guest sends a cryptic message that the place was filthy pretty much unlivable so they had to clean it before they could use it
We acknowledge their message and invite them to send details , evidence etc
Still waiting LOL . Guest still hasn’t contacted Airbnb support.
We review the camera…. The booking is for 8 people - we’ve counted 15 so far! We have a no unregistered visitor policy .
We also see them trying to quickly walk out with a dog - we have a no dog policy
Now I’m just waiting for my cleaner to go in and inspect . I’ve already contacted Airbnb - indicated that I think they are setting up for a refund request, sent the pictures of the people we identified on camera , and the picture of the dog .
It’s nice to go through this without the brand new host anxiety I had last time - and also to know everything we have to do to maximize our chances of success should this come to a dispute.
My only anxiety is waiting to see if there’s damage , theft , or dog mess in the cabin
I’m not sure I wouldn’t have had them kicked out for the dog and extra guests. Are you going to charge them a fee for both? Honestly, they broke some important rules. It might be too late to get these fees, just damages.
What is the point of having cctv if you’re not going to monitor use of your listing.
If you’d viewed the footage on checkin/during the guests stay you would have known they exceeded guest numbers/brought a dog and could have asked the dog/additional guests to leave.
Much harder to ask for payment for additional guests/extra cleaning in retrospect.
Honestly - I didn’t notice . I wouldn’t have noticed unless I spent a lot of time flipping through video logs. They never gathered all at once on camera. So whenever I checked - it was just two people on camera - but when I started taking screenshots - I noticed they weren’t the same people.
Same for the dog - we only saw it on the checkout video.
I’m waiting for my cleaners to confirm the cleanliness before I do anything else. But for now I’ve notified Airbnb of what’s happened and sent them our evidence
The dog didn’t appear on the checking in video. It actually never appears on camera until check out - so maybe they used a window or the back door.
Secondly the guests didn’t all check in at once. This happened across an 18 hour period. And our devices notify us every time a person is seen at the front door. We look but if you see just 1 person or 2 people - you may not notice how many different people.
I generally don’t care if it’s 1 or 2 more than agreed - but it took me several hours of screenshotting through tons of video clips to identify the different people.
So to answer your question - we view it - but deep analysis - not unless I see something obvious or I need to check after the fact
Almost 2x as many guests than allowed/paid for. An unregistered dog. Where is this sense of entitlement coming from? It’s always happened but it seems to be getting more common everywhere. It’s very discouraging.
It is entitlement. Our cabin is in a gated ID-controlled access area. So it’s possible they booked somewhere else cheaper and chose to make our place their main one.
But there’s something these days where someone asks for early check in - which I can accommodate if there’s no other guest the day before. And then they can turn around and lie about a place being filthy , bring in unregistered guests , and a dog - and somehow expect you to be bending over to appease them!
Doesn’t sound like a stretch to say they threw a party with that many folks above your limit. I’d include that in your messages to AirBnB as it might make a difference in having a review removed if they leave a negative one.
It could be. I don’t think there was ever a time when all 15 were there at the same time - there was just a lot of coming and going… that’s actually how this slipped under the radar.
And given that our cabin is in an area with tons of amenities - it’s normal for people to go in and out the front door all day long.
Since you’ve already had problems twice I’d suggest putting a camera at the back door as well. If there’s a way to have it just recording the entrance and not the whole back deck or yard that would be better. No one wants to feel like they are being watched during their vacation.
Also, if you haven’t already, make it clear that people who violate rules about registered guests are subject to having their reservation canceled immediately. Maybe that will help deter folks with bad intent.
This sounds like the kind of place where there are few actual residents? Like ski condos? If I lived there and someone had a rental with 15-18 people going in and out over a 24 hour period on a regular basis next door I’d be pissed. But if you don’t have to worry about neighbors that’s great.
We were just thinking about that. The back area is entertainment - so I’m on the fence about having a camera over where people will socialize and relax. I wouldn’t appreciate that as a guest.
The place where we are is a very large place. There are residents and rentals , houses , condos etc etc. some are close and some have acres . Mine is on close to 2 acres so there aren’t any really visible neighbors - even though technically they are - just not next door.
I actually pulled the trigger on this place because it had no neighbors within an ear shot - meaning no angry next door neighbors who constantly report rowdy Airbnb guests to the HOA .
I like the idea about stating that rules violation may result in immediate cancellation.
My goal is to not have to be combative with guests. My reasoning is that if you keep the place decent - and don’t wreck things - I’m OK. We have an easy checkout - leave the place neat, start dishes , and pull linens to the floor. That’s literally it.
I don’t want to be a stickler about things for the sake of it. But I find that it’s the people who break rules and ask for freebies who then turn around and want to lie about cleanliness and then try to set up a credit / refund . So it’s like take everything you can from us and then have the nerve to want to take money out of our pocket too! And for that - I feel combative.
Finally - my guest is going nuts in the Airbnb chat! Im not bothering to respond until my cleaning crew is done assessing the place. I’m chuckling inside enjoying their anger because they’ve said everything but demand I should give them money. Even though they keep hinting I owe them “things” to make this right LOL! And they are upset I told Airbnb CS about their additional people and the dog.
@JustANewHost Can you put a camera where it captures the vehicles driving in? Surely there must have been quite a few cars for 18 people and it’s easier to spot different vehicles than different people who may only be entering or leaving one or two at a time.
Many people do. I’ll never forget the host with a cabin in GA who was alerted to a fire starting at her property. The drunk guest had gone to sleep and hadn’t properly extinguished the fire pit. The wind kicked up and the the fire started back up. An Adirondack chair burned but the host was able to called the fire department before a forest fire started. So that’s the argument for cameras on the whole property.
Perhaps a camera without sound recording mounted high above the back entrance (so it can’t be moved by guests) but pointed down over the door would work for you. That way you can see people going in and out but not what they are doing in the entertainment space.
Seriously, you should be monitoring the camera when they check in, doing a head (and pet) count, and immediately (did I mention immediately) contact them about infractions and cancel their reservation if the guests and dog don’t get gone.
You need more cameras and these guests knew what they were doing.
Yep - we normally look at the check in video - but this was spread across 18 hours or so. The dog doesn’t appear on camera till check out. We probably do need a camera over the back door too.
