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Personally, I think the review reads like the guest wanted/expected a place where her dog could run around freely inside and out, she didn’t get it, and everything else in the review is an excuse to try to justify the 1-star rating. I find the “hoarder” comment distasteful, but I wouldn’t respond to it.
BTW, I actually snickered when I read this because I can see it being a common theme in your reviews based on your past posts. 
It is my understanding that the listing has photos of the yard, etc. So if they are not available for guest / dog use … fair game, right?
Sounds like they looked at the pictures, made assumptions, didn’t read, discovered the rules on arrival and didn’t like them - so there is your retaliation review.
If I have the garage door open, it may appear disorganized or cluttered to them. But it’s my basement, multitasking as a garage sale storage and organizing area, an IKEA assembly area, a cabinet shop, and a laundry.
@Militaryhorsegal if you do review, can you use
"My rules for dogs of guests are posted in the listing, and you agreed to those rules and the refund policy when you booked.
The door to my sometimes disorganized workshop is usually closed. I’m sorry you found your peek into my private area as disturbing as I do."
I do not have photos of the back yard although other pets are welcome to use it if they ask permission and I ensure that either my dogs are not there and/or the SOF shave had a successful Meet & Greet. It states in the House Rules that the MIGHT get access to the dog facilities if the Meet & Greet goes well.
I knew this would happen for the regulars (which is exactly why I didn’t provide my side of the story). I wanted to see which way people would see it on their own…and I slipped a bit when I replied saying she was telling in herself in the review.
I agree and in this case she did not have any complaint about the fines. In this case I did not list fines for the rules she broke as I honestly (naively, I know now) thought no one would break them while living under the same roof and with cameras. I actually plan to add the fines based in this guest (and much to the chagrin of many hosts here) to do more to avoid people like her booking, or staying once booked and told to read the rules they refused to read prior.
I don’t know what that means, happy for explanation.
I would not argue such things in response. They do nit matter. She broke the house rules and admitted it. It matters not to me whether she breaks them for a minute or a month…she is not welcome at my home with that disrespect (especially given how it all really went down).
Actually I have yet to respond to a review (other than to post their even more glowing private reviews that they obviously thought were also being published). My actual gut reaction for a response (IF I was to actually leave one was the following:
Anyone who books with me, follows the House Rules and doesn’t lie will have a better experience than you. Your stay was only disappointing for you when you got called out for your lack of respect and intentional disregard for the House Rules you yourself said were reasonable (until getting caught not following them).
I have found that they say this to try to guilt the host into giving them what they know they have no right to…like nothing ventured nothing gained since they know they have no leg to stand on to get it back.
Thank you for that. It will certainly be useful.
Actually they are and tried to use that as evidence as to why I needed to refund her everything!
If it was actually the fact before she got called out in real time in person for breaking the house rules I would agree.
Thank you. I will certainly use this to show that the review does not comply with the ToS.
I am surprised you feel that way, regardless of whether or nit it is all true.
I will
Keep you all posted. And if you have any particular wording savvy I am all ears (or eyes in this case, lol).
In this case it is just the dining room as I use it as a storage room instead. This is clearly indicated in the listing where I also state that fir this reason it is not for guest use. It is the only other part of the house she saw than her bedroom and bathroom. I also sometimes remind guests at check-in something like, “as you will have read in the listing, this dining room is only used for storage, as you can see.” I may start taking out the word dining just so people are more likely to view it as the “storage room that it is.” Most reviews comment about how clean and beautiful the house is.
But you wrote earlier that it is not a terrible review so I am surprised even more to have seen that.
The rules were known ahead of time and she even wrote me multiple times that she thought they were reasonable and understood why I had them.
Inflexibility to rules? So should I also allow smokers to smoke for a minute in my non smoking property to be seen as flexible? And would my non smoking guests see me I’m positively for allowing smokers to smoke only a short time in the nonsmoking room they booked?
No one wants to be yelled at and I did not yell at her. I had one other guest with a dig who broke house rules related to the dog who also claimed the same thing…not a single other person…these 2 guests who left the worst stars (that one was only a 3 though) we’re both called out for breaking g the house rules related to their dogs.
Does that mean you are assuming the rest is not honest?
The rules she states in the review are nit correct. She changed them to try to make them worse than they are and like she couldn’t have possibly been able to follow them…which is ridiculous on her part as well since she admits to breaking them anyways.
True. It went from 4.84 (58) to 4.78 (59).
Can you tell me what makes you think it sounds this way? No, I did not follow her around. What I actually did was hold her dog on a leash while she was in and out of the house several times. I told her that she could have asked me to do that since she did not want to secure the dog herself. I told her the worst I could do was say no, but that she knew based on my previous interactions with them I would be happy to do so.
I agree about the de-clutter session of course, but in her case she was really talking about the room of storage, which is also disclosed in the listing.
It is interesting that you say that becuase I have handled things very well. People that follow the rules and communicate with me do not have issues. She chose to actively disregard the rules (even knowing that her dog has completely destroyed doors in AirBnBs before). There are SEVERAL areas of comfort and non-conflict for the dogs and she chose to ignore them.
As a professional pet care provider I am well aware if this and that is what it is NOT my rule. She lied by saying it is. I have several areas for guest dogs. She did not do the required Meet & Greet to be allowed to use the NICER ones. She knew this and said it was reasonable and she understood. It was not until she got called out that she lied in her review, trying to not look like such a bad guest.
Exactly, thanx.
Interesting that you are the first one to mention this. Probably closer to the truth here.
I can laugh too because it is only as common as the people who do not follow them as far as complaining about them. A more common theme is that guests tell other guests to actually read the House Rules. So many guests do not read them until I direct them to. And the one other bad review from a guest with a dog who didn’t follow them only read them after checking out when getting called out for not following them with his dog (in that case he turned his dog out with my dog in the dark without permission (and I would have brought my dog in for him to use it solo since it was dark, had he communicated with me).
I’m not sure why this is your understanding but perhaps because in the House Rules it states how a guest MIGHT gain access to all that and more. This guest may have thought she could just get that all without complying (si felt e titled). I actually include zero photos of all that. The most they see is a front photo of the farm with the shed row barn in the background where it is explicit that non-equine pets are prohibited from going near. Yes, I do allow guests to bring their horses, and have done so successfully.
Pretty close. There were no pictures and I had to tell her multiple times to read the house rules. Once she did she may actually have thought she would get even more dog amenities than she originally thought. However when she didn’t follow the procedures to actually use them she seemed to decide she was just going to do what she wanted, regardless. She had actually written me several times before arrival that she had then gone and read them and found them to be reasonable and she understood why they were in place. What I should have canceled her reservation for “not feeling comfortable” with is that she said “I will try to follow them.”
Apparently she uses a new profile quite often as she says she has used it many times but her account she booked with had been created that month and had no reviews. At check-in she told me of her experience at one AirBnB where her dog completely destroyed an entire front entrance door and escaped the house due to his separation anxiety when she left him in her room. She bragged about how she paid for the entire damages without even being asked and everyone was basically satisfied with the outcome. In her parting argument she even claimed that she didn’t need to follow the house rules because she disclosed that her dig does damage when left alone…the logic defies logic! I do have that convo on video as well since she said it while standing in front of the video doorbell.
Since she just uses a new account I have no way of knowing how that person whose door she destroyed reviewers her (or how she reviewed them. My guess is she creates a new account every time she gets a bad review and has no qualms about leaving 1 star retaliation reviews filled with lies.
Interesting because she lied about the refund also. I told her when I finally met her after check-in that I would refund her pet fees fully for all nights her dog was not there (she checked in mire than 24 hours late) as well as any rebooked nights should she find a place to live sooner than the end of her reservation. She was happy with this until she sent me a change request with all the days she would be gone early refunded and I declined and offered to change the dates with only a $0.43 refund (based on the way AirBnB only allows you to charge whole dollars for their change requests) but still refund any rebooked nights.
When she was getting ready to leave she complained my house rules were unreasonable, she didn’t need to follow them because her dig was super calm and she disclosed her dog does damage when left alone and because she was not staying for the whole reservation and it wasn’t for a long time, and refunding her for the dogs and room nights rebooked was also unreasonable and I should give her a full refund because she doesn’t have much money and is in the military and I should understand that since I was in the military. It honestly sounded like a teenager having a tantrum of words.
I will also add that she refused to use the crate I provided as well, admittedly didn’t bring her own, showed up way late (although I forced communication by not providing access to the smart lock until she did), constantly wrote by text (off platform) using hearts and emojis and showering the niceties profusely throughout her stay, until……I sent reminders on platform to secure her dog. I had seen on camera that she left the house several times without the dog (which meant she didn’t follow the House Rules, given her refusal to use a crate I provided).
Looks like you’ve gotten some good advice. Time for that Frozen lady who sings, “Let It Go” to show up!
That was not me.
I, and I assume many others do not want to be controlled and micromanaged.
I have a non smoking property, I realized early on that smokers will smoke and Karen’s will Karen. So I put out butt cans outside.
I have never had a guest light up inside that I know of, and if they did I would be pissed off but really what could I do? Air will not back a host up because you smell cig smoke. So I am flexible.
I have no idea, it was the guests perspective not knowing your side I cannot know if they are liars. I just commented the that portion seemed likely true.
I have VRBO guests leaving today who brought two undisclosed dogs, my VRBO listing only allows for one and it needs to be put on the reservation.
I texted them the morning after check in, I see you have two dogs… I copied and pasted the dog rules I normally would have printed out and they Venmo’d me the $120 pet fee (2 dogs 3 nights) and in their text on on the Venmo called it a deposit… They have been a pain in the ass, letting the dogs off leash and running the AC at 64 I would not have them back.
However, I will be doing some damage control this morning, I am overrun with chicken eggs right now (good girls) and am going to text and ask if they would like a dozen to take home. I am not going to confront them about the dogs being off leash as there is no point and it will seal the deal on a bad review. The thing is had they asked, been honest about the dogs I often discount for dog 2 . The only reason 1 only on VRBO is they do not have a way to charge for more than one on platform.
So for me, I am flexible when it serves my interest. Bad reviews and unhappy guests are not in my interest.
My very first thought, before touching on a few points, is a repeated theme: “people who follow my rules don’t have issues”. So, there is likely some room for improvement.
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It is fair to say that more than one interaction rubbed her the wrong way. Similarly, there was LIKELY SOME way to handle it so you “Get what you want” (obey rules) - without causing offense or irritation.
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Her review “sounds authentic” to me. Ergo “her personal experience”. It sounds calm, not a rant, not made-up, embellished, or blown out of proportion. Many (most?) prospective guests may feel the same reading it, ASSUMING they look at the reviews instead of the 4.78.
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Look, there is “your impression” of the interaction, and there is hers. The only thing most people would agree to is there was SOMETHING about all of it that definitely rubs her the wrong way.
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You can choose to accept that, and create a better overall solution (think of it as make it EASIER for them to “obey / stay within your rules”). Examples: “dog play area” or “place to keep dog while going to room, bathroom, moving luggage, carrying stuff in/out, etc.” / place to keep dog while .
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Or, you can just go on and not consider if there is any way to make things better or more efficient. Your choice. It is pretty clear that you have any number of rules and you expect people to follow them. If you make it easier for them to do so, it will be to your benefit.
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We learned a few things the hard way when we started hosting. Fortunately, not too hard. You are very experienced. Is there really no room for improvement?
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What takes more of your valuable time? Posting all this and staying fixed, or, finding a better approach that = Win-Win?
I don’t know you and I’ve not been on this site for very long. I do not allow dogs in my rental.
I have to say, not allowing a dog to sit in the room for a few minutes while someone is loading the car is completely ridiculous. Not allowing a dog to go out into your yard except if you have a meet and greet sounds like a joke.
If I read this review of your place, there is no way I’d stay there. You really need to lighten up.
WHY do you continue to troll EVERYONE who posts here, especially women?
I’m getting really tired of your misogyny, and I know I’m not the only one.
Well, I wasn’t there so it’s hard to tell.
There are different ways to communicate with a guest. Nobody likes to be told “You are doing that wrong.” It feels like a “gotcha” and makes people defensive.
Or because the guest initially experiences a host as simpatico, they may think they’ve established a bit of a relationship and that you will cut them some slack. They consider themselves a nice person and they’re not necessarily trying to put one over on you by design or ill intent. Depending on how the host reminds them or asks them to do something differently, they may feel stupid that they misinterpreted the situation or embarrassed. Again, that makes people defensive.
One host might say, “You are breaking the house rules by leaving your dog in the room while packing up.” Another host might say, “Hi, can I help you out by watching your dog? Some of my guest’s dogs have gotten anxious waiting in a strange room while their owner got sorted. I’m happy to take Bowser for a little walk around the yard.”
A conversation is not trolling. The OP literally ASKED for thoughts, feedback and dialogue.
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You are the only one Trolling (see forum rules). So stop.
Always.
I called her out for failing to follow the House Rules, the first tine with a kind reminder sent vis the AirBnB platform.
Likely with some guests but not at all in this case. She has gotten away with destroying entire doors at other AirBnBs and just created a new account for the next time. I wish there was a way to see the reviews she left (and received) in those cases.
I’m interested in your perspective on whether you think others would think 4.78 as good or as bad.
Agreed…being made to actually follow the house rules that she agreed to (and had even told me multiple times in writing, unprovoked, that they were reasonable and she understood why I had them).
I have all those things but she refused to use them.
I am very open to the ideas and appreciate yours here as well. I think that one thing that will help in the future is sticking to my requirement of being present when a person checks in with their dog at my shared house. In her case she ended up arriving about 36 hours late so I was unavailable for many hours when she finally did show up. I also did not have my dogs at the house at the time (they were at my boyfriend’s house for the week as I was going to be going out of town shortly after her arrival) so didn’t require them to meet at check-in to be given the “this person is allowed in the house” meet and greet that accompanies check-ins.
I am in COMPLETE AGREEMENT and happy to hear all ideas to make this so.
Yes, and all the rules I have added over the years are due to that experience. Every single rule I have is because at least one person did it and I do not want that at my house. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. That is why I am here and asking questions. And I APPRECIATE your responses VERY MUCH!
I enjoy both. That’s why I have been on here for years. I try to share as much if not more than I ask for.
You wouldn’t think so if the guest disclosed to you at first meeting how that same dog completely destroyed an entire exterior door at a previous AirBnB when she did that before. Not to mention the fact that it is against the House Rules that she said were reasonable and she understood why I had them, and then I had already reminded her before not to do. I had provided a crate which she also refused to use. I would have happily held the dog for her while I was there but she didn’t care to follow the rules.
I would agree. It is one of the lies she has in her review. She didn’t have full use of my my 5 acres but still had plenty of yard space to use, which she did. She just wanted to treat my farm as her own house where her dog was the only one and could come and go when and where it wanted. That is not feasible at my place, she knew that and tried to do it anyways.
Then I would be happy with that. Had you wanted to and asked me about it I could have explained the lies and the actual situation and then you could make a more informed decision. If you take a bad review like that (especially when it is an oddball compared to the majority) without inquiring then you obviously have more and/or better options and are welcome to use them. Those are very far and few between near where I live.
Need to…nope! Could probably benefit from it…yup…and I have, considerably since retiring from the military after serving on a untie duty for 24 years and 3 days.
Thank you for taking the tone to write even though you don’t know me on here. I’m happy to read your thoughts and opinions here in the forum again in the future.
Honestly I do not recall if @Jefferson has posted misogynistic before (I have had quite a long break from the forum during Covid) but as the OP I did not take his responses here as trolling or misogynistic towards me, regardless of or previous interactions here on the forum. I am very interested to know (privately is fine) what about his post made you feel this way.
Exactly…I was about to “heart” your response until I read the second part…be nice. 
@NordlingHouse was trying to look out for me.
Such a wonderful response with great examples!
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Just my personal opinion. I never worry about “1 bad review in 20+ transactions”. It is clearly an outlier and not a trend or cause for concern.
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It sounds like she was pretty entitled. Just consider the overall situation. If you had to do it all over again, would you have done anything different?
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Reactive rules are pretty common. Some of ours are stolen/borrowed.
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Far as I’m concerned, he and I left that behind us. Already forgotten.
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I’m pretty sure that you would have set me straight, if I somehow caused any offense.
But what IS your personal opinion on a 4.78?
Asked and answered, your honor 
You didn’t ask me but since this is a public thread… lol. I think it’s low. When I look for a place to stay I filter for Superhosts. But even among SH I look for higher ratings. If I see two comparable places and one is 4.97 and one is 4.92 I’ll take the higher one. Most times when I search there are many places that are 4.85 and above so I don’t need to look lower than that. Now if there is literally nothing available above 4.85 that’s a different matter.
I’ve stayed in 16 Airbnbs. The lowest one was my very first one, a private room in a shared home and it’s a 4.78 now. There’s a couple more in the 4.8s and the rest are over 4.9 to this day.