I have a guest that was going to stay for two stints, one for 20 days, and another for 12. My father is now in hospice, which came suddenly. I have convinced him to stay elsewhere for his next jaunt coming up so I can attend my father and mother. I can’t be sure he won’t leave the door open or fridge or freezer open, much like a teen. This guest is more than average in the amount of guidance he has needed. He has been slightly snotty to me when I have reminded him of shutting door (it is winter here) and he has left it open all night 4 times, respecting appliances, and following rules. I don’t think his original behavior is intentional, I think it is training on how they may have lived before, but this house is nice, and the rules are specific and few. Below is my draft and I would like a little feedback.
"Dan left his room clean. I would not host a return visit by Dan. A few examples: He did not follow posted and verbal instructions for washer and dryer. He left medical apparatus in pockets posing risk to the washing machine pump. He had to be reminded to flush the toilet (which I clean daily). He caused heat loss and posed a hazard to the home by carelessly leaving the door from garage to house open on 4 or more occasions.He was not receptive to requests to follow the rules and sent a passive aggressive response to my pleading for him to follow rules of the house (posted). "
It seems too long/wordy to me.
BTW, consider getting some kind of auto-closing mechanism on that door between the house and the garage (e.g. spring-loaded hinges). That’s actually a building code where I live for safety reasons, but it can help with your energy bills, too.
Thank you. It is auto close. He is stopping it. I will shorten the review. How is this:" Dan left his room and bathroom in good order. He was not receptive to requests to follow the rules and sent a passive aggressive response to my pleading for him to follow house rules".
Or this:
Dan stayed in my home as a guest. He left his room in a clean manner, but had trouble following house rules.
Thanks again!
Saying he stayed in your home as a guest is pointless, of course he did, it’s a guest review. “While Dan left his room in good order, he seemed unable to follow simple house rules (or common sense, leaving the door open many times in the dead of winter) even after being repeatedly reminded, and sent an unpleasant response when asked to please respect my requests. Not recommended.”
You are a doll. Thank you. First unpleasant guest. I still love this, most are amazing guests.
Sorry you have this stress while dealing with an emotional time with your dad. Sending hugs!
Thank you. Most guests have been very self-sufficient. I leave food labeled in fridge, they eat or don’t eat, and carry on with why they are in the area. This one was more difficult, and I don’t have time to babysit. But, soon he will be gone and after a while, I will get more wonderful guests. It is difficult to write a review that is negative and not wordy. It is much easier to write a positive review in just a few words. Take care. Valerie
I feel closure with this issue and thank you for the advice. I am taking it. Happy New Year.
Much too wordy. Here’s my take:
Would not host Guest again. Although he kept the room clean, he refused to follow house rules and sanitary/safety guidelines left and right including leaving doors open in winter, not flushing, and misuse of washer/dryer. Became passive aggressive when asked to follow rules.
This is a great attitude to have.
Keep it SHORT and 100% FACTUAL - nothing opinion counts.
Would not host again. Dan left our door open all night long on more than one occasion. He often did not flush toilets after using, and disregarded multiple house rules.
Perfect.I am using it.
Hi Valerie - I made a slight change - please see updated version - mentioning not flushing.
The shorter the better. The review should be 100% FACTS = Not flushing a toilet, Leaving your doors wide open all night long, etc.
Avoid SUBJECTIVE / OPINIONS. Do not talk about “behavior / rude / inconsiderate”.
A prospective host will see this and RUN the other way. Mission accomplished!
Stop at no flushing. Your guest “had challenges with basic hygeine and appliance use, resulting in stress and extra expenses for utilities”.
Please please warn us about him.
Will do. Thank you. I go above and beyond with many things, and my house is custom built. Most people that choose my home are usually here for weddings or events. Those people are usually home-owners. That is why I have had such terrific guests. It seems that the longer term ones where they are starting a new job can have problems. Live and learn. But of course, I will rate him, but I was afraid of being too wordy and I got that help, thanks to the feedback. There were about 10 things he did after corrections, and I didn’t name them all, and none of those did I think I needed to list. Who would think a person would need to list normal house etiquette. lol. People can be funny. I think this particular man does not like being reminded of things from a woman, but I could be wrong. I will not have that conversation with him, he leaves Jan. 2, and I will leave him a thank you gift, and a wave goodbye.
Got it. Thank you a million. Happy new Year.
I actually thought something similar after reading your original post. It may not even be a gender thing, but simply that he has an aversion to being told what to do. Continuing to leave the door open in the winter, after being reminded to close it, doesn’t seem like an oversight- it seems like passive-aggressive behavior.
The happy thing is that he is leaving. Right? This is much better than a roommate that spreads his misery all year. Yay for us!!
I concur about “not being reminded of things by a woman” from the non-flushing type. Our experience was horrifying because we shared a home with him. And yes, I could go on. He was my first and only 1 star.