Thanks to this forum, I had plans for when bad stuff happened

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This forum and its posters have been bashed a lot lately, but I wanted to jump in and say thank you. When I joined some years back, I had the same invincibility mindset as a teenage boy, but after reading post after post on what could and did often happen, I made some changes which have paid off this past month.

Bedbugs**
A guest found one and thanks to y’all, I confirmed and called an exterminator right away. Because the mattress and bed springs were covered with top of the line protectors (thanks!), there was no infestation, no canceled bookings, and a clean bill of health. As advised here, I had done the research in advance and knew exactly who I would call and the cost of an inspection. BTW: it’s been said here before, but the professional reiterated that chemical treatments make things worse. The bugs burrow more deeply into cracks and crevices. Throw everything possible into the dryer on the highest setting for at least 30 minutes.

Party and police
I very carefully vet my guests. I’d rather have a good night’s sleep than extra cash generated by a questionable guest. But two weeks ago, I got greedy, ignored red flags and accepted a booking that went south. Here was my plan:

  1. Phone guest and request everyone leaves except for registered guests.
  2. Reiterate message through app.
  3. Wait 30 minutes or so.
  4. Phone guest and message through app - everybody out. Reservation is canceled.
  5. Contact Airbnb and send supporting video.
  6. Wait 30 minutes or so.
  7. If guests don’t leave, contact non-emergency dispatch line and ask for officers to meet me at the house.
  8. Kick out guests with police present.

This worked beautifully. I had no idea the police would do that for me until I read it on here, so THANK YOU! Full disclosure: it was actually fun to show up at the house as a little old lady accompanied by two strong officers with vests, guns, and all the trappings. It definitely de-escalated the whole process.

So, a long post to say thank you. The advice here truly is invaluable. I learned here that prevention and a plan are as necessary as clean linens.

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You are lucky you live where the local police were amenable to coming. I’ve read hosts in some areas saying their local police refuse to get involved in it, beyond giving loud, partying guests a warning to keep the noise down if they are breaking noise bylaws.

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