I had a guest register for the recent Head of the Charles regatta for four nights. Audrey registered her co-coach, Tim and I thought they were coming as a couple. I am very careful about letting single men into my home who do not have extensive airbnb history. This man arrived at 11:00 pm and I asked him where his partner was and he told me they used her airbnb reviews to get him in because he had not airbnb history. I thought of turning him away but I have not been able to get airbnb to give me a stricter cancellation policy and I would have been out $750. I let him in and late Saturday night he came into my private space drunk and proceeded to verbally harass me by describing in pornographic detail how he and his wife swapped partners with their best friends. This went on for 30 minutes and I was sufficiently frightened to just let him run out his stay. I immediately contacted airbnb to let them know what happened. And they are blaming me and taking no action against either the person who registered this man or the man himself. I am about to shut this thing down. I had a teenage girl here with her single mother and I just got brushed off by airbnb like this was my fault for letting him in. Iâve spoken to my city councilman who is appalled. Any other suggestions for how to publicize this matter? I need a cancellation policy that protects me from predators and financially.
My feelings and input,⌠I am sorry to inform you, are that you failed to follow airbnb rules or protections. You are in the wrong to publicize this and/ or to drag your city councilman in, when the proper steps were avoided. .
The moment he showed up under another name, you had the opportunity - And the Responsibility - to contact airbnb and have him removed or at the very least, to determine your rights.
Avoiding air established procedures does not absolve you of your responsibility for allowing this.
Perhaps consider not renting, âŚit does not seem to be a good fit for you and your daughter.
I would not allow strangers in my home if I had a daughter, personally.
I feel sorry for you, but there is more than one way to look at this.
Sounds like an unfortunate situation. However, you really shouldnât have let him in in the first place. Itâs your house, you have to stay in control at all times, especially if youâre feeling threatened. Yes, you may have been out some cash, but what is your personal security worth?
If you donât already have it in your house rules, add that you do not allow third party or gift bookings. If someone shows up to check in and they are not the originator of the reservation, deny them. You can then apply your cancellation policy which entitles you to a portion of the original booking.
Not sure what the reference to your city councilman has to do with anything⌠Also calling someone a âpredatorâ just because you feel uncomfortable with someoneâs adult language, seems a bit hysterical.
this wasnât my daughter. it was the daughter of another guest. and I did follow procedures as far as I understood them. I misunderstood the booking to be a couple and it was 11 at night. It was his third night when things turned for the worse. And I have every right to contact my councilman if I feel that Airbnbâs cancellation policies are not keeping me safe. If I had turned him out I would have lost $750. And I am preparing to shut this thing down.
thanks for the support
thanks for the support. how do I delete my account?
I have asked airbnb for a stricter cancellation policy. I want a full refund if someone cancels or if I need to cancel. I am fully booked and I believe I deserve the right to have this risk management piece. If I had had it, I would have sent him to another spot. But this was the big regatta weekend and the rates go up and I could not afford to lose the money. I did not know that I would turn down third parties.
And this wasnât just adult language. This may described in pornographic detail the sexual positions he engaged in with his wife and best friends. This is a form of assault.
You mean for not necessarily taking your sideâŚ
Instead of crying foul and complaining to your city councilperson, which makes no sense to me, learn from it and put protections in place for yourself.
I have no idea what you mean. Go ahead and âshut this thing downâ. That is fine. I am not here to blindly âsupportâ you when you are in the wrong. Look, airbnb is NOT for everyoneâŚnot for every person to open their home, and not for all travelers. There are safeguards and checks and balances established - and they are not foolproof or perfect - but protections cant work at all when there is no report, or reaching for assistance, or documenting. You really really did not follow procedures.
I know this might not be what you want to hear but this may be your best option. It seems that you may not have had a suitable amount of communication with your guest before arrival. Didnât you ask for the names of the guests and when they would be arriving?
It is also against Airbnbâs TOS to allow third party bookings but nevertheless you let him in for the sake of $750. You shouldnât have allowed him in.
Then he âverbally abusedâ you for thirty minutes? How? You just sat there and let him spout on about his sex life? I have no idea what you expect Airbnb to do about it. Airbnb wasnât there - you were and yet it seems that you failed to protect your other guests from the sexual ramblings of a man who shouldnât have been there in the first place. You canât make up your own rules when youâre using a service.
I think youâre right to close your account.
So sorry to hear this happened. Do you have any idea what Airâs policy is if you refused to let him in? I think the rep. would have advised you to cancel penalty free so that âAudreyâ could get a full refund. And then you would be out of pocket $750. Thatâs unfair to you.
Or, you could refuse to cancel and say that you want to keep the dates open for Audrey. Then Audrey has to cancel herself and the cancellation policy kicks in.
Thatâs exactly what you should have done, well if you had âstrictâ in place. How is it AirBnBâs fault if you have the wrong cancellation policy in place?
WELL YOU CANT HAVE THAT ! " you cant always get what you want".
This is why youâre probably not best suited to being a host. When youâre in business, you really need to understand it.
I think she is a Troll. We both Got suckered in. She wants to shut air down in BostonâŚhence the councilman. Stupid me. I am checking out of this one.
Bye bye
Good point 
Well spotted. After all, who would let a strange man go on about his sex life for thirty minutes?
Kathleen,
Donât get me wrong, Iâm not on this rude guyâs side at all. Itâs just when dealing with humans from all walks of life, this kind of stuff is to be expected from time to time. You have to have the right people skills & policies in place that help protect you when these things happen.
Someone talking about their sexual adventures may be inappropriate and rude, but I think itâs a real stretch when you call it assault.
If the OP felt threatened then it was indeed assault. If I were in that situation I would be frightened.
So if you hear a âbadâ word, thatâs assault? Good lord, what kind of sheltered world do you & the OP live in?