I’ve been hosting for three years. The last guest turned up at my house drunk, took his shoes off to release a cheesy foot odor that I could taste but still declined a shower and drank another bottle of wine while I sat with him. Then within one hour after I went out, he broke my ceramic toilet lid, left his light on, went out, and wouldn’t respond to calls. Unfortunately, I have to say, though this person was a little extreme, most guests lately are just rude and horrible. Is it because Airbnb encourages through their advertising that people ‘make themselves at home’ at another person’s house (read, hog the bathroom and splash water everywhere, sit around in the open-plan kitchen all day, help themselves to condiments from the cupboard, get packages delivered that hosts have to pick up because it’s their address, get drunk in their room, slam doors while people are sleeping, etc)? What is the solution? My house rules are comprehensive. Should Airbnb politely ask guests to mind their manners while they are in another person’s home?
I was a host (Germany) for 1,5 years.
I had to deactivate it now…
If I look back, what were my problems:
1.
The check-in: Too many people didn’t tell me at what time they would come – although having asked many times… Or they arrived hours later – not telling me.
2.
Showering: Guests took very long showers. The longest was 20-30 mins. This twice a day ruins me. As I get guests only with a lower price. I was in the room next to the bath and could hear the people showering…
3.
Many didn’t slam doors but they really closed them very loud.
4.
Some didn’t turn off the light during the night
5.
Many abused the heating.
6.
Many didn’t note down my name. They rang the doorbells of my neighbours. The last one did this past midnight – although having a key. The neighbours informed Airbnb…
The same guest didn’t shut (not lock) the entrance door of my apartment at night… I saw the next day…
If I re-open again – what would I change?
I would remove my address. I would meet the guests at another place nearby.
It might become more difficult for new members to convince me.
I’d inform guests that they shouldn’t mention Airbnb to anyone.
If I hand out a key to make them sign that they received it – and a security of 200 Euro on Airbnb. The loss of my key could cost more than 1500 Euro…
I’d make sure that the guests have a good level of one of the languages I speak.
Never – never I’d have rented a whole appartment me living elsewhere!!!
I’d have had more (unknown) guests that way.
And I never – never would hand out the key of the room… Not only because of my cat…
It was annoying that guests stayed 30mins and longer inside the bathroom…
Only groups hurried up – as their friends were waiting to get in too.
I accepted almost all guests. But I read that hosts not accepting guests get problems.
So I wish they would just contact me instead of sending requests…
It should be 100% my decision who stays at my place. Hosts risk too much…
I had more than 100 guests and most were nice. But as this is normal and as bad ones really cause huge problems I forget the good ones…
Me too, I have the impression that Airbnb is more interested in guests than in hosts.
But the hotline was always fair to me. As I deactivated my place I had to cancel 2 bookings. And they didn’t charge me for that. They saw that I almost never cancel… I can understand that cancelations can cause big problems.
I accepted guests for one night too. But it was very stressful for me. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had many bookings. I don’t know if I had the energy to communicate more before taking a decision…
I wished I had something that stopps the hot water after 5 minutes in the shower…
But I controlled the heating to prevent the worst… Guests could read that before sending a request…
sometimes you just have to cut bait. Airbnb’s pretty good with getting bad guests out. I look at guest reviews before I take a reservation. If they’re new or don’t really have much. I ask a bunch of questions so I can get a feel for the person. Holiday reservations can be the WORST because people get stupid and drunk!
So Silvia by you own admission you had two great experiences and one bad one. Because of this you think Airbnb shouldn’t exist? I think you may be suffering from the millennial princess bug. We have had 100’s of amazing guests and hosting makes our lives even more wonderful than it already was. Sad to hear these minority reports but such is life.
Your response to Silvia was well said, David. Sigh….
I hope your luck doesn’t turn, as mine did.
Lmao!
I had two fantastic, kind and just generally awesome hosts on Airbnb, and one horrible one. The horrible one claims I stole her keys when I left and wanted to charge me 150$ for the lock…. (which I didn’t and I have proof of leaving them on the desk in the room I was given, because she acted insane throughout the period of me staying with her so I needed proof).
Then she left me a horrible review although I literally got my other 2 hosts a small present before leaving. Who else is going to host me now after I stayed with a nutcase? Also I called her to explain that the keys were left on the desk and that she should check with her male roommate and she threatened to press charges against me…
while I am not pressing anything after her roommate’s drunk friend walked in on me when I was getting out of the shower.
Airbnb shouldn’t exist. If you want a way to make extra money get a second job.
If you want to save money holidaying, go camping, Silvia, or pitch a tent on the sidewalk.
I have a physical health condition and can’t work.
Yes, you’re right, Matthew. But I wasn’t charged anything for removing the last guest because we ‘agreed’. He didn’t like my rules he said (he wanted to feel free to get drunk and access the whole house) so I politely asked “do you want to find another place?”. He said “yes’ so I went straight to the phone and got AirBnB to remove him. Actually he would have been worried about where he’d be staying the night – I could see it in his face – so I think his grumbling was an attempt to manipulate me into making things easy for him rather than having him moved on, but he was moved on with no penalty to me.
airbnb rewards guest for bad behavior. If a guest does not follow your rules or is asked to leave for any reason even if you feel your safety or others is at risk. airbnb will refund the guest 100% at your expense. Airbnb favors guest over host. Host are expendable as a matter of fact airbnb deletes many host on a daily basis. Airbnb is no longer a community it has become a platform for people looking to take advantage of a flawed illegal system. Communities will be far better off when Airbnb comes to a end. Airbnb was once a great idea served good like minded people but not anymore Airbnb ruined themselves w greed, horrible customer service, no fairness, no protection, and advertising to a wallmart crowd. Beware if you are a host you are opening yourself to anything goes & do not kid yourself w anysort of support or protection from airbnb there is none.
Airbnb needs to have a Guest Misconduct Policy if it is to remain as large and successful as it is. Airbnb Is NOTHING without hosts, and if the hosts don’t feel they are properly represented and protected in the policies of the company, they will list elsewhere. Airbnb is not the end all- be all. It could very well be made obsolete by a more vigilant competitor.
Guests act like this in a hotel why wouldn’t they act like this while you pretend to be a hotel? This is what you get when you open your doors for paying guests.
Because, Steve, they are paying much less than they would for a hotel and they know that they have that privilege because it’s another person’s home. If they want to behave like that, go to a hotel! What’s stopping them, do you think? The cost. So they should mind their manners.
Well, Teri, whether you are aware enough to admit it or not you are functioning as a Short Term Rental (read: hotel) so as soon as you open your doors and accept that money your petty worry about other people’s manners becomes null and void
You’re a renter, aren’t you, Steve.
That’s rubbish. Airbnb accommodations are not hotels and never claim to be. They are peoples’ homes and hosting in this manner has existed LONG before the advent of Airbnb. I have traveled all obver the world and stayed in numerous “pensione” style accommodations in peoples homes and this poster is telling the truth: Airbnb guests have gotten much mire rude, are of lower caliber and just make hosting a lot less deisrable. I believe that is is from all of the negative publicity surrounding the company-without relatively little effort by Airbnb to counter this negative image, save for litigious wrangling. I have rented my home to travelers and home exchangers for nearly a decade before using Airbnb. Now, I feel that I need to remove every item that isn’t nailed down and have had so many issues in the previous year with fraudulent or unscrupulous guests that it has soured my feelings on the company altogether. Before this past year, problematic guests were extremely rare. Now it seems like it is a solid 30-40% of guests. We’re over it. Just not worth the headache for the paltry amount of money we receive. Now we only go through agencies that vet the guests, allow signed waivers and take plenty of pre-qualifying information before booking guests. We don’t get as many bookings, but the piece of mind is worth it.