How to Deal with Bad Airbnb Guests

We’ve all been there – we’ve seen some of the best, and the worst, of people in a service industry like a hotel or a customer help desk. It just takes one person to ruin your entire day.

Running an Airbnb is even more taxing than dealing with a nasty customer in a public place. You will be dealing with that person in their “primitive” state. That person will show “no mercy” because he or she might think “Home sweet home! I can do whatever I want to!”

Some of the guests might be from another country and have different standards. They might not know what are the conventional practices when lodging in an Airbnb home. So here are some notes you can jot down:

Sign this before you stay with me

It might help to get your potential guests to read and sign a house rule agreement before they stay with you. You can also leave another copy of your house rules in the house for your guests. 

“Oh no! My guests do drugs!”

If this ever happens to you, congrats because you will have a long night. Initially, you can confront them regarding the issue head on and express your disapproval regarding their action by referring to your house rule. Depending on the types of drugs they do, you can escalate it to Airbnb or might want to contact local authority directly. It will involve communication and heaps of documentations which no one will like. One consolation is that Airbnb host protection insurance will cover any household damages you suffer from this booking. Hang in there!

Stop low-balling me!

There are less drastic but no less annoying guests who ask you for a discount or try to sidestep the rules like bringing in a pet, after they had agreed to your house rules at the time of booking.

“I wasn’t aware that this is a ‘no-pet’ home. I can’t leave my pets outside the house. Theodore needs to come in or I am going to write a bad review about you.”

Yea, we know pets are more precious than kids. But come on! They have agreed to the house rules at the time of booking, so it is their responsibility to be fully aware of the terms and conditions. As a host, you shouldn’t be threatened or convinced by their unacceptable behaviours. Show them who is the boss here by giving them the options:

• Their pet can come in, but you will leave a note on their record stating such incident. They will pay for an extra cleaning fee too; OR
• They can look for somewhere else to stay the night.

Black and White: No Excuse 

The conventional check out time has always been 10 o’clock in the morning. However, some guests will try to stretch their stay until 11 and when they are asked to leave, they will come up with excuse like, “I thought it is 11am. You didn’t mention it in your check-in check-out manual.”

Well, our advice to you as a host is, as you manage Airbnb long enough, you will gain some insights into guest’s behaviour. To best prevent them, list them in your house rules so that you always have some leverage to fall back while you have the “talk”.

Tom Decided to Tag Along at Last!

What happens if people do show up with extra guests?  Well, it is not easy to notice that because nowadays people favour automatic check in which means host will not meet the guests in person for check in. This can be an “opportunity window” for guest to sneak in 10 more people in a house that can only accommodate 4 people.

That aside, if you do catch it, here are what you can do:

• Charge them extra for each additional guest. If they refuse to pay, remind them the charge will be deducted from the deposit.
• You can make a formal complaint to Airbnb and leave a negative review on their profile record. When writing your review, make sure you stick to the fact and problem. You can also mention what went well during the stay too, just because a review that is too negative can be perceived as an exaggeration.

God Helps Me!

Now, let’s say you have tried to work things out with your guest and you are either concerned about your personal safety or you have not been able to resolve the situation.  You can call Airbnb Trust and Safety Team for help (1-855-424-7262). But, be ready to wait for around 7 minutes before they get to the line. In the meantime, you can take some photos or video-recording of the issue to better support your claim.

Remember Airbnb does not always guarantee the best guests for your home when securing the booking. There are only so much info a computed algorithm system can extract from the guest based on their profile. So, finger cross they are who they claim they are. 

But, don’t let just one single booking ruins your joy of hosting and earning some extra cash. It is worth the challenge and you will develop a repertoire of guest handling skills as you mature in this industry. Happy Hosting!

For more information about how to manage your own Airbnb home, you can check out our website: https://www.kozyguru.com/blog.

KozyGuru is an Airbnb Property Management company which provides full services from home styling, professional photography to guest handling, essential restocking etc. We take care of everything and will make sure your home gets the most booking whole year while meeting customers’ expectation. For more information please visit our website: https://www.kozyguru.com/