Get Paid For Your Pad | Airbnb Hosting | Vacation Rentals | STR Revenue Management EP145: When Your Guests Throw a Frat Party at Your Airbnb
Apr 17, 2017
38:31
Everyone loves a good party… Unless of course, that party happens in your Airbnb without your knowledge or consent!
We all hope that our guests will be respectful of our possessions and our space, and the vast majority of Airbnb users are good people who do just that. But every now and then a bad apple comes along, and it is a good idea to be aware of Airbnb’s resolution process and think through how you might handle a negative situation should it ever arise.
Alice is an Airbnb Superhost who manages Talon Resort, a private mountain home in Tennessee, and lives there when it is not booked. After a weekend rental that was supposed to be for five people, she returned to find evidence that a keg party had taken place in her home. Worse yet, several of her possessions were missing.
Listen in as Alice shares her story and offers advice regarding how to handle such difficult situations in a professional manner – and better yet, how to spot the warning signs in advance and avoid a problem altogether!
Topics Covered
Alice’s Airbnb standing
•Manages four properties
•Superhost status
•Lives at private mountain home in Tennessee when not booked
Alice’s communication with guest prior to stay
•Guest was polite, planned ‘relaxing weekend in mountains’
•Alice accepted two-night booking for five people despite lack of reviews
•She intended to meet guest at afternoon check-in
•Guest altered arrival time to 11pm at the last minute
What Alice discovered upon return
•In breach of house rule, wood stove was used
•Mink stole missing from closet
•Bedspread, blanket and bottle of Sam Adams Utopias also missing
•Shattered glass in bedroom, on porch and in yard
•Bullet holes indicated that guests had destroyed stemware with pellet gun
•Bloodstains in closet, vomit in every bathroom and outside
Evidence of alcohol consumed
•177 used Solo cups
•168 empty beer cans
•5 empty bottles of wine
•3 empty handles of liquor
The guest’s response when confronted
•Didn’t take responsibility
•Maintained that only five people were on property
•Denied having taken any items
•Suggested that glass bottle dropping out of trash bag caused debris in yard
How Alice responded
•Called Airbnb right away
•Customer service agent advised her to call police
•Initiated Airbnb resolution process
Airbnb’s resolution process
•Must report dispute before arrival of next guest
•Host submits request for specific amount of money
•Guest has three days to…
•Approve and send payment
•Decline with explanation
•Negotiate via dialogue
•If guest fails to respond, Airbnb gets involved
Alice’s experience with the Resolution Center to date
•Sent request for return of stolen items and $685
•Guest failed to respond
•Alice had to write additional report and get estimates of damage
•After three weeks, she has yet to hear from Trust and Safety Department
What Alice is doing differently to prevent future incidents
•No remote check-in
•Photo of guest’s government ID
•Higher security deposit
•Qualifiers added to house rules (e.g.: no shooting of any kind)
•No alcohol left out moving forward
Warning signs Alice noticed in retrospect
•No bio on profile
•Change in check-in time to avoid meeting
Alice’s advice regarding how to handle similar situations
•Be sure to document with before/after photos
•Pay attention to detail
•Stay calm and organized
•Communicate with guests through Airbnb site
Resources
We all hope that our guests will be respectful of our possessions and our space, and the vast majority of Airbnb users are good people who do just that. But every now and then a bad apple comes along, and it is a good idea to be aware of Airbnb’s resolution process and think through how you might handle a negative situation should it ever arise.
Alice is an Airbnb Superhost who manages Talon Resort, a private mountain home in Tennessee, and lives there when it is not booked. After a weekend rental that was supposed to be for five people, she returned to find evidence that a keg party had taken place in her home. Worse yet, several of her possessions were missing.
Listen in as Alice shares her story and offers advice regarding how to handle such difficult situations in a professional manner – and better yet, how to spot the warning signs in advance and avoid a problem altogether!
Topics Covered
Alice’s Airbnb standing
•Manages four properties
•Superhost status
•Lives at private mountain home in Tennessee when not booked
Alice’s communication with guest prior to stay
•Guest was polite, planned ‘relaxing weekend in mountains’
•Alice accepted two-night booking for five people despite lack of reviews
•She intended to meet guest at afternoon check-in
•Guest altered arrival time to 11pm at the last minute
What Alice discovered upon return
•In breach of house rule, wood stove was used
•Mink stole missing from closet
•Bedspread, blanket and bottle of Sam Adams Utopias also missing
•Shattered glass in bedroom, on porch and in yard
•Bullet holes indicated that guests had destroyed stemware with pellet gun
•Bloodstains in closet, vomit in every bathroom and outside
Evidence of alcohol consumed
•177 used Solo cups
•168 empty beer cans
•5 empty bottles of wine
•3 empty handles of liquor
The guest’s response when confronted
•Didn’t take responsibility
•Maintained that only five people were on property
•Denied having taken any items
•Suggested that glass bottle dropping out of trash bag caused debris in yard
How Alice responded
•Called Airbnb right away
•Customer service agent advised her to call police
•Initiated Airbnb resolution process
Airbnb’s resolution process
•Must report dispute before arrival of next guest
•Host submits request for specific amount of money
•Guest has three days to…
•Approve and send payment
•Decline with explanation
•Negotiate via dialogue
•If guest fails to respond, Airbnb gets involved
Alice’s experience with the Resolution Center to date
•Sent request for return of stolen items and $685
•Guest failed to respond
•Alice had to write additional report and get estimates of damage
•After three weeks, she has yet to hear from Trust and Safety Department
What Alice is doing differently to prevent future incidents
•No remote check-in
•Photo of guest’s government ID
•Higher security deposit
•Qualifiers added to house rules (e.g.: no shooting of any kind)
•No alcohol left out moving forward
Warning signs Alice noticed in retrospect
•No bio on profile
•Change in check-in time to avoid meeting
Alice’s advice regarding how to handle similar situations
•Be sure to document with before/after photos
•Pay attention to detail
•Stay calm and organized
•Communicate with guests through Airbnb site
Resources
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