We all see nightmare stories in the media for Airbnb properties with out of control parties + the property being trashed by guests. The media love to report these stories & unfortunately most people have the perception that this is a common occurrence for Airbnb. Recently, we had such an occurrence
After hosting for over 2 years with many properties, I am happy to report that this kind of behaviour by guests is extremely minimal. We have never had an out of control party or the police called, however the recent issue was an overnight guest/s, who;
- Smoked in the apartment (house rules are no smoking)
- Left their cigarette butts on the floors + balcony floor
- Spilt beer on our band new rug
- Split wine & beer all over the balcony
- Broke a bed + a chair
Sounds pretty minimal right? [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”3″ display=”basic_thumbnail” show_slideshow_link=”0″] But, to put this into context, we had just spent a month getting the apartment semi-renovated, with plastering, painting, new lacquer on the flooring, purchasing all furnishings + appliances & ‘bond style’ cleaning… If you have ever renovated a property, you can appreciate the hard work that you put into it. Then you have guests arrive who treats it poorly. It’s extremely deflating & in this case, all cleanable + fixable, but it makes your blood boil that someone thinks this is ok.
Fortunately, Airbnb Support (who are extremely helpful) take on the case as a mediator & rule a decision based on evidence for claiming the security deposit from the guest. Along with being penalised for additional cleaning + handywork, the Host (or Co Host) leaves a review for that guest. What would you say about that guest… yep, it’s pretty scathing! On Airbnb, you can set Guest Requirements;
- Airbnb standard requirements – Confirmed phone number, email address, payment information, and agreement to House Rules (mandatory)
- Government-issued ID (optional)
- Recommendation from other hosts (optional)
When you leave a review, you also choose if you would recommend them to other hosts. Likewise, as a guest we review the stay, by star ratings. For both Hosts & Guests, we can add our Drivers Licence (or Passport etc…) against your Airbnb profile. Reviews, therefore stay against your profile for life.
At SleepOver Brisbane we try to stay professional when a guest treats a property poorly, but it’s difficult, as it feels like someone has abused our own home, trust + the hard work that both the Host (owner) & we have done. If you’d like to find out more about us taking care of your home or investment….click here