Post by High Priestess on May 29, 2016 5:16:59 GMT
Sharon shared on Anecdotes Nov 2014
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-92684
Guest brings dog to mountain cabin (without permission).
A guest and 5 friends stayed at our mountain cabin. (I live in a different location, about 1.5 hour away.) I discovered they brought a dog (or two). The house has a "no pets" policy, though I have, on occasion, given guests permission to bring a dog and have charged a pet fee (usually $40 for two nights). I found several remnants of dog food on the kitchen floor and dog poop in the back yard. Not sure how to handle this. Do I leave a review that states he did not follow house rules? Do I make a claim on the security deposit? Do I message him directly and charge him $50 (or more?)Help!!Sharon
4 comments
Following
Like
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Hi Sharon – it sounds like the guest did not follow the rules and because there wasn't any information about charging for pets in the listing, your best bet is to leave them an accurate review that states they brought a pet/pets without your permission.
If your listing contained information about pets being preapproved and subject extra fees, you could probably go after the extra fees as well.
It seems like your two options are at odds with each other. One is no pets, the other is pets with a fee. Maybe you want to make it more clear in your listing.
Reply Like 7 replies•1 like
Sharon
Sharon2 years ago
Thank you Julie & Eric, that is good advice. I'm not going to go after any pet fee. Now I'm working on what kind of review to leave. There were a couple things amiss regarding this guest's stay. I'm leaning toward leaving a "Guest stayed here November 2014" review. Future hosts can contact me if they have questions. You appear to be seasoned hosts. Have you had to leave similar reviews of guests? Sharon
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Actually – I had to leave that exact review. My house rules and the rental agreement the guest signed state there are to be no unapproved guests/visitors/pets. The return guest had two pre-approved dogs and a reservation for herself only, but toward the end of her stay (during a late checkout she requested) I was in the hall and heard multiple voices so I knocked. There were two people and three dogs. She was a good guest overall and had a dozen great reviews. I left her a review that said she left the place in great condition however she broke the house rules by having an unapproved guest/visitor and third dog. Also as background, she had to be reminded multiple times to return the rental agreement, did not remove her shoes as requested, left the A/C on 69° when we request it to be kept above 72 - definitely not big issues but they pointed toward someone who didn't like our rules/guidelines. She sent me a message that she understood because she was also homeowner but was disappointed because she had great reviews. I replied saying I wish she had asked because it might have been fine and that I realize we have extra paperwork that she probably didn't want to do and guidelines about keeping shoes off/AC at a reasonable temp. This review did not hurt her future stays to my knowledge because she has more great reviews.
Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann2 years ago
As a still fairly new host I wouldn't pick up on a general "guest stayed here review" as a way to avoid leaving a truthful, potential negative, review. And I don't understand why hosts wouldn't want to be honest and straightforward. Other hosts need honest reviews so we don't get screwed as well. Maybe Julie's good guest wasn't so great but nobody else had the balls to say so so people just keep renting to her! I'd flip if I found out people brought dogs and/or extra people without my knowledge or permission.
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Sometimes different hosts have different experiences with the same guest, depending on the host's style and temperament. I always try to find something positive to say and I am fairly easy going. The only time I included negative was for the guest who snuck in his brother (who was probably 400 pounds) halfway through his stay and I found out a day or two before he left. The brother broke the frame of my chair and they never told me. I asked them to pay half for the repair ($75) since the chair was new but not bought at a place that had warranties so i decided to eat half the cost. Mind you, this studio at the time, meant for 2 or 3 max and he put in 4 adults for $69 a night in NYC and he couldn't pay for his damage! He never responded to me, but he left me a good review. Airbnb gave me the money. I wrote communication was poor, he snuck in another guest without my knowledge and he broke a chair. The only positive
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Sorry. The only positive was he was charming and friendly. When he booked, he wrote me that I would live his family. Not!
Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann2 years ago
Wow, people are amazing. Yes, I could see how some things are not worth mentioning. I'm pretty laid back as well & I've let dirty dishes slide and little things like that, but my nightmare guest let a leak continue in the kitchen for her ENTIRE stay and didn't think to tell me about it until after she checked out. Something like that seems like a universal "you can't be serious?" moment.
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Yes, I let the dirty dishes slide too, and I leave the negatives for the truly awful. The leak you noted is definitely worth mentioning in a review. I do think there is a possibility of misunderstanding, so like the host below, I try to root it out first. Recently I had a guest who stayed an extra night without paying me. When I asked him about when he was checking out, he gave me a time for the next day. I didn't say anything then because I wanted to check if I screwed up. Then the next day he left before I could mention it to him. I didn't put that in his review because he was a great guest and it honestly did seem like he was trying to scam me. In the end, he did respond from his home and ask how he could fix it.
Jesse
Jesse2 years ago
If this happened to me, I would definitely mention the breach of contract. I would say "fairly nice guests however they had at least one dog which is not allowed and then did not clean up after that dog in the yard". I'm a dog owner, and I would have asked if I could bring my dog, even though you say no pets. And if I was going to be sneaky I would have made sure the yard was clean. As a host I would appreciate another host giving me a heads up about these guests.
Reply Like 3 likes
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
The way I look at it, when thinking whether to make a comment in the guest's public review about the problems I had with them, is that (1) I reflect on the relative seriousness (vs triviality) of the problem, and also(2) the possibility that the problem was caused by a misunderstanding, or was it something intentional the guest did, and (3) I ask whether this guest is likely to do the same thing again with another host. Also, (4) I speak to the guest about the problem and see what their reaction is. If they don't take responsibility for the issue or deny that it happened, this counts against them, and makes it more likely I would mention something in the review.
So far, I have not had any guest who has caused a serious problem, violated house rules repeatedly/intentionally or in a deceptive way such as by bringing pets when none are allowed, or did something to cause a problem which I was pretty sure would happen again with another host.
So I have not yet had to mention anything "negative" in any reviews of guests, after having over 200 guests.
I do think it is better to not allow pets at all, rather than to allow pets for an additional fee. I think leaving any possibility of guests bringing pets leaves open more possibility for guests bringing pets without telling you. In some guest's minds, they seem to justify that if something is allowed for an additional fee, then if they do it "carefully" they can do it without paying the extra fee. There may also be a resentment of additional fees, to where guests feel that if something is allowed, it should just be allowed without any other fees imposed.
Reply Like 1 reply•2 likes
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
I agree - I don't charge for pets.
Stephanie and Steven
Stephanie and Steven2 years ago
I agree, we don't allow any pets.
We talk about it as an issue of allergies and we mention in the listing that we would prefer people not even ask. It only makes things awkward for everyone.
(not that they ever read the listing)
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-92684
Guest brings dog to mountain cabin (without permission).
A guest and 5 friends stayed at our mountain cabin. (I live in a different location, about 1.5 hour away.) I discovered they brought a dog (or two). The house has a "no pets" policy, though I have, on occasion, given guests permission to bring a dog and have charged a pet fee (usually $40 for two nights). I found several remnants of dog food on the kitchen floor and dog poop in the back yard. Not sure how to handle this. Do I leave a review that states he did not follow house rules? Do I make a claim on the security deposit? Do I message him directly and charge him $50 (or more?)Help!!Sharon
4 comments
Following
Like
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Hi Sharon – it sounds like the guest did not follow the rules and because there wasn't any information about charging for pets in the listing, your best bet is to leave them an accurate review that states they brought a pet/pets without your permission.
If your listing contained information about pets being preapproved and subject extra fees, you could probably go after the extra fees as well.
It seems like your two options are at odds with each other. One is no pets, the other is pets with a fee. Maybe you want to make it more clear in your listing.
Reply Like 7 replies•1 like
Sharon
Sharon2 years ago
Thank you Julie & Eric, that is good advice. I'm not going to go after any pet fee. Now I'm working on what kind of review to leave. There were a couple things amiss regarding this guest's stay. I'm leaning toward leaving a "Guest stayed here November 2014" review. Future hosts can contact me if they have questions. You appear to be seasoned hosts. Have you had to leave similar reviews of guests? Sharon
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Actually – I had to leave that exact review. My house rules and the rental agreement the guest signed state there are to be no unapproved guests/visitors/pets. The return guest had two pre-approved dogs and a reservation for herself only, but toward the end of her stay (during a late checkout she requested) I was in the hall and heard multiple voices so I knocked. There were two people and three dogs. She was a good guest overall and had a dozen great reviews. I left her a review that said she left the place in great condition however she broke the house rules by having an unapproved guest/visitor and third dog. Also as background, she had to be reminded multiple times to return the rental agreement, did not remove her shoes as requested, left the A/C on 69° when we request it to be kept above 72 - definitely not big issues but they pointed toward someone who didn't like our rules/guidelines. She sent me a message that she understood because she was also homeowner but was disappointed because she had great reviews. I replied saying I wish she had asked because it might have been fine and that I realize we have extra paperwork that she probably didn't want to do and guidelines about keeping shoes off/AC at a reasonable temp. This review did not hurt her future stays to my knowledge because she has more great reviews.
Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann2 years ago
As a still fairly new host I wouldn't pick up on a general "guest stayed here review" as a way to avoid leaving a truthful, potential negative, review. And I don't understand why hosts wouldn't want to be honest and straightforward. Other hosts need honest reviews so we don't get screwed as well. Maybe Julie's good guest wasn't so great but nobody else had the balls to say so so people just keep renting to her! I'd flip if I found out people brought dogs and/or extra people without my knowledge or permission.
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Sometimes different hosts have different experiences with the same guest, depending on the host's style and temperament. I always try to find something positive to say and I am fairly easy going. The only time I included negative was for the guest who snuck in his brother (who was probably 400 pounds) halfway through his stay and I found out a day or two before he left. The brother broke the frame of my chair and they never told me. I asked them to pay half for the repair ($75) since the chair was new but not bought at a place that had warranties so i decided to eat half the cost. Mind you, this studio at the time, meant for 2 or 3 max and he put in 4 adults for $69 a night in NYC and he couldn't pay for his damage! He never responded to me, but he left me a good review. Airbnb gave me the money. I wrote communication was poor, he snuck in another guest without my knowledge and he broke a chair. The only positive
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Sorry. The only positive was he was charming and friendly. When he booked, he wrote me that I would live his family. Not!
Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann2 years ago
Wow, people are amazing. Yes, I could see how some things are not worth mentioning. I'm pretty laid back as well & I've let dirty dishes slide and little things like that, but my nightmare guest let a leak continue in the kitchen for her ENTIRE stay and didn't think to tell me about it until after she checked out. Something like that seems like a universal "you can't be serious?" moment.
Christina
Christina2 years ago
Yes, I let the dirty dishes slide too, and I leave the negatives for the truly awful. The leak you noted is definitely worth mentioning in a review. I do think there is a possibility of misunderstanding, so like the host below, I try to root it out first. Recently I had a guest who stayed an extra night without paying me. When I asked him about when he was checking out, he gave me a time for the next day. I didn't say anything then because I wanted to check if I screwed up. Then the next day he left before I could mention it to him. I didn't put that in his review because he was a great guest and it honestly did seem like he was trying to scam me. In the end, he did respond from his home and ask how he could fix it.
Jesse
Jesse2 years ago
If this happened to me, I would definitely mention the breach of contract. I would say "fairly nice guests however they had at least one dog which is not allowed and then did not clean up after that dog in the yard". I'm a dog owner, and I would have asked if I could bring my dog, even though you say no pets. And if I was going to be sneaky I would have made sure the yard was clean. As a host I would appreciate another host giving me a heads up about these guests.
Reply Like 3 likes
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
The way I look at it, when thinking whether to make a comment in the guest's public review about the problems I had with them, is that (1) I reflect on the relative seriousness (vs triviality) of the problem, and also(2) the possibility that the problem was caused by a misunderstanding, or was it something intentional the guest did, and (3) I ask whether this guest is likely to do the same thing again with another host. Also, (4) I speak to the guest about the problem and see what their reaction is. If they don't take responsibility for the issue or deny that it happened, this counts against them, and makes it more likely I would mention something in the review.
So far, I have not had any guest who has caused a serious problem, violated house rules repeatedly/intentionally or in a deceptive way such as by bringing pets when none are allowed, or did something to cause a problem which I was pretty sure would happen again with another host.
So I have not yet had to mention anything "negative" in any reviews of guests, after having over 200 guests.
I do think it is better to not allow pets at all, rather than to allow pets for an additional fee. I think leaving any possibility of guests bringing pets leaves open more possibility for guests bringing pets without telling you. In some guest's minds, they seem to justify that if something is allowed for an additional fee, then if they do it "carefully" they can do it without paying the extra fee. There may also be a resentment of additional fees, to where guests feel that if something is allowed, it should just be allowed without any other fees imposed.
Reply Like 1 reply•2 likes
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
I agree - I don't charge for pets.
Stephanie and Steven
Stephanie and Steven2 years ago
I agree, we don't allow any pets.
We talk about it as an issue of allergies and we mention in the listing that we would prefer people not even ask. It only makes things awkward for everyone.
(not that they ever read the listing)