Post by High Priestess on Dec 16, 2018 23:57:06 GMT
This is an exerpt from a post on the AIrbnb CC- names and location redacted for privacy.
Host says:
"You may recall, about a year ago, a guest couple became hostile and demanding when I would not allow them to stay beyond their 33-day Airbnb reservation. They are now threatening to sue me.
I did not reach a deal with them due to repeated misrepresentations about their dog ...described as "well trained" but alas, he was "trained" to pee on large "pee pads" spread on my 100-year old wood floors.) Who would interpret "well-trained" as anything but trained to pee outdoors?? The poor dog mistook my hand-made wool rug for his pad, multiple times, and they just left the pee there to soak in and dry there, no clue.
As gross as it is to have a 35-lb dog regularly peeing in your home (these were huge pools of pee), worse is the guest lying about it and pretending it couldn't possibly have happened. Vehemently exclaiming "nothing like this has EVER happened before, maybe (dog name) is getting older..." And my favorite, "Other Airbnb hosts have never noted any issues." (Meaning what, you got away with it?) All this denial and evasive language after I saw myself a large pad spread out on the floor of my kitchen. I encountered the smelly pee-filled pad only minutes AFTER they returned from walking their dog, then left him inside to go out to dinner (breaking house rules, which require dog to be crated if left inside alone, for no more than four hours).
They lied about other things as well. As a host you are bending over backward to be friendly and accommodating--you extend natural trust and courtesy and benefit of doubt. It is hard to switch into defensive, legal protective mode... Ultimately, trust is everything and I should have kicked them out mid-stay the minute they broke house rules, lesson learned. This couple did a lot of damage in their move-out, dragging/leaning vacuum cleaners, golf clubs, bicycles against my plaster walls and beautiful painted 100-year old wainscoting...
It appears they were literally living Airbnb to Airbnb, had fully moved in with what looked to be all their belongings (vacuum cleaners, golf clubs, bicycles, cookware, spices, multiple TV's, tons of clothing, books, etc), not a typical guest for a one-month business contract... and left the place filthy. Stained dining room chairs, stained living room sofa, bathroom tub dark with greasy/sticky film... and more dog hair groud into rugs and bedroom carpet than my dog sheds in a full year.
A further warning to hosts: This guest claimed to be a tech company consultant, and paid >$8000 for the 33 nights. Then later told me Airbnb paid for it because of a problem with their last reservation, claiming they couldn't afford my place without the Airbnb subsidy... Word to the wise ... who knew that Airbnb places guests in properties the guest couldn't otherwise afford and wouldn't appreciate and respect: i.e., your home.
I am grateful the couple finally did leave, 9 days after the reservation ended, after much resistance and condescension toward me for bothering them during their leisure time, while I stressed, no support from Airbnb, dragging a heavy pee-stained wool rug around to professional cleaners for a proper assessment... Most stressful 9 days ever... After 20 years owning my flat, and sharing with many others, many with dogs, those 33 days nicked, chipped, stained, soiled and damaged more than the last 20 years combined, probably the last 100... Scary situation and it's not over.
They were angry that I would not rent to them directly, for about a month, with no security deposit (my Airbnb listing has $5000 security deposit), and they have now, a year later, engaged a young, aggressive tenants-rights attorney who threatens to sue me. He claims 33 days occupancy via Airbnb provides tenant rights and I accepted a dog therefore they can stay forever no matter what the dog does... they are threatening to sue for damages for illegal eviction, punitive fees, legal fees, harassment, and (ready?) discrimination against "ethnic hair." Never heard that last expression before... had to google it
FWIW, I require all guests of any hair type to run the vent in the bathroom when showering, to avoid steam damage. I met this couple and didn't notice anything unusual about anyone's hair... But now I finally understand why there were unusual oily stains on the ceiling, long streaks/drips of oil/stains down the walls, and the tub was dark grey with sticky residue--must be an "ethnic hair" product. Fault of guest behavior, not ethnicity: if guest ran the vent with nearby window closed, as house rule requires of all guests of any ethnicity, then the steam and oils suspended in it would have all gone up and out... instead of condensing on the ceiling. At least I understand what happened now, since they lied about it when asked if they were having trouble with the vent... I was so concerned about the strange dark stains on the ceiling midway through their stay, I thought my upstairs neighbor had a plumbing leak and made her get a plumber out to assess; the plumber wanted to rip open my ceiling... thank goodness I said no to that. Using a heavy grease-cutting solution, I was able to clean it all off in one back-breaking day of work. All the while, the guests pretending no idea how the stains got there. "Please let us know if anything we can do to help." Yeah, run the **bleep** vent. A year later, I keep finding more--yellow greasy spots in the window trim, etc.
Looking online, it appears all the City resources are set up to help tenants only. Property owners are all assumed evil. The thought of an expensive attorney is daunting. I host Airbnb guests for the joy of helping people who need temporary housing, but also because I have low income, and want to keep my home! I'm a winemaker for a small business, making about $40k/year and I'm up against an angry tech company consultant... with, it appears, a chip on his shoulder about his ethnicity
**ps** Sadly, I just pulled my listing. So one more property off the market, not available to responsible people.
Host says:
"You may recall, about a year ago, a guest couple became hostile and demanding when I would not allow them to stay beyond their 33-day Airbnb reservation. They are now threatening to sue me.
I did not reach a deal with them due to repeated misrepresentations about their dog ...described as "well trained" but alas, he was "trained" to pee on large "pee pads" spread on my 100-year old wood floors.) Who would interpret "well-trained" as anything but trained to pee outdoors?? The poor dog mistook my hand-made wool rug for his pad, multiple times, and they just left the pee there to soak in and dry there, no clue.
As gross as it is to have a 35-lb dog regularly peeing in your home (these were huge pools of pee), worse is the guest lying about it and pretending it couldn't possibly have happened. Vehemently exclaiming "nothing like this has EVER happened before, maybe (dog name) is getting older..." And my favorite, "Other Airbnb hosts have never noted any issues." (Meaning what, you got away with it?) All this denial and evasive language after I saw myself a large pad spread out on the floor of my kitchen. I encountered the smelly pee-filled pad only minutes AFTER they returned from walking their dog, then left him inside to go out to dinner (breaking house rules, which require dog to be crated if left inside alone, for no more than four hours).
They lied about other things as well. As a host you are bending over backward to be friendly and accommodating--you extend natural trust and courtesy and benefit of doubt. It is hard to switch into defensive, legal protective mode... Ultimately, trust is everything and I should have kicked them out mid-stay the minute they broke house rules, lesson learned. This couple did a lot of damage in their move-out, dragging/leaning vacuum cleaners, golf clubs, bicycles against my plaster walls and beautiful painted 100-year old wainscoting...
It appears they were literally living Airbnb to Airbnb, had fully moved in with what looked to be all their belongings (vacuum cleaners, golf clubs, bicycles, cookware, spices, multiple TV's, tons of clothing, books, etc), not a typical guest for a one-month business contract... and left the place filthy. Stained dining room chairs, stained living room sofa, bathroom tub dark with greasy/sticky film... and more dog hair groud into rugs and bedroom carpet than my dog sheds in a full year.
A further warning to hosts: This guest claimed to be a tech company consultant, and paid >$8000 for the 33 nights. Then later told me Airbnb paid for it because of a problem with their last reservation, claiming they couldn't afford my place without the Airbnb subsidy... Word to the wise ... who knew that Airbnb places guests in properties the guest couldn't otherwise afford and wouldn't appreciate and respect: i.e., your home.
I am grateful the couple finally did leave, 9 days after the reservation ended, after much resistance and condescension toward me for bothering them during their leisure time, while I stressed, no support from Airbnb, dragging a heavy pee-stained wool rug around to professional cleaners for a proper assessment... Most stressful 9 days ever... After 20 years owning my flat, and sharing with many others, many with dogs, those 33 days nicked, chipped, stained, soiled and damaged more than the last 20 years combined, probably the last 100... Scary situation and it's not over.
They were angry that I would not rent to them directly, for about a month, with no security deposit (my Airbnb listing has $5000 security deposit), and they have now, a year later, engaged a young, aggressive tenants-rights attorney who threatens to sue me. He claims 33 days occupancy via Airbnb provides tenant rights and I accepted a dog therefore they can stay forever no matter what the dog does... they are threatening to sue for damages for illegal eviction, punitive fees, legal fees, harassment, and (ready?) discrimination against "ethnic hair." Never heard that last expression before... had to google it
FWIW, I require all guests of any hair type to run the vent in the bathroom when showering, to avoid steam damage. I met this couple and didn't notice anything unusual about anyone's hair... But now I finally understand why there were unusual oily stains on the ceiling, long streaks/drips of oil/stains down the walls, and the tub was dark grey with sticky residue--must be an "ethnic hair" product. Fault of guest behavior, not ethnicity: if guest ran the vent with nearby window closed, as house rule requires of all guests of any ethnicity, then the steam and oils suspended in it would have all gone up and out... instead of condensing on the ceiling. At least I understand what happened now, since they lied about it when asked if they were having trouble with the vent... I was so concerned about the strange dark stains on the ceiling midway through their stay, I thought my upstairs neighbor had a plumbing leak and made her get a plumber out to assess; the plumber wanted to rip open my ceiling... thank goodness I said no to that. Using a heavy grease-cutting solution, I was able to clean it all off in one back-breaking day of work. All the while, the guests pretending no idea how the stains got there. "Please let us know if anything we can do to help." Yeah, run the **bleep** vent. A year later, I keep finding more--yellow greasy spots in the window trim, etc.
Looking online, it appears all the City resources are set up to help tenants only. Property owners are all assumed evil. The thought of an expensive attorney is daunting. I host Airbnb guests for the joy of helping people who need temporary housing, but also because I have low income, and want to keep my home! I'm a winemaker for a small business, making about $40k/year and I'm up against an angry tech company consultant... with, it appears, a chip on his shoulder about his ethnicity
**ps** Sadly, I just pulled my listing. So one more property off the market, not available to responsible people.