45 Airbnb Hosts Who Got More Than A Booking When These Guests Checked In
My stance on Airbnb has pretty consistently been: I don’t like it. It’s gotten expensive for what you’re actually getting, and the checkout chores on top of a cleaning fee make it feel like I’m paying to finish someone else’s shift.
Something always seems to go wrong, too. I once had a water heater break while staying in one. I understand accidents happen. It’s not like the host wanted it to break either. But telling me there’s nothing they can do until next week and not voluntarily offering a refund sure puts a damper on the experience.
Somewhere along the way, everyone decided they’d be a great Airbnb host. We all know that’s not true.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I can be grown-up enough to admit that not every guest is as polite or tidy as I am. Paying to stay somewhere doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want.
After reading these Airbnb host stories, I understand why some places have a binder full of rules. I guess “Please don’t rearrange the entire house” isn’t something you can leave implied.
1. The Guest Cleaned The Wrong House
“A few years ago I got a message from a guest saying that the house was very messy and that she had cleaned it up. I thought this was odd because my cleaner generally does a very good job. Anyway, I apologised and offered to refund the cleaning fee.
After a couple of hours she messaged me and said please don’t worry and that she made a mistake…
I get home from work and find my house absolutely spotless. My house is 15 and the Airbnb is 15a. I left the door unlocked and she mistook my house for the Airbnb and cleaned my house…”
2. Checkout Turned Into A Pizza-Place Scavenger Hunt
“So checkout at my place is so simple. Literally toss your keys on a red tray, with a large label on it that says ‘please leave your keys here,’ and go. No cleaning, no trash to take out… just go. It has worked well for me for years.
Recently I had a guest who was relatively young and had several reviews but was unable to use the app. Lots of oddities during his stay, but his last note was ‘had to leave, keys at the pizza place.’ Wouldn’t answer a call or give any more info.
I live in an area with at least ten pizza joints that are within a few blocks. I had to actually walk into several places, asking random people at counters if a stranger had by chance left keys. And by golly someone had them… he apparently walked in and just handed them to the counter person and walked out without saying anything.
I felt so bad I bought a pizza.
The kicker… this place was not all that close and was not on the way to the train or any other destination I would have imagined.”
3. The Guests Gave The Cabin An Unrequested Makeover
“We rent out a small rustic cabin. Very rustic, but it is equipped with anything a chef would need. Has power, indoor plumbing and Wi-Fi. It was built in the sixties on a limited budget back then. The site has specific pictures of the entire two-bedroom cabin so people aren’t surprised when they don’t find a modern building.
These guests came in, raved about how wonderful the place was, sent messages about how cosy and serene. The visit went well, they were here for almost two weeks.
When I went in to clean they had taken all the pictures off the walls and moved them around, changed the furniture configuration, taken all of the pots and pans and dishes and rearranged the kitchen, and switched curtains from one room to another. It took me hours to change everything back.
There were some old maps of the area that were on the walls which just disappeared. They also threw out a doormat and small rugs. They asked me how I liked their surprise.
When I told them I wasn’t pleased and some of the items were missing and we wanted them back, they were incensed. I said the place was small and everything was where it was for a reason.
Example, why did they move the kitchen table and chairs in front of the door leading to the deck? Why did they move long curtains to small windows and vice versa?
Their answer was feng shui.”
4. Four Guests Needed 64 Bath Towels
“Current guests, four adults on a four-night stay, want me to supply four bath towels per person per day. That is 64 towels used over the course of a four-night stay!
They tell me they each shower twice a day and want to use two clean bath towels after each shower. I usually just supply two large bath towels per guest for the entire stay if just four nights. They spring this on me right after check-in.
This is a one-bedroom cabin that does not have a washer-dryer due to septic. This is clearly stated in the listing. All linens are laundered professionally, offsite, by a linen service, and I absorb the normal cost.
I don’t even have 64 bath towels and the linen service has a three-day turnaround, so not even possible if I did have 64 towels. I offered to supply 16 towels, double the normal amount, but they were unhappy with this and demanded more.
The four of them are paying $160 a night, so $40 each per night plus taxes/fee. Cleaning fee is $125. Rates are average for this location, so not particularly low or high.
This is a nice place but it is not the Ritz Carlton with an endless supply of linens. It’s a small cabin in the Colorado Rockies. I’ve told them I can drop off an additional eight towels, but that is the best I can do. Preparing for a poor review, but oh well.”
5. The Cabin’s Norwegian Flag Became A Whole Investigation
“Flagged for discrimination because someone thinks our Norwegian flag is a Confederate flag. Sigh.
The whole theme for the cabin is Norway. It’s referred to as a hytte, what you call a cabin in Norway. We have the flag on the porch and under every pic it says Norwegian flag.
Got a message at 4 a.m. that we were being investigated for discrimination. I tried to call twice but the operator didn’t understand what a Confederate flag was either time. I wasn’t put through to anyone doing the actual investigation.
I tried to reply to the email but the message feed was closed. Started a new thread so we’ll see if that helps. My concern is just that the person doing the review won’t know the difference.
In case you’re wondering, we are of Norwegian descent, have family there, have been to their hytte, that was the inspiration. We’ve had this theme for two years.
Final update: It’s official, we did not violate the discrimination policy. Case closed. I mean, duh. I hope they reach out to whomever filed the complaint and tell them they’re an idiot.”
6. The Guests Found A Way To Bend Time
“I just hosted two time travelers. These people arrived around 8 p.m. last night and left at 7:30 a.m. this morning.
They left the apartment with a week’s worth of wear and tear as well as four tall kitchen trash bags worth of trash plus two empty boxes. Surprisingly, no booze whatsoever.
My guess is that they somehow manipulated the time-space continuum to squeeze five or six days into less than twelve Earth hours. I’d love to ask them how they accomplished this.”
7. The Kitchen Was Missing One Important Amenity: A Free Cake
“Guests who checked in today are disappointed because they can’t bake a cake.
So, I point out that we have a hand blender with a whisk attachment. There are several 9×13 casserole dishes she can bake the cake in. The oven is brand new and pretty good. And there are two grocery stores within ten-minute walking distance, not to count a bunch of mom-and-pop convenience stores in between.
So she can indeed bake a cake if she wants.
She’s disappointed because I do not stock flour and sugar and butter and cream for my guests.
Just had to share. Guests are getting crazier and crazier…”
8. The Wi-Fi Was Great Until They Shared It With The Neighbors
“So, had a family of four, mom, dad, two late-teen kids, check in for five days. On day two they complained that they could not stream movies.
I check my internet account and see that they have 32 devices attached, in addition to my two Rokus and Ring doorbell, including 14 phones, ten laptops, two Apple TVs, a couple gaming consoles and the rest ‘unidentified.’
I ask how many people are in the unit and they say four. I ask about all the devices and they decline any knowledge, saying only a phone and laptop each, one Apple TV and one gaming console.
I suggest that I will disable all devices and add theirs back one by one, to remove and block the ‘pirate’ devices.
They then fess up that they shared the Wi-Fi with the two families next door, they were traveling together, since our Wi-Fi was so much better than the one provided by the Airbnb next door.
I explained that the system couldn’t handle that much streaming all at once. No biggie, but always amazed that a guest thinks a complaint and request for discount are in order when they create the problem.”
9. One Dog And Two Guests Somehow Became Four Dogs And Five People
“As it happens with all Airbnb horror stories, it started with a last-minute booking. It was for the next day. We chatted a bit, she seemed like a nice young woman. She said she and her husband were on a road trip and were stopping here for a few days. They had their dog with them. I approved the booking.
Today, she checks in and corners my cleaning person who was in another apartment in the building and asks her for three sets of extra towels and three sets of sheets. She’s staying in a one-bedroom apartment, maximum occupancy three.
My cleaner nevertheless takes her the extra sheets and the towels and when the guests open the door four dogs jump the cleaner. Not one, FOUR dogs plus three extra guests.
Cleaner called me, I checked the doorbell camera, sure enough five people and four dogs strolled into a one-bedroom city apartment.
Called Airbnb and then messaged the guest. I told Airbnb to cancel the reservation. I told the guest that she had to leave with her FOUR dogs and three extra guests. I would be there in 15 minutes.
Her response, I told you we had a dog, didn’t know extra dogs would be a problem. Also, didn’t realize she couldn’t bring three extra guests. This woman has 27 five-star reviews. How is this possible?
I told Airbnb I didn’t want their money, I just wanted them out, and if they vacated the property in the next ten minutes, I would give them a refund. They were gone by the time I got there.”
10. The Cleaner Had A Booking System Of Her Own
“Our cleaner was letting her nephew stay at our place between bookings. Not sure how long this was going on, but he sure was surprised when I showed up.
He didn’t stick to the story and I kicked him out. Should have called the cops. Glad I didn’t get physical even though I wanted to deep down.
Cleaner obviously had the schedule and was exploiting that. It’s a good idea to go check on your place unannounced and stay when the cleaner doesn’t know you’re the next guest.
Needless to say, cleaner was fired and all locks/codes changed. Security cameras going up ASAP, obviously can’t have them up for booked guests.”
11. A One-Week Stay Came With A Small Moving Truck’s Worth Of Stuff
“This one blindsided me. Girl messages me a couple weeks ago. ‘I live in the neighborhood and my home is having work done for a week. I’d like a place to relax.’ She had 22 five-star reviews. Seemed like an easy stay.
Today was checkout day, 11 a.m. She messaged me at 10:15 saying she overslept and asked if she could stay until 2. I let her know we have a 4 p.m. check-in, but that I could accommodate 1 p.m. if that worked for her. She said absolutely and thanked me.
I drive up to the home at 1:20 p.m. There’s a car backed into the driveway. Uh oh. Then I look at the front porch.
It’s PACKED full of boxes, laundry, furniture, etc. I realize she’s loading up her Prius and making trips with all this stuff. I park down the street and watch her run three more carfuls of stuff before she’s done.
I’d estimate there was enough stuff there to have filled a small U-Haul. Especially if she’d been doing this since messaging me in the morning.
The inside of the home was even stranger. She didn’t use the master bedroom, she slept in the smallest guest bedroom and left everything else untouched. Home was spotless except for packing debris everywhere on the floors.
I mean… I guess you’re allowed to bring as much stuff with you for your stay as you like? If she’d timed moving it all better, I wouldn’t have even known. But I am so confused.”
12. The Bad Review Was Working A Little Too Well
“In December we had a guest stay at one of our homes. Turned out they were a construction crew traveling with a dog, none of that is an issue as we are pet friendly. During their stay, everything was perfectly fine, never heard from the guest which we prefer.
After they checked out however is where things started to go downhill. The cleaner informed us that they left the house trashed, and that they allowed the dog to use the basement as its bathroom and there were pet messes left everywhere.
Ultimately, since we charge a pet fee, we did not file a claim. However, we did leave an honest review with three stars indicating both the human and pet messes that were left.
Yesterday, over a month after they checked out, they messaged us asking us to remove our review. Their reasoning… because now hosts won’t approve their inquiries on other properties!
NO, I won’t be removing the review! This is the entire reason why there are reviews in the first place. Had I known how poorly they would treat our property, we wouldn’t have approved their reservation either! THE NERVE!”
13. Just A Couple Of Friends Visiting At 2 A.M. With Suitcases
“Guest messages at 2 a.m.: Hey just letting you know we’re only two people staying, not four.
Me: Outdoor cameras show four people entered at check-in.
Guest: Oh those are just friends visiting.
Me: At 2 a.m.? With suitcases?
Guest: Leaves me on read.
Been hosting for years and this is why I’ll never remove my outdoor cameras. The audacity of some people thinking we won’t notice extra guests.
Anyone else catch guests trying to pull this? Still debating if I should charge them the extra guest fees or just leave a review about dishonesty.”
14. The Reservation Was For Four. The Party Was For 22.
“I had a guest book for two nights for four guests. She showed up with 22 people and had a party: music, speaker, balloons, very loud, violated quiet hours, unauthorized parking, alcohol pouches and balloons scattered over the property inside and out, all of which I caught on my exterior cameras and sent to Airbnb.
The party ended after 1 a.m. and now Airbnb does not want to give me the $50 per person per night fee that I charge for any guest over seven, which is my max.
In total the guest should have paid $750 extra. I define ‘overnight’ as anything past midnight.
I reported the guest the night of and when she found out I reported her she sent me very nasty messages, cursing at me in the chat, and even threatened me saying ‘I hope I don’t have to show you how low I can get.’
Airbnb says they ‘reprimanded’ the guest, but she is apparently still on Airbnb and I’m really at a loss as to what I should do.
EDIT AND UPDATE: Guest has been removed from Airbnb. Still waiting to see what I can get from Airbnb.
EDIT AND UPDATE #2: Airbnb gave me the $750! Thank you all for your help and the negative nellies for the entertainment.”
15. The Lawyer’s Sister Had To Finish The Conversation
“Had this lawyer from Oregon stay at my place. After checkout, he called saying he forgot his AirPods. Usually I help guests ship stuff back for free, just charge shipping costs.
Soon as I said this, he started cursing me out, accusing us of stealing his AirPods and threatening to sue. I was like, I was just about to send it.
Told him if that was his attitude, we’d follow the rules and charge a handling fee. He agreed.
When it came time to pay, he refused and started threatening to sue us again.
Updates:
His sister just called us and apologized and actually paid the handling fee. And I was collecting evidence and actually found him asking us about policy for lost items, but I have an auto reply on, I have pre-set some FAQ auto replies, so I just missed it among multiple messages.
And my auto reply actually told him about the policy already. He knew the policy.
I am still going for a complaint to the State Bar even if it doesn’t go anywhere. This is just not right.”
16. They Abandoned Their Dog, Then Asked For Him Back Three Weeks Later
“I manage listings for a family member and one of them is a really low-budget place that attracts a lot of low-quality people. The latest guests exemplified that by abandoning their dog.
When I arrived, he was in the garage barking. I also noticed he damaged the casing on the entry door from clawing at it so much. They didn’t even leave him a bowl of water or food.
My first thought was they were keeping him in there to keep the place clean or something, forgot about him and left. I messaged immediately saying their dog is still here, left in the garage. I received a response of ‘We know we already left and will not be coming back.’
That kind of floored me, and I responded ‘Am I to assume then you’ve abandoned your dog here?’
No response.
Fine by me. I really hit it off with the little guy. Golden retriever. Probably somewhere between two and four years old. Very loving and friendly with people. We were basically best friends within 20 minutes.
My old dog passed away a few years back. I brought him straight home and busted out his old bowls and got him some wet/dry mix. He sleeps in my bed, we go on daily walks at a nature trail, the dog park, meeting all my friends/family.
I thought I had a new dog. It wasn’t reported to Airbnb, didn’t want some weird policy that I have to do something like call animal control.
Tonight, almost three weeks later, we get a message saying ‘Hello we want our dog back. Where was he taken??’
My heart sank, because I don’t want to give these people their dog back to neglect and probably abandon again when they decide having a dog isn’t convenient anymore.
I’m not sure the best way of going about this. I really hate lying to people, but this is a situation I feel like I might sacrifice my morals for the best interest of my little buddy Henry. They named him ‘Blaze,’ the poor thing wasn’t even named right.”
17. A Storm Turned Checkout Into A Vehicle Rescue
“I had three of my five cabins occupied a few weeks ago, all checking out Monday morning. To get to the cabins you drive across a dam past my little lake.
Sunday night a TERRIBLE storm rolled in that took out trees all over the grounds. I got up early Monday and started chainsawing trees in the pouring rain so the guests would be able to leave.
I finished around 8 a.m. and got a call from one of the guests saying they couldn’t get out, not because of the trees but because of the flood. Flood?
I drove back to the cabins and sure enough there was over a foot of water overflowing over the dam and flowing HARD.
Two of the guests and I all have big trucks so I slowly picked through the water to make sure it was safe, then they both left. Guest three had a lowered Toyota Corolla. I ended up pulling a truck off my trailer, loading their car on there and driving them out.
It was a wild and exhausting morning but the guests were thrilled they were able to leave with only a slight delay and I got my five stars.”
18. The Guest Wanted A Mailbox Installed For His Vacation
“I have an extremely needy guest staying for 13 days. He has been there for three so far, and every day has been something.
Today he messaged me asking why there was no mailbox, as he had mail being delivered. I asked him if he was having packages delivered and he said mail from FedEx and USPS.
Called him to clarify further and he said that he forwarded all his mail to the Airbnb for his stay. I told him I’m not sure how that was going to work as all the mail is forwarded to the owners out of state for security purposes.
He asked me ‘How am I supposed to pay my bills? I need that mail!’
Then he asked if we have a maintenance person and how easy it would be for him to come put in a mailbox for his stay.
Also said ‘You NEVER have people stay more than a week or two who need mail?’ To which I replied no, we’ve never had this issue come up once before in over 100 stays.
Kinda baffled by this and confused how to handle it further. I told him I would call the post office tomorrow and attempt to figure this out but also feel like this isn’t my issue to handle?”
19. The Toys Were Part Of The Souvenir Package
“Hosting for almost four years. This year alone, I have noticed after a stay that includes a child, I’m noticeably lighter on toys, books, coloring books, etc.
From one mom who messaged me to let me know she took them because her daughter loved them, thought it was her Christian duty to inform me, but wasn’t Christian enough to send them back, to the parents who simply pay no attention to what’s going on and gather up things which happen to include all four provided coloring books and several smaller toys, it just feels like this could get old long term.
I loathe the notes for every single thing but Lordy. Do I need to specify that if everyone just went ahead and took home their favorite toys, there won’t be any for anyone as I’m not sure I’m cool constantly resupplying?
I get that I can find them ‘fairly cheaply,’ relative term, from yard sales, etc., but I tend to try and put out specific things that will clean well and appeal to all genders and ages. Not as simple as it sounds.”
20. The Listing Was Hidden And Incomplete. The Bookings Were Very Real.
“Was out at an arcade with the wife and kids. Had just ordered pizza. Unknown number called me five times. I ignored it because it was out of state, not my current guest, and it was too noisy to talk. Then get a text. ‘We just arrived and need the door code.’
I was completely lost. Our Airbnb guest has been there for two days. Next one isn’t until Thursday. Ask them their name. Search my emails. VRBO booked them and I missed the email.
I have never had an active VRBO listing.
I had started the listing months ago. I never completed it. Had uploaded some photos and a few other fields, but decided to stick with just Airbnb for now.
When I log in, even tonight, the property says ‘incomplete’ under it. It shows it’s also hidden. Nobody should have ever been able to see it, much less book it.
When I logged in, my stomach sank. They booked five stays. One was last week? I never heard anything from that person as best I know. VRBO never reached out or canceled it either. So I don’t even know what happened with those people.
The other three future stays all conflict with stays already confirmed on Airbnb.
I texted back the person tonight apologizing. I told them my VRBO listing is not supposed to be active, I have tenants in there, and asked them to please not bother them. I told them I would immediately cancel the reservation so they are refunded and did. They were extremely unhappy.
I have no idea if they bothered my current Airbnb guest or if they were even home. I’ve been waiting for an upset Airbnb message or call for hours. Thankfully nothing yet, so maybe I avoided absolute catastrophe.
I am beyond words right now.”
21. Early Check-In Wasn’t Early Enough
“I had a guest checking in today. Our check-in time is 3 p.m. She reached out and asked if she can check in early.
The cleaners were scheduled to be there early in the morning, the previous guest checked out yesterday. I told her sure, we could accommodate her. I told her she could check in at 12 p.m. and adjusted her codes accordingly.
Thank God, they were there at 6 a.m. and were finished by 9 a.m. It’s a one-bedroom.
She called me from the door at 10:29 a.m. and she was very upset that her code didn’t work. I reminded her of our conversation and that she was approved for 12 p.m. check-in and that’s when the code would be active.
She started complaining about how cold it was and she didn’t want to wait on the porch for another 90 minutes. She was making a lot of noise and yelling at the Ring camera.
I have tenants on the first floor. I didn’t want her to wake the nurse who works the night shift, the poor thing. I finally told her just to hold on and I opened the door for her.
I’m just mad at myself for caving in to her bad behavior. But also, God help me, she’s staying for an entire week. She was so lovely in the messages!”
22. The Mother Booked The Birthday Trip, Then Blamed The Host
“I had a mother book a reservation ‘celebrating her daughter’s 18th birthday.’ All of Mother’s messages indicated that she would be staying with her daughter as they were in town for a concert with one other person. No big deal.
Three guests show up, and they all look 18. They brought alcohol and started smoking right away. I called the number on file, but there was no answer.
I go to the unit’s front door and ask to speak to the guest. The young daughter says that it is her. I asked to see an ID and that she looked very young to have an 18-year-old daughter. I told her it was better not to lie.
She admitted she wasn’t the guest and was underage. I asked if someone who was not drinking could drive them home. They said they had someone.
I messaged the mother in the app, telling her what happened and that some were using alcohol. I also told her that they told me one was not drinking and could drive them.
Her first message was that she was shocked by their behavior. The next morning, she messaged me saying how terrible I was for kicking them out and that if they were drinking, I was somehow responsible.
Lady, you’re the one who booked. You’re supposed to be at the listing; you’re supposed to be responsible for your guests and your now-adult daughter.
Also, when Airbnb was looking for proof that it was a third-party booking, these geniuses signed the guest book with their real names, not the person who booked, and said, ‘18th Birthday Party.’”
23. The Host Suspected A Bedbug Scam, But Nobody Wanted To Leave
“So a guest brings a bedbug, throws it on the bed and takes a video and sends it to me. I said ‘I’m going to give you a free refund, no questions asked.’ But you have to leave by 11 a.m., normal checkout time.
He asked me if I could help them find another place. I said ‘NO.’ I said I believe in excellent customer service, ‘BUT MY RESPONSIBILITY ENDS ONCE I REFUND YOU.’
But guess what… I called the booker, and the booker said ‘NONE OF HIS OTHER FRIENDS WANTED TO LEAVE.’ All of his other 12 friends were enjoying the house and didn’t want to leave.
The booker admitted that it was ‘suspicious’ as to the bedbug and they couldn’t find any other evidence of bedbugs. Except that one bedbug.
The little scam didn’t work. I guess he thought I’d give him a refund and he’d get to stay for free.”
24. The Water Bill Suggested Some Extremely Long Showers
“Me and my wife lived in this townhome for five years, and our monthly water consumption was usually 2,000 gallons but never over 3,000 gallons, which was always under $40 in that time.
Over the last year with Airbnb guests that is pretty much what we have continued to see, with the exception of one month where it got up to 7,000 gallons last December.
Today we got a bill for a record-breaking 11,000 gallons and I just don’t even know how someone could possibly use that much water. What is truly amazing is the fact that August was our largest vacant month in the last year with only 50% occupancy.
So here is some math. We only had guests for 15 days in August and they used a record-breaking 11,000 gallons. Our showerheads are rated at two gallons per minute. 11,000 gallons is enough water to take a 6.1-hour shower every day for those 15 days.
Just pure insanity.
We also had guests set the heater to 80°F for their entire stay when it was 90°F outside… and another guest that had heat set to kick on at 70°F and AC set to kick on at 72°F.”
25. The Best Checkout Instructions Were Barely Instructions At All
“Just had a great review that said ‘Best. Checkout. Instructions. Ever!!!’
Our checkout instructions are:
- Go outside, take a deep breath and look at the beauty of nature.
- Remember this moment.
- Head out.
We got this. You paid a cleaning fee.”
26. They Denied Having A Dog That Was Clearly On Camera
“We are new to hosting on Airbnb, and we were hoping for some advice.
We make it clear in our listing that no pets are allowed. We confirm that rule with guests in writing before booking so that there are no misunderstandings.
We gave the guest the code to the lockbox as we always do, but when the guests showed up, they had a dog with them.
We sent our cleaning lady over to talk to them, and they denied having a dog. They even told her to search the property. We messaged the guest and said it’s not necessary to search since the dog is clearly visible on the security camera for the front driveway.
We contacted Airbnb, who told us the guest was in the wrong and that we would be supported. That ended up being a complete lie.
By that time, 5:30 p.m., the guests had burned up all of our goodwill, so we asked that the guests simply leave immediately with a full refund. We were told that Airbnb was helping them find pet-friendly accommodations that were readily available and extremely close.
An hour later, at 6:30 p.m., Airbnb contacted us and told us that the guests couldn’t leave because the parents, 50-year-olds, and kids, seven to ten years old, had all gone to sleep.
To add insult to injury, the Airbnb ‘supervisor’ accidentally messaged us a message she intended for the guests that encouraged them to keep asking us if they could stay.
The guests ended up ignoring our communications and they refuse to leave. They have spent the night even though we agreed to a full refund if they left immediately.”
27. The Guest Put The Threat Of A Bad Review In Writing
“I had a guest book for seven and actually have ten guests. My limit is eight. I messaged him in the app asking him to update the reservation… twice. Crickets.
So I sent the alteration request myself, which included additional cost for the extra guests. He declined. He said the place has nine beds and he thought it was big enough for ten.
I involved Airbnb. As a courtesy, I gave him the option of staying and paying. If that wasn’t agreeable, they had to leave.
An hour and a half of him arguing the house is big enough, and he finally agrees to pay. In his message to me, he says he’ll pay, but is leaving me a ‘trash a*s review.’
His bad review shows up today. I screenshot what he said and Airbnb’s policy on retaliatory review for enforcing rules.
My first request to remove it was declined. I used the words ‘I feel.’ Don’t do that! My second request was approved; I didn’t use those words again.
Just a tip and giving y’all hope that reviews CAN be removed with this new system.”
28. The Second Guest Ever Threw A Party And Got Evicted
“I just started as a host and my second guest ever threw a party and left an absolute mess. Thankfully I was able to catch it before things got completely out of hand and the guest was evicted the same night she checked in.
The guest completely lied about why she was interested in my property, and I’m not even certain that the person I communicated with in the app is the person who showed up at the property.
When I showed up with police the entire front of the house was under a thick fog of smoke and even the police were shocked at how overwhelming the smell was.
It took my cleaners an extra day to get the smell out of the furniture and hallways. On top of all of that the guest lost the key fob that opens the gate to the property.
Airbnb Support is still investigating the incident and I have videos and pictures to document everything.
Airbnb sent the payout this morning and I now have the opportunity to rate the guest. Are there any negative implications to going scorched earth on this person? I wouldn’t wish her on any other host.”
29. The Adult Who Booked Turned Out To Be An Unsupervised Teenager
“Person who showed up in my Airbnb is a 15-year-old kid who doesn’t speak much English.
He is attending a three-week pre-college program at a nearby university. The person who booked the unit months ago now admits she lied. She said she was taking a course at the university and would be staying alone.
She claims she is the kid’s cousin but I doubt this. The kid referred to her as a ‘counselor’ and she is an educational consultant according to her Airbnb and LinkedIn profiles.
The pre-college program has a residential option that costs $12K. Without housing/food/supervision, the program is $6K.
What I think happened is that the kid’s family, who presumably speak even less English than he does, paid this educational consultant to put their son in this program, and she decided to put him in our Airbnb rather than pay for housing/food/supervision through the university so she could make more money.
Now I’m trying to figure out what to do. I think I will notify his university program, which specifically prohibits minors living unsupervised like this. I will make sure he gets some dinner tonight. I will report the person who did this to Airbnb.”
30. A Host Went On Vacation And Discovered The Checkout Chores
“I got the $100 coupon for Superhost, so I decided to go to an Airbnb for a couple days with my wife.
I’m looking at these checkout instructions and these seem insane to me? Am I too relaxed or are other people too far gone?
There are $100 cleaning fees, where they expect you to wipe down all the hair out of the bathroom? Then start the sheets in the laundry?
I can’t comprehend this. I get taking the trash out so it doesn’t smell, or not leaving a huge mess everywhere, but is this normal?
What is the average checkout procedure here? I’ve never looked at other people’s listings, this is just wild to me.”
31. The Missing Items Kept Multiplying After Checkout
“I had a guest yesterday night. Left a five-star review. She messages this evening and says her two Nintendo Switches must have been left behind. When I cleaned there was no such thing.
She says the only time they were left out of their hands was when they went for dinner.
The Airbnb is above the garage in my home. I was home all evening. Nobody took anything, no cars arrived, etc. I’d hear someone if they went up there. I don’t know if she’s implying I took it.
She then says she’s looking in her jewelry box and several gold items are missing and her husband’s watch. She says she is filing a police report as it must have happened while she’s out for dinner.
Is this a scam? There is genuinely no way anyone took anything. We’re way out in the country on a long driveway. You’d see and hear someone. And nothing from our house is taken. What do I do?”
32. The Guest Started Exploring Areas That Weren’t Included
“I had a guest that booked for 42 nights. As soon as he got there he wanted to access the garage. The garage is not part of the listing. It is not listed under amenities. And it states there is free parking on premises, which is the driveway.
He then broke into my basement, which also is not part of the rental. He said the door was unlocked which I do not believe.
He then started complaining that the Ring doorbell was facing inside. He said that I needed to have someone move the doorbell. I told him the Ring did not point inside, only the porch and sidewalk.
He proceeded to cover the Ring doorbell. I contacted Airbnb safety team and advised them that he would need to leave if he didn’t remove the covering.
They asked him to leave and now are refunding him all his money except $65. Does not even cover the cleaning fee. How do I appeal this?”
33. The Guest Arrived With A Very Detailed Cleaning Request
“Saturday night, ten p.m. My reservation for Sunday cancels; the guest sends a nice note apologizing for the last-minute cancellation. As I’m reading it I get a notification that the space has already rebooked.
Incoming guest is from Ohio and sends a wall of text. It’s obvious she cut and pasted it in… paragraph after paragraph about her medically diagnosed sensitivity to fragrances.
Wants a full list of all cleaning products used, if there are air fresheners, tells me that she travels with her own bedding and towels.
I don’t like scented products personally and it’s a pretty short list of cleaning things we use. Murphy’s Oil Soap is about the strongest-smelling thing. I tell her that I don’t have any control over the mopping of the lobby floor and the janitor seems to love Fabuloso for everything building related.
I get back another list of clarifications from her, she asks that all bath products get removed. Inquires when the floors were mopped with Murphy’s, tells me how wrong I am for using it. Wants details on bed pillows.
Asks if she can check in at 9 a.m. the following day. I tell her no, the current guests will likely still be sleeping at that time and cleaning starts around 11… check-in starts at 4 p.m.
This morning at 11:30 my cleaning crew calls me, asking if it’s OK for them to show a lady at the space the cleaning bucket. Yes, the guest is already there and followed them in.
2 p.m. cleaning crew lets me know all is tidy. They did not mop, per the guest’s request. They put the towels and bedding on the shelf instead of making the bed, removed the bath products. Apparently the lady has been sitting in the garden for 2.5 hours.
I message the guest that all is ready for her.
About five minutes later I get a notification from the Amazon Fire Stick thing that the ‘Fox News’ app has been added to the TV.
It’s going to be a long three days.”
34. The No-A/C Listing Kept Getting Complaints About No A/C
“Been hosting in London since 2016. Multiple properties, thousands of check-ins, Superhost status the whole way through. I’ve hosted people from pretty much every country you can name, and Americans make up the biggest chunk of my bookings by far.
They’re also, hands down, the group I get the most grief from. And I say that as someone who’s had lovely American guests too, but the pattern is undeniable, and the entitlement from the difficult ones is on another level.
Case in point: it’s summer. It’s hot. It’s hot every summer, this is not breaking news. Some of my properties have A/C. The ones that don’t have high-powered fans provided, and the listing says exactly that.
Every single summer, without fail, I get American guests checking into a clearly listed no-A/C flat and then messaging me like I’ve personally wronged them. ‘There’s no air conditioning??’
Correct. It’s in the listing. It’s in the amenities section. It’s in the house guide.
If climate control is a dealbreaker for you, that’s completely fine, book a hotel, or filter for A/C on the app, it takes four seconds.
But don’t book a Victorian terrace in Zone 2, ignore the listing, and then come at me like I’ve hidden the A/C in the loft out of spite.”
35. The Guests Wanted The Entire House Cooled In Five Minutes
“Had a group of three grown women check into my Airbnb in San Antonio this past Thursday. They somehow managed to put the thermostat into Eco Mode ‘Away,’ which basically shuts the AC off, and then were shocked to return to a house that was 88 degrees in the middle of July in Texas.
They immediately freak out and claim the AC is ‘broken.’ I drive over to check it out, and of course, the thermostat is in Eco Mode. I switch it back to normal and explain very clearly that it will start cooling now and just needs a little time.
That’s when the meltdown starts.
I’m not exaggerating, full-on crying. From three adult women who claimed they were going to get heat stroke unless the house hit 65 degrees in five minutes.
I asked if they understood how AC works. They told me yes, because when they go to a hotel it cools in ten minutes.
Right. Because a 200-square-foot hotel room and a 1,800-square-foot, three-bed, three-bath home are totally the same thing.
I told them the house was cooling, they just needed to be patient. But they doubled down on the drama, saying if it wasn’t freezing cold in minutes they were leaving.
So I told them to pack up and go. I gave them a full refund just to get them out.”
36. A Daytime Booking Became A Much Longer Problem
“We booked a guest very last minute this morning. She said she missed her flight and needed somewhere to sleep in the day and would leave at 7 p.m. for her flight. The booking was based on that.
She booked for one person but has had three male visitors having said she’ll just be sleeping. The first one she was obviously ‘having relations with’ and on viewing the doorbell camera it is obvious they had never met before.
Then she had a second one round who we kicked out. She now has another guy staying in there. We asked them to leave and they are refusing, also quite obviously doing substances, laughing gas, in the room.
She’s said she will leave at 9 p.m. but I doubt that’s going to happen. My fiancée and I agreed to give them one more chance at 9 p.m. but then we’re calling the police.
We’re in the UK so any advice on whether calling the police would help or not would be much appreciated!”
37. The Guest Claimed A Door Had Been Broken Down, But It Was Undamaged
“I had a guest check out two days ago. She spent one night and the only message from her during her stay was a question about parking.
Today I received a message from Airbnb stating that the guest was trapped in the house and is requesting a full refund because of her trauma.
When I wrote to the guest, she said that her sister was forced to knock the bedroom door down because she was trapped inside and her PTSD was triggered and why should she have to pay for this trauma.
When I asked her why she never mentioned it during her stay, she said that I was harassing her and she knew that this is what she was up against, and the reason that she didn’t contact me before.
There is no damage to the door. There is nothing wrong with the door. Any input appreciated!
UPDATE: I finally left a review for the guest and warned other hosts not to let her book. Her review was then revealed and it was very nasty, as I thought it would be, with her accusing me of harassing her and complaining about the driveway, even though I gave her a permit for street parking.
I immediately called Airbnb, and the representative told me that because she mentioned the cost of what she paid for the visit, which is a violation, who knew?, they were able to remove the review.
I’m so relieved about that but because she gave me all ones, that part still factors in and my rating dropped so dramatically that I’ll probably lose my Superhost status for this round.”
38. One Complaint Became Nine Messages About A Lightbulb
“We had seven people stay for two days. First notice I get from them: ‘We saw a mouse, not off to a great start.’
I was surprised because we just had an exterminator in. But I comped them the first night, meaning we will get $40 from the two-day stay.
Next day, he tells me a bulb is blinking. I mean, it’s a four-story Victorian. Sometimes bulbs blow out. He sent me like nine DMs about it.
As he left today, he DMs, ‘Not to add insult to injury, but there were ants on top of my SIL’s bed and they bit her.’ I know for sure this is a lie. He’s hoping I’ll make the trip free for him. I’m so done though, just want him to leave.
We had pest control come after they left. Report said ‘No sign of any recent rodent activity. No signs of ants.’
So, I think the guy lied and why are people like that? I changed my stay minimum to three nights. I actually want less people. Lol.”
39. The Scheduled Cleaner’s Visit Ended A Monthlong Reservation
“My listing is serviced, maid comes every Friday at 8 a.m. It’s in the house rules and I wrote it in a message to a longer-term guest when she checked in.
When maid arrived five nights after check-in, knocked then used her key to enter, just exactly like they do at a hotel, the guest freaked out and messaged me.
I reminded her that the maid, who has worked for me for over a decade and is over 60 and a smiley round grandmother, comes every Friday per the listing and per my message to her at check-in.
She went quiet and then reported a safety concern to Airbnb that she was ‘violated in her privacy.’ They let her leave and refunded the rest of the month, about 25 nights.
Now I’m fighting with Airbnb support and I am so frustrated. Canned, AI lack-of-logic responses and cases being closed with no resolution.
They say now I have to get each guest’s active acceptance of the maid. They have to say in writing it’s OK she comes.
Anyone else have this issue? Anyone not lose this battle?”
40. The Host Wasn’t Comfortable Handing Over The Mailbox Key
“I have a guest that is booked for two weeks and on their second day they asked me where the key for the mailbox was because they wanted to have some items delivered.
I told them the mailbox is not available for guest use, and suggested they use ‘General Delivery’ where the packages will be delivered to the local Post Office for pickup instead.
I was nice about it, but they came back angry and messaging how it’s ridiculous they can’t use the mailbox and how it’s going to inconvenience them.
My reason for not allowing them to use the mailbox is because I was talking to a friend who is also a host, and use of the mailbox was part of how she had problems with squatters.
Her guests had some bills delivered to the address and then claimed to live there, and she couldn’t get them out for three months. Finally the squatters’ parents came and removed them.
Am I being unreasonable in not allowing use of the mailbox and suggesting they use the post office instead?”
41. The Smart TV Didn’t Come With Someone Else’s Netflix Password
“We have a guest who sent us a picture of our Samsung smart TV, which includes soundbar and subwoofer, and the screen was showing the Netflix login page.
She said surprisingly: ‘Oh, there’s no streaming service provided?’
I politely informed her that we provide smart TVs, which include all of the streaming services, including free channels, but that guests would need to log in to their own personal accounts for things like Netflix, Hulu subscriptions, etc.
Every Airbnb or modern hotel I’ve ever stayed at had the same setup, where the guests would need to log in.
I wanted to ask the community here, should we be providing a house account for the property? Do any other hosts pay for a Netflix subscription for guests to use?”
42. The Missing Beach Towels Got A Surprisingly Nice Ending
“We had three older but still nice beach towels available to use. During cleaning, they were nowhere to be found.
Contacted the guest, who realized someone in their group had taken them on an outing to a remote location and forgotten them there.
We said not to worry about it, since they were great guests otherwise. The beach towels were a near-zero-cost extra amenity anyway. And not in our listing photos!
But the guest ordered a set of four nice, large beach towels, delivered to the property. We thanked them enthusiastically, of course.
I want to believe most guests would have the integrity to take responsibility for things like this. It may be naive, but for now I’m holding onto innocence!”
43. Spending One Night In The Rental Revealed A Few Things
“Unexpectedly, I spent the night at my Airbnb and it was an invaluable lesson.
I noticed the squeaky bed, drawers that don’t open and close properly and a list of other things guests had not flagged up yet.
I would encourage all hosts to spend the night at their own listing as this could flag issues, highlight things your Airbnb could benefit from and prevent the four-star review.”
44. One Host Had A Reminder For The Rest Of The Hosts
“I am both an owner of multiple properties and a frequent guest. I am so confused by all of the hosts out here who take such an antagonistic view of guests and/or expect them to earn the right to pay you for a night’s stay.
Too many hosts treat PAYING guests as if they are doing them a favor by renting them accommodation. These are not friends crashing in your guest room. Like it or not, you are in the hospitality business, be hospitable.
After four years hosting, I recently got my first bad review for an issue that really was a bad guest experience. The guest got a refund, new accommodation, and left a bad review.
I didn’t like the Airbnb policy that allowed both a refund and bad review. After some thought though, I was ultimately happy that the guest had a satisfactory experience renting on the platform.
Our competition is hotels. So, yeah, if a guest treats your property as they would a hotel, that is wholly appropriate.
I see too many hosts on here who expect their properties to be treated with absolute kid gloves. Charging to replace stained towels? Are you kidding? Bleach them and keep extras. It’s part of the cost of doing business.
If you spend any time on travel forums you know that Airbnb sentiment is bad and getting worse. The number-one complaint is the huge list of checkout chores when we also charge a cleaning fee.
My point is that hosts should either treat this as a business or get out. The more you demand of guests, the more people will go back to hotels.”
45. A Guest’s Death Left The Host Dealing With An Insurance Company
“Our guest passed away in our rental two days into a 12-day stay. They were staying while their home was being repaired and the entire fee for the stay was being covered by their homeowners insurance.
They also booked a month with us post-Labor Day. The guest passed and now the insurance company wants a full refund for both stays. We have a firm cancellation policy.
I want to do what’s right here, but also want to make sure we’re not overcompensating due to the nature of the situation.
We are in a remote area that is highly seasonal. We likely won’t even be able to rebook even a few days to try to recoup since it’s the end of summer.
Insurance company reached out twice already today on Airbnb, even went as far as trying to modify the guest’s stay and wants a full refund for the month they booked coming up with a partial refund for the current stay plus all extenuating booking fees.
Also will mention the agent booked the stay under their personal account for the insurance recipient.
I’m thinking to just have them contact Airbnb customer service to have them handle it since there are extenuating circumstances.
Thoughts?”
— u/NWsea