So I've been an AirBNB host for a little over a year now, with two types of listings for my property (Penthouse Loft in St. Louis City). I started off with just renting my second bedroom to travelers who are coming downtown for conventions and business trips (I'm an easy walk to all the city center locations). That was going really well, but I found myself traveling with work more and more, so I decided to create a second listing, for the entire 2,800sqf penthouse while I was gone. That listing has done very well, to the point that I'm making myself go out of town more often that I need to because of so many reservations. I've had really good luck, and been very fortunate that I haven't had any issues with anyone as far as them being excessively loud, damaging, or rude to my neighbors in the building... until this past weekend.
I had a woman from Iowa make a reservation for her, her boyfriend, and (2) other couples (a total of 6 adults) for this last weekend, they were coming in town for a sporting event (didn't know what event at the time). I greet her and her boyfriend this past Friday at the space and show them around, I'm getting really good vibes from her and her boyfriend, they seem really chill and nice. They had an additional fellow with them though who didn't speak much, but when he did, he was rather negative, and didn't give off the best impression. Regardless, as we worked our way around the space, I showed them the kitchen, and offered to them that they could have anything they wanted in the refrigerator (there was a few light beers that other guests had left behind, not much else). I hit the road and wish them the best for the weekend.
Fast forward to 2AM Saturday morning (their first night there), I wake up to my phone buzzing with a series of text messages from my neighbor. She's concerned because there was a loud thud that came from my space, and then for the last hour, there was a woman crying loudly and in a shouting match with a man. She said that she also heard what she thought was wooden furniture breaking. Concerned, as she should be, she was messaging me to see if I was OK. I let her know there was AirBNB guests in the space for the weekend, and asked her if it was bad enough that I should call the cops. She said no, but asked that I look into it in the morning (which I was planning to do regardless).
First thing in the morning, I immediately contact AirBNB and explain the situation. They are great to deal with, and suggest that I start by sending a quick message via the platform to the guest to make sure everything is OK. I immediately do so, and about an hour later I receive a text message from the guest on my phone saying "I'm so sorry your probably worried! Nothing broke and no one was crying or flighting! We came home from the bars! We were probably loud, but all safe and nothing is broken! Promise!"
I let them stay the additional night, and I make my way back to the property on Sunday. I get into the space, and could immediately tell they had had a party there. The wood floor in the kitchen was still sticky from spilt drinks, the stainless steel table in the kitchen was a sticky mess as well, and there were bags of trash laying up against the wall. I open the refrigerator and I find close to 50 Busch Light beer cans filling up the refrigerator. Then I look to my liquor cabinet above the refrigerator to find my selection of Grey Goose, Patron, New Amsterdam and JD, almost completely empty (they were brand new bottles purchased a few weeks ago). Then I notice a open bottle of wine sitting on the kitchen counter top. It's a bottle that was given to me by a family member in 2009, even had a special label on it with my name... quick glance to the wine cabinet, same deal, at least 3 or 4 additional bottles missing.
I work my way into the bedroom, sure enough, the wood runners for the queen size bed are busted and hanging down towards the floor on both sides. Someone had to been jumping, or fighting very rough to bust it up the way it is, its solid wood and has always been a solid bed.
I contact AirBNB and immediately let them know what I'm seeing, they tell me to photograph it, and submit a request to hold the damage deposit ($300). Yesterday afternoon, I'm in the elevator coming up to my space, and two of my neighbors get on with me (from different floors). They ask, "Did you happen to have some people in your space this weekend?" For which I said "....yes... was there an issue?". They both go on to tell me that they were coming into the building on Saturday and about to get on the elevator when a group of people coming from the top floor (my floor) were getting off the elevator, but before they left it, they were kind enough to press all the buttons on the elevator and walk off leaving my neighbors to ride the elevator stopping at every floor up to theirs. It's not that big of a deal, and they didn't seem to much to care, but its just a stupid immature thing that an adult, or even a guest, shouldn't be doing.
So, now I'm out a bed, booze, wine and likely a review from the guests. I'm filing a claim to keep the $300 security deposit, but the bed that was broken will cost more than that to replace. I know that airBNB has a $1 million host insurance if the guests were to break something... and I guess I'll be the first one to experience how that process goes to recoup some of the lost funds from this guests stay.
What do you think /r/AirBNB ? Is there anything you would have done differently than I? Anything else you'd still do? I'm submitting all this, photos, and paperwork to airbnb this afternoon. Anything I should add?
Submitted March 31, 2015 at 08:59PM by topherfitz http://ift.tt/1Exqgbo AirBnB
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