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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have turned away this airbnb guest?

999 replies

Hiptrip · 07/01/2018 09:05

I have been doing airbnb for a while and have found it a great way to meet new people, and earn a little extra. That is until last Friday night.

Despite my house rule of no children, a woman wrote to me and asked if I could make an exception, promising that her two-year old son would be very well behaved. My house is not set up for children, and I simply don’t want toddlers here so I replied and said no.

She said that was okay and booked anyway, saying she had to come to my town for a wedding, and that she’d find someone to look after him.

Then she turned up with her child at 9.30pm saying she couldn’t find a sitter, and had hysterics as she pleaded with me on the doorstep, to allow him to stay. I refused and in the end called the police because she said she wouldn’t leave until I gave her, her money back in cash because she needed it to stay elsewhere. As she was starting to cause a nuisance, they got rid of her.

She’s taken this to airbnb. My argument is that she was told she couldn’t bring her child, and did anyway, so she should lose her money. Not unreasonable?

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 07/01/2018 11:13

I doubt most Airbnb rooms are properly insured anyway

Yes they are. Airbnb provide free insurance for hosts to cover claims brought by guests and any damage caused by guests.

GissASquizz · 07/01/2018 11:14

Yanbu. And I wouldn't give her any money back.

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 11:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sanesera · 07/01/2018 11:14

Well you did the right thing according to your house rules.

I too can't think what harm the child would have done though at that time of night...

BashStreetKid · 07/01/2018 11:14

Swing, I think you're confusing rules with conditions/misrepresentation. There are various rules around airbnb properties, e.g. not trashing the place, and I strongly suspect that in your husband's case the 8 p.m. rule was in that category. In OP's case she entered into the contract on the basis of the guest's representation that she wouldn't be bringing her child and/or on condition that the guest didn't bring her child. No host is likely to make it a condition that the guest absolutely must turn up by 8 p.m. and will be turned away if they don't, because (a) that would put off an awful lot of potential guests, especially those who have to travel by air or train; and (b) it would be bad business to turn people away after 8 p.m. because obviously you can't relet at that point.

It's noticeable that you're ignoring all the points made to you about how OP would be out of pocket if she had refunded. Can you explain precisely why she should lose £80 or £160 in this scenario?

MozzchopsThirty · 07/01/2018 11:15

Please someone what is a CF?????

Maelstrop · 07/01/2018 11:15

YANBU. Woman was a cheeky fucker, no different from idiot hen do guest who turned up with her toddler when she’d been told not to bring him.

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 11:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alimaggieleggie · 07/01/2018 11:17

I've never used airbnb before but after reading this thread I get it. They have the money and the cheeky fucker needs to ask them for the money not the op. I perhaps wouldn't have said an outright no to the c.f. to avoid a scene but would have said if you think you're entitled to a refund contact them.

BashStreetKid · 07/01/2018 11:17

Pengggwyn - from Airbnb's website:

If your guests get hurt or cause property damage, our Host Protection Insurance protects you from liability claims up to a million dollars, included free for every Airbnb host.

So OP will have been insured.

Iggi999 · 07/01/2018 11:17

The woman deserved to be turned away.
The child did not deserve to be turned away. How to reconcile these two things is the problem. Refusing a toilet to a toddler is pretty low.
The OP was entitled to do what she did but you can’t exactly see a Christmas movie being made out of it, can you?

StylishDuck · 07/01/2018 11:18

@sanesera Not all 2 year olds sleep through the night, especially in a strange room. If the OP had let them stay and the child had been up screaming all night then her other guest could have legitimately complained and got their money back given they'd booked child free accommodation in the first place.

All this is irrelevant anyway. The OP doesn't want kids staying in her home, she has clearly stated this. She shouldn't have to accept them just because she gets a CF turning up with a sob story.

DreamyMcDreamy · 07/01/2018 11:19

I’m torn. She was totally awful turning up like that when you told her no already, but that poor kid seeing his mum cry hysterically to be allowed into a stranger’s house, then made to move on by the police. And then what? I feel so sorry for him.

Yeah, and that's what she'll have been banking on - emotional guilt tripping so they can stay!
Absolute cheeky f***r, she was TOLD no before hand and still went ahead and did it.
YADNBU OP.

pollythedolly · 07/01/2018 11:19

I'd have done the same as you OP.

InspMorse · 07/01/2018 11:20

I vote for scam.

Airbnb typically releases your payout about 24 hours after your guest's scheduled check-in time. The time it takes for the funds to arrive in your account depends on your payout depends on method of payment

She wanted cash refund you say?
You did the right thing refusing.

  1. She complains to Airbnb, tells them she didn't stay / was refused bed and her card payment is stopped.
  2. You get no money from airbnb because her payment has been stopped but she has your cash.
IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 07/01/2018 11:20

Mozz CF = Cheeky Fucker.
Pengggwn I used to childmind from my home. I had to have insurance. I would think that most people do have it because otherwise they are taking a huge risk letting strangers into their home.
If my house wasn't child friendly, no way would I let someone bring their toddler to stay if that exposed me to potentially getting sued if they fell down the stairs for example. And that's before you get into the whole cheeky fuckery of deliberately ignoring what the OP clearly told her.

BashStreetKid · 07/01/2018 11:21

Swingofthings, tenants being late with the rent is rather different from someone very deliberately breaking the rules and trying to scam someone out of £80.

But, if you would be happy to lose that amount of money and can afford it, that's your business and lucky you. It doesn't make OP greedy if she's not willing to do so.

MozzchopsThirty · 07/01/2018 11:21

Ah thank you Smile I was thinking of something far worse

Iwasjustabouttosaythat · 07/01/2018 11:21

lynzpynz, yes, I’m sure you did, dear. Not that it does demonstrate that at all CAPSuncaps.

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 11:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FizzyGreenWater · 07/01/2018 11:23

But it makes no sense anyway. Her child is two. You honestly think a normal parent's response to being told 'no kids' is 'ok, I'll book anyway, I'll find somewhere ELSE to park my baby'?? Err no.

At best she decided she'd book anyway and plan to turn up having hysterics banking on the fact that OP would let her in 'because of the baby'.

No way was the actual plan for her to come to X town, dump her baby with someone else and then stay at OPs - um - if you found a friend locally you'd stay iwth them too, if it were a 'sitter' then they wouldn't be having the baby overnight... if the plan was for the baby to be cared for by family at home and that fell through, you'd know that BEFORE setting off and would contact and plead your case before turning up at 9.30 crying.

She PLANNED to turn up in hysterics in order to get to stay. She drove all the way to OP's knowing she was going to pull that stunt.

She fully deserved to be turned away - in fact there is no way I'd have let a stranger happy to pull that stunt into my home anyway - I would have felt extremely unsafe. She had a car and at worst had the means to either drive home or to the nearest travelodge. I don't believe that someone with literally no cash to fund a night at a premier inn would be driving to another town to come to a wedding, either.

BitOutOfPractice · 07/01/2018 11:23

I know she was a CF and you were technically in the right but I'm not sure I could have turned a woman and child away at night tbh. Not saying you shouldn't have, just that I couldn't have done that

nakedscientist · 07/01/2018 11:24

OP it's within your rights to turn that guest away, particularly in the light of her behaviour. AirBnB will deal with any refund, so not your call.

swing your DH was probably polite and apologetic which helps enormously.

Also swing you sound kind and are getting an overly hard time. I slightly cringe when people say the don't like children. Different than don't cater for them.

TheGoblinQueen2711 · 07/01/2018 11:25

OP you are absolutely NBU in my opinion. I wouldn't dream of just showing up with a kid in tow, when I had been told no.

We were looking at large properties on Airbnb a while back for a group of 13, many places were listed as acceptable for 12 people. I chanced my arm and emailed a few asking if they would be happy to accept the one extra.
The answers were as follows:

  1. I'm afraid not, we simply don't have the room and are only insured for the 12.
  2. Yes, that's no problem if you can provide and airbed etc
  3. Not a problem at all, we have a foldaway bed, or someone could sleep on a sofa
  4. I'm sorry but no
  5. Yes that's no problem, but you will have to provide a bed, or double up or something
  6. Oh, I'm not really sure, I suppose we could sort something out if you can't find somewhere for 13 though...

3/6 were willing to make the adjustment, happily which was lovely
2/6 were a flat out no (politely, but still a no)
and 1 was hesitant, but probably would have accommodated us all.

In the end I was overridden by another family member and we spent extra on hotel rooms instead, but if not we would have gone with one of the 3 that had no problem taking the extra. In no circumstances would we have turned up as a group of 13 when the host was only expecting 12.

Marcine · 07/01/2018 11:26

If I thought someone was going to refuse to leave my home/cause damage etc I wouldn't let them in, even if their excuse was 'child needs the toilet'.

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