Guest walks out of Airbnb and wants full refund

[IgglePiggleLovesUpsey]

I've had a bit of a crap day today tbh and the icing on the cake has been having to liaise with Airbnb support - I feel I have gone over so many details regarding a guest that decided to leave early due to issues with my property and now wants full refund.- so naturally I have come here to go over it again.

Timeline

• guests confirms that she and her partner will be using property only but would like use of spare bedroom. 2 adults
• I inform guest some building work has taken place to access loft eg new staircase and loft hatch, it's not quite finished so please avoid the area. She says it's fine.

• Guest arrives, is shown round property, then mentions she will be returning and bringing 3yo. They return, order takeaway, use bathroom etc and then contact Airbnb support to complain about property and say they want to leave citing hygiene and safety as issue. They don't cancel reservation.
• Airbnb contact me, back and forth we go, I want to know what the issue is exactly and be shown photos but they aren't shared.

I call, I message etc and eventually I reach out to guest asking to clarify issues and if she has left of intending to, only then do I find out she left that night. By this point I've stayed away for 2 nights and have packed all my stuff expecting them to stay for 11 nights. I think it's cheeky for them to expect a full refund when they made use of the facilities, didn't indicate they had any issues when being shown around, cost me time and effort to prep for their arrival , lied about number of guests and never even informed anyone they had left.

Or am I unreasonable? They found one small screw on the floor...so they felt it was unsafe for the child...the one we didn't know was going to be there. Also I forgot to check behind the TV stand...there was a clean coffee lid and a light switch to the loft in the area they were asked to avoid wasn't screwed back. I wiped clean the mirrors one last time before leaving and the tissue was referred to as 'trash' left lying around and bathroom slippers suddenly counted as shoes left lying around. The only issue I accept wasn't ideal was that a cupboard - that was not for the use of the guests but had the door removed and was leaning against cupboard.

it sounds as though this guest should not have been in the air bnb at all

spotlessly clean and safe is the reasonable expectation of visitors

@changecandles

it was an opinion and 7 people have agreed with me, The OP put up a post looking for opinions and I gave mine

@steff13 there was an extensive thread on bathroom slippers on MN sometime ago they are a thing apparently slippers just for the bathroom.I am not clever enough to find the thread.

Sorry just saw OP clarified they were flip flops.

Regarding the 3 year old - why is that relevant? If they booked and paid for the property , it shouldn’t make a difference , would you have charged extra for a 3 year old ? She’s left because it didn’t feel safe , but saying ‘ well I didn’t know a child would be there ‘ isn’t really an excuse - surely , she would have been allowed people to visit , you had no idea if she was staying near family who might visit etc … if it’s not safe for a child it should either not be rented out or , when you did know the child was coming , you should have said.

Put yourself in her position - she has found a coffee lid and used tissues . That would imply it hasn’t been cleaned thoroughly or hasn’t been checked properly . You say the tissues were just used to wipe the mirror - she doesn’t know this , they could have been used for anything .

Be truthful - if you went to a hotel or any holiday home and there was someone else’s slipper , used tissues and an uncovered light switch … would you be happy to stay ? She also hasn’t really used the facilities has she if she’s stayed there for one night out of 11.

I don't understand what they're for?
Surely there's a mat to stand on when you get out of the shower.
Surely the floor is clean in the bathroom.
Surely when you then go into the hall or bedroom your feet are clean and dry.
I've never heard of them

@Stirabout I think if you read the posts by the OP you'll find they didn't stay at all.

They looked around, went to collect their child, came back with a takeaway, then left and reported the issues.

Why would hoovering mean there was no screw? The OP missed the screw and TBH it could wreck a hoover.

The only people I know who use 'bathroom slippers' are people who don't want to risk catching athletes foot etc from bathroom floors in hotels or self catering houses. They take their own slippers for that.

As a residential landlord I would have a slightly different take on this based on the above.

1. They accepted prior to turning up that there were some works issues with the property - it's was not a surprise.

1. On turning up they inspected the property with the landlord and accepted it as it was.

1. They then added on a 3rd person to the booking - and a 3yr old changes the nature of the booking considerably so is not a 'nothing event'. Presumably because they didn't want the charge but actually didn't realise the implications of the landlord not being aware of a toddler in the property in advance.

1. They did not return the keys (or alert the landlord) when they vacated. Thus the landlord was not aware of the vacate, was unable to check the property (quiet right of enjoyment and all that) and unable to take any further booking for the vacated period.

In my view - as a residential landlord not a holiday let landlord - the letting had commenced and therefore tenant can at best only expect a refund for the period AFTER the landlord was alerted of the vacate and the keys returned. (There maybe a time-lag between airb&b being alerted of the vacate rather than just complaints/issues to be taken into account?) As the letting had begun the contract 'notice period' would apply - if such a thing exists in short term lettings given it would likely exceed the letting period!

I get that
Or in a leisure centre
Not in your own house

The OP's posts suggest they didn't stay at all.

I call, I message etc and eventually I reach out to guest asking to clarify issues and if she has left of intending to, only then do I find out she left that night.

I don't think your role as a landlord compares at all with Airbnb.

I agree.
Surely that is what a towel is for? Drying your feet before you leave the bathroom and walk into other rooms?

YABU? I think if they didn't stay there then they are entitled to a full refund if the property was not as described and if they've been able to provide proof (photos) that there was a problem with, or it being unsafe then you can't argue with that. It may be that once they returned with the 3 yo they realised it was not suitable. Its easy to miss things when you first check into a property and some people dont like confrontation so when they were initally shown round they may not have felt comfortable saying anything. I think your best chance for reducing the compensation is to say that you would have declined the booking if you knew there was a child staying too. Often people request Airbnb properties and don't declare the kids because they don't want to risk losing the booking or having it declined. It's not on but it happens. They should have told you as soon as they left the property to confirm where they had left the key and that the property was secure. I imagine they were avoiding you to avoid confrontation.
We once turned up at an Airbnb for a summer holiday only to find it was not as described, nails and wires sticking out of the wall, broken flooring. It was a death trap for a 3yo so we took photos, immediately left, notified the owner and Airbnb, and they refunded us. It was a nightmare because the island was full for the week and we had to stop in various places, 1 night here and there. Ruined the holiday.

I don't think it matters that they said it was ok while you showed them round.

Lots of people would feel pressured to say ok or not taken everything in properly.

This isn't 'sold as seen'.

The more this thread goes on the more I'm inclined to agree with the poster who thinks they're scammers.

If you think a house is too dangerous for your 3 yr old, and you've viewed it without her, why go back and collect her and then order a takeaway to eat there?

😂 Oh my goodness. Are you now actually accusing her of planting things to justify not staying? You made mistakes. Own up to them at least.

Seems an odd sort of scam, going to the expense and bother of booking and paying for an 11 night stay to simply eat a takeaway and use the loo at someone else's house.

My point being that the tenant may not have stayed - but if they didn't notify anyone of that fact at that point, then the property was still let out to them up until the point they did notify.

I have actually just looked at the Air B&B terms out of interest and it is clear "accomodations not habitable at check in" is a reason to cancel and expect a refund. It is clear that 'check in' is the deciding point! Not left till hours/days later.

I'm with PP here. I think the tenant decided they didn't need the accomodation and are looking for excuses for a refund - knowing that '"I've just changed my mind" isn't going to cut it!

The used tissue would make me think that the whole place was dirty.

Can I just clarify something please? Was the house for their sole use? As in did the rent the entire house or, just the bedroom and kitchen whilst you were still in occupation?

Your rather bureaucratic reply doesn't allow for human nature.

I imagine they were unhappy about the place from the word 'go'.
But maybe too polite or shocked to run a mile in front of the OP.

For whatever reason, they had to collect their child, so they did that, thought it all over in the meantime, decided to have another look- with the child in tow and with something to eat- and then decided to leave (maybe going back to a relative's home where the child had been left.)

Their next move was they contacted Airbnb with photos.

I doubt the T&Cs were part of their thoughts at that time - more likely they were shocked at the state of the place.

@RockOrAHardplace OP says she/ her partner and their child had left with her belongings to vacate the house.

Surely you would have decided this upon viewing the week before no?

Or when you were advised that there was construction going on no?

And surely you wouldn't book without notifying the owner that you were bringing a toddler no?

I'm pretty sure you are supposed to notify the owner of how many people are staying.

It seems very peculiar that they are told there are unfinished works BEFORE they booked.

They visited the place before they booked.

The unfinished parts were not parts of the house that was listed in the rental.

I have never been in an Airbnb where I haven't found something. A Bobby pin. A wrapper. A small toy. Every single time. It's not an issue for me.

There is literally not enough time in turn around for every single piece of heavy furniture to be moved and cleaned behind.

I've found things when I'm going to check out and I've looked everywhere to make sure I haven't left something.

The unfinished works were detailed to the guests prior to booking. They agreed.

The unfinished works were in a part of the property not included in the rental

And most importantly

THEY VIEWED IT prior to booking.