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.

The door left just leaning against the cupboard is pretty poor. I think each individual thing isn't too bad but all of them together makes the property look potentially unclean and unsafe. Once they started thinking that there is not much you can do to persuade them otherwise.

I also think banging on about their 3 year old joining them in a two bedroom property looks rather unreasonable. Maybe the child wouldn't settle with relatives and they had to go to collect them. There was plenty of room.

She mentioned the three year old just as we were about to leave - they arrived without the child and twice confirmed only 2 adults guests. Please read updates.

But the property would have still been unsafe and unclean even if hadn't brought the three year old.

Yes, she should have told you but your property was in rentable condition regardless.

I'm tempted to find this place and have a look at the listing.

You shouldn't be letting it out if you got building work going on

I think they should be partially refunded. Pay for one night for the user they made of the place and refund the rest.

Then remember the public are a wildly varied bunch and be wary.

That’s not correct. Airbnb covers rooms in the owner’s property, annexes, to whole properties s/c. In either case you don’t expect renovation work. Or tissues.

Air BnB or not, the property still should be safe. I doubt very much any insurance claim would pay out for a rental property with unsafe electrics.

It's not safe. Fingers can fit behind the cover plate and touch live wiring.

The thing that would have worried me more though, especially with a 3 Yr old, is this door that was not attached and just leant in place. If the 3 year old had pulled on it it could have fallen on them, that's really dangerous. It would have been better to have no door at all than one precariously balanced.

Your house was not in a fit state to let out.

Exactly, one damn tissue, not rubbish, obviously not left intentionally, on a shelf that was not intended for use by guests - it's used to store surplus bathroom supplies eg additional hand wash, shampoo, soaps etc. This is what she took a picture of to claim that trash had been left on the property - a bit of an exaggeration I felt. Coupled with her dishonesty about the bringing a child and then the coffee lid to have appeared behind the TV stand when neither myself or partner purchase coffee outside - we use takeaway mugs - was just odd. And the single screw that suddenly when from the light switch to downstairs pictured by the door that id vacuumed twice that day.

You really should not expect people to stay somewhere where there are building works. Wait until your building work is finished, then go back to hosting.

You really aren’t getting it and represent the worst kind of Airbnb host.

I don't see how this is any different to holidaying overseas to a hotel which looks lovely online or in a brochure and finding building work in progress. Even if it's been 'stalled' while you're using it!

Yup.

Cleaning with tissues...isn't cleaning?!

Electric socket front being off is a hazard, come on now, you must know that the public will find a way to electrocute themselves, don't make it easier for them to try and take you to court.

Building work being done = take it off airbnb til it's finished.

They should have mentioned the kid, but seeing as it's so young, I don't think that's a major issue.

I do miss the airbnbs of old, where you'd maybe be given a sleeping bag, find the host's fancy dress cupboard or clogs collection or random room of parrots, communal pot of gumnut stew bubbling away or whatever. Glass of wine and chats about travelling the world, dog eared books, dog eared dogs...But people hate that now, they expect sterile and private places.

I'm actually starting to wonder if they were just chancers who wanted somewhere to shower, eat and chill for a few hours, and never had any intention of paying. I'm sure air b&b must be open to abuse from scammers.

Do you always miss the point?

Rather than being angry I'd be terrified they were going to report me and give bad reviews.

Crossed my mind also.

It's irrelevant.

The house isn't fit to rent out to chancers or genuine guests.

Yes, given the recent works, in fact I had two enquiries from guests wishing to stay earlier and I had to politely decline, one guest insisted that she didn't mind about the building works and said she'd be staying with family most of the time and just needed to lay head somewhere quiet away from grandkids at which point I realised she might be elderly so I had to refuse.

That's not the evidence I've seen.

Someone who booked for 11 nights and would have paid Air B and B for 11 before staying - was then unhappy after actually living in it for 5 minutes (and uncovering stuff you wouldn't see on a quick look around) and then took a short time to find an alternative (rememebr at this point 11 days of their money is lodged with Aitlr B and B) and then left, raising an issue with Air B and B.

Sounds perfectly plausible to me. And extremely annoying!

Air BnB themselves say your property is unsuitable to be let. Everything else (the toddler, the rubbish) is irrelevant.

www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/3057

"Hosts are responsible for maintaining a listing free of safety hazards (e.g. blocked fire exits, risks of electric shock, rat poison). Hazards inherent to the listing (e.g. high heights, bodies of water) must be disclosed in the listing description. In addition, Hosts must follow all applicable laws and regulations (e.g. the listing should meet applicable fire code requirements)."

We do, downstairs only though. Brought another for upstairs but thought guests might find it annoying so decided to fit it after they'd leave.

Realistically, how much would them "making use of the facilities" cost you?

Sounds as if a full refund would be the easiest thing,