Airbnb guest let her dogs loose in my garden

[willowwonder]

I live on the same row of houses as an Airbnb. The Airbnb is in the middle of the row. My house and garden is at the end of the row, where there is a dropped kerb, and an open driveway/parking area leading into the garden. So there is no gate, just the driveway opening. Garden has usual garden things, like kids toys, sheds, raised planters, etc.

This morning, the Airbnb guest walked right past us putting kids in the car, she turned into my driveway, and walked into my garden - with 2 dogs. I was strapping the toddler in and honestly took me a few seconds to register what was going on. Once she reached the grass in the garden, she let the 2 dogs off the lead! And then they were running around my garden!! She was sort of wandering about, looking at my raised beds, totally casual.

So DH followed her and called after her "what are you doing??" I couldn't hear her reply but after a few seconds they both appeared back. The dogs were running about. One jumped into my car. I pushed it out and DH got in the car, sort of rolling his eyes. I heard the woman say "I was told it was dog friendly here...". Haha - what, in my garden!??

This is an absolutely wild thing for her to do, right?? The Airbnb isn't even next door. Like, there is no world in which she would have thought my garden was part of her Airbnb property. She just walked down the street, past a few houses, past ME and into my garden, to let her dogs run around it. Presumably to poo.

What on earth could have been going through her head??

AIBU to think this is INSANE behaviour?

Sorry, what, they let their dog run THROUGH your house?!?
What the fuck? How could they possibly be pissed off with you about that?

Was she from a different country? Unless she’s lived in a skyscraper all her life and never watched TV I can’t imagine someone not knowing the difference between a garden and a park. Rural areas can be a bit confusing but the driveway and toys should’ve been a giveaway!

True—people have lost their minds since Covid. I live in a new build (so no right to roam—apart from the pavements, park, etc)….the developers carved out the land so that my plot has a very long driveway down the side. The amount of people during Covid who dragged their bikes through my hedges and low wall to use my personal driveway as a cycling path was insane. I actually filmed one lady on my phone—she got upset and knocked on my door. In true MN fashion…I didn’t answer.

Since Covid, people no longer drag their bikes over my wall and through my hedges, but I did see some pedestrians climb through and walk down my drive the other day. CFs.

I love this diagram
Love other house at the end 😁😁

I work at a secondary school that has a very large field behind it. The field belongs to the school.
My colleagues in PE are all always having to tell people not to walk their dogs there - it's a school field . They are children wanting to exercise and they shouldn't have to pick up dog shit. This is like literally during the school day!!

Responses vary from "shouldn't you be doing something more important?" (keeping children safe?) And "my daughter go to this school so it's okay". Lolil

Yes - I bet the owners/managers who decide to allow dogs in don't do the cleaning up required!

If this sort of thing carries on happening, there will be fewer holiday accommodation options for people with dogs. If I were a cleaner I'd refuse to clean up dog mess - owners need cleaners so they can call the shots. And if I were the owner I wouldn't be happy with it being wrecked. I am surprised so many people allow dogs - I know people say it's a business decision but 2/3 of households don't have dogs, so I am sure there's enough dog-free business to chase.

Hopefully she is now cringing in shame somewhere that it wasn't a shared area.

Sounds to me like she's just an entitled little fucker! In what world is that normal?!

And the council - "antisocial behaviour" from an Air bnb is enough for the council to get pissed off and do something. They might not know, for example, and might be interested in introducing business rates on the property (not just council tax). That would probably put an end to it.

Disgusting. She was definitely taking the proverbial and thought she could get away with it.
Maybe at best she thought they are all air bnb properties owned by the same person, given her weird remark, but she should definitely have apologised once your DH put her straight.
Letting her out of control dog leap in your car with your children tells you everything you need to know about what a bad dog owner she is unfortunately.
You could write a letter to the owner of the air BnB and tell them this is unacceptable and that they must ensure this does not happen again or you will be notifying police and council who could get her air BnB shut down. They definitely need to be told, even if you omit the threats for now.

It's fair to hate working in hospitality. It is a vocation and most people hate that.
Guests are often unreasonable twats as opposed to money for nothing.
They are your literal guests, this is a profession and you must either decide to learn the skill or leave the profession.
So bella, maybe either don't do it, do a course, or work hard on the vagus nerve.
That is the host life 101.
Un abbraccio 🤗

Same

but there’s literally no fence?

have all the other gardens got fences? Or gate or whatever

They are not the guest of the OP! She’s not running an Airbnb.

so many dog owners are entitled arseholes who think you should love their slobbering stinkers like they do, sounds like this woman is one of them if her dog got in your car

And? The message doesn't change.

If I am not the host, I say, "Leave my farm" without English hang-ups that may cause misunderstanding.

We can add that our dog, horse, husband or cleaner is a bit trigger-happy, use the imagination cara.

Problem to discuss with host. Not thousands of women, upset by default, with no industry knowledge.

Personally I find dirty laundry in public but with zero direct communication extremely tacky, but I am not English.

You do you bella 💚🤍❤️

wtf?! This title should read entitled AirBNB guest trespassed on your private property.

cannot believe some people. Your 100% not being unreasonable

The only defence against this sort of self-entitled looney is a locked gate with a private no entrance sign.

I’d complain to the owner of the Airbnb. We have a similar issue where we are but we have a good relationship with the owner who do a their best to make it clear to tenants what outside space comes with the rental and what doesn’t!

I would complain in writing to the cottage rental company, and would also put a note through the current guest’s door, noting that they came into your private garden without being invited to do so. Be clear that you’ve reported the incident to the rental company, and that any further occurrence will result in a police report.

She sounds like a CF of epic proportions.

As someone who also lives in a place with lots of visitors, you have my sympathy!

My elderly parents kept getting people turning up to stay at their flat for airbnb. Turned out the airbnb was a few doors up but used an exterior photo of their flat - they have a garden flat and look after it - instead of the real one. Dad spoke to the neighbour and it's been taken down. They laugh about it now, but they were uncomfortable at the time especially when one solo man turned up at midnight

Off-topic from OP's predicament, which I 100% agree is batshit bonkers.

But then, this one is up there with a previous OP getting shirty about a delivery driver opening the front door & leaving parcel in her hall. I mean, if you don't want random tourists/strangers/criminals/delivery drivers inside your house, maybe just lock the door like anyone that wants to assure against the possibility of some random weirdo just turning up IN their house.

I know rural areas haven't necessarily got with the 19th century notion that crime does, in fact, occur. But locking to door does have advantages for preventing strangers from turning up to order coffees too 🤷🏼‍♀️

Given it was this government and previous governments who brought in all the extra rules and regulations to stop people renting homes out to full time tenants so not sure what they are expected to do

There was an overexcited woman who said:

"Complain to Air BnB and let HMRC know in case the income from denying a person a year round home is not being declared."

And various others. Notice they all have no knowledge of grammar in their own language.

How can they control their responses and actions if not their fingers or mouth?

It is a lack of basic social skills. Try to use your kind assertiveness and basic civility first and not always report every sneeze with this extreme emotional constipation. 🤣

Let us try to apply reason first, negotiating with the person who upset us and not the public internet.

Un abbraccio comunque 💚🤍❤️

I have a gîte next to where we live- it was originally a “dependance” of our farmhouse. We let with various agencies including Air.

What would make me do something about this (if I were the host and my guests did this) is if you upset the guests- forcefully tell them to bugger off. Put a note through the door saying they have trespassed, this will cause the guests to leave a negative review- something which hosts try to avoid at all costs.

Do an image search on the main photo (most hosts use the same one on all the platforms) and find the owners website/facebook page and contact them direct. Check exactly what the advertising promises- does it imply a dog friendly open space by the row of houses?
if it does, and you don’t get an immediate change to the advertising and a grovelling apology- leave negative reviews (be truthful!) about what happened. They will be a right pita for the owner to take down.

A cheap solution- a length of that cheap plastic chain with a little “private “ sign across the gateway.

Good luck! Hosts like this give all of us a bad name!

It’s no good just complaining to Air, like most of the big agencies, all that will happens you go round and round talking to someone on the other side of the world reading from a script. All they care about is getting their commission.

The diagram further shows how cheeky she was. Yes, she probably did that deliberately so that her dogs would shit in your garden and she didn't have to deal with it whilst she's on holiday.

It doesn’t matter if you don't have a fence, a gate, or if it's just a drive / gravel type place - it obviously belongs to you!!