Guests staying in my 2 bed flat -I want them out

[Caitlin37]

HI,

I have 3 guests (from France) staying in my 2 bed flat in London for a week - it's my home. I'm staying with friends. These 3 girls told me they were on visiting England, Scotland and Wales for a month. They asked if they could use my address to get sims sent to - I said no, get them when you arrive. They arrived last Sunday with LOADS of luggage, said they had things to give people and that they'd be out every day doing things.

I visited my garage yesterday (Thursday) and saw them in my flat - they were in their PJ's and on laptops - I said hi - they had no intention of going out all day. I also saw them today in my flat at lunch time but they didn't see me, the same thing, didn't look like they were going anywhere soon.

I have googled them and one of them has a Linkedin, saying she is based in London and is looking for work. 

So, I can only assume that they have decided to come and live in London but instead of telling me the truth, they have lied to me.

They are due to leave this Sunday but if I had my way I'd get them out now. I had suspicions about them after I'd accepted the booking but the airbnb case manager was focussed on them (i.e.don't cancel, it'll be hard for them, you'll get a charged etc), so I didn't cancel.

So - my question is, anyway I can get them out now? Or do I have to just wait until Sunday? 

Thanks for listening

Caitlin 

[Helen3]

Of course you can get them out earlier as long as you’re happy to accept penalties from Airbnb for doing so @Caitlin37 

At the end of the day what does it really matter if they are hanging out at your place all day they have paid to be there.?

why are you visiting the flat - guests are meant to have sole access to a whole listing  unless there is an emergency. As a guest i would be pretty annoyed to have a host checking up on me daily.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks for your response.

It doesn't matter what they are doing, it matters to me that they've lied about it. It's a trust thing, as they are in my home. 

I'm not checking up on them daily - I saw them yesterday as I was collecting a ladder for a neighbour. However, today, I did check up on them 🙂 That's true

Thanks for your view

[Mark116]

@Caitlin37   I'd say it isn't worth it.  They are leaving in 2 days, for all the time, trauma, and potential negative consequences from airbnb, wait it out.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks - I think you're right. I'll put it down to experience 🙂 Breathe 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Caitlin37  "Going out all day"  can mean different things to different people. Not everyone operates on the same schedule. I'm a night owl/late riser myself- what other people consider lunchtime is usually when I'm having my second morning coffee. Of course no one likes to be lied to, and these girls may very well have lied, but you can't just assume because you saw them in PJs at lunchtime that they're just hanging in the house all day. Maybe they go out at 1:30 and don't come back until after dinner.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977   We call them 'hanger outers'...people who rent the airbnb, and then spend  very large amounts of time in the apartment.  It happens maybe about 10% of the time.   It's not breaking any rules, but we find it annoying, since it brings to the forefront all the reasons we never rented the place out long term...lack of soundproofing, airbnb back windows over look the back yard, so we lose privacy, creaking stairs...all things that are not noticed when people are out sightseeing all day, but when they are inside it gets on the nerves a bit. 

[Sarah977]

@Mark116 Yeah I get that it can be annoying. I don't like the energy of people just hanging out all day doing much of nothing myself. The layout of my house is such that guests have a private entrance unconnected to the living areas where I usually am during the day, so I really only hear them if they're talking on the phone while sitting outside on the balcony. If their room was inside the rest of the house, and they were squirreled away all day, just scurrying out to use the bathroom or make something to eat, I'd find that uncomfortable.

But I figure if someone has paid for the room, it's up to them if they want to hang out all day or be out and about.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks all - lesson learnt. 

They've left me a REALLY bad review - 1star on accuracy as they said they had to feed my cat- which is part of the deal, all written clearly on my listing and repeated in messages after they'd booked. The cat brings the price down - they paid £18 a night each for a 2 bed flat in zone 2 London - comparable properties are twice the price.

Past reviews even mention my lovely cat. 

This is a big learning for me to trust my instincts. 🙂

[Lisa723]

@Caitlin37 oof. Your response to that review is not doing you any good. As a guest it would scare me off. But, so would having to care for your cat. (And I personally wouldn't leave my pets with strangers, not that you asked.) As @Alice595 mentioned the camera is a big deal, and if reported could get you delisted.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/887/what-are-airbnbs-rules-about-security-cameras-and-other-reco...

[Caitlin37]

Oh....whoops! ok, thanks for your feedback. 

I didn't realise a security camera could get me delisted....whoops again!

[Alice595]

@Caitlin37 I just read the review. The guest mentioned a camera. I did not see that you have the security camera disclosed in your listings.

I would suggest that you put it on your listing immediately. If the guest contacts Airbnb about the camera, your listings will be deactivated from a week or more. And it may also cause your existing reservations being canceled by Airbnb due to this.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks - it's my home, so I don't rent out a lot at all. But I'll add it on the listing....didn't know I had. Thanks again.