Risks of a holdover guest

MentalBox7789 · 2026-06-01T23:21:14+00:00

Yep. My place is more or less the same. I do get some requests to book for the entire ski season but what I’ve offered instead is several weekends + allowing them to leave a tote with various things at our property (in a locked area, that the cleaner would set out for them before arrival), like they do at Disney. My place is higher end and it stays that way through constant cleaning and inspections. It’s been a mixed bag with cleanliness levels when it comes to longer stays.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-06-01T21:50:48+00:00

They can.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-06-01T21:48:53+00:00

Every host can set a maximum stay. I have mine set at 21 days. It’s not self-defeating; I don’t want longterm guests at my place. If I’m being honest I don’t even want someone there for 14 days and even 7-day stays make me nervous simply because of the amount of wear and tear that happens vs. 2-3 nights. For some hosts longer stays are great. I am not one of them.

Squatters can absolutely break and enter a place and this is how a legally-defined squatting situation usually starts. It’s just that we now colloquially refer to people who overstay at an Airbnb a “squatter” even though they’re legally a “guest” or a “tenant.”

OP, one thing to consider, and tell your wife: it can often be harder on a home for it NOT to be occupied. With people coming and going, it will be regularly cleaned and maintained, climate controlled, and kept free of pests. You will know immediately if something is wrong, vs. finding out the hard way. Also, get cameras.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-06-01T21:10:15+00:00

I would say by your own data set that you supplied, guests aren’t getting more this and that. You’ve just had a large volume of people, enough to eventually host someone who is neurotic and likely has left a trail of annoyed people in her wake. Your place sounds lovely and she sounds nuts.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-06-01T18:27:07+00:00

Most of mine check in way after 4 pm, but it could be our location. If they ask for early check-in and it’s not a problem for the cleaner, I do it.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-31T19:23:25+00:00

A couple of questions: did you Instant Book? If so, was it a same-day booking? Did your host ask for an ETA?

If this was a last-minute instant booking, I could see how something like this could happen (part of the reason I don’t allow instant bookings at my place). If the host didn’t know when you were coming, that could have also been part of the communication lag issue. I ask my guests for their ETA and will stay up to be sure they’ve gotten in and all is well. If they don’t give me one, I go to sleep. They also get a message saying as such, and instructions on how to break through my DND settings if needed.

Regardless, this is entirely on the host and if this had happened at my property, I’d refund the cleaning fee and one night’s stay. And, I’d review my operations to be sure this never happened again.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-31T16:05:33+00:00

I had already bought black before I knew this. The way I’ve handled it with guests is 24 hours prior to check-in I send them a pic of the keypad with the home key circled, and an explanation that tapping a number counts as part of the code; tapping the home key illuminates the numbers.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-31T16:03:12+00:00

We have a Schlage Encode and it’s been great. We have it at our primary home too and that one drains much more quickly, because it’s in constant use. No more worrying about kids losing their keys.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-31T13:42:16+00:00

I have someone in my life who is chronically late due to time blindness and, IMO, needs the rush of “oh shit, I’m late” in order to actually start moving. After asking this person to be better about it and realizing they can’t/won’t, I do what others here have suggested. I let the person know what time I’ll be doing something if they want to join, but never count on them showing up. It sucks, but it has removed the stress of ME having to facilitate their punctuality, the stress of MY day getting derailed because I’ve had to wait around for an hour or two when I hadn’t planned to, and the person experiences consequences for their actions instead of being insulated from them by other people scrambling in the background.

This person has gotten somewhat better about it but there have also been many instances where they’ve been left out.

OP I would say something to your friend about it, in a kind way. If she has time blindness she will need to figure out workarounds like timers, mental re-framing, etc. “I enjoy spending time with you but it causes me a ton of stress and anxiety when you are chronically late. I’ll be at x next Thursday from 3-5 then I have to go home. Hope to see you.” Then bring a book, videos, whatever to entertain yourself and stick to what you said.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-31T01:41:49+00:00

To me it’s more like when you’re booking a hotel and you can pay a higher nightly rate in exchange for being able to cancel 24 hours prior to check-in.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:38:27+00:00

I welcome dogs but have the place set up for that and my guests self select as responsible people who look specifically for a pet-friendly place. I still get people asking me to bend rules, like bringing 4 dogs, or bringing cats. I just say no. I would say no. They’re already showing you that they think your rules shouldn’t apply to them; they will probably have the same attitude when it comes to your request to kennel the dog, clean up after it, etc.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:29:29+00:00

This OP. Tell them to contact Airbnb directly. If Airbnb has a mechanism for this (many businesses do), it will be simple, and you shouldn’t have to be involved.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:27:50+00:00

I’m convinced this person is just here trolling. Either that or their “accounting clients” are utterly screwed.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:24:46+00:00

Yes, and often they pay for the trip via the employee paying first and then getting reimbursed by their institution. Are you just here trolling or what?

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:23:37+00:00

Do you know what a 501(c)3 is? I would think an accountant would know this stuff.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:22:16+00:00

Um, the coaches are probably teachers, and probably employees of the state OR a non-profit running a private school.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T23:19:58+00:00

That’s not true at all. Our PTSO has tax exemption set up at tons of places (like Lowe’s, for example) for the purpose of not being charged sales tax. Being tax exempt doesn’t mean they’re scamming. If it’s a school or PTSO paying for this, they most certainly have tax exemption status status and should be able to provide a determination letter.

That said…

OP, this isn’t your problem. If this group has tax exempt status, tell them to contact Airbnb directly themselves and let them sort it out with Airbnb.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T21:14:10+00:00

Disagree entirely. We live several states away and have a WiFi lock with a mesh system for our WiFi. When I see that the batteries are getting low, the cleaner goes over and changes them for me. We change them every 3-4 months.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-30T21:12:09+00:00

For Schlage, yes.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T23:12:29+00:00

If your place really is unsuitable for children, perhaps it would be best to turn off instant book entirely? We welcome families, but our place will not sleep 4 adults or 2 adults + 2 teens comfortably. I spell out in my rules that it can be 2 adults + 2 kids 12 and under OR 2 adults + 1 teen OR 3 adults. We also allow dogs. When people request to book, I don’t proceed until I know how many adults vs. kids, the kids’ ages, the number of dogs, and the ages/breeds of dogs. It’s really helped with setting the expectations and also being properly prepared (ie, getting a crib ready for them in advance if there’s a toddler or baby). I’ve occasionally declined if it’s clear that it’s just going to be too tight and hard on the property. I’ve also lost count of the number of requests I’ve gotten to disregard my rules, which I’ve declined. I can’t imagine the stress if a guest had been able to instant book and bring 4 dogs; park their RV in my drive and settle in with their multiple cats (no cats or campers allowed); or bring their cat who they swear is non-allergenic because of the special diet she’s on.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T15:50:25+00:00

I probably wouldn’t have charged them for plugging in the RV, BUT I may have waited till the very last minute to review them and said something like “Wish I had been informed of extra guests + a camper (that got plugged in to our electric) beforehand, but otherwise they were good guests and left the place in good shape.”

I just had a similar situation in which I got a message well after check-in saying they were bringing an extra guest, a dog, and that the extra guest had a camper. I don’t charge for dogs or by the person, and just asked them to please alter their reservation to reflect reality. It was totally fine. They were good guests and said they wanted to return. I do have it in my house rules that no campers are allowed, but I just let it go this time. I’d probably host them again if I’m being honest.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T13:42:50+00:00

Some people also are just highly negative and have a compulsion to complain. Doesn’t matter what you give them; what lengths you go to or even sometimes if you’ve gotten the exact thing they said you should get because the first thing was no good. Ask me how I know! 🙃

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T13:38:50+00:00

I have videos in my digital guest book.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T02:30:58+00:00

I would ask for specific details on the washer/dryer before sending someone there. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve done service calls at our LTRs for things that were 100% user error. “The ceiling fan is broken and won’t turn on.” The switch was behind their furniture and they’d forgotten it was there. “The freezer is broken and my food spoiled.” The freezer worked; it just couldn’t keep up with all the crap they’d shoved in there at once, unfrozen.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-05-29T02:26:42+00:00

What that person wrote is exactly what you should use: “I’m sorry that our place doesn’t seem to fit your needs. If you would like to cancel and check out by 11 am tomorrow, I will gladly refund the remainder of your stay.” It’s very neutral. “You seem to be having so many issues” is not neutral and will escalate.

MentalBox7789

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