A horrified Airbnb host has warned others to beware after a couple turned up for a few weeks with a moving-in van – and 50 boxes of their belongings.
The app user said they just had to turn the guests away after they tried to move in with everything they own, including a fridge and a sofa. After giving them the boot, the person was hit with a £1,028 ($1,300) cancellation fee despite trying to reason with them over the situation.
The host told others to make sure they know all the rules inside out if they put their property up for rent on the popular app. Taking to Reddit, the person shared their nightmare experience and said they couldn’t believe what they were seeing when the van pulled up.
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They wrote: “Attention all Airbnb hosts! I recently had a challenging experience with a guest who arrived for a short-term stay of 27 nights with their entire household in tow – movers, furniture, fridge, and over 50 boxes of belongings included,” posted the person on the community forum.
“Despite providing Airbnb with picture evidence of my unit filled with boxes and my property’s sidewalks stacked with furniture and more boxes, Airbnb refused to cancel the reservation on their end. Despite multiple attempts to reason with them, they insisted that the guest had every right to stay with their belongings and that I had no basis to cancel the reservation.
“As a result, I have now been charged a hefty $1300 cancellation fee. This serves as a reminder to all hosts out there: Airbnb’s policy allows guests to bring any amount of their belongings into your home, and the host may face penalties for not allowing them to move in with all their belongings. Stay informed and cautious!”
It sparked a big debate with many saying the couple did nothing wrong but plenty of people stuck up for the host. One told the author: “I would be livid if someone moved that amount of personal possessions into my unit without at least a heads-up.
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“I think it’s generally understood that a month stay in a furnished unit does not include a storage facility feature. They withheld this information from you because they knew it was a d**k move. You are 100% justified with your grievance and I wouldn’t rest until I got the cancellation fee back. This is in the ballpark of returning a well used mattress to Costco; it might be technically within the rules, but it’s a turd thing to do.”
Another chimed in, saying: “You did the right thing. Most hosts wouldn’t have the balls. They’re too worried about a bad review. What city are you? Curious how the police got involved as they typically don’t want to get involved with civil matters.”