You want to know how to evict Airbnb guest if they do wrong, forcing you to pursue eviction. The guest may have violated the rules, such as smoking, keeping pets, keeping late at night, or partying loudly, which disturbs neighbors. It could also be that the guest is an Airbnb squatter (someone who overstays and illegally occupies an Airbnb property after their reservation has ended) that needs to leave.
Unfortunately, just canceling their reservation and asking them to go will be met with several penalties.
In some states, however, guests establish themselves as tenants after 30 days. So check your local law to be sure you need to kick out the Airbnb guest as soon as possible.
How to evict Airbnb guest
Suppose you host Airbnb legally. If you decide to follow legal proceedings, you would be wasting time and resources to evict the guest, especially if they are overstaying their reservation. You do not want this to happen because it only gives them enough time to stay, and some guests know how to game the law to their interest.
Do the following to have the Airbnb guest kicked out immediately:
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Check your local laws
Statutes in nearly all states allow landlords to use summary proceedings to evict tenants and regain possession of leased property quickly.
Contact your landlord-tenant attorney or your local county courts to find out about eviction laws regulating short-term rentals where you live. Local laws affect your ability to evict a guest, suppose they overstay a long-term reservation, without getting in trouble.
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Ask the host to leave
If an Airbnb guest breaks the house rules, give them a warning. If that happens again, ask the guest to leave.
Read also: regaining belongings from a bitter person legally
Most hosts would instruct the guest to leave immediately, especially if they arrive at the property with more people than they booked for. Sometimes, guests may try to cover up by saying they are just relatives or friends, which is not acceptable, especially if you stipulate “no guests allowed” on your Airbnb listing.
If the guest has local friends, they can visit them at their place, meet at the beach or a restaurant.
You need to be clear with the guest that it is not possible to continue the booking, without getting emotional.
Stay friendly with the guest, and maybe discuss their new accommodation.
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Notify Airbnb
It is incredibly rare to have to evict an Airbnb guest but it happens. If you find yourself in this situation, Airbnb will “try and help” resolve the problem with your guest.
Contact the Airbnb support team, they will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Be calm and clear when explaining the situation. Your assigned Airbnb assistant will chat you up online or might ring you, and then make contact with the guest(s).
Read also: what Airbnb guests do after hosts give bad reviews
A refund may be given, depending on the situation. Suppose your guest overstays their reservation, and no refunds are made. However, refunds are made if the guest is yet to complete their reservation but you want them evicted for breaking your house rules.
Airbnb will then proceed to help the guest find alternative accommodation. If the Airbnb guests behaved dreadfully, take photos of your property after they leave and put in a claim to Airbnb.
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Call the police
Consider calling the police. Note that the police will need you to provide evidence that you legally rent your home on Airbnb. Have your identification and proof handy.
Inform your guests that you would be inviting the police after a particular time. This may get them to move for fear of embarrassment.
Besides, short-term renters like Airbnb guests may not have the same rights as tenants in your state. Except, maybe they have stayed over 30 days.
Read also: be careful: neighbors can stop your Airbnb building
Tips to avoid bad guests that will need eviction
On your next hosting, do the following to avoid guests that will require eviction:
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Know your local rental laws
Try to be familiar with your local rental laws, including how long Airbnb guests can stay to obtain tenant rights.
In some states, guests who lawfully remain on your property after 30 consecutive days acquire the legal rights as tenants. As such, you cannot use self-help eviction, such as changing the locks or cutting off the power.
At this point, you would have to follow the legal eviction proceeding, which takes the time (or months) and money that you may not be willing to give. You would have to cover the legal fees and hire a real estate lawyer.
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Do not list stays more than 30 days
Short-term reservations below 30 days, or as stipulated in your state, should not be exceeded. Suppose your state allows a guest to become a tenant after staying for 30 consecutive days. It would be harder to evict the guest (now tenant). Besides, there are cases (although rare) where Airbnb guests refuse to leave.
Nonetheless, some Airbnb guests will book stays for longer than 30 days, and still leave immediately after their stay expires. Preventing longer stays also protects you from Airbnb squatters.
If your guests request an extension, make it a separate written agreement.
If you must continue with longer leases on Airbnb for your vacation rental property, make sure the guests cannot do an instant booking for the longer stays.
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Use Airbnb for all bookings
You can avoid the issue of evicting an Airbnb guest by making sure all deals are completed via the Airbnb website.
You might want to make additional bucks completing deals off Airbnb, but this can result in problems such as dealing with Airbnb squatters on your property.
Nonetheless, it may be necessary for guests to have your number for emergencies and other critical issues. Try not to communicate through text or other messaging services outside Airbnb.
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Sign a contract with Airbnb guests
A signed vacation rental agreement saves you the stress of following longer proceedings to evict an Airbnb guest. Clearly state the terms and conditions in the agreement.
The agreement can include the dates and times for check-in and check-out, house rules, payment terms, liability for any damages, and more.
Note that a guest can decline and ask you to cancel the reservation if you do not inform them about the contract before booking. Airbnb cannot also help you to enforce certain terms in your contract policies.
If you have to go to court because your Airbnb guests refuse to vacate your short-term rental property, the agreement gives you the upper hand.
Reiterate your rules in other places like your listings, welcome books, and the initial check-in messages, and do not assume that Airbnb Host Guarantee protects you. Airbnb Host Guarantee will only cover damages, vandalism, or theft by guests.
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Be picky, not all guests are worth it
Having a written contract is not foolproof that you will not end up with guests that need to be evicted. The contract is useful to an extent but does not guarantee full security, especially if your local law is on the guest’s side.
As such, you should have the skills to tell a bad Airbnb guest. Do your homework well before anyone books your rental, especially when dealing with long-term reservations.
Some attributes to look for in an Airbnb guest include:
- Airbnb ratings and reviews
- Contact information
- Credit check
- Their social media pages
- The impression after you discuss with them
Final thoughts
The point is to play it safe and set your Airbnb host rules upfront. Include the rules in your house rules section and inside your property to prevent cases of having to evict a guest. Note that guests may still leave a bad review. Also, be careful how you approach the situation to avoid losing your superhost status.
