@Jesse Scroggins they weren't helpful at all. They kept dodging my questions and telling me another department deals with that, or they have procedures in place in case he does break things/refuse to leave/smokes meth in my place, etc. But they don't actually let you talk to a different department to see what these procedures are.
@Eric Siebert you can definitely set up restrictions, but this will most likely lead to more vacancies. But like Jenessa said, vacancies are better than dealing with these kinds of people. It's hard to figure out how many restrictions to put up because it isn't a luxury property so I can't afford to be that picky or else nobody will ever stay there.
@Jenessa NeSmith I didn't realize it was so common for locals to do this! They just prey on those cheap last-minute bookings (with mine at least). It doesn't turn me off to the whole model, just makes me think twice and ask another question or two each time someone with a new profile and no recommendations tries to book my place. I've found it really isn't that hard to spot the difference between these sketchy guests and someone who won't cause any harm. I even knew it was a little sketchy when I let them book, I just overlooked it to get some revenue/reviews going and minimize vacancies. Even with the people downstairs that trashed it, I still made more money than I would have if I denied them. And for some reason they still gave me 5 stars! Maybe not a sustainable business model, but I am finding it to be a great learning experience and I'm glad it happened so early.
I went ahead and let the guy stay the week that he paid for. I didn't have any proof that he was doing anything wrong and I didn't want to piss him off and give him any reason to trash my place. I was very nice and accommodating and I haven't hinted at the fact that I know he is probably doing meth in there. That being said, he is supposed to leave tomorrow at noon, so we will see how it all plays out! Update to come...
