Publications

Dealing with Nuisance Guests
Author: Kirsty Thomas
Date: March,2010

What is the best way to handle a rebooking request by guests that attracted several complaints during their previous stay?

 

Booking policies

Your booking policy must be clearly documented and enforced. The booking policy should include guest behaviour expectations and make it clear that a breach will result in eviction of the offending guests with no refunds and a right to refuse future bookings.

 

If you take internet bookings, then you must draw the prospective guest’s attention to the booking policy prior to the booking being made or a deposit being taken. For telephone bookings or walk-ins, ensure that your booking policy is provided to guests before they check in.

 

Agreements with Owners

If you are acting as agent for the owners in letting out their lots, check that your appointment to let with owners includes authority to evict tenants or guests for breach of the by-laws or booking policies. It is also advisable to include a clause permitting you to refuse to take future bookings from offenders.

 

Without such authority you may find yourself in a position of conflict between maximizing returns for a particular owner and performing your duty to ‘supervise the standard of tenants’ in the Letting Agreement with the Owners Corporation.

 

Anti-discrimination laws

Bear in mind that you must not discriminate between guests on the grounds of age, sex, race, religion etc. For instance if you require a large cash deposit from ‘schoolies’ to cover any breakages, then you must require the same level of deposit from other guests.

 

It is also unlawful to make misleading statements discriminating between guests- e.g. if a young person calls to make a booking for a certain date and you tell them there are no rooms available and then an older person calls and you take a booking for the same date, this may be considered age discrimination.

 

Honesty- the best policy

You can politely advise the guests that you are unable to accept a booking from them due to the complaints made in relation to the guests on their previous booking. Bear in mind the letting agent’s code of conduct and be courteous and professional at all times. There is a risk of the guest making a complaint or posting a bad review in relation to your complex, however the damage of such possibility must be weighed against the potential damage caused by complaints by several other surrounding guests and owners in relation to the guests behaviour on a repeat visit.

 

It is important to remember that you cannot disclose information of a personal nature when informing the guests of any previous complaints for obvious reasons. General information as to the nature and number of complaints made should be sufficient to get the point across in any event.