Airbnb guest leaves nasty one-star review for 'creepy spying host;' AITA?

The debate between Airbnbs and hotels is a messy one, especially when hosts charge a $300 dollar 'cleaning fee' when you have to wash your own sheets before checking out...

So, when a conflicted Airbnb guest decided to consult the moral compass of the internet otherwise known as Reddit's 'Am I the As$hole' about whether or not they were wrong to leave a 1-star review.

AITA for leaving a really nasty Airbnb review?

My husband and I stayed in an air bnb while visiting my sister and her family. I made dinner our last night for everyone at the air bnb. It was in an outdoor area and we grilled. It was 5 people total and it was 4 adults and a 7 year old.

My husband gets a random call on his phone and it’s the Airbnb people and they said no parties on their listing. This is a dinner with family. We have some words with the owner including calling him a creeper.

We call Airbnb and they really didn’t handle it and the owner tried changing us $500 dollars for an party.

This argument goes on and we left him a one star review and called him a spying creep. Getting his listing taken off the site. We complained and filed fraud charges on the card and getting the whole amount of money back.

It was a freaking process for sure because we filed a police report on creepy spying host. I get he might want to have cameras outside but who actually watches a family eating and grilling.

It’s still an issue and he hasn’t had account reinstated and he’s sent us emails trying to explain his situation and we are putting him out of income.

I might be an a$shole because I told him maybe he could get a job at the CIA since he likes spying so much and he’s now threatening to sue us over this.

Here's what the jury of internet strangers had to say about this one...

jrm1102 said:

ESH - 5 people isnt a party. He needed to chill with that. But holy hell, you need to calm down. If he has a camera outside of the property, thats totally fine. But for all you know the neighbors told him. Or it was a doorbell camera. You are taking this way too far.

prairiemountainzen said:

This is a great example of why air bnbs are such a bad idea. Who wants to pay to stay at a place where you'll be recorded and watched around the clock by the owner? That sounds more like a stint in prison rather than a weekend getaway.

NTA. This guy sounds over-the-top intrusive and his tacking on a surprise 'party fee' for $500 to the bill is ludicrous.

mykingsburner18 said:

ESH. Technically, having guests over is against the rules for almost every single AirBnB listing. I’m not sure if he stated it explicitly on the listing, but that standard is essentially expected. Similarly, almost every listing will say that there are security cameras in outdoor spaces.

However, he also had no reason to make a big deal about it, from what you said. If he got a complaint, then he certainly does.

The review was probably too harsh. He’s not spying on you for looking at his outdoor security cameras. That what security cameras are for. He wasn’t “watching” you grilling and eating, he looked at the camera and saw 7 people when he rented to 2.

None of this warranted the scene he made about it nor the nuclear option you took. This could have been handled like adults, so you’re all a#holes. Respectfully.

anon19111 said:

I agree with this. Looking at an outdoor camera and seeing 7 people doesn't make one a creeper. Your post makes it sound like he had spy cams in the beds and baths. This is ESH bordering on YTA.

jackalopeswild said:

NTA, he effectively tried to steal money from you, what you describe is a meal with family, not a party.

One of the problems with AirBnB and the others is that the people you're dealing with have zero sense of customer oriented mindset or of market economics.

They're going to do what seems best for themselves in the moment, rather than of thinking of the bigger picture and how their actions today can hurt their business tomorrow.

My wife and I have done basically what you describe and we made sure to tell the host what we planned before actually reserving the property.

That way, if they say no then we go elsewhere and if they say yes, there's a paper trail if they try to backtrack. Maybe try that in the future?

Annalirra said:

ESH. He’s overreacting to a small dinner gathering calling it a party and you for an over the top police report. I get disputing the $500 party charge but to make a fraud claim and get everything refunded is a d&ck move when you stayed there and received the service you agreed to pay for.

AliceInWeirdoland said:

NTA, even though airbnbs, hotels, leases, etc., might have occupancy limits, and require you to notify them if they're changing, it's absurd to have a guest limit like that. Yeah, the 'no parties' rule makes some sense if they're worried about noise complaints or property damage, but this is just bizarre.

If I'm at a hotel or an airbnb and invite a couple of friends over for a few hours, I don't expect to get someone freaking out because I had a few guests, unless there was some specifically listed rule that was made clear to begin with, and that I agreed to up-front.

I also understand that people have doorbell cameras and security cameras as a safety protocol, but I can't fault you for feeling a little skeeved out if you weren't informed about them in advance.

MilksteakConnoisseur said:

NTA. 5 people in an AirBnB is totally reasonable. I’ve split AirBnBs with groups that size and I know tons of people who have.

Trying to scam you out of $500 is despicable, and he should be shut out of the site for that. This thread is full of shady landlords apparently.

So, there you have it...

While the opinons were pretty divided here, most people agreed that everyone involved was being entitled and dramatic. Sure, spying is weird, but threatening someone's income when you did technically break a rule is also a bit intense. Good luck, everyone!