Airbnb dilemma - owner's dog got hit by a car, and some stranger entered the house

ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 12:37
Last edited 05/03/2019 - 16:51

We are currently at a loss of what to do. We rented an Airbnb granny flat around Central Coast. The owner handed us the key then went somewhere for 2 days. She left us her number and her neighbor's number. Told us if theres something, call her neighbour cus she wont be there.The only thing that she mentioned about her dog was that 'shes my child'. No leash on the dog and its lying in the backyard.

Next morning around 5 am, we woke up early to watch sunrise on the beach but there's a lady wandering around the backyard. We dont know how she got into the house. I said hi (my friends were still laying on bed) and she said shes a neighbour. The owner did not tell us that the neighbour would come. The owner's dog also didnt bark. We thought she was the neighbour that the owner referred to, but decided to call the owner anyway to be sure (we didnt call the neighbour's number cus its 5 am). The owner sleepy talking said there should be no neighbour in the house cus she didnt hand them a key. The appearance also did not match (her neighbour is much younger). When I went out to check, the lady disappeared. I doubted my own awareness cus Im the only one who talked to that lady.

Around 9 am, we decided to go to a beach. We opened the front gate to drive out. Suddenly the dog ran out the road and got hit by a car. We called both the neighbour and the owner but no one picked up the phone. We ran to the house next door, assuming that was the neighbor's house, and met her son (about 8-10yo). He said 'his mom went out to work', 'holy shit Bella (the dog's name)', 'its you people's fault', 'she shouldnt ve rent it out to you'.

Now the owner blamed us for both incidents. She said 'a human being would have done something'. Do we owe her any duty of care? None of this happened in the grannny flat the we rented.

Thoughts?

Edit 1: The vet confirmed the dog only suffered minor injuries.

Edit 2: removed the r*ce bit.

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Comments

  • timthetoolman on 05/03/2019 - 12:41
    +7

    Whoi was meant to be looking after the dog for the 2 days she was away?

    • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 12:43
      +5

      Apparently nobody. Theres food in the bowl next to the dog. But I dont know where and how the dog will get more food and water.

      • azm on 06/03/2019 - 18:34
        +6

        RSPCA should get involved :-)

        • SpendLess on 06/03/2019 - 19:40
          +27

          lol she said the dog is her child and this is looks after it and feed it?
          might leave my kids in the backyard with a bowl of chips and go on holidays

          • frewer on 07/03/2019 - 10:01
            +1

            @SpendLess: Priceless hahaha, can I chips in two of my own too ?

  • pegaxs on 05/03/2019 - 12:45
    +67

    Did you rent the flat and the dog? Not your problem. Providing you took all due care, you are not responsible for their dog. She sounds like she needed a house sitter, not a short stay tenant to watch over her dog.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 12:49
    +45

    her son (about 8-10yo)… 'she shouldnt rent it out to you insert a race here'.

    The neighbours are trash. If an 8-10 year old hurled any abuse, let alone a racial one, it tells you a lot about the parents.

    However you look at it, you're not the custodian of the dog and you're not legally liable in anyway. Poor dog but the child has a whole life of being a turd ahead of them.

    The owner of the Airbnb is just in shock but it doesn't excuse her implication that you're less than human. You wouldn't be blamed for inferring she's just as terrible as her neighbours.

    She said 'a human being would have done something'.

    Pack your stuff. Leave and report to Airbnb. Get your money back.

    • HighAndDry on 05/03/2019 - 12:52
      +30

      Right? A human being would've also looked after their own dog. What kind of pet owner leaves their pet at a holiday house that they rent out, much less "their child"?

      Now I'm picturing an Airbnb guest arriving at a holiday house to find a random baby in one of the rooms…

      • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 12:55
        +7

        The same gifted individuals as the ones that managed to get a prepubescent child to spew hatred at 9am in the morning.

        I believe the owner and the neighbour may be related in some very creative family tree kind of way.

        • Kangal on 06/03/2019 - 19:28
          +2

          Unfortunately AirBnB, like that of Uber and other new services is heavily dependant on the supply/demand nature of the service. And in the case of Uber, the passengers usually have more "benefits" to win over the taxi business. Whereas in the AirBnB scene, its the room providers that have more "benefits" than people that rent.

          Not that it should matter in theory, just that in practice I don't expect anything done by AirBnB.
          They'll keep the 1-star review and give the owners a warning. They will give a refund to the renters to broker the peace.
          However, they will protect the owner to make sure that revenue stream has been saved for future clientele.

    • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 12:55
      +1

      After meeting her in a veterinary hospital (the owner rushed there immediately after my phone call), we packed our stuff later that afternoon. We have paid for 2 days. We are just waiting if shes gonna press any charges. I have not claimed my money back.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 12:58
        +53

        Press charges?!

        Holidayer arrested after heinous crime of opening the gate.

        Considering she's wrecked your holidays by completely unnecessary provocation, I think there may be a clause in AirBNB (don't quote me on this) that it is not exactly hospitable and warrants a refund.

      • Quantumcat on 05/03/2019 - 18:23
        +35

        Definitely ask for a refund right away

      • aussieolfaction on 07/03/2019 - 11:37
        +1

        Talk to airbnb and get your money back, and ask them to compensate you in addition with another booking elsewhere at your choice of dates.

    • hypie on 07/03/2019 - 05:55

      Good luck with getting your money back from airbnb. The absolutely worst disruption company in terms of service. I would be very cautious around airbnb.

      Like someone else stated. They strongly favour the suppliers.

  • HighAndDry on 05/03/2019 - 12:51
    +4

    Is this a LAWS1001 hypothetical? Because it sounds like one…

    If it's not, I can't see that any of this is your fault. Pay Airbnb as normal - leave feedback as appropriate - ignore owner.

    • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 13:01
      +1

      I really wish this wasnt real cus poor dog. When it ran out, I remember that we all smiled but one of us needed to get her back. I dont know but I felt horrible when she was hit. The vet said the dog was fine though.

      • HighAndDry on 05/03/2019 - 13:04
        +20

        The vet said the dog was fine though.

        Oh good. Yeah - the doggy doesn't deserve any of this. I'd claim your money back from Airbnb to be honest, and leave feedback too: "Owner left dog in the property unsupervised. Neighbours are racist. Etc." Make sure it's all factual.

        • Other on 06/03/2019 - 22:16
          +2

          Its not really the fault of the airBnB person that the neighbor is racist… Though its a child, so who knows how racist, and how being an a*hole.

          It IS the fault of the airBnB person that they left the dog their unattended.

          Just get a charge-back & complain to airBnB.

          • HighAndDry on 07/03/2019 - 09:20
            +3

            @Other: It might not be the Airbnb host's fault, but it is their problem when they tell tenants to contact that neighbour for any issues.

            • Other on 07/03/2019 - 09:40
              +1

              @HighAndDry: why should they contact the neighbor?

              I didn't realize the neighbor had an obligation to provide a front point for issues. Didn't realize it was their job.
              Wonder what the remuneration is…..

              Hay here is a thought - perhaps the neighbor doesn't want to know and using racism/anything to stop being disturbed by airbnb tenants, because its not their problem…..

              Wow almost sounds like something that people who hate people would do……

              Have I told you how much I hate people?

              Inb4 - I am the neighbor.

              • HighAndDry on 07/03/2019 - 09:43
                +3

                @Other: The neighbour doesn't have any obligations - but if the host tells the tenant the neighbour is the point of contact, whether or not the neighbour helps or is racist reflects on the host.

                Hay here is a thought - perhaps the neighbor doesn't want to know and using racism/anything to stop being disturbed by airbnb tenants, because its not their problem…..

                I'm saying to report the Airbnb host because the host pointed the guests at a racist neighbour for help. I'm not saying the neighbour had to help.

                • Other on 07/03/2019 - 09:45
                  +1

                  @HighAndDry: yeah true.
                  Upvoted.

                  Have I told you how much I hate people?

      • Some Human on 05/03/2019 - 13:05
        +3

        Oh, I assumed it had died.
        Still, not your problem.

        • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 13:13
          +5

          Luckily the car has almost come to a complete stop. The dog even got up after being hit. She wasnt walking fine tho. The driver (another lady) also went with us to the vet hospital. She also felt horrible and cried a lot.

      • JimmyF on 05/03/2019 - 13:31
        +40

        The vet said the dog was fine though.

        You really should have this in the post, everyone assumes it died

  • markb28 on 05/03/2019 - 13:24
    +36

    Ask airbnb for all your money back. This place is not set up for rental,dog wasn't being properly looked after, owner sounds mental and none is your fault.

    • Name on 06/03/2019 - 19:22
      +4

      Unrestrained animal on property sounds like an easy way to get your money back.

  • onetwothreefour on 05/03/2019 - 13:30
    +1

    Which suburb on the central coast was this at?

    • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 13:56
      +4

      Oh god. Please don't be near me. I don't wanna have to pull out the flaming paper bag.

    • woodwa on 05/03/2019 - 14:03

      Can I guess Umina :)

    • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 14:05

      I intentionally left this out.

      • onetwothreefour on 05/03/2019 - 14:33

        Can you give us a clue? I live there so just wondering if it's near me, not that there would be many airbnbs near where I am.

        • ripesashimi on 05/03/2019 - 14:45

          Thats why I left it out. Not sure about the legal aspect of naming people online. I text your inbox then.

          • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 16:11
            +8

            @ripesashimi: I wouldn't name anyone but naming the town it is in is ambiguous enough.

    • ipiok on 07/03/2019 - 13:11

      Sounds like narara or Wyoming

      • onetwothreefour on 07/03/2019 - 13:36

        Nah those places aren't bad, it's more north like San Remo that you'd want to avoid.

  • Ryanek on 05/03/2019 - 14:06
    +4

    she shouldnt ve rent it out to you insert a race here

    Ahh good ol' Central Coast.

  • puzzles2 on 05/03/2019 - 14:14
    +12

    I've had mates who have rented airbnbs out before and the owners have just left their dogs with the airbnb. What kind of idiot does that? Do they just assume that people will take care of their dog for them.

    • Miss B on 06/03/2019 - 19:46
      +1

      I don't know how they do it. I have left my dog with my mum, my sister and my 2 closest friends who I'd known for years and had lived with me and my dog. I couldn't imagine leaving her with anyone else. I worry a bit even leaving her with them, though of course she's always fine.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 14:26
    +6

    Why does an owner thinks you have a duty of care. You rented a flat, not a dog. It is her fault she left the dog on the loose.

    • cameldownunder on 06/03/2019 - 17:33
      -7

      If it was a small dog, I would have put it on the BBQ ! ( Before the dog was hit )

  • spackbace on 05/03/2019 - 14:30
    +15

    Just imagine what would've happened if the dog bit 1 of the guests that stayed the night…

    Owner has no idea how lucky they are that it isn't 10x worse

    • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 14:33
      +18

      Owner has no idea

      Story of their life.

    • one man clan on 05/03/2019 - 16:29
      +3

      I'd hazard that it's probably a violation of air bnb's T&Cs as an owner.

      Have you reported this to air bnb yet OP?

        • AdosHouse on 05/03/2019 - 17:02
          +26

          If you don't make a report, how will you get your money back?

        • Quantumcat on 05/03/2019 - 18:25
          +31

          She won't learn her lesson. If she doesn't know not to leave a dog unsupervised then keeping your money is not going to teach it to them. Your holiday was seriously disturbed by this person.

        • TheOtherLeft on 06/03/2019 - 08:23
          +35

          Stop being a pushover.

          The AirBnB owner is in the wrong not you. What happens when the next family rents the granny flat and the same thing happens. This time the stranger comes into your flat, the dog escapes and gets killed by another car. How would you feel knowing you all chose to do nothing about it???

        • uedamasaki on 06/03/2019 - 10:22
          +8

          Unfortunately from her reaction I don't think she would have learnt her lesson. Sounds to me that she clearly blames you for the situation. I would still report this. She needs to understand through official means why she can't neglect her poor dog like that. I hope you didn't pay for the vet fees.

        • DonWilson on 06/03/2019 - 20:20
          +7

          Get the AirBNB refund and for the love of god report the owner: https://www.rspcansw.org.au/contact-us/report-a-cruelty-case…

          Who leaves an animal alone for two days with no-one responsible for it?

        • aussieolfaction on 07/03/2019 - 11:45
          +3

          We talked and we chose not to (group decision).

          I don't think a "group" is needed to make a decision here.

          If you don't report this saga to airbnb, this owner is guaranteed to pull the same stunt on the next guest. Next she'll leave three dogs, a cow, a horse, and a couple of carpet pythons. By not reporting this behaviour, you're causing unimaginable amounts of trauma to all the guests who may unwittingly stay at that property in the future.

          I'd also report the owner's negligent behaviour towards the pet (their "child") to RSPCA and ensure they can never have another animal.

          I mean she probably learnt the lesson and

          The lesson she learnt being "I was right, I shouldn't have rented out to [insert race here]". Trust me, this kind of a person will never learn the lesson by others being polite towards them. Report them, and let airbnb and RSPCA deal with this selfish numbskull.

        • echineon on 07/03/2019 - 15:40

          Disclaimer: I'm Asian. I see my Asian peers let issues slide and claim they don't want to make the situation worse. The way I see it is they don't want to appear to be petty, nitpicker and wanting to be the "better person" (the 'saving face' thingy). This tendency to avoid following up on issue is no different to sweeping things under the carpet. Maybe OP is not Asian or Asian, point is this tendency annoys the shit out of me. Please speak up and hopefully the person in the wrong can do better. Sorry rant over.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2019 - 16:31
    +9

    1 star review.

    • spackbace on 05/03/2019 - 18:36
      +38

      while racism isn't cool in any sense

      And then proceeds to be racist 😂

      • Miss B on 06/03/2019 - 19:48
        +6

        I'm not racist, but…

    • HighAndDry on 05/03/2019 - 20:02

      there is a general perception of the way that Asian people treat animals and it isn't good.

      Genuinely curious, other than the fact that some eat these animals, what's the general perception? The worst I can think of is that some Asian pet-owners treat their pets as accessories more than animals, but… that has no relevance to someone else's unsupervised dog running onto the street.

      • terrys on 06/03/2019 - 08:47

        "what's the general perception?"
        That some Aussies gamble on them fighting to the death :-(? My uneducated and reasonably baseless assertion would be that 'they' breed dogs small in the same way pug/maltese/Chihuahua breeders do. Then again, it's a very small subset of a subset of a subset of the population running from Turkey to the Philippines and Siberia to Indonesia…

    • varunynr on 06/03/2019 - 08:57
      +1

      Shameless reply. You seem like another racist. That's probably the only thing that you have learnt in life.

    • Zachary on 06/03/2019 - 10:47
      +1

      there is a general perception of the way that Asian people treat animals and it isn't good

      I bet it's because they eat anything, including dogs (and since this is a dog we have here….), and so naturally wouldn't care about them, and that's why you're so salty about them…..

    • DonWilson on 06/03/2019 - 20:16
      +1

      What was the point of the second paragraph?

      Paraphrase: Racism isn't cool but saying a racist thing happens because of racist stereotypes.

      I feel like you could have explained that dogs getting hit with a car isn't cool but when a car hits a dog then the dog has been hit by the car. It has no explanatory power.

    • aussieolfaction on 07/03/2019 - 11:50

      there is a general perception [among the redneck bogans at the walton mountain school for the inbred cousins] of the way that Asian people treat animals and it isn't good.

      Added some crucial information that you missed out.

      • MementoMori on 07/03/2019 - 13:57

        Fighting racism with racism

    • MementoMori on 07/03/2019 - 13:56

      How do you know they're Asian?

    • gummibear on 06/03/2019 - 00:05
      +16

      The person that opened the gate may be held liable for the falling prices of Acorns in Mongolia.

  • Micko179 on 06/03/2019 - 09:16
    +2

    Is this 'Days of Our Lives' or 'Home & Away'?!

    • Zachary on 06/03/2019 - 10:45

      …oh yeh, it does read like I was watching an episode of one of those shows….

  • Never Pay RRP on 06/03/2019 - 10:46
    +1

    Did they tell you about the dog and the strange neighbour before you booked the trip?
    I.e. was it in the description or something you knew about beforehand? Or just a surprise when you arrived?
    If you had not known about it before, I would definitely agree with everyone else and demand a refund and then negative rating for the owner.

    If you knew about it before, then no refund, but still negative rating. Can't believe they expect you to look after their dog while you are paying them!

    • one man clan on 06/03/2019 - 11:46
      +12

      I'd love to see that description:

      Charming beach house close to local amenities. Enjoy the local culture while a strange, possibly meth-addicted local wanders your backyard. Be responsible for an animal that requires feeding, watering, shelter and affection. Take in the local smells while cleaning up after our dog!

  • Love a bargain on 06/03/2019 - 12:38
    +2

    Unless you're getting free accommodation for house sitting, you're not responsible for the dog (or anything else on the property except for taking reasonable care of the granny flat that you've rented).

    You paid to stay there, not to work for her.

  • eggles01 on 06/03/2019 - 16:19

    just for curiosity was the neighbor in the backyard or was she in the house she could not be in 2 places at the same time,I would contact legal aid to check if there were any conditions that you may have missed,the danger time is when the owner gets the vets bill she may come after you for the costs,maybe there should have been 2 others out the back and keeping the dog away from the gate until it was closed and the dog would not have been able to get out

  • eggles01 on 06/03/2019 - 16:25

    maybe the owner asked the neighbor to keep an eye on the dogs water

  • conservative on 06/03/2019 - 17:11

    She left her 'child' to fend for itself for 2 days. lolrip

    • liquid metal on 06/03/2019 - 18:32
      +11

      Not even remotely similar. It was your friend and I highly doubt it you paid for your stay.

      Ops stay was a business transaction. He booked an apartment and paid for it. He didn't pay to look after the dog. They just wanted to leave with the car so they opened the gate. They don't know that the dog is going to try to escape, not all dogs do that. Also, the owner should have warned them.

      I personally love to have dogs around and I wouldn't mind to give it pets, fresh water and food. But I am not going to be responsible considering that I don't know the dog and the owner of the apartment itself.

    • Name on 06/03/2019 - 19:33
      +3

      Yeah completely different scenario. If I was friends with the owner I'd offer to pay or if it was a neighbour and I was looking after their house for them.

      But if I'm going somewhere on holidays I'm not willing to look after other people's problems. If the airbnb site didn't mention anything about pets, I'd of turned up saw the animal, turned around and went somewhere else. I'm allergic to dogs. I'm not.. But I don't want to go on holidays to look after other people's pets / problems.

  • Mrgreenz on 06/03/2019 - 17:27
    +12

    Request airbnb refund, write review on airbnb, carry on with your life

    • jjsnacks on 06/03/2019 - 19:23
      +13

      Post about it on ozbargain, don't follow any of the advice

      • brendanm on 06/03/2019 - 21:03
        +3

        Ozbargain 101

  • Protato on 06/03/2019 - 22:58
    +4

    Why did you post here if you were going to ignore the advice anyway?

    • WhyAmICommenting on 06/03/2019 - 23:55

      Cause they feel bad about the dog. I'd feel bad about paying to be put in this position too!

  • aussieprepper on 07/03/2019 - 01:54
    +2

    Plot twist the person at 5am was a ghost. The dog that got ran over was Scooby Doo. The team was there on a mission to find said ghost. Damn Shaggy had the munchies and was stoned again and forgot to shut the gate lol. Thus scooby also stoned out of his mind ran out onto the road and got hit by a car while chasing bitches. Lol

  • sleet on 07/03/2019 - 03:23
    +5

    So you're not going to report to AirBnB. Either you're not telling the whole story or you really have no backbone.

    I mean, even if you don't do it for yourself then think of future tenants. Leave a dcathing review and make sure they're aware of this so they can make informed decisions.

    As for the dog, not your problem. How can the owner be so negligent.

  • mezje on 07/03/2019 - 07:32
    +2

    Report it to AirBNB, not your fault,lady is an idiot looking to make some quick cash and fails to see that she is responsible for her own animals and house - she cannot honestly expect complete strangers to look after a dog…

    This is exactly why I dislike AirBNB, great idea but a few too many people can ruin it from both sides.

    Try not to blame yourself for anything to do with the dog and don't listen to whatever BS they are calling you etc.

  • jellykingdom on 07/03/2019 - 11:30
    +1

    i have absolutely no idea what was going on in that entire story, but what a rollercoaster of emotions

  • DarthAntz on 07/03/2019 - 11:36
    +1

    Did you still go to the beach?

    • ripesashimi on 07/03/2019 - 14:24

      After we packed up we did visit a beach which was beautiful. But idk none of us could really enjoy.

  • Micko179 on 07/03/2019 - 12:15

    Was it a 'dead end Street'?!

  • chuckles89 on 07/03/2019 - 12:26
    -5

    did you pay for the vet bill ? if you did then you have done your duty of care.
    i understand that you feel guilty, and thankfully the dog is ok. If you have done that then you should be requesting a refund from airbnb. preventing this further from happening may end up saving someone else from the same drama.

    • ripesashimi on 07/03/2019 - 14:21
      -3

      No I did not. We're thinking about not claiming the airbnb fee which should more or less cover the vet bill.

      Lady shouldve already learnt her lesson. I can report her but that also damages her business which I think is probably too harsh. After all we are both affected. Next renter should be fine (hopefully). The place was nice, the lady was kind initially.

    • ipiok on 07/03/2019 - 14:52
      +4

      Why the hell would they pay the vet bill?

      • chuckles89 on 07/03/2019 - 15:18

        i'm not saying that they should. But OP mentions feeling guilty.

  • syousef on 07/03/2019 - 14:25
    +2

    8-10 year olds aren't meant to be left on their own these days. Latchkey kids are meant to be a thing of the past, and if the police were to find out I'm sure those neighbours would be cautioned. Though judging by the child's behaviour, perhaps the less influence the parents exert the better.

  • cyssero on 08/03/2019 - 01:14
    +1

    Nothing more to add to the OP, but I stayed at an Airbnb once that was advertised at a reduced rate in quite a nice townhouse.. on the privso we looked after the cat.

    The owners gave an extensively list of care instructions for the cat, the type of food it likes, the fact the food had to be warmed up and which bowl the cat would eat out of (only that one, none else). They were at least upfront about this and it seemed like a fair trade (reduced cost for some cat-sitting).

    Truthfully, the cat was a pain, meowing and scratching all night. We were initially worried it was an indoor only cat but realised soon it was pretty wild, so we left it outdoors overnight where it could enjoy jumping over fences and over the roof. The whole complex had about a dozen or so cats just sitting outside their owners properties as well.

    I do love cats and dogs, but I wouldn't have felt guilty if something happened that was out of our control and the owner wasn't there. Our ask was to keep it watered and fed which we did. There was also literally not enough room to swing a cat with 4 adults staying there either.

    I left positive feedback but due to some colloquialisms (this was in the US), the owners thought I was critiquing them when I said their very well decorated place was "almost like a museum". They asked for feedback on what would have made it not "almost" but "actually"..

  • ozyack on 29/03/2019 - 09:51

    Moral feelings aside, technically, were you aware of the expectation of minding the dog before you booked the room? You don't have to be feeding the dog to be minding, even its presence at the back yard is considered minding. Was this described in the house rules that you agreed to before you paid? If not, 100% owner's fault. Simple as that. Even if the dog wasn't hit by a car, it would have been an inconvenience for you trying to mind a dog which wasn't in the 'contract', hence preventing you to enjoy your stay. The only way an owner can expect this is by adding this to the house rules clearly (not even vaguely mentioning it in the house description will make it acceptable, the expectation of minding the dog must be accepted by you within the house rules). An experienced and educated Airbnb host should know better than that.

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