Guest stories
Real incidents from running homestays, what they cost, and the house rules that came out of them.
Guest stories · November 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Homestay guest caused a water leak to the unit below: what we do in Johor Bahru and who pays
A guest left the tap running or blocked the floor drain and water is now coming through the ceiling of the unit below. Here is what we do in the first hour, how Malaysian strata rules decide who is responsible, and what the deposit, the platform and the owner each end up covering.
Read →Guest stories · November 12, 2026 · 8 min read
Guest says there are bed bugs in the homestay: what we do in Johor Bahru and who pays for treatment
A guest finds bed bugs in your homestay. We move the guest first, block the unit, call a pest control company and take no new bookings until it is clear. How to check the evidence, what is fair to the guest, and who carries the cost.
Read →Guest stories · November 10, 2026 · 7 min read
Guest sent a fake payment receipt for a homestay: how to check and what we do in Johor Bahru
A guest sent a fake payment receipt or a transfer screenshot for money that never arrived? Our rule is simple: the door code goes out after the money is in the account, not after a picture. The common versions of the scam, six checks, and who carries the loss if one slips through.
Read →Guest stories · November 7, 2026 · 8 min read
Guest lost the access card at a homestay: who pays for the replacement and what we do in Johor Bahru
Airbnb guest lost the access card or took the key home? We check the check-out photos first, ask the guest to send it back, and only deduct the building's actual replacement charge, with a receipt. Steps, platform deadlines and what the owner carries.
Read →Guest stories · November 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Guest threatens a bad review unless you refund: what we do at our Johor Bahru homestays
A guest threatens a bad review unless refunded? Do not pay because of the threat, and do not ignore the complaint. How we separate the two, keep the evidence, report to Airbnb, Booking and Google, and who carries the cost.
Read →Guest stories · November 3, 2026 · 7 min read
Guest left Airbnb dirty in Johor Bahru: when rubbish becomes extra cleaning and what the deposit can cover
Guest left Airbnb dirty? Unwashed dishes are not a reason to touch the deposit. A blocked sink, vomit or rubbish left rotting can be claimed, at actual cost with photos. Here is how we handle it and who pays the rest.
Read →Guest stories · October 31, 2026 · 6 min read
Airbnb guest stole items from your homestay? What we do in Johor Bahru: check first, proof, deposit and police report
When an Airbnb guest stole items or took towels, remotes or the access card home, we check before accusing anyone, deduct the real cost from the deposit with photos, and file a police report for big losses. The rules, the platform deadlines, and what the owner ends up paying.
Read →Guest stories · October 29, 2026 · 8 min read
Guest brought a pet without permission to a Johor Bahru homestay: what we do, when sertu matters, and what comes off the deposit
When a guest brought a pet without permission to a homestay, we photograph first, clean, deduct actual costs with receipts, and warn the next guest. Condo by-laws, sertu, AirCover and what the owner carries.
Read →Guest stories · October 27, 2026 · 6 min read
Guest smoked or brought durian into a Johor Bahru homestay: what we do, and what can be deducted from the deposit
Cigarette, vape or durian smell left after checkout is the hardest complaint to prove. How we handle it across 100+ homestay units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, what can come out of the deposit, and what the owner carries when the smell is still there for the next guest.
Read →Guest stories · October 22, 2026 · 6 min read
A neighbour complains about noise at your Johor Bahru homestay: what we do in the first 15 minutes, before it becomes a fine
Not a party, just a noisy corridor at midnight. How we handle neighbour and security noise complaints across 100-plus homestay units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, what the building can fine, and what an owner should check.
Read →Guest stories · October 20, 2026 · 8 min read
Guest says your homestay wasn't clean? How we handle a cleanliness complaint in Johor Bahru, from the first message to the review reply
A guest messages "it was dirty". What we check in the first 30 minutes, the remedy ladder from re-clean to refund, Airbnb's 72-hour window, and how to answer the review afterwards - including the cases where we end up paying even when we think the complaint is only half fair.
Read →Guest stories · October 17, 2026 · 7 min read
A guest demands a full refund after staying at your Johor Bahru homestay. What is fair, and what we do
A guest stays three nights, then writes asking for everything back. Which complaints deserve a refund, which do not, how Airbnb's 72-hour rule works, and the order in which we handle a refund demand across 100-plus units in Johor Bahru and Desaru.
Read →Guest stories · October 10, 2026 · 10 min read
Homestay deposit deductions for damage in Johor Bahru: what we deduct, what we don't, and what happens when the guest denies it
The RM200 homestay deposit is for proven losses only - not wear and tear, not humidity-bubbled paint, not "a small lesson". Across 100+ units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, here is what the deposit covers, the four pieces of evidence required before a ringgit is deducted, what we refuse to deduct even when the owner asks, and the real path when a guest denies it - including Airbnb's 14-day limit.
Read →Guest stories · October 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Guest refuses to check out and the next guest is arriving: the 3-hour window we work with in Johor Bahru homestays
Checkout is 12 noon, the next family arrives at 3pm, and the guest inside is still asleep at 12:40. What we do minute by minute across 100-plus units in Johor Bahru and Desaru - the smart-lock rule, the paid extension, how the next group gets re-housed, and the one thing a viral Kedah case shows you must never do.
Read →Guest stories · October 6, 2026 · 8 min read
A guest could not open our smart lock in Johor Bahru. We walked them through it on a video call and still got a bad review. Here is what we changed.
The check-in guide with photos went out days before arrival. The guest never opened it, stood at the door and could not get in. We talked them through the lock step by step on a video call, then a review arrived saying check-in was unclear, hard and exhausting - and we never replied to it. A real case from our 100-plus units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, what it cost, and the four rules we changed.
Read →Guest stories · October 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Guests exceeded the headcount or threw a party in your Johor Bahru homestay? The hour-by-hour playbook we run
The booking said 4 guests, security says 14 and the music is loud. What we do in the first 10 minutes, the first hour and the next morning across 100-plus units in Johor Bahru and Desaru - including the RM200 strata fine, what the deposit really covers, and the one thing you cannot legally do at midnight.
Read →Guest stories · October 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Problem guests in a Johor Bahru homestay: the deposit rules, guest score and eKYC we built after each one
Running 100-plus units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, we have met every kind of guest - the "2 adults" who arrive as twelve, the checkout that leaves the aircon at 16°C, the mattress found ruined after the deposit was refunded. This is the three-layer defence that came out of it, and what each layer stops.
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This is how we protect an owner's unit
Every rule in these stories exists because something went wrong once. If you want that experience managing your unit, talk to us.
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