35 Stories Of The Worst Things Guests Have Done, As Told By Users Of This Online Community

It may sound shocking that guests can ever be rude in someone else’s home. Many of us are terrified when we hear the phrase “make yourself at home!” as we would rather cower in the corner than open someone else’s refrigerator or grab a plate from their cabinet without asking for explicit permission. It can easily feel like an invasion of privacy to be in someone else’s space, even if they’ve made it clear that “what’s yours is theirs”. So how in the world can someone be bold enough to damage a friend’s property or say something that’s blatantly rude? 

Maybe it’s just because hosting guests is so common, so there are bound to be some bad apples every now and then. One 2021 survey found that one in five Americans hosted someone last year, and 63% of them say they enjoy hosting friends and family. According to the answers on this list, drugs and alcohol also tend to fuel the worst guest behavior, so most visits are probably fine when guests are relatively sober.

The same survey found that among the top 10 worst things guests can do are coming home drunk, smoking, arriving unannounced, snooping, damaging the hosts’ belongings, leaving a mess, being too loud and being too demanding. Guests also have to be mindful of overstaying their welcome, as most hosts want visitors to be on their way after no more than 3 nights in their home.

It’s not all up to the guests to make the experience positive though. Among the things hosts can do to make their guests feel more comfortable, visitors want their hosts to be helpful when they have questions, provide extra towels, provide toiletries and comfy beds, display their wifi password in the guest room, avoid making too much noise in the morning and make coffee every morning. While hosts should not always be expected to do everything, going out of their way can help avoid some conflicts. If there are extra towels in the guest room, visitors have no need to snoop around trying to find them. If you make coffee and some meals, your guests don’t need to worry about using your kitchen equipment properly and they’ll be less likely to make a mess.

Most guest etiquette has been obvious for centuries, but as with anything else, we can always learn new advancements. One particular faux pas that our parents probably did not warn us to avoid is asking for the wifi password immediately upon entering a friend’s home. According to a survey from the Sun of residents in the UK, 90% of respondents found it rude to ask for the wifi password within the first 30 minutes of arriving at a host’s home. Manners expert William Hanson referred to this as a “modern manners sin” and said, “Unless there is a very good reason to use your host’s Wi-Fi, you are there to socialize with your host and their family, not the people on your phone.” If you’re visiting a friend for just an evening, you can definitely manage without checking your email. And even if you’re staying for several days, you’re likely on vacation and don’t need to have access to the internet very often. Take staying at a friend’s home as an opportunity to disconnect from your smartphone and to take advantage of the time you get to spend with them.

The same survey from The Sun found that wiping greasy hands on a couch, propping feet up on furniture and passing gas are the biggest no-no’s guests can commit. And if you have a sailor’s mouth, it’s best to control yourself when in someone else’s home. Only a quarter of respondents think it is acceptable to curse as a guest. Apparently 26% of people in the UK have even banned a guest for inappropriate behavior in their house, and 23% have had a negative experience with a host that caused them to decide they would never return to that home again. And while running behind may be a common struggle, that doesn't make it any less rude. “Nothing is more annoying than guests who turn up late,” said William Hanson. “Possibly ruining the host's timings for the meal and protracting their effort.”

The pandemic definitely had a great effect on how often guests are invited over, but as the world has begun returning to normal, people who love hosting have been able to return to their cherished positions in the home baking cookies and making coffee for their guests. According to one survey from August 2021, 39% of Brits planned to have guests stay over once lockdown restrictions loosened up. But everyone has their own specifications of who is allowed to visit and for how long. The average host allows guests to stay for about 3.11 days, while only 17% would allow visitors to stay for 5 nights or more. And 51% of hosts in the UK welcomed guests with children and/or pets to come visit. Not everyone was a fan of animals though, with 10% of respondents citing that cleaning up pet hair was a downside of allowing furry visitors.            

Hosting can be exhausting though, as the average person takes about 5 hours to prepare for their overnight guests. Even 21% of people said they spend 7 hours or more preparing for visitors. I’d love to see the stops those hosts are pulling out! It can also cost a chunk of change to have visitors though, with most hosts spending about £32 on things like food, bedding and entertainment for their visitors. 22% of hosts in the UK even spend upwards of £50 making sure their guests feel at home. While it's certainly possible to host on a budget, just keep in mind that you might want to set aside a little extra money for more extravagant breakfasts, a bouquet of flowers and some fancy chocolates the next time your loved ones come to stay. 

When it comes to what hosts expect from their guests, it turns out that most don’t ask for much in return. 74% of Brits said they would never ask their visitors to pitch in for the cost of food and drinks. And many hosts are very generous with the amenities they provide as well, with the top ten offerings being bedside lamps, towels, toiletries, bedding, storage, plugs, a house key and toothbrushes. Apparently, handing a visitor a new toothbrush is always a good idea too, as 21% of Brits said they would borror their host’s toothbrush if they had forgotten their own.