Hi great people. Your response to my post about true stories of house guests from hell has been overwhelming. Some readers said that they have encountered house guests from hell. Others said they had encountered terrible hosts; hosts from hell.
So, today, I want to share some of the stories I received about terrible hosts. The people who sent these stories have allowed me to share them.
The aim of this post is to show you that hosting guests successfully in your home is two-way traffic. If you play your part and your guests play their part, you will all enjoy the visit. You see, hosts and guests should avoid driving each other crazy by all means.
True Stories Of People Who Encountered Terrible Hosts: Hosts From Hell
Let me share these two true stories of people who encountered terrible hosts from hell.
Charity’s Encounter With A Terrible Host: My Host’s Home Was Choking In Filth
I’m Charity, a 30-year-old teacher. I teach in a great institution and I love my work of sharpening young minds.
Some years back, I was admitted to a teachers’ training college that was about 300 miles from my home. I could not commute to college from home because of the distance. So, I had to look for accommodation either in the college or nearby.
Luckily, my aunt Josephine (my mom’s older sister) lived about a mile from the college. When she heard that I was going to the college near her home, she offered to host me.
My aunt was divorced and lived in a three-bedroom bungalow in a nice area. Her two kids were grown up and had moved out of home. She therefore lived alone.
My parents accepted Aunt Josephine’s offer to host me. However, they didn’t want her to host me free. They agreed that they’d be sending her money monthly for my upkeep.
To make a long story short, I arrived at Aunt Josephine’s home on a Saturday morning. I was supposed to start college on Monday. I arrived two days earlier so that I could settle in.
Aunt Josephine took ages to open the gate. I stood outside, ringing the bell and banging on her gate for several minutes. I tried calling her but her phone was unreachable.
She finally opened the gate after about 30 minutes. She had two untidy dogs in tow.
I was already so mad that I didn’t feel like greeting her. She gave me the excuse that she had slept late and she’d also forgotten to charge her phone. She said she was woken up by the barking of her dogs (the dogs were inside the house).
I could tell that she’d been drinking the night before from the way she looked and smelled. Anyway, she helped me to carry my stuff into the house.
As we walked towards the house, I couldn’t help noticing that she had neglected the front yard. The grass was overgrown and there were wild, small plants/weeds all over the place. The cabro blocks’ path to the house was also covered with grass.
Just before we reached the front door, I stepped on something soft. When I checked, I found it was dog’s poop. I shouted with disgust.
My aunt was very apologetic. It was clear that she had neglected what would otherwise have been a beautiful front yard.
When we neared the front door of the house, my aunt warned me that the house was also in a bit of a mess. The verandah was dirty and full of stuff – shoes, empty cartons, dog bowls with leftover food, etc.
I almost choked when we entered the house. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw and felt. My aunt’s warning about the house being in “a bit of a mess” was an understatement!
The air in the house was thick and there was a stench. I can describe the stench as a combination of stale cigarettes, food, rotten garbage, dog poop, etc. Yuck! I had to step back outside for fresh air.
When my aunt saw my reaction, she quickly opened the curtains and windows.
I have no words to describe the state of the living room. There were piles of newspapers, cartons, and books all over the place.
The carpet was filthy and had traces of dog food and dog poop. The most shocking thing was that even the sofas had particles of dog food on them and they smelled of dog urine.
I felt like running out. I had never seen such a mess and filth. My aunt apologized once again for the sorry state of the living room.
I put my luggage in a corner. My aunt showed me the rest of the house.
The kitchen had a grimy substance all over the floor. The kitchen counters and sink were full of dirty dishes. In fact, it’s like all the dishes were dirty – I had to wash a glass to drink water.
The fridge was full (at least she’d shopped) but filthy and untidy. There was a horrible stench from the fridge and stuff was thrown inside carelessly.
Finally, Aunt Josephine took me to my bedroom. It was a spacious, en-suite bedroom with big windows. However, it was as filthy as the rest of the house. As I inspected the bed, I discovered that the mattress had dog urine. It was stinking. I decided that I’d not sleep on that mattress.
By now, I was very upset by the state of the house. I was also mad with Aunt Josephine. She had not made any effort to make my stay at her home comfortable and enjoyable. I was her guest and her niece, for goodness sake! Didn’t she give a damn about me?
I told Aunt Josephine about the condition of the mattress. She took me to the other bedroom. It was as filthy but the mattress was okay.
I told Aunt Josephine that I could not live in such a mess. We agreed to start cleaning the house immediately. She would clean the living room and my bedroom while I cleaned the kitchen. What a way for someone to welcome a guest!
After cleaning the kitchen, I cleaned the fridge and arranged it neatly. I then fixed a quick meal for Aunt Josephine and me. I was famished. I then washed the dishes we’d used, leaving the kitchen neat.
I told Aunt Josephine I was tired. After all, I had traveled by bus several hundred miles to her home. In addition, she welcomed me by making me clean the house, something that she should have done days earlier.
She told me she had spread my bed, and I could go and rest. I got into bed around 6.00 pm. I planned to sleep until the following day.
At around 2.00 am, some movement in the room woke me up. I was scared to death. I switched on the bedside light quickly. I saw a sight to behold. There were rats on the walls and two others on my bed.
I first froze then started screaming. You see, I have musophobia – an extreme fear of rats and mice. The dogs heard me screaming and they started barking.
Aunt Josephine came running and opened my door. I told her about the rat infestation; of course, by now the rats had disappeared.
Aunt was very embarrassed and apologetic. I told her I could stand many things but not rats. I said I’d not live in a rat-infested place. I would have to move out the following day.
By the way, I had no idea where I’d move to. All I knew was that I could not spend another night in that house.
My aunt was shocked by my plan to move out. Nothing she said could make me change my mind.
When my aunt went back to her bedroom, I sat in bed with the lights on. I started to Google hostels nearby. I found one that sounded affordable (I had saved a little money).
I showered at 5.00 am and dressed up. I was waiting for the daybreak to go and view the hostels nearby.
I didn’t even step into the kitchen. I figured out that if the bedroom had rats, the kitchen could be worse off.
I carried a small bag with essential stuff and left the rest of my things at my aunt’s place. I would come back for them later.
I got a cheap hostel a walking distance from my college. I paid for two weeks. I told my aunt and my parents that I had found a hostel. I started my course.
On the 10th day after moving to the hostel, Aunt Josephine called me. She said she wanted to see me urgently. I went to see her the following day after my classes; her place was also a walking distance from my college.
When I got to Aunt Josephine’s place, I was amazed. The first thing I noticed was that the fence was well-trimmed. When she opened the gate and I stepped into the front yard, I could not believe what I was seeing. The lawn had been mowed and the compound was neat and beautiful.
The verandah and the entire house were well-arranged and sparkling clean. The stench was gone.
I hugged Aunt Josephine with excitement. I then asked her about the elephant in the room. The rats!
She explained that she was embarrassed and concerned when I moved out because of filth and rats in the house.
She had hired the services of a landscaper, a cleaning crew, and a mice and rat exterminator. She had also gotten a cat – to deal with mice and rats in the future.
I moved back to Aunt Josephine’s house the following day.
When I thought about it later, I kind of felt sorry for Aunt Josephine. She was 55 and lived alone. She could have been lonely and miserable. I think that’s what led to her self-neglect – she’d neglected herself and her nice home.
When I moved back, we agreed on how to run the house and how to keep it clean. Each one of us had to pull their weight.
Aunt Josephine got a new lease of life, literally. We lived happily ever after – I lived with her for the three years I was in college. I would go home during the holidays.
Oh, and Aunt Josephine and I developed a very close bond. I love her and she is now my best aunt.
Brian’s Encounter With A Terrible Host: My Host Was A Minimalist and Extremely Rude
My name is Brian. A few years ago, I studied for my master’s Degree in a foreign university (the course was mainly online). I passed and was excited that I was going to graduate.
The graduation was going to be at the university. So, I had to travel to that country – it was about 1000 miles from my home country.
My wife was heavily pregnant with our second child. She could not therefore make it to my graduation. I felt bad that I was going to be alone on my graduation day.
As I thought about how miserable I’d be on my graduation day, I remembered that I had a few friends in that country. In fact, my dear friend James lived a few miles from the university where the graduation was to take place.
James and I had grown up in the same neighborhood. We had also been classmates throughout our elementary school years.
I decided to call James and invite him to my graduation. He was excited to hear from me (we’d not seen each other for about 3 years). He said he’d gladly attend my graduation and he’d tell his wife about it.
That same evening, James called me. He invited me to stay at his place for the few days I’d be in his country. He said that there was no need for me to book a hotel yet they lived close to the university.
I accepted James’ invitation and I was very grateful.
Fast forward to the day of my arrival in James’ country. James came to meet me at the airport. We were happy to see each other.
James then helped me to carry my luggage (I had only one small suitcase and a briefcase). He then told me we were going to take a bus ride to his place.
I was taken aback. I offered to pay for an Uber. James declined, almost rudely. He said we needn’t waste money on an Uber. The bus would be much cheaper.
I reluctantly agreed to take the 20-minute bus ride with James. When we alighted from the bus, we had to walk for about 10 minutes to James’ house. By the time we got to the house, I was famished, sweaty, exhausted, and seething.
When we got to James’ house, his wife Joan welcomed me warmly. The house had large windows that brought in natural light. It was also clean and nice. I noticed that it was scantily furnished.
After some chitchat, Joan welcomed me to lunch. As I sat down at the table, I noticed that the food was in two small dishes. I assumed Joan had yet to bring all the food from the kitchen.
I was shocked when I discovered that’s all the food there was. A small dish of plain rice and another small dish of bean soup, for three adults? Oh, and there were slices of mangoes for dessert.
They said since I was the guest, I had to serve first. Oh my goodness! I served myself as little food as I could so that I could leave some for Joan and James.
After the meal, I asked Joan for some warm drinking water (I don’t like cold water). She told me they never warmed drinking water. They drank it cold, straight from the tap. She fetched for me some cold water, and I drank.
After eating the little food, I was still very hungry. I Googled for the nearest mall. It was about 7 minutes from James’ place (walking distance).
I told James that I needed to get a few things from the mall (that was true). I walked to the mall. There were nice restaurants at the mall and I decided to eat – remember I was still very, very hungry.
After my sumptuous meal, I enjoyed some cold mixed fruit juice. It was the height of summer and the juice was very refreshing.
I then went to a supermarket within the mall and bought the stuff I wanted. I also decided to buy a good quality wine for my hosts – after all, I had not brought anything for them.
I got back to James’ house around 6.00 pm. I gave them the bottle of wine. They rejected the wine, to my amazement. In fact, they were annoyed with me.
James said I should not throw money around. If I really wanted to buy them something, I should return the bottle of wine to the supermarket and buy more sensible things. Joan would give me a list of things to buy with the money.
I was shocked! Who refuses a gift rudely and dictates what they should be given?
I politely told them I could not do what they wanted. Joan then shoved the bottle of wine into my hands and told me to keep it. I took it. I decided to take the wine to my room.
As I started walking towards my room, Joan announced that dinner would be served at 6.30 pm. I told her that I would pass dinner, I wanted to rest. The truth was that I was full. However, I couldn’t tell them that.
When I said I’d not take dinner, James got angry. He said that Joan had made food for three people. He added that they didn’t keep leftover food in the fridge and they didn’t waste food.
I didn’t want to annoy my hosts further, so, I ate dinner. I thank God the food was as little as lunch was. She also served some oranges after the meal.
After dinner, I decided to sit in the living room with James to catch up a bit. It was getting dark, so, I switched on the lights. I noticed that there was only one light serving the huge living room.
When I switched on the light, James complained that it was too early to do so. He switched off the light. He mumbled something about saving energy.
In addition, the temperatures in the room were high and I was sweating – remember it was summertime. I humbly requested him to switch on the A/C. He said the A/C was not functioning – they didn’t use it.
He instead closed the windows and curtains. He said that would help to cool the house.
I was shocked by the changes I was seeing in James. I wondered what had happened to my dear old friend James. He had a good education, and no kids, and the last time I checked, he had a good job. Was he in some financial crisis?
I went to bed at around 8.00 pm. My bedroom was en-suite. I decided to take a shower. What shocked me was that there was no hot water in the shower. Well, it was summer, so, I didn’t really mind.
I fell asleep but woke up a few hours later. The heat in the bedroom was unbearable. Unfortunately, there was no A/C in the entire house. I locked the bedroom door, removed my clothes, and tried to sleep. Thankfully, I survived the night.
I woke up early the following morning. It was the day before the graduation. I was going to the university for the rehearsal. My heart almost broke when I remembered that I had to take a cold shower. I took the shower anyhow.
By the time I got to the living room, James and Joan were still asleep. I was in a dilemma. Should I fix myself some breakfast? It was going to be a long day and I would not get time to eat during the rehearsal.
But then again I wondered if Joan would be okay with me raiding her kitchen. I also wondered if there would be anything in the kitchen to eat.
I decided to go without breakfast. I gladly hailed a cab – after all, James was not with me.
My day was busy and I was famished. I got to eat my first meal at around 2.00 pm.
That evening after our simple dinner consisting of minimal food, James went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. I offered to help him and he agreed.
After I had washed a few items, the water stopped flowing from the sink. I alerted James. He told me he’d closed the main pipe that brings water to the kitchen. When I asked why, he told me angrily that I was wasting water! I was using too much water to wash the dishes.
I was shocked, to say the least. He told me he’d finish up the washing. I left the kitchen feeling humiliated and perplexed.
I went to my room and decided to check the clothes I was going to wear the following day to my graduation. I had already hung the suit in the wardrobe. When I checked on my new shirt, I noticed that it was a bit creased.
I asked Joan for an iron box. She told me that they didn’t iron clothes. I requested her to give me an iron if they had one. She told me that even if she had one, the sockets were not working.
Goodness, gracious! She then mumbled something about the need for people to invest in clothes that don’t need ironing.
I was very unhappy. That night, I decided I didn’t want to spend another day with James and Joan. I didn’t even want them at my graduation and I wasn’t coming back to their house after the graduation.
I packed all my stuff. I would leave with everything in the morning and not come back. My graduation day was supposed to be a happy day. I didn’t want this couple’s attitude to ruin my day.
The following morning, I woke up at 5.00 am. I went to the shower. When I turned on the water, there was none. Even the sink had no water. I almost panicked.
I sent James an SMS telling him that there was no water. He said he’d closed the water because of the wastage the previous day. Wow! That meant I could not shower.
Fortunately, I found some little water in a container in the kitchen. I went to the laundry room and picked a bucket. I put some water in the bucket and some other water in a plastic cup.
I went to my room, bathed using the cold water, and brushed my teeth with the water from the plastic cup.
That was one of the most humiliating things I had experienced in my life.
I dressed up and was ready to leave. I sent a polite phone message to James telling him that I would not be coming back after the graduation ceremony. I also told him that he and Joan didn’t have to come to the graduation. I would be just fine. I also thanked them for hosting me.
That was one of the most difficult messages I have ever written.
I googled hotels near the university. I was due to fly home the following day, so, I had to look for accommodation for the night. I found a hotel.
I hailed a cab and it took me to the hotel. After keeping my stuff in the room, I had breakfast. I then headed to the graduation ceremony. Everything went well.
By the way, I was not the only one who was alone at the ceremony. We were quite a number. After the ceremony, I joined a group of graduates. We went to a hotel and had an awesome time until the wee morning hours.
A few days after I got back home, I decided to call James. I was concerned about him. Why had he changed so much and what was ailing him? Maybe I could help him in my own small way.
James said he was annoyed with me for telling him that I would not come back to his place after my graduation. He felt I was ungrateful. He said that’s why he’d closed the water on the morning of my graduation. He wanted to punish me.
He then explained that a few years back, he and Joan had decided to adopt a minimalistic lifestyle. So, he was not in a financial crisis, he had chosen that way of life.
I was annoyed at James and our conversation didn’t go very well. I shouted at him, asking him why he’d not told me about his new lifestyle before I went to his place. I had felt humiliated and disrespected by the way they treated me.
You see, I don’t have a problem with the way someone decides to live their life. However, it’s good to let your visitors know about your lifestyle so that they can adopt it.
Anyway, I have no hard feelings towards James. Now I know why they behaved the way they did. I just wished they’d told me in advance. If they had, I’d not have labeled them hosts from hell.
I plan to visit them the next time I visit their country. I’ll try to be the best guest ever. Cheers!
Conclusion
There you have it! Two incredible stories about hosts from hell.
Have you encountered hosts from hell? Kindly share your experience in the comments section. Cheers.
Also read: How To Be A Good Guest When Staying At Someone’s Home For Several Days; Don’t Drive Your Host Crazy
