Here are some tips for how to get rid of unwanted house guests so you can get back your home and privacy.
Having house guests can be fun. It’s nice to spend time with friends or family that you haven’t seen for a while.
But, it can also be stressful. They disrupt your regular routines and can spoil plans you had in mind for yourself.
And sometimes, they overstay their welcome. What was supposed to be an overnight visit has turned into a two-week stay from hell.
Figuring out how to get guests to leave your home puts you in an awkward position.
Short of taking legal action, which is a bit extreme, how do you let them know it’s time to go? Here are ten ways to get rid of unwanted house guests.
How To Get Rid Of Unwanted House Guests
1. Don’t Invite Them
Sometimes, people invite themselves to stay with you. You meet up at a party, they find out where you live and say something like, “I’ve always wanted to visit there! I should come stay with you!”.
Take this opportunity to politely turn them down. Don’t let them walk away thinking they have an open invitation to come visit any time.
Saying no is not a bad thing. You’re simply protecting the most precious space you own and that is your home.
2. Offer To Pay For A Hotel
It may be unavoidable to have people want to come visit, especially your parents or even close friends. But, that doesn’t mean they have to come stay with you.
Let them know they’ll be staying in a hotel and the reservations have already been made so there’s no wiggling out of it.
Of course, not everyone will have the budget to do this but if you do, this is a good option.
3. Set A Time Limit
If you do invite guests into your home, set a time limit as part of the invitation and make that clear upfront.
As the last day approaches, mention how fast the time has gone and how you can’t believe it’s almost time for them to leave. Subtlety can work wonders.
4. Assign Chores
No-one wants to come stay at your house only to be put to work. If you have an unwanted house guest, give them chores and lots of them. Insist that anyone who stays in your home must contribute. Vacuuming, taking out the trash and laundry are tasks that no-one expects to have to do when on vacation.
5. Make Them Pay
Sometimes, people like to stay in others’ homes because it’s free. If they were staying at a hotel paying for accommodation as well as food, they would leave as planned.
Let your guests pay for their groceries or meals, transportation and even ask for a contribution to the household bills. If they’re cheap, they’ll scurry off quickly.
Here’s how much to charge a guest who’s stayed too long.
6. Stop Being So Nice
Entertaining visitors and offering to take them where they want to go is all part of good hosting etiquette. But, just like I mentioned before, you don’t want your guests to be super cozy in your home.
Stop volunteering to pay for stuff and being overly helpful. They just might get the hint that it’s time to go.
7. Annoy Them
A gracious host would always be considerate of their house guests. But, unwanted guests are a different story.
Do annoying things that will make them want to hurry up and leave. Play loud music, wake them really early repeatedly, ask invasive questions. All of these things are sure to make them uncomfortable. And, when someone is uncomfortable they want to make it stop.
8. Lie To Them
One way to get rid of unwanted guests is to tell them that you’re expecting other guests and you need the guest room to be vacant. This may not necessarily be true but they don’t know that, do they? This is definitely not an ideal solution but neither is having them grow roots in your house.
Have a specific date in mind and make sure they don’t know the person you say is coming. You definitely don’t want them to speak to that other person and find out there’s no intended visit.
9. Offer To Gather Their Stuff
Play the role of a good host and offer to gather your house guests’ belongings from around the house. This assures visitors that it’s time to go.
Ask questions to confirm their departure like, “Would you like me to arrange transportation for you to the airport?”.
10. Tell Them To Leave
Subtle hints don’t work with everyone so tell your unwanted guests that it’s time for them to leave. This is the simplest way to let visitors who have stayed too long know that it’s time to move on, but it’s not easy.
It can put strain on your relationship with the guests. And, if you’re a polite person who hates conflict, doing this will be stressful.
When you do speak up, don’t be rude. Stay calm and explain why you think it’s time for them to go.
Dealing with unwanted guests is not easy. But, when you’ve got people staying in your home who’re no longer welcome, it’s necessary. Hopefully this list will give you some ideas as to how to get rid of unwanted house guests.
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