False Allegation by Host

[Jerilyn5]

After several attempts to seek a assistance from Airbnb without a resolution, I am seeking guidance from the Airbnb community. 

I am a seasoned healthcare executive who travels extensively professionally and personally. My husband and I have embraced a smoke free and alcohol/substance free lifestyle, for 40 and 37 years respectively.

We are new to Airbnb, but for years our family has enjoyed other short term rental platforms such as VRBO, with positive and memorable experiences.

We experienced our first conflict in Anchorage after our second Airbnb booking.

Nearly a week after our stay and after we left a positive review, we recieved a notice of significant charges requested by the host, for alleged cigarette smoke damage, which absolutely did not occur.

In addition, we learned that the host entered the property without our knowledge while we were still guests.  As I reflect, I had a moment of hesitancy when we booked our stay because the host was so new.

We will not let this experience deter our preferred choice for accommodations, however, we will pause utilizing Airbnb until the issue is resolved.

[Kate867]

@Jerilyn5   A ‘smell’ is very hard to prove and your host would have had to provide a verifiable invoice for cleaning and/or proof that you had indeed smoked within the property in order for Airbnb to support their claim.  You can of course dispute this with evidence of your own.

With regards to the host entering the property without permission this is most definitely NOT allowed unless there is an emergency situation where they need to gain entry.  The following link will provide information on this.  Airbnb take privacy issues extremely seriously and if you have proof that they entered without permission in a non-emergency situation then you can report it.  If you do this it is highly likely that the Host will be suspended pending investigation and it will have a serious impact on their business.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/3060/protecting-your-privacy