Your top questions about Host Guarantee

[Lizzie]

Hello again, Hosts!

Your ideas and questions about the Host Guarantee have sparked some important conversation at Airbnb headquarters. As with our recent Q&A posts on Smart Pricing, Search, and Instant Book, we collected lots of questions from you here in the Community Center—this time on the Host Guarantee. We’ve got insights for you from the Host Guarantee team, and we hope these are helpful. Keep the ideas and questions coming—you’re inspiring us to consider changes and improvements we can make to this program in 2018.

Cheers,

Lizzie

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On security deposits and the Host Guarantee

1. What’s the difference between a guest’s security deposit and the Host Guarantee?

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A guest security deposit is something you can choose to require of your guests. The security deposit is an acknowledgement by the guest that they may be charged up to the full amount should they cause damage to your listing. If you choose to require a security deposit from your guests, they don’t actually pay the deposit when they make the reservation. Instead, they’re charged only if you make a claim through the Resolution Center on that deposit and it’s accepted by the guest or granted through mediation by Airbnb.

The Host Guarantee  provides up to $1,000,000 in protection from Airbnb for instances when guests damage a host’s property. In order to process a request, you would use the Resolution Center to upload documentation of the damages (such as photos or receipts), and first request payment from your guest to cover those damages. You and your guests can work out the details on your own, or you can choose to involve Airbnb directly in the Resolution Center. The best way to ensure a smooth process with your guest or with Airbnb is to submit your report of the damage, along with support documentation as soon as you identify the damage.

2. What benefit does the Host Guarantee provide if I can just make a claim against a guest’s security deposit?

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Hosts have the option to ask guests for a security deposit of between $100 and $5,000. In addition to the financial protection this provides, some hosts feel that asking for a security deposit reminds guests to be extra careful while staying in your space. The Host Guarantee comes from Airbnb and also can provide payment to a host for damages that a guest causes to your listing, up to $1,000,000. We’re currently looking at data to see if implementing a guest deposit changes travelers’ booking behavior.

3. If the security deposit cannot be collected from the guests, or doesn’t cover the damages, does the Host Guarantee still kick in?

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If the damages caused by a guest during a reservation exceed the agreed upon security deposit, or if there is no security deposit for the listing in question, the Host Guarantee program is intended to provide support.

4. Do I have to pay anything for the Host Guarantee?

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No, the Host Guarantee program is provided at no additional cost to hosts.

5. Can I require a security deposit for any length stay or just for longer stays?

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You can require a deposit for any length stay. Security deposits can range from $100 - $5000 and we encourage hosts to pick a value that suits their most common circumstances. Currently we don’t offer the ability to adjust the security deposit for different stays.

On Host Guarantee’s scope of protection

6. In what specific situations does the Host Guarantee kick in (theft, damage, excessive cleaning costs etc.)?

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The Host Guarantee provides payment for theft or physical damage to your listing caused by the responsible guest, or the guest’s invitee(s), during their stay. For complete details, you can review the full terms. Items such as routine cleaning costs (including excessive linen costs or floor cleaning) or additional guests fees are not provided under the Host Guarantee program.

You have the option of including a cleaning fee in your pricing. You may also send an alteration request or a request through the Resolution Center if fees are sought for additional guests not included in the original booking.

7. If the Host Guarantee is applied to my situation, will I get the full value I paid for an item or its present value?

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The Host Guarantee program provides payment either for the repair or replacement cost of the damaged item. What we call the “actual cash value” (the amount we reimburse) is the amount it would cost to repair or replace damaged or destroyed covered property as a result of a covered loss. These amounts are based on accepted industry standards as well as the recommendation of an independent third party claims administrator. To determine the reimbursement amount, we’ll compare the current price of the item (or items of similar type and quality when yours is no longer available), and will include a reasonable deduction that accounts for the age and condition your item was in at the time the damage occurred.

8. Why doesn’t the Host Guarantee cover antiques?

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Fine arts and collectibles are often tricky to evaluate. In regard to the Host Guarantee, antiques are covered if they can be replaced with something of similar quality or can be repaired or retouched. If you have an item that is high-value or near irreplaceable, it may be advisable to consult with an insurance professional on how best to protect this type of property.

9. Does the Host Guarantee apply for extenuating circumstances during a booking (e.g. burst water pipe, fire)?

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If your future bookings are impacted by an event subject to the Host Guarantee, the program will also reimburse your income loss for reservations that were booked through the Airbnb platform and must be cancelled due to the mishap. For instance, a guest causes a minor fire, but the repair will take three weeks and the affected host has an upcoming two week reservation. Airbnb customer support would assist in rebooking that guest and through the Host Guarantee, the host would be eligible for the payout despite the reservation being cancelled due to the fire.

10. Why doesn’t the Host Guarantee apply when a guest cancels due to extenuating circumstances?

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We’re currently in the early stages of exploring broader offerings for hosts and guests in regard to trip cancellations or other interruptions to you getting bookings.

11. I’ve heard that if I have a key lockbox outside my home the Host Guarantee does not cover me anymore. Is that true?

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That’s not true based on the terms of the program. If there was a lockbox across town that was damaged by the guest, the damage to the lockbox itself may not be covered, but damage to the listing still would.

On claims and payments

12. How can I prepare in case I need to use the Host Guarantee?

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You should reach out to the responsible guest immediately when you discover something has gone wrong—specifically you need to contact them either 14 days after checkout or before your next guest checks in, whichever comes earlier. When submitting your request using the Resolution Center please include a description of the damages, photos of the damage, support for the amount claimed and where applicable, the age of the damaged item. The clarity of your request and the support of that request will greatly improve the odds of resolving the situation with your guest using the Resolution Center. If the guest is not agreeable to your request, proper documentation will streamline the process Airbnb uses to review and make a decision.

13. What if I can’t get any documentation/quotes needed by the request deadline?

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It’s best to report issues as soon as they happen. This allows for a timely guest response and a comprehensive review of the scenario. When damages are reported weeks or months after the occurrence, it’s often difficult to get in touch with the guest and the documentation is no longer fresh or actionable. Airbnb can send a third party claims administrator to help evaluate the damages. If it’s a busy season for you, we recommend at least letting your Airbnb Resolution Center representative know that.

14. To make a claim for the Host Guarantee I have to do it within 14 days after the date of guests departure, but I don’t have the time and money to replace what the previous guest damaged before my next guest arrives. What should I do?

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In this scenario, please report the occurrence as soon as possible either through the Resolution Center or through contacting Airbnb directly. Airbnb support staff can assist in rebooking the guest as necessary, review damages, and consider if you’re experiencing booking income loss as a result of the occurrence.

15. How do I get money back from the Security Deposit for damage?

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You must first contact the guest through the Resolution Center. Once your request is posted, the guest can accept the request, offer an alternate amount, or decline the request. If the guest agrees to your request through the Resolution Center, the amount requested will automatically be remitted to you within 24 hours. If the guest does not accept the request, you or your guest may ask that Airbnb mediate a resolution 72 hours after the request has been published. An Airbnb representative will review the claim and make a determination. In cases where a security deposit award is made, they’ll communicate the amount to be paid and will process a payment to your preferred payout method on file.

16. What’s the point in having a security deposit if we can’t use it? Why do we need the approval of the guest for it to be paid out?

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This community is based on trust and good faith between hosts and guests. We want hosts and guests to be protected from misuse (of property and also of claims). The intent is that Airbnb will mediate in the resolution of claims if an agreement cannot be met within the Resolution Center. This is intended to ensure a fair resolution for both parties.

Thanks again to all the hosts who shared questions about the Host Guarantee. Please keep your ideas and feedback coming in the Community Center.

[MariaChiara1]

Hi Brenda,

I always had wonderful guest as you and I don't do low  price business. I don't believe in price less, I spent my time with my guests, I have had wonderfull dinners, walks and even I invte them to dinner in my other house. Lot of them I still got in touch after years, and I have been invited in their countries, in their houses. It happens to me that one of them that was in an other citiy in Italy, 2 years after having been in my place, when he has been stolen of his documents, money and credits cards he got in touch with me and I host him free of charge and help him to have new visa, money, ect.  So I can say that I got new friends around the world.

The question is that the only time I have had a big problem with a guest, Airbnb didn't do nothing for me or to help me!

I'm at least the 50% of the business as well as the guest is, so why to protect only guests?!

[Michael-and-Dru0]

Maria, I would recommend that once you have put your place back together, you go through and take very detailed photographs.  Take a room, cut it into 1/4's, and then photograph everything.  Have your clearner, or yourself, take a photos of the listing each and everytime you have a check-out.  This provides you with documentation of the condition of the listing prior to the guest checking in.  If you are able to provide detialed photographic evidence of the condition prior to the check-in and then the condition after check-out, with time and date stamps on the photographs, Airbnb will have to support you.  

The point is:  the onerous is on the host to prove the damage.  Always communicate EVERYTHING through the airbnb message center.  Never talk to a guest over the phone or in person without going back to the message thread and writing down what you talked about.  Document, document, document.  If you do this, you will find airbnb will support you and help you.  But, you, as the host, have to keep tight written records about everything you talk about with your guests.  Otherwise, airbnb doesn't have evidence of what was said and therefore really can't help you.

We have had some absolute horror stories as travelers renting airbnb's.  There have only been 1 or 2, but when they went wrong, they went really wrong.  What we learned in those experiences was to write everything down.  Do not trust anything to a phone converstaion or an in person converstaion.  You must have documentation.  In learning this lesson, we have applied it to hosting.  

I'm sorry your place was damaged, but if you photograph and document, you really shouldn't have a problem in the future.

[Michael-and-Dru0]

I completely agree @Brenda78 If you keep a 5 star place, you get 5 star guests.  If you place is good enough to make you a superhost, then you are not going to issues.  In 2 years of hosting, we haven't had a single guest destroy, harm, or steal something from our listing.  Also, hosts need to be very careful and read the revies of the potential guests.  If a guest has no reviews, we won't rent to them.

[Mathieu49]

@Michael-and-Dru0 I was in the same as you untill it happened to me in a relatively short period where everything got just so badly downgraded and consecutively. I was wondering what is going on with guests or Airbnb in general. I had such lovely and amazing guests in the past. Where are they gone.

I came to the conclusion Airbnb has become more popular, definitely cheaper due to the flood of new listings attracting so much more price sensitive people thinking they book an hotel a bargain price. At the end it is also really down to luck, Airbnb is still quite new, if I had not opened my door to first timer in my market I would have host 10% of my guests. In this short period of time and not that many guests though, I have had someone breaking up things and exagerating a bad review to the point of being unrealistic and a lie, a child colouring my door, a guest not welling to show me his ID, requesting a taxi but gave the wrong landed time, two guests asking to cancel, one bed set ruined, request to pay cash, someone also trying to bargain my room rate, guests not reviewing anymore, my utilities went to the roof (double my spending from last year for same period).

But there are still good ones and I can't wait to see them back, that would make me appreciate them even more! One couple were very nice and kind, finally! They missed the deadline of the review (not lucky) but sent me a nice message; that finally put a smile on my face after these last couple of months of torture! I am looking forward for my next guest, I have the feeling the bad series has finally ended, fingers crossed.

[Gertrude4]

I have submitted my claim with airbnb and I have not received the progress the 14 days has pass

[MariaChiara1]

Prepare yourself to an hard battle 😉

[Shannon155]

Airbnb's Host Guarantee is a complete joke.  We had a guest do tremendous damage to our home and we immediately documented it and contacted their Resolution Center.  They only offered $118 for $1,800 in damage.  We've since listed with VRBO and have had immediate bookings.

[MariaChiara1]

almost the same with me!

[Steve387]

I unfortunately had to file a host guarantee claim for damage to my property. Once I sent airbnb all documentation and they realized it cost more than my damage deposit, they completely started ignoring me. My case has been open for over a month but nobody will respond to me. I keep calling in and they say they are escalating my ticket and someone will be in touch with me within 24 hours, but then I never hear from anyone. They won't give me a phone number to call they just say someone will be in touch with me. Still waiting...

[MariaChiara1]

The same with me and they offer me after thousands of mails 128 euros for a damnage of 594 euros. I think we have to move from Airbnb if this is their costumer retention!

[Rachel248]

Hey- can you clarify point 11? Are you saying the lockbox is required to be across town for the damage to be covered? Thanks!

[Michael-and-Dru0]

No, that was just an example.  She's saying it doesn't matter where the damage occurs, if it happens, the host is protected.

[Michelle48]

No, she’s saying the lockbox wouldn’t be covered because it was across town but the rental unit would be. But as majority of the other comments state, the rental unit MIGHT be covered but they rarely pay out the value of the actual damage if anything at all. Lesson: Don’t count on any reimbursement from the guest or Airbnb. Host takes all the risk. So vet your guests well & weigh if it’s worth it. 

[Rachel248]

Thanks! One thing I don’t think Airbnb recognizes is that by not paying for damage, they’re encouraging hosts to outfit their unit with cheap products, and It impacts the guest experience. Airbnb is becoming sysonimius with cheap, uncomfortable accommodation. Even though I’m a host, I was a guest first, and I’ve actually stopped booking on Airbnb as much, because I’m tired of sleeping in cheap sheets and struggling to use a poorly appointed kitchen. I’ve only been hosting for about 10 months, but have put a lot of expensive furniture in my unit to try and counter this, and my guests love it. I consistently get feedback saying my unit is the best Airbnb experience they’ve ever had. But if I can’t trust Airbnb to support me in the event that something gets ruined, I’ll have to reconsider the way I’m renting the unit- short term executive rental may be a better fit. 

[Lizzie]

Thanks @Michael-and-Dru0. 

Great to meet you @Rachel248 and thanks for asking for extra clarity here. As Michael mentions, this is just an example, your lockbox doesn't have to across town. 🙂

I hope this helps. 

Thanks,

Lizzie