HI Keith,
I feel your pain….its always the minority that ruin it for the majority! I think that you only have a very limited timeframe to claim bond compensation, (could be with 48 hours of guest check out?). That said, the guest definitely has the opportunity to retaliate with a negative review, (which happened to me last year). I believe that this is a flaw in the bond claim/guest review system.
I have been running holiday rentals for the past ten years, and I have to say the mindset and mentality of guests overall has changed for the worse (sadly)in recent years Guests now know that they hold the cards because owners cannot afford negative reviews.
However, its imperative that we, as owners, stick together and review these (undesirable) guests. That said, i hope that airbnb will look at being more supportive of owners, particularly when withholding bond only occurs in rare situations, (and is therefore more than likely totally justified!). A policy that guests are unable to leave a review when bond is with-held seems logical....
I did have a very positive experience recently with airbnb whereby a guest cancelled due to our decision to remove our outdoor hot tub from the property. I had no idea how severe the cancellation penalties are with Airbnb, even when a guest cancels, and so was very fortunate that airbnb waived the penalties by considering the facts.
Good luck, and i sincerely hope that you do not receive a bad review when the guests were clearly at fault!
Best regards,
Lea