@Fabs0, what happened was awful for you, definitely you appear to have been targeted. If the people whom you invited into your premises caused the damage & theft it's a criminal matter & should be reported & investigated by police. It's not just something to refer to Airbnb for financial recompense.
Going forward you would be advised to have a substantial security deposit since it costs nothing to good guests & deters vandals & opportunistic theives, who will take your property & sell it to recoup their accommodation fee. As hosts who have 6 properties I would suggest that you have placed too much emphasis on filling your calendars and rooms rather than putting in the hours learning how to use the hosting tools to best manage your guest interactions and minimise your risk. Hosting places you and your property in a vulnerable position and there are steps you can take to mitigate risk.
Never just rely on a verified ID, it does not ensure guest behaviour will be a match to any expectations. Conduct your own background check via online conversations to ascertain the identity of the guest and ask for information about associations, employment connections or community service connections which you can check on. Just having the conversation sets the tone f expectation for all guests contributes to an atmosphere of transparency in the whole community and reduces the perception that as a host you are vulnerable to accepting bookings without really knowing or checking who your guests are. There are individuals who go fishing for hosts who have minimal barriers to entry and hand over access without supervision during the stay. It reduces the need for break and entry and it even reduces the charges at law when they can claim they were invited.
If hosts research the online tools, read FAQs and the Help Centreguides, research media stories about Airbnb disaster guests and problems as well as video guides on hosting tips and as much and as many of the Airbnb blogs as you can squeeze in as after dinner reading. No one wants to have a negative view of hosting, but by reading about problems we can formulate strategies to manage them out as far as possible. Its not guarranteed but it is responsible and part of our due diligence. If we dont attempt these things then we are being negligent and increasing our own heartache and overall costs of doing business to ourselves and others. I am not a stooge for Airbnb they would probably be a little less direct, but I guess that's why they have the forums, so that a range of real life tips can be exchanged and weighed up by other hosts and readers. We can blame the guests, they appear to have acted with forethought and malice, but we cant stop at making claims for compensation from Airbnb. We need to see what adjustments we can make going forward, and what gaps may have existed, what things we overlooked or ignored, and thereby contributed to the possibility of these events occuring/ risks being increased.
I hope this reflection is not too upsetting, I am not blaming the host for other people's actions, simply pointing out
