Guest claims injury

[Karen248]

I had a guest this weekend who is an insurance agent.  She left yesterday morning and I saw her getting into her car with her husband. I did not notice anything unusual about her movement.  She emailed me today and claimed that she fell down our stairs and broke her ribs.  She has not yet asked for any compensation for her injuries.  They returned to the apartment the night of their stay at 2:00 am after being out to a concert and had taken the wrong key, so woke us up by banging on the door of our house.  Our garage is detached, so they were not staying in the house.  The keys to the door that they were to use were in the apartment and I offered to go upstairs with them when they arrived to show them the ropes, but they declined and said they were fine.  I also had emailed her and asked her to let me know when they arrived so that I could greet them.  She did not let me know she was here and just went to the apartment.  I had also emailed her instructions on which door to use to access the apartment and that they keys were upstairs.  Needless to say, I am quite worried about her filing some kind of claim against us.  Has anyone had an experience like this?  I also noticed that her name is different on her Airbnb profile than on her Facebook profile.  

[Christian65]

Hi @Karen248

This sounds weird but life is weird sometimes and we do crazy **bleep** or bad things happen to us.

That being said, did she send you an email with this or use the ABB app? And what did she say apart from that she fell? Did she ask you for anything or what excatly did she communicate?

That being said I don't think you should be worried but just wait and see if she asks for anything and then assess the situation and the consider contacting ABB support.

If you have serious doubts about her identity I would probably flag her profile but not before hearing her out. If she asks for an outrages demand or refund or compensation for her "fall" I would contact ABB immidietely.

I hope it all works out! Keep us posted?

[Karen248]

She sent the email through ABB app and did not ask for anything, but did say she had to go to the emergency room. I am trying to figure out when the emergency room visit happened, because it would have had to have been after they arrived back at 2:00 am and if they had left again in the night after that and before they left the next morning, my dogs would have been barking. I apologized to her sincerely and hope that that will be the end of it. Thank you for responding!

Karen

[Christian65]

Maybe she just needed a bit of sympathy and a kind word from you? IDK but at least she doesn't want you to pay damages.

Keep us updated if the story evolves, right? 😉

[Josh30]

Check out Airbnb's Host Protection Insurance. It's just for such situations and you don't have to pay a premium to get it. You are covered free of charge if a claim is filed. https://www.airbnb.com/host-protection-insurance

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

Be very wary of the Airbnb "Host Protection" insurance - it is filled with loopholes and exclusions to the point it is almost useless.  Much better to rely on getting your own liability insurance for your rental vs. relying on Airbnb to cover anything.

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

I would be inclined to contact ABB support right away to have them review her credentials, history and messages with you. There are things you say and things you don't say when faced with someone who says they were injured on your property. Unfortunately in a litigious society we must be on guard for someone who may be setting the stage for a fraudulent injury claim. I'm sure ABB has seen such tactics before and may be able to advise you on next steps. Keep a low profile, say as little as possible to the guest and start documenting what you know, just in case.

[Tim-and-Holly0]

This is why I am a STRONG advocate for surveillance cameras. Kits are fairly cheap and easy to install. Mine have already saved me from one issue. I don't hide the cameras and I include in the house book that they are there so I am protected legally.

[Donna211]

 What type of surveillance  camera do you have?

[Andrea9]

@Karen248

It sounds like she's fishing right now. If she does actually go so far as to file a claim, I'm sure it will have to be proven by submitting a record of said emergencey visit. So, if she's lying she will have to prove it.

Very unpleasant experience. I hope for you she doesn't follow through.

Also very fishy that her profile and name don't match.

I wonder if doing an ID check on arrival like all hotels would curb the willingness of such people. It also weeds out 3rd party bookings which are not supported by Airbnb. Automatic check ins without meeting the guest seem practical but have lead to a lot of misuse.

[Emilie133]

If someone gets injured on my airbnb property, do we let Airbnb know or just wait to see if the guests complain?

[Matthew285]

@Emilie133 if the guest seems like the honest type, you should just wait for the guest. They may not approach you at all about compensation, so waiting would be appropriate.

If you suspect the guest is trying to profit from any incident, then it does make some sense to report your suspicions to Airbnb, to help get ahead of the situation (and to tell your side of the story before the guest begins spinning tall tales).

And in either case, if there is any way for you to change things on your property so that future guests can avoid a similar incident, please do so. It would be good both for you and your guests.

[Emilie133]

Great advice. Yes, we just encourage folks to swing small before swinging big!

Changes made. And we mulched it.

[Cormac0]

@Karen248

I'm very surprised if you guest fell down your stairs and broke her ribs, she did not bring it to you attention straight away, falling down your stair does not necessaily become your problem if the stair was in good working order without any loose boards etc. Take photos immediately of the stairs...

[Kathie21]

Yes, take photos of the stairs that show whether there is any defect in them, also of the lighting and the handrail.  Also, try to get some more details from her now (the time, the reason for the fall) so that she can't change her story later.  She can only claim if she can allege that there was some negligence on your part - her being drunk or careless = $0.