New host w/damage from guest

[Ryan42]

I've had about 6 guests so far and all great experiences. That being said my latest guest caused damage to my couch, coffee tables, floor. Is it worth me trying to go after a security deposit? I have pictures of everything, I'm very disappointed but excepted the fact it would happen sooner or later. What are your thoughts? Just an honest review of the guest and try and salvage the rest is where I'm leaning towards because I don't want them to give me a bad review when they receive notification of my deposit deduction. Help!

[Amaris0]

Well if you need to replace/ repair the damages then you can claim against their security deposit. You should liaise with them first if you haven't already done so. Inform  them of the damages and your intention to claim against their deposit so they are not surprised to receive an e-mail from Airbnb re the claims. 

You shouldn’t let fears of a bad review determine your actions if these actions are fair.  If you are OK with absorbing the financial burden of the damages because you have factored stuff like this into your price, then that is one thing and you may decide to let it be. However  if you are not happy to bear the full responsibility, then you should inform  them of the damages they have left behind, the cost implications to you and their responsibility financially in this matter.

This might sound harsh bit there is no guarantee that they will leave you a great review even if you don't mention this. And if they do leave you a less favourable review as a result of a claim, they can't tell lies otherwise Airbnb can remove the review; also you can leave a public response to their review. Most importantly, potential guest do have the intelligence to read reviews and decide for themselves if it warrants concern or not. As a Host, I have made two claims against Security deposits, one did leave me a 5* review despite the claim and the other missed the 14 day review window whilst traveling but e-mailed me to say she had a great time, so not every guest runs away from their responsibility or retaliates when their errors are pointed out to them - just my thoughts….

All the best,

Ama

[Andrée2]

I completely agree with @Amaris0 and will point out that she has been a host since last November. So that is 2 necessary claims about every 6 months which I think is about right as I have been hosting for just over 5 years.

Therefore, from this perspective I can say that you may decide to eat the costs a few times but it can begin to wear on you (and your property) very quickly. Ultimately, maintaining the integrity of your listing will always be of more importance than the worries over a maligning review that eventually drops away.

[Darrell5]

Hello, we are new (only a few months) to airbnb, but have been using another renting platfrom for 3 years now. I just read your comment @Andrée2 and I am a little concerned about using airbnb now. Within the 3 years we have been using the other platfrom (which we still use), not once have we had to charge anyone for damages. So it sounds like incurring damage is a given using airbnb as a renting platfrom? Would love to hear opinions, especially those who use more than 1 renting platfrom.

Thank you!

[Andrée2]

Hi Darrell,

I understand your concerns. The thing to consider is that Airbnb can attract a young (and sometimes immature) audience. As you know, it's difficult to make folks that have never owned property, understand it's value. I just had a long back and forth with a young guest that refused to return a book she took from my home. Not only did she get angry for my wanting it to be retuned quickly before the next guest (you can only put in a claim either before the next guest checks in or a few days after the guest checks out) but then accused ME of being greedy when I put in a claim for reimbursement.

[Brittany1]

I don't understand why a host would ever "eat" the cost. The guest damaged your space and your belongings and should be held responsible. We are not big budget hotel owners and an expectation that our spaces are treated respectfully seems pretty fair. We have filed many claims in the past two years and none of them were rejected. I would write the guest a message notifying them of the damage and the claim.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

I would only eat the cost where it was a small amount - for example we see hosts struggling to decide if they should claim against the security deposit for a broken wine glass. Where the damage is significant enough to mean it is visible and off putting to the next guest, or detracts from your listing then I would claim.

[Marc68]

On a related note, we are first time hosts and have a security deposit in place but unable to inspect the house within 48 hours as we will be away ourselves.  What can I do to extend release of the deposit in case of damage?

Thanks-

Marc