Lawyer for reimbursement under the Host Guarantee program

[Edwin268]

Hi Communtiy,

Been hosting for a little over 2 years and I had a recent guest who flushed over 20+ non disposable baby wipes down my toilet leading to a huge over flow of water and a distasteful bill.  I reached out to AirBnB and they refused to help.   I need the support and help of the community. 

little back story of the situation which I reported to AirBnB 

“The next guest was already booked before the incident occurred. I wasn’t aware of how severe the situation was until I and the township were not able to fix the drainage issue. The plumber was not available until the day of the guest’s check-out which was 3 hours before my next guest was booked. I was addressing the issue the day of the guest’s checkout and the new guest’s check-in, which in fact lasted over 3 hours. I did communicate with the next guest prior to the check-in time and informed her that I was dealing with this situation, I gave her the options of either canceling or rescheduling, she responded that she not want to cancel the booking and did not respond as to whether she would like to reschedule or not; she arrived a little over the check-in time; the issue was not fixed as of yet, so she decided to return as soon as it was fixed. In your email, you indicated that damage reports to be submitted before the next guest arrives, should I have cancelled the next guest’s booking and inconvenience my next guest, as well as my cancellation guideline ratings? 

Please understand that throughout this time I was worried about my property and the comfort and well-being of my clients, I didn’t have the grace-period in between the check out and check in time to submit a report or a chance to submit a report prior without knowing what the problem was or the severity of it. As soon as it was fixed and the place was disinfected, I submitted the report. In addition, the plumbers relayed that they will need to come out once more to further evaluate the septic system. 

I apologize as I was not fully aware of this strict policy, however, the circumstances that I experienced was unique, the lower level of my home is utilized by AirBnB customers only and am not in agreement with this response due to the circumstances that I endured. There should absolutely be a grace-period for AirBnB hosts to submit damage emergency reports. 

Is there any way that AirBnB can support this damage report? Or make AirBnB liable for it.  The apartment is only used by AirBnB guest.  

@Airbnb @help 

[Helen3 · Accepted solution]

I think you have misunderstand the policy. You don't have to submit bills for damage before new guests arrive,  for you to have a valid claim, you just have to start the claim off BEFORE your next guests check in and collect evidence of damage @Edwin268 

Personally in your situation, I would have asked Airbnb to cancel the next guests booking penalty free if I knew the toilet was out of order. I wouldn't have left it to the guest to decide whether to turn up.

Why do you need a lawyer. If you started the claim in line with their conditions just asked Airbnb to review. If you didn't why not claim on your home insurance for STRs?

[Edwin268]

Thank you for the reply 🙏🏼    I have asked AirBnB to review the case again but I haven’t responded.  I called but it’s a long waiting period and everything I call it’s a new person handling the situation... I’ll start the process with my home insurance, thank you!!

[Marni10]

I have done this on two different incidents. They still do not assist. One of my claims took me calling every day for almost a year, and nothing was resolved. Now I have a dryer that was damaged and dented by my guest, and they again are giving me the run-around. Their host guarantee is a joke. You will never be reimbursed from this company, and they send the security deposit back even when you claim damage. They do not care about the Host's properties, only the guest. VRBO is much easier to deal with all the way around. 

[Sarah977]

@Marni10  They don't send the security deposit back. It isn't collected in the first place, it is bogus. It is only listed as what a guest could be charged if they cause damages.

[Marni10]

Then why are we charging the guest a security deposit and it shows on the payment history. Are you telling me they never collect those funds? 

[Sarah977]

@Marni10  That's right, they don't collect a security deposit from guests when they book. If guests cause damages which they are asked to pay for, and they refuse, then you have to deal with Airbnb to try to get paid.

[Marni10]

No wonder! They make it so difficult to get reimbursed for damaged items.  I have followed all their rules, and still, they asked for a video of a dented dryer. I sent in pictures, and that wasn't good enough. Ridiculous. I do not know what to do at this point. 

[Stratton-VT-Rental0]

Yes, we have migrated our listings to VRBO. Much better!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Stratton-VT-Rental0 You seem to have left one listing behind.

[Stratton-VT-Rental0]

We keep that listing on both platforms.  We raised our pricing on Airbnb to make up for the bad eggs amongs Airbnb guests.  In the end, Airbnb's lax practices raise prices for all Airbnb customers, and in turn, reduce demand (higher pricing, reduces demand). 

We found many guests are very responsible. We now only take guests with 5 star ratings.  We reject guests with lower ratings, and those with no ratings. 

[Charles111]

I absolutely agree with you Airbnb do not help you. I am owed about £1,000 and I realise I won't get it but their excuses are amazing. Who are VRBO please?

[Ellen729]

@Edwin268 I agree that Airbnb claim process is not easy, not entirely transparent, and time consuming for the host, in part because the use of bots and poor access to real customer service.

I’m in the middle of a much smaller claim, but equally frustrating.

Several issues we have in common: 1. Next guest arrival can put constraint on what and how much host can fix immediately 2. It can be difficult to ascertain the extent of damage or cost of repair on the first go round 3. Limited or lack of human support on Airbnb end of things to advise during the process 4. The lower level of home is dedicated to guests only - thus damage is on guest 5. It is your home, not a hotel - the expectation that all hosts have cleaning and maintenance crews on hand to immediately address guest damage is unrealistic 6. The expectation that your home, furnishings, and systems can take abuse  7. You love to host and usually have great guests, so the gross, rough, or inconsiderate ones are unexpected AND disturbing 8. Inability or unwillingness of Airbnb to hold guests accountable 9. The harsh penalties Airbnb imposes on hosts when they need to cancel and poor customer service when host has valid concerns 10. The feeling that Airbnb is not supporting the host and is all about the guest experience.

The problem with this stance from Airbnb, is that hosts will throw in the towel and stop offering their homes. It will become a big business, limited to entities with massive resources and tolerance for bad behavior from guests, like hotels and big landlords. Gone will be the days when you can rent a cute little spot in another town where you feel like part of the community, where your host is a real person, interested in your comfort and the quality of your experience.

[Jay1435]

We are brand new hosts. Just started with Airbnb on Sept 4. Already have completed stays for 9 guests and another 5 booked for upcoming dates.

Our SECOND guest ever damaged our kitchen island by burning a hole in it with a spilled HOOKAH Coal.  (Repair estimate $750) Guest admitted to damage. Guest even sent email confirming damage. We had our 3rd guest checking in just hours after this guest checked out, and we spent the ENTIRE time between the two cleaning, doing laundry, and resetting the apartment for the next guest. 

When we were able to make the call to Airbnb to report the damage they denied our claim in its entirety due to the technicality that we did not report the damage before the next guest checked in (just hours after the previous guest checked out). Since we were brand new hosts we were unaware that this was such a hard and fast rule, and since we have an email from the guest owning up to the damage, we did not think it would be an issue.  Boy were we wrong. 

I strongly suspect that if Airbnb will treat a BRAND NEW host this way, that they will do it to anyone and everyone. Waiting to hear back from an escalation manager, but I suspect we will need to have our corporate counsel deal with this issue. 

Really cannot believe that is how they treat their hosts.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? 

[Tiffany477]

@Jay1435 I had a group rent my property.  Upon my return on October 11th, I noticed something was not right with my hardwood flooring on my main floor.  I messaged the guest and said we had a pretty severe problem and she got back to me and said that the upstairs laundry room sink was accidentally left on which caused flooding on the main floor.  She said they thought they cleaned everything up and didn't try to hide it from me, but thought they had taken care of the problem.  Well, after a few days from the time it happened and they "thought" they cleaned it up the water seeped (and is still seeping) under my floors and throughout my walls.  I had a damage restoration company come out right away and there is damage and water in the drywall, hardwood floors, carpet, laundry room floor, cabinetry, and they suspect mold will develop if I don't get it dried out completely.  I have attached my estimate of $11,263 and completed a claim in the resolution center at AIRBNB.  I did all of this within the 14-day requirement and have no new renters since.  I also have full cooperation from my guests and they have admitted being at fault several times.  I call AIRBNB every day and I can't get anyone to return my calls, come investigate, or talk to me about my claim.  And, in the interim, I've had to cancel several bookings because their policy states that I can't host guests until my claim gets resolved and I have all this damage.  Therefore, I am now out about another $5k in rental income.  And, with the way this is going it looks like I will have to cancel future reservations not to mention the amount of time it will take to get all of this fixed.  What do I do?  No one will contact me back or get in touch with me.  I do not feel very protected as a host and certainly, their host protection policy is not something they care too much about.  I make them money and they are showing very poor customer service and relations.  So, what do I do?  Blast them on social media?  Hire an attorney?  I want to get my home fixed.  And, the longer they wait the more damage that is occurring because my floors are continuing to lift and split in new places.  What have you guys found out?  Anything new?