Tthe process in case of deviation from the customer

[Trond26]

Hi,

I'm new to Airbnb and I'm not sure where I can find information about what to do / what rights I have in cases where the tenant does not follow the rules and destroys the contents etc..?
For example, I had a tenant who had his dog in the bed and it peed there.... mattress and mattress topper were damaged,  at the same time he left the dog alone in the apartment and it scratched up the front door and moldings. After checkout they haven't responded to my messages.
What do the rules say here..? What do you recommend I do..?
Thanks in advance for your advice

[Shelley159]

Hi @Trond26 

I'm so sorry, this sounds rather bad! Other hosts will give you good advice about how to proceed regarding the damage.

For me, the most important thing would be to buy a waterproof mattress protector as soon as possible. It would be even better if you can add a full mattress encasement. You need to protect the mattress with something that can be removed and washed or discarded, otherwise this can keep happening (not many guests bring untrained dogs, but many drink coffee in bed).

[Frances3408]

@Trond26. Hi Trond. Your place your rules.

I have learnt (the hard way) to slip some of my rules early into the description to set expectations. For example I say something like pets are welcome but not on beds please. Then I provide a throw over the couch, a dog bed, dog blankets and dog towels. the showers are walk in with hand held roses so you can actually wash the dog in them; assuming you dont want to use the outdoor shower. The beds have a mattress encasement (bed bugs), then a waterproof mattress protector, then either a cotton mattress protector or topper.

But getting back to your question of what to do. If they broke your House Rules (and you can clearly show the rules and damage then submit a claim with Airbnb. Do not submit claim until they have done their review, or at the last minute. By contacting them about it you have placed them in a defensive position. Obviously you didnt do the damage so just document it all.

Try to weigh up whether the damage is worth claiming. For example I had a family stay and clearly one child had an accident. I was able to strip the waterproof cover off and no damage underneath. A good warm wash, some sunshine and its sorted. My topper just came back from the dry cleaners. $A45. That was more about sweat than anything else.

Re scratching I'd put that down to wear and tear unless something is actually broken and yes I ask that dogs not be left alone too. As a result I have let go a few bookings. I tell them most of our guests come with a dog to be with that dog, not to leave them as thats a kennel. Here its no excuse as its dog heaven with friendly and understanding eating venues, off leash parks and 6.5 miles of off leash beach.

Put yourself in your guests shoes and prepare for the furry ones as best you can. Hope this helps.

[Elisa]

Hi @Trond26 😊, 

I am truly sorry for what has happened to you, it must not be an easy situation to handle.

However, I am glad you found hosts to discuss this with. What do you think about Frances and Shelley's comments?

I’m sharing some articles from our Resource Center with you about:

👉How Airbnb protects Hosts 

‌👉Host damage protection

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and learning how we can help you more!

Warm regrads🌻,

[Trond26]

I appreciate all taking the time to comment and give advice. It's a bit difficult to find all the possibilities for the different scenarios.
Thanks for the follow-up and the links to article

Kind regards

Trond

[Elisa]

Hi @Trond26 😊, 

It’s my pleasure to help you!

Let me know what you decide to do about your situation and if you need any extra help.

However, I want to share a quick tip with you 👉 It’s important to tag members in your comments so they receive a notification about your message. Just press the @ key on your keyboard, and the name of the person you’re trying to reach should appear.

Warm regards🌻,

[Trude0]

Hei fra en landsmann, men som er vert i Stockholm! 

As @Frances3408  writes; it is often a good idea to wait to send your claim to Airbnb, or even mention anything to the guest, until the guest has posted his/her review, or until the deadline, to avoid a retaliatory review. As a new host, you need to do everything you can to avoid any bad reviews. 

But on the other hand, if you want to make a claim, I think you must make the claim before the next guest checks in/by a certain deadline? Not completely updated on the latest version of the rules on claims though, so you should search for Airbnb help articles on the topic to be sure. 

Please also be aware that you are not at all as ”covered” by AirCover, as Airbnb would have you think… Many hosts have learned this the hard way.  (Search for posts/threads here in CC on this, to be prepared.)

As your apartment seems to be new, I would carefully consider if I wanted to allow pets. Weigh the risk of damage/wear and tear, and the extra cleaning efforts, vs what you gain. Do you think you could easily get enough bookings if you didn’t allow pets…?

[Trond26]

Hei @Trude0 

Thanks for  good input and advice. The location is such that it invites pets and I find that I get a lot of bookings for this. I'm not afraid of the apartment in that sense.
I agree with your input in terms of it being perceived as difficult to get  help quickly.. But there's probably not much you can do about it..

Hilsen fra Trond