what do I do after my House trashed by a minor guest

[Malalai0]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my story and ask for some advice. 

The guest approached me by saying he want to throw a party around 30 people. He normally do this at home but there's guest at his home. He said they are all responsible and will take care of the house. I accepted him with a special offer and with additional rules. Before leaving the house to the guest, I took a video of the house. When the guest arrived, he told me he checked-in and told me the place was lovely and he will make sure the house is as clean as now. The disaster started the next morning. When I got to the house, an hour earlier than the check-out time, I saw lots of beer cans outside and trash was all over the entrance. I went into the basement, which the guest are not allowed to go and I saw the bathroom mosquito net in my yard. I knew things didn't went well inside the rented place. I didn't wait until the check-out time, I went in the house. The house was completely destroyed.

I was so shocked, tears started to come out and I couldn't even make a sound. 

The guest sent a message saying: I have bad news for you. I'm sorry, but some uninvited boys came and trashed the party and the place. There's some serious damage. I tried to stop them but I couldn't so I called the police. The police came too late, everything was already broken. The police filed a report. We can meet at your place or you can call me anytime.

He left his phone number. Before calling him, I called Airbnb Resolution center. At first, they didn't take me seriously. I told them the house is completely destroyed, there's no more wall, everything is upside down and broken. They told me to take photos and send them with the claim. I estimated 20 000$ but at the end I couldn't submit the claim, there was a maximum of 13 000$. I called them and told them that I can't submit because it won't let me. Then the person on the line was really nice, she told me to try and send it directly in a message. When she saw the first 2 pictures, she couldn't believe it. She immediately put me on hold and went to her superior. She came back to me saying, thanks for sending the photos, she had put my case directly in contact with the Claim department. A few hours later, I received a message that Airbnb has sent out my information to an independent adjuster to inspect the property due to the nature and extent of the damage. The adjuster from Crawford came. He saw the pictures but when he saw the house in person, he said he never saw something like this. This is a crime. It's way beyond his knowledge to estimate the cost of the damages and he will recommend Airbnb to send an building expert as well as a material good expert to estimate the cost of the damages. ( I will post some pictures)

I also called the police to sue him. This is vandalism. From what I heard from the police, is that the guest is a minor.

I hope that my situation did not happen to anyone but does anyone have some advice?  Did anyone had a good or bad experience with Host Guaranty? How can a minor book my place ? Will Airbnb sue him for this as police has evidence that he was the responsible?  Should I proceed to a civil charges? What can I do or what are the options that I have?

Thanks for all your help!!

[Colleen253]

@Mark116  see my reply to Laura2592, above. That's the point I want to get across. My guest, I now know,  was/is a petty career criminal who makes his 'living' out of what he did to me. He's very crafty, calculated and has probably already created several bogus ABB profiles since he was in my house, and has done this to other hosts, unfortunately. When I was filing my police report, the clerk told me this happens a LOT.

[Ann489]

@Malalai0  I'm so sorry.  This is absolutely devastating.  Definitely a hard lesson to learn.   Parties are an absolute "NO" for me.   What really has me baffled is the fact that you say that the guest was a minor.  Huuuuge red flag.  Did you know he was a minor when he booked?  I ALWAYS ask for a copy of my guests driver's license or any other picture ID.  As hosts, we cannot be too careful.  Unfortunately, the sad truth is that Airbnb does not have our back--that's why we need to look out for ourselves to the best of our abilities.  Ask for ID.  Look for any potential red flags.  Often, being local is one.  

I wish you the best of luck with getting this resolved soon!

[Malalai0]

 @Ann489 Thanks for the advices. 

[Inna22]

@Malalai0 this is a true atrocity. If I can just bring up one positive in all of this- just to brighten your mood a bit- you will end up with brand new fully repaired home when all is said and done. You probably did not intend to remodel, and definitely not in this manner but hopefully you will have fun picking new things out. Try to stay positive!

[Malalai0]

@Inna22 Thanks for cheering up ! 🙂

[Paul154]

@Malalai0 

So sorry. It's is so awful to be affected by such dysfunction. We are exposed to mean people. 

As disrepectful and psychologically damaging this is, it may not be as bad as it seems.

Wall damage is straight-forward to fix. Cleaning is straight-forward.  Provided you do not have floor damage or plumbing damage, you shouldn't have $13,000 in fix-it costs. Of course, there also is down-time 😞

You are now doing the right steps. You have a lawyer. You can use twitter. While you may not get 100% refund, you can consider this as a lesson learned.  Protect yourself.

[Paul154]

As for throwing a party, as business owners we always need to look at the competition.

Party places get a premium. They upsell catering, bar service and security.

Party competitors do this for a reason - Parties are risky and expensive.

[Malalai0]

@Paul154 Yes, lesson learned. I hope Airbnb will help cover the damages. 

[Susan17]

@Malalai0 

Been there, felt that sickened, devastated feeling, and my heart truly goes out you. It's utterly soul destroying when you come home to find your beloved sanctuary desecrated, and the shock and horror takes a while to dissipate, but it will  pass. Take @Inna22's advice above - it's top notch 😉

Check the guest's profile to see if he was Govt ID Verified. If Airbnb try to mess you about regarding fair compensation for damages, and it turns out that the young man was indeed ID Verified, then you have solid grounds to hold the company negligent, and therefore wholly responsible for reimbursement, as their own system allowed a person under 18 to book, against the terms of their own policies.

Hope you get sorted quickly, so you can put this traumatic event behind you as soon as possible. Stay strong, and very best wishes to you for a speedy resolution.

[Malalai0]

@Susan17 Thanks!!

[Sudsrung0]

In Thailand they would be in jail already the police would back me up 100% if they were tourist the would be missing their flight home,

I feel sorry for you

[Sharon683]

TERRIBLE!!!!!!!

[Barbie20]

wow, that is madness. I bet you regret now for allowing people to host a party, I have to be like a nazi to make sure that the guests don't throw a party at my house, I am really afraid of something like that and knowing AIRBNB actually doesn't give a **bleep** about when something like this happens because they closed cases on me and didn't contact me when I had escalated issues about house damage.

[Malalai0]

@Barbie20 I do regret letting him and trusting him into my home. I will be extra cautious from now on, especially with younger ones. I'm sorry to hear what happen to you, I hope Airbnb do things right this time...

[Laura2220]

@Malalai0  I am so sorry this happened to you.  From what I’m reading you have some really great advice here on next steps.  I did want to add one thing.  You should absolutely have a builder/contractor come and give you estimates on repairs.  Drywall, finishing, trim, paint, all that adds up quickly.  There may be damage to the structure that you cannot see.  You will need accurate pricing to give to Airbnb so don’t try to do that on your own.  Make sure you are reimbursed for loss of income during the repairs.  As @Inna22  said, look forward to having everything brand new!  Best wishes to you!