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!!

[Katie869]

Oh my God!  I am so sorry!  I am new to Airbnb, as a co-host.  I am taking over the hosting for my Mom, she is getting older and wanted to get some things off of her plate.

I work in Property Management and short term rentals in Killington, Vermont.  We have a policy of no rentals under 25.  If we do except one there is a contract for the parents to sign and provide us with there CC number in case of damages.  Plus, contact with the parent through out the stay.  

Does anyone else have a policy or contract for this?  Or does AirBnB offer one?

[Malalai0]

@Katie869 

I'm not sure but I don't have that option. But now, I changed my booking settings so that the guests need a Gouv ID and recommendations from other host before instantly booking my place. 

Cheers,

Malalai

[Sarah977]

@Malalai0  I'm so glad to hear you got an acceptable settlement. Make sure you message with guests in the future to get a sense of who they are and their intentions when booking your place, and get Airbnb to cancel if they seem sketchy. You can't just rely on the requirements you've now put in place, bad guests can still slip through.

[Malalai0 · Accepted solution]

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I would like to thank you all for your support. It was a long process but Aribnb did the right thing and supported me all the way. As my last update, the 2 professionals came and report back to Crawford's ajuster. Then the adjuster wrote a report to send to Airbnb. Finaly, Airbnb made a payout for my review. I had to ask Airbnb for the details of the payout and they sent me a brief description of the amount per room and the canceled reservation.  I am satisfied with the payout amount as it covers the damages, so I accepted their payout.

Thank you all,

Malalai

[Colleen253]

@Malalai0  That is fabulous news! How is the restoration coming along?

[Linda108]

Thanks for the update. It is important for us to understand a real example of Air BNB "got your back".

[Lizzie]

As @Linda108 said, it's so nice to hear your positive update here @Malalai0. We don't always hear the final resolution. I'm really pleased all ended well. 

Thank you. 

[Sandra126]

I'm so pleased that it had a good outcome. @Malalai0