Before leaving for the weekend I showed the visitor how to open and close a vintage drop top writing desk in the furnished room used for Airbnb guests. Admittedly one has to be cautious opening and closing but until now there had been no problem. After guest had left at first I found everything satisfactory. A few days later in preparation for the next guest I noticed that one of the hinges holding the drop top had been forced so that it cracked the supporting wood panel, even lost a piece of wood. It was a horrible discovery since repairing such a break would be an expensive undertaking.
I text then guest called. He claimed it was like that when I first showed him the room and vehemently denied being responsible. Since I had specifically opened and closed to demonstrate when he arrived, I would have noticed if there was any damage immediately. So I couldn't understand why the guest has chosen to take the path of denial since he stood right there at the time.
Quite frankkly I don't know how to deal with this. Does Airbnb provide a way to file for compensation? Is this the cost of having strangers in the home who are paying guests and I am expected to absorb repair costs? Should I not put "good things" in the guest room?
Admittedly this was my first Airbnb guest, so was totally unprepared for possible consequences. Nonetheless it has left unsettled feelings esp when the guest refused to accept any responsibility. Somehow I feel the matter needs some form of mediation.
Any suggestions on what action/s to take?
