Any advice on damages caused by a fraudulent Airbnb account, who was a minor?

Jessica173
Level 2
Fayetteville, AR

Any advice on damages caused by a fraudulent Airbnb account, who was a minor?

Last weekend I had a girl with a fraudulent Airbnb account stay in my home and threw a huge house party and most of the local high school attended, via our neighborhood report. Original booking was for 6 guest having a get together and catching up. I was assured they were a "calm bunch", after I stressed the importance of no rowdy parties, disrespecting of our home and neighbors. On arriving home after Ashlynn's stay, every floor in our home was drenched in alcohol and water from beer pong (4 balls found in the kitchen, living room, upstairs, and downstairs bedroom). The coffee table, tv remotes, and guestbook were drenched in liquid and sticky substance, a large puddle of liquid from upstairs ran through our hardwood cracks and into our downstairs ceiling fan and sheet rock, frying all the internal components of the fan. 3 large sets of burnouts and ruts were left all in our front yard. She admitted to me that her parents came and broke up the party, kicking every one out, but the aftermath was still left for us to deal with. Our neighbors reported to us that at least 30 cars were parked up and down our street. The cops were called and were in transit to break up the party and arrest the minors but luckily the parents had already gotten rid of the kids. No telling what would have happened to our home if the parents wouldn't have showed up. The house reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. Our hand towels and wash clothes were used to clean up something and then they threw them away. This girl as absolutely no respect for others and their homes. Her and her friends left us with $600 worth of damage (ceiling fan, coffee table refinishing, yard work, extra cleaning fees to remove the alcohol drenched floors that had to be mopped 5 times before they weren't sticky, and rug cleanings). Found out by corresponding with her Airbnb account to settle the damage claims, that she is 15 YEARS OLD! Sent her a bill through Airbnb resolution center and still waiting on payment. Lessoned learned, I will ALWAYS ask to see identification, we have a hefty security deposit, leary or local renters, 2 night min. now on our account. I am hoping that the credit card used by this kid will be charged for damages and we don't have to eat this loss. I am using the resolution center as of now and spoken to the local police dept. 

3 Replies 3

If you do not receive an adequate resolution through Airbnb, please consult with an attorney. You probably have a pretty good small claims court case against the parents who probably ultimately would be responsible for a minor child's behavior. I hope you took LOTS of pictures.

Thank you for your reply. I will probably pursue that if we can't come to an agreement.

 Probably not worth chasing $600 if Airbnb does not cover it, which they probably wont. Your own insurance should cover it, go see the police and get a report.

 

You got off lightly, I would have expected a bigger damage bill from your description.

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