I've only once filed a claim for damages and I think that was in 2018. I didn't hold up much hope but it went very smoothly. The guest broke a fairly expensive front door lock (cost of replacement + keys + labour of locksmith = over £400) and didn't want to pay as, although he knew he broke it, suggested that perhaps he was the straw that broke the camel's back and that it could have been 'about to break anyway'. Couldn't I just claim it on Airbnb insurance? He was also a host and left me a nice review anyway.
All I had to provide Airbnb with was the quote from the locksmith and photos of the broken lock. They refunded me the full amount. To this day I have no idea if this refund came partly from the guest's deposit (£300) or wholly from the Host Guarantee insurance. I never put in a money request to the guest and I already knew he didn't want to pay, but Airbnb had the prior correspondence between us about breaking the lock. He never protested about any charges, so maybe it was from the Host Guarantee.
So, I think it is worth putting in a claim if you have some evidence, even if the guest doesn't want to pay. It seems to me that if it is not too small a claim (that might be considered normal wear and tear) and not too large (require a lot of investigation, evidence, he said, she said), then even if the guest doesn't want to pay, Airbnb may refund it under the Host Guarantee.