Failing Security Deposit Policy

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Tammy416
Level 4
Lakewood, NY

Failing Security Deposit Policy

I am so frustrated with Airbnb security deposit policy.  So I have had damages to my property and missing items, but I have no method to collect the $200 security deposit or even a portion of it, without waiting 72-hours for the guest to respond and then some power to be to decide if I get paid!  Why do I require a security deposit if I can’t really collect it???  I called to request payment from the security deposit and no one is available to talk about disbursing the funds or even how to access the funds.  I was told someone would contact me twice, almost 24-hours later no response!!!  AirBnb needs to fix this policy, I should be able to immediately collect on the security deposit within the first 48-hours and if the guest has an issue they should be the ones who have to file the claim....not the host!!!  Also, AirBnb should have a legitimate department, where you can talk to any actual person who cares about your loss!!!

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I am going to explore other alternate hosting sites to AirBnb in hopes they have better hosting support and actually honor my required security deposit policy.  Making it possible and easy to collect on the security deposit, when there is an issue. Tammy 

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46 Replies 46

@Tammy416  You'll get no argument from me or any other hosts about how outrageous it is that Airbnb lists a security deposit that, in fact, is no such thing. 

 

And of course guests should be held responsible for damaged or missing items.

 

And I get it that you want to provide a luxurious bed. The bed is a really important part of a listing. But there's a large land between disposable and luxury, is what I meant. Guests don't know if you spent $140 on a pillow or $40. 

 

I find good bedding on sale- I don't use cheap 200 count polyester sheets, for instance. But I also don't spend hundreds of dollars on a sheet set. And I don't have some expensive mattress, it's a 4" slab of firm foam with a 2" softer foam topper and a nice mattress pad.  Yet I also get comments and reviews that mention how comfortable the bed is. One guest said it was "divine" in her review. 

 

I'm not trying to tell you how to outfit your house, just saying that things don't need to be quite expensive to be comfortable and attractive and impress guests.

 

Of course that's all a separate topic from the absurd non-existent security deposit.

I agree. I've also had similar reviews from my guests. When you go on vacation and aren't staying at Motel 6, most people really appreciate the quality items many of us supply to our guests. If you want to stay on a crappy mattress with 200 count cotton/poly sheets and crappy pillows, don't stay at MY place, ha! And with Airbnb taking away our security deposits without telling us is sneaky, underhanded and unacceptable. As soon as I can find another platform, I will be leaving.

I just got some bull**bleep** response from the latest "resolution ambassador" who is supposed to be offering support to we hosts-WHAT A JOKE! The cost to replace a king sized cotton mattelasse' coverlet, cotton queen fitted and flat sheets, 2 pillow cases and 2 pillow protectors is $347.68. I sent the ads for the replacement items with the prices to Airbnb (7 times w/photos because every single person told me if I didn't cooperate with them by submitting this evidence, they couldn't help me! Seriously, you think I haven't done it several times already?!!! Just an example of the frustrating ridiculousness...). So, it's been 14 days now and they tell me they're going to reimburse me $96. Are they **bleep**ing kidding me?!  I just sent a blistering reply to this guy demanding to know how on earth they came up with that paltry sum. Here is what I got back:

 

"For your information, we have a professional platform to determine the market rate of each item for repair and replacement. However, we’re unable to disclose the resources due to it involving internal policy. Verified documents are required when the host requests an amount that is higher than the market rate. For example, the original purchase invoice of the damaged items with the timestamp attached.

We regret that this decision has negatively affected you, but we believe this to be a fair resolution, all things considered. 

Per our Terms of Service, Airbnb reserves the right to make the final determination with regard to these disputes. Please know, we are unable to reconsider the decision made in this case — we've issued our final decision and will uphold it accordingly."

 

They won't tell us how they determine this amount?! That is unconscionable. It's official: I hate Airbnb and their host-screwing policies. Someone said VRBO offers better host support so I think I need to check it out. I guess all we get out of this is a tax deduction. Shame on you, Brian Chesky.

We supply quality items for a quality stay. Don't denigrate our choices. If you want to cheap out at your property, you are free to do so.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

wow how incredibly rude @Lisa722  - why the need to be so rude to your fellow hosts?

 

There are lots of alternative ways to market your STR business if you don't like Airbnb. A quick search on Google will tell you which listing companies operate for your type of listing.

Seriously, Helen3? Why don't you jump down the other lady's throat for chastising one of your "fellow hosts" for providing a quality experience at her property? Gee, sensitive much? Not sure why you're bothering to comment since it sounds like you haven't experienced the outrageous problems the rest of us have. Cheerio!

Glad I decided to come to this forum because all my claims were just denied with proof of messages and pictures and I’m asking about the security deposit and there’s no response.

This is so disappointing to read so many stories of Airbnb not supporting we hosts! I'm on Day 12 of trying to get mine resolved properly, but the more I read everyone's stories, I'm worried I'm going to get screwed. Blows my mind that, as in your case, providing photos of all the blood and damage, I'm still having to explain the problem to an ever-changing number of people on Airbnb's side. And I can NEVER get an actual person at Airbnb's headquarters in San Francisco!

Deanne45
Level 3
Manchester, ME

I absolutely agree!

 

I have a $500 security deposit in addition to stating in my communication with every inquiry or request to book that we have a rental agreement. The rental agreement is emailed immediately after the reservation confirmation. This allows the guests time to cancel if they do not agree to the terms.

 

Last guest left a broken hot tub jet on top of the filter with the water level almost below the top jets. Could have seized the heater and motor. Needless to say the entire jet needs to be replaced. The water needs to be drained and electrical panel turned off. This will result in the cost to replace the part, labor, and an increase in the electric bill for having to reheat the water temp from around 70 (cold hose water) to the minimum 102 degrees. My husband cleaned the hot tub prior to their arrival. I went to do the cleaning myself the day of departure finding the jet blower. I sent the guest a request for damages $150 total, $30 for the part and $150 for labor, water and electric. It takes 2+ hours to fill the hot tub as we are on a well and have to give breaks not to drain the well. Guest refused to pay saying the part was already there the night they arrived. We know not true. My husband checked the water level, added chemicals and used a portable spa vac to get dirt and particles out of the bottom of the tub. Airbnb says no host guarantee because the next guest checked in. This is insane. We have back to back bookings from mid June to mid September with only 5 hours to clean in between. No way possible to get estimates or have repairs done with concrete costs in 5 hours between guests. Airbnbs policy is overriding our security deposit and rental agreement. I have had nothing but issues this year with Airbnb guests. Increasing the security deposit does no good if Airbnb does not support to make guests pay for damages. I am seriously considering blocking my calendar and no longer accepting any more bookings through Airbnb. I am using 2 other platforms and have never had any issues with damages from guests using those platforms.

That’s sad. I am currently in the process of looking for other platforms. I thought the deposit would cover but I guess bill they don’t collect them. This is insane and then tell you you can’t ask for the fees outside of Airbnb

We had similar issues. And yes, the Airbnb security deposit procedure is a complete disaster.

 

We took over this listing from he previous owners last year. At that time there was a much smaller jacuzzi, and Airbnb guests managed to break multiple jets. This was still solved via the previous owners.

 

We invested in a decent American HotSpring. We had an engineer check the entire jacuzzi.

Two weeks later we had the first issue, as guests clogged the filter with massage oil and they we're even washing their hairs in it. Damage 250 euro's for new filters. No response from Airbnb.

 

Two months later, Airbnb guests were capable of tearing up the cover. We did get a response from Airbnb, but they didn't want to pay for the full amount of damage: 810 euro. 

 

Now we had a group where they broke the filter lid, a replacement part costs over 400 USD, excluding shipping and taxes. But also the water was so much polluted, you could not even see the bottom, that we had to drain it twice (and reheat, disinfect etc). Total damage nearly 750 euro.

 

Our house rules state that people will loose the deposit in such cases, but Airbnb wants a full breakdown. And that's hilarious. The amount of time that we spent communicating with Airbnb is way out of line... Probably over 10 hours already,  and we're not even there yet.

 

Their statement: maybe you can glue it! Of course we're not going to replace an entire jacuzzi, but imagine the next guests sits on the lid and it breaks again, causing injury. Then I'm liable. Or the next guests break it again and say 'it was already repaired before'.

 

Most frustrating: they also don't seem to care about rentals in the meantime. How do I explain a broken cover to our next guests? Does Airbnb really want to have listings where it's acceptable to find tape around broken items?

 

We're not making margin on deposits! However it's a good measure to prevent party people from trashing your place. Getting damages reimbursed from Airbnb is so painful and slow, that we're considering to stop being listed on Airbnb.

 

Including other damages in the house, damages now 'eat' up to 10% of the revenue. And the only method that works, A DEPOSIT, is crippled by Airbnb.

 

Guests have caught on that Airbnb will not back hosts and do whatever they want.   My favorite, I've had 3 now that actually broke or tampered with something outlined in the Guest Refund Policy as "travel issue" which could qualify for a reason to get a partial refund.  They stayed and messaged that everything was great until after they checked out, then magically there is an issue.  I have inspection and testing reports for both before and after their stays showing evidence of tampering.  But I still have to eat the costs because both Airbnb's "security deposit" and "insurance" is about as real as a unicorn.  

Tammy416
Level 4
Lakewood, NY

💯, maybe AirBnb will actually read this post and care enough to make the necessary changes to protect their hosts! 

No, they won't.  their policies are designed in such a way as to make hosts believe they are protected when they are not.  Airbnb doesn't care about its hosts.  It is not a support network or a community; it is a listing service and nothing more.  Your best bet is to list your place on other services as well as Airbnb; you wont get any better customer service there, but you won't expect it either because they, unlike Airbnb, won't lie to you about it.

Gerald592
Level 2
Alvin, TX

I have had nothing but problems collecting for damages to my property. I require a security deposit and will no longer allow a guest onto my property that has not paid it. The money can be paid through the resource center but has to be deposited into my account before I allow a guest to stay. If there are no damages, I refund the deposit. My property has been damaged by guests and Airbnb .refuses to pay for the repairs finding stupid reasons to deny claims. I am advocating on different platforms that hosts list with other websites if they want to avoid this problem.