Guest damages apartment, customer service refuses to grant security deposit

[Gulay1]

Hello everyone,

I recently had a guest, who stayed for two days and left $494 of damages, but Airbnb customer service saw fit to award only $167. I want to share my story with the hosting community to warn you about what to expect from the Airbnb customer service and inform you about some steps I could have taken to avoid some of my losses. In addition, I would love to have some insight as to what I can do next to secure the rest of the damages to my property from Airbnb.

The day before the guest's check in, we agreed on doing their check out and walk through at 11:00 AM. On the day of the check out, I received a text from the guest at 7:32 AM that they have already left and the apartment keys are at the lobby. When I arrived at the unit I found the washing machine lid and the closet door in front broken. The washing machine door was broken in two different locations, the closet door was broken from the hinges, and the door itself was also cracked. I took photos of the damages.

I started a claim and of course the guest denied any involvement. She said the washing machine and the closet door were broken when they checked in. I escalated the case to Airbnb immediately.

Airbnb customer service took 3 days to reach out. I had another guest moving in before I received a response, so I already had the closet door repaired for $120 to keep up the appearances for the incoming guest. (This was my first mistake.) I received an invoice in e-mail from the contractor, as he didn't carry blank invoices with him like most contractors (second mistake).

I received a quote from a Bosch repair service ($374) and asked them to order the repalcement part, which required $167 downpayment.

I wrote back to the agent that the door was already repaired, so I couldn't provide any additional pictures of the door than I had already provided. I sent the invoices for the closet door repair, washing machine door replacement part, and the service quote.

Next time I heard back from the agents there was a plethora of demands and excessive details, that were not mentioned before. This was on a Friday, and the agent gave me 72 hours to produce these documents:

1. A 'professional incident report'. Stated as-is with no explanation. I had no idea what this was.  I was told by Airbnb customer service on the phone that it could be an online form, a police report, or my impressions in writing. The next day, my assigned agent informed me that it was none of these. The agent wanted a written report from the handyman about the cause of the damages occured, as if he were a detective. I asked the handyman, and he said he doesn't offer such services.
2. A new invoice for the closet. The agent asked for a new invoice and it was to include "labor per hour and worked hours, detailed list of the used materials and its costs, and worked area in square inches, signature and stamp." It was the weekend and I couldn't possibly produce this document.
3. An invoice for the washing machine repair. Since the washing machine replacement part hadn't arrived, I was only billed for the replacement part at the time. So, I couldn't possibly provide an invoice for the full cost of repair in the next 72 hours.

At this point, I had already spent $287 for repairs and I would be charged an additional $207 when the Bosch service arrived.

The agent deemed broken hinges and a large crack on the door were deemed "wear and tear" and awarded $0 for the $120 repair. $167 in damages were awared for washing machine repairs, that has cost me $374. In total, I received $167 for $494 in damages that the guest left.

You've made this far and it means I haven't lost you in the details of my story, so thank you for reading! I realize my losses aren't devastating; it could have been much worse. By sharing my story I tried to describe the type of attitude Airbnb customer support has towards the host in a damage claim dispute.

If you choose to do a damage claim with Airbnb my advice is as follows:

1. Do not get anything fixed before your case manager is satisfied with all pictures.
2. Ask for detailed reports from whoever comes to inspect and remove damaged items from your property.
3. Do not accept e-mailed invoices. Ask your invoices to be stamped and signed. Ask for the service company to include cost of labor per hour, hours worked, materials used and their costs, and area worked on in square inches.
4. Make a full downpayment for the services you have requested, so you can send Airbnb the invoice, when they ask for them.
5. Do not count on your security deposit or the 'One-Million Dollar Guarantee.' Take all steps you can take to prove and justify your repair payments.

If you have had a similar problem, I would love to hear from you what I can do to secure rest of my repair spending from the security deposit.

Best wishes,

Gulay

[John1574]

@Gulay0 

I find your thread very instructive and very useful to me as a new host.  Thanks for taking the time to write it out so clearly.

Now, we can all know what to expect if we run into this situation.

As for your question about the benifit of asking for a security deposit, I suppose there is little benifit except that you can't ask for any damages, zero, if you don't have the security deposit option checked.

But, no, it is not worth much.

Question:  what did you set your security deposit settings at?

From what I've read your experience is typical. The onus is on hosts to screen their guests, but this is almost impossible as accidents happen and . . . people being people.

I took the liberty of pasting a quote from your thread on a thread concerning itself with AirBnB Customer Service.

Feel free to condense your experience on that thread also for the community's benifit.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-Do-You-Rate-AirBnB-for-Customer-Service/m-p/712486#M...

Thanks

[Gulay1]

Hi John,

My security deposit was (and still is) $500. Not sure if it has a function or serves a purpose.

It is my pleasure to share my story. It brings me some peace of mind knowing that people like me are aware of the situation and can act accordingly.

What I was afraid of is that my experience is, in fact, typical. I was hoping to hear success stories from other hosts that they were fairly reimbursed for the damages a guest left, but I've yet to see one. I guess we need to prepare for the worst in case a guest leaves damages to our properties.

I appreciate that you took the time to shared my experience. I'll definitely check out the thread.

Best,

Gulay

[Natasha45]

@Gulay1- I've had a good experience. A guest came with 2 people - did not let me know a third person was coming - I have a $20 fee over 2.

Upon their departure, I found human feces IN a towel, and blood all in the bedsheets - a lot of blood . My guest blamed it on the third person (who I did not know was there) and refused to pay me for the towel, sheets, and guest fee when I requested $80 from her. She called me 'extra' multiple times - told me I was not fit to be an Airbnb host becasue I was so 'extra'. Ha!

When I contacted Airbnb, we all went back and forth and then Airbnb paid me $60 because the guest refused. They would not pay me $20 for the 3rd guest though.

Also, she had written a review before I contacted her. It was within 24 hours when I contacted her about the human feces and I had not yet written my review. Because it had been less than 24 hours and I had not written a review, she was able to go in an add to her review - she couldn't delete what she had already written, so there was a glowing review along with very bizzare paragraph attached to the bottom, where she including more about me being 'extra'. Airbnb also deleted her review - although anyone reading it would have thought the gal was unhinged. 

[David126]

There is a Security Deposit sic, Host claims against it AirBnB agrees the amount is valid and seeks to recover it from a Guest who does not agree.

Likely result is Guest has cancelled, blocked the method of payment on file with AirBnB, well that is what I would do.

So then it effectively becomes a Host Guarantee claim, AirBnb has to pay. Yes they could pusue a legal action against the Guest but strikes me as highly unlikely.

So in reality AirBnB normally only agree a Security Deposit claim IF the Guest agrees to pay.

Host Guarantee is based on a very old policy wording and even as written is very restrictive compared to what you would exect to see in a current policy wording. To make matter worse the claims are handled in house by it seems employees who have very little knowledge of how to do so and seem to be operating from instructions even more restrictive than those in the wording, they invent stuff all the time.

Now I tend to be somewhat cynical and do easily believe some of the issues posted on here, but when I see time after time Hosts posting the same story I reach the point where I believe this is common.

So is the Security Deposit/ Host Guarantee worthless, well obviously not, some have been succesful, not many and very few for the full amount. It does seem media involvement REALLY helps.

Is it something that can be relied on, absolutely not.

[Gulay1]

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wrote:

It does seem media involvement REALLY helps.

Oh yes it would. I remember when the Asian guest made a video after their host in Colorado turned them away because of her race. Boy the story made ripples. Maybe if enough hosts were to share their stories on social media, there would be enough pressure on AirBnB to amend the situation.

wrote:

I see time after time Hosts posting the same story

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When I posted my story I wanted people to learn from my experience and avoid my mistakes. In addition, I really wanted for someone to reply with a success story, where the host was able to secure fair reimbursement for damages to their home. It seems to me the hosts, who secure reimbursement, don't share their stories here, or they do not exist.

It seems to me, it's awfully easy for a guest to abuse the damage claim system and get away with significant damages and even theft. If they were so inclined, they could say "there was no 57-inch TV in the living room when we arrived" and take home a new TV. I hope none of my guests are reading this...

P.S. The formatting is all broken and looks weird. My apologies.

[John1574]

 @David0  

Very succinct synopsis and thanks for that.

So in reality AirBnB normally only agree a Security Deposit claim IF the Guest agrees to pay.

This I have heard before, so  it is best to keep that in mind.

[Jomy2]

@Gulay1

Thank you for your post. I have been wondering about how the damages claims work and your post was very helpful. Here is what I recently included in my "House Rules". I would love to hear the thoughts from you other Hosts.

1. INSPECT THE PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL: Immediately after check-in, please inspect the property to make sure everything is in order. If you see damaged (beyond normal wear and tear) floor/furniture/appliances/walls/doors/windows or any other item at the property, inform the Host IMMEDIATELY (within an hour of check-in). If you are not happy with the accommodation/house/contents/location/neighborhood inform the Host IMMEDIATELY (within an hour of check-in). Please note that the front lock is connected to SmartHub and each Guest is given a unique individual key code. So the initial arrival time is logged. If there is an issue, please communicate it via AirBnB message Board. This immediate communication is of utmost importance and protects both the Guests and Host in case of any future issues. If no communication is received from the Guest about any damages or issues within an hour after check-in, it will be considered an implicit approval of the accommodation/listing and all its contents. If the Guest stays overnight, they will be charged for the night(s) and cleaning fee.

I came up with this clause because I have had a couple of incidences where several days after the Guest checks in, they come up with some erroneous reason - reasons that should be obvious at the time of check in (for example, the location or the layout or locked room etc) - for why they would like a cancellation and refund. Of course, having this clause does not prevent AirBnB from still not treating the Host fairly, but it is an added protection.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you.

[Kanokkan0]

Just as Kanye said about Katrina 

George Bush Doesn't Care About ....

AirBnb doesn't care about their HOSTS

[Kanokkan0]

List your properties on Agoda Homes, Homeaway, Tripadvisor Vacation Rentals, Booking.com

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Booking.com knows how to treat their properties, because they are used to dealing with hotels.

[Gulay1]

Hi @Kanokkan0,

I had listed on Homeaway after this ordeal as a reaction. I will now look into Agoda Homes, Tripadvisor, and Booking.com. Thanks for the suggestions!

Best,

Gulay

[Jonathan547]

Hi @Gulay1,

Could you let us know how you do on those other sites? Are they more host-friendly?

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@Gulay1 wrote:

Hi @Kanokkan0,

I had listed on Homeaway after this ordeal as a reaction. I will now look into Agoda Homes, Tripadvisor, and Booking.com. Thanks for the suggestions!

Best,

Gulay

---

[Gulay1]

Hi @Jonathan547 

Homeaway is certainly more host-friendly. I have only had 1 incident in Homeaway so far, so I don't have a plethora of incidents to speak on. I attribute lower incidence of damages from Homeaway guests to Homeaway's attitude in handling damage claims.

I can confirm that Homewaway made a decision on all the evidence I had provided (repair invoices and pictures) and reimbursed me for most of the repair costs. They did reimburse me partially for destroyed furniture that couldn't be repaired, which I can understand, as I threw away old furniture and bought a brand new piece.

Airbnb had asked for my invoices to include a wet signature, a company stamp, and a long list of ridiculous details in the invoice that I can't fully remember. This is a clear abuse of red tape; I later used those invoices for tax returns. They were perfectly fine in the eyes of the IRS.

Since this incident with Airbnb I resorted to turning off my instant booking setting and being more selective with the groups in Airbnb. It is always the younger groups that damage furniture and doors, so I keep that in mind when I receive a request from such groups on Airbnb.

[Nancy38]

Air bnb offered no reimbursement for damaged property even though the guest admitted she caused the damage , my manager was a witness to the damage and I provided photos and replacement costs. In spite of her admission she had caused the damage she later changed her story and said it was already damaged. Air bnb chose to take her version and avoided all responsibility for million dollar guarntee, I also learned that my security deposit is worthless as air bnb won't enforce and never actually collects the deposit. I lost all trust in their worthless guarantees. I am a super host with no complaints but that didn't mean anything. 

 Nancy Breslin Malibu Ca

[Gulay1]

Hi @Jomy2,

That's a brilliant idea. If the guest has good intentions, your method of handling inspections will encourage the guest to be more considerate about avoiding damaging property.

If the guest has bad intentions, however, they can still write to AirBnB that the damages were there when they checked in. I don't think AirBnB will honor your method of reporting damages present at check in. Unless the guest admits their mistake, AirBnB will still put the host through the gauntlet of providing endless documentation and reports. Even if you provide the requested documentation, I have found, they will still use pretenses like 'depreciation,' or 'reasonable doubt' to undercut your the value of damages.

And this is the very reason (I feel) AirBnB hosts are so helpless in damage claims on AirBnB. If the guests aren't truthful in their claims, the hosts finds themselves in a situation where they need to prove their innocence to a biased mediator —being AirBnB.

The method you've suggested can pressure the guest to be truthful in a damage claim case and force a strategical error of being truthful. There is no guarantee, however.

Best wishes,

Gulay

[Jomy2]

@Gulay1

Yes, AirBnB can always deny claims. But more tools/proof we have the better. I had read some place about taking pics before each rental. I have started doing that too. Of course we cannot possibly take pics of "everything" at each checkin/checkout. Its just one more tool/evidence.

I have also started posting on other sites like Homeaway - although don't know how Host friendly they are! 🙂

Good luck with your hosting.