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

[Alastair0]

Thats realy terrible as we all hope that the host guarantee protects us, I have just been watching Airbnbautomated on Utube who explains the problems that he had and how eventually he had it sorted. There are a load of things we should do to pre prepare for a claim. Sean at airbnbautomated has 60 properties and one of the listings was completely emptied.

Start with having original receipts for all items you perchace for the listing as without proof of ownership you are at a disadvantage. How ever upset and angry you get with the process keep cool and "thanks for reaching out" "have a nice day" and super polite as if you say ANYTHING discourtious you have lost. Watch the video you will find it helpful

[Gulay1]

Hi @Alastair0 ,

I actually find the "thanks for reaching out" and " have a nice day" very condescending. Context is very important. In a context where Airbnb choses to disregard their own rules and policies to fawn up to a guest and rob the host, saying something like "thank you for your concern," in truth, carries the message "we do what we do, take it or leave it."

[Connie228]

I am very careful when renting--no Instant Booking, I exchange emails with the guest before accepting, I check their verifications and reviews, and we live in the unit downstairs. We are explicit about the value on quiet and cleanliness, and we inlcude a "checklist" of items in the apartment in our Guest Notebook. 

That said, what do you do when a guest somehow spills coffee grounds all over the white duvet cover and you have to buy a new one? Believe me, this guest created other messes and it took twice as long to clean up after him as usual. I took photos, I bought a new cover (because another guest was booked), kept receipts and began the long, frustrating, and confusing process of trying to get reimbursement from Airbnb. My claim was denied, and I was shocked at how inarticulate and bumbling the emails from Airbib claims were. (See below for an example. It's Orwellian.) But I persisted, and in the end Airbnb reimbursed me. But they did not ding the guest. My feeling in the end was that Airbnb protects guests more than hosts. And they expect us hosts to buy stuff, keep places spotness and beautiful, and  to absorb the cost of damages. (The cost of the duvet cover was half of one night's lodging.) Isn't the purpose of a security deposit to cover damage?

Here's the email:

Sophia, Mar 15, 07:42 PDT:

Hi Connie,

Thanks so much for following up. I understand this is not the outcome you were hoping for. 

We do our best to fairly and reasonably mediate these cases. In our efforts to be objective, keeping in mind that we were not present during the reservation, we must consider all available documentation and communication when coming to a decision which aligns with our policies and procedures. 

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

Airbnb reserves the right to make the final determination with regard to these disputes, which is outlined in our Terms of Service. Thus, we are unable to reconsider the decision made in this case.

Please know that we are thankful to have you as a host in our community and look forward to the many positive experiences you will have using Airbnb moving forward. 

All the best,

Sophia
www.airbnb.com/help

The only way to do more than I'm doing is to 1) buy dark colored linens; 2) charge a much higher cleaning fee, which unfairly penalizes the good guests; 3) raise the nightly rental fee; 4) let linens and bed linens get old and stained and hope the reviews stay good. 

I just read about the new policies and see no improvement for my situation.

[Gulay1]

Hi @Connie228 ,

I'm sorry you've also received the infamous Airbnb cold shoulder. That's the generic e-mail they send that says "we make all decisions however we want to, take it or leave it." The hypocrisy really does feel dystopian. I, personally, feel very helpless and vulnerable when dealing with Airbnb as a host —because I really am both of those things.

If damage claims are one of your bigger concerns with Airbnb, I strongly reccomend Homeaway (aka. VRBO). They have an option to replace the security deposit system with an insurance system, conducted by an actual insurance agency. They replace broken furniture and unusable towels and linens much more fairly in my experience.

Good luck out there!

[Gulay1]

Hypocrisy and Despotism: A Sequel

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Cancellation-Policy-Airbnb-once-again-throws-the-host-un...

[Alice722]

Thank you for this testimonial.

Any experience with Agoda Homes in the same situation or another provider?

Thank you

[Gulay1]

Hi @Alice722 ! We've had only two disputes outside of Airbnb so far, which were on HomeAway. They both were resolved in our favor, though circumstances were different. HomeAway offers an insurance plan executed by a third-party company.