Host guarantee claim process

Carl127
Level 1
Tingewick, United Kingdom

Host guarantee claim process

Two weeks ago we had a guest stay, that unfortunately damaged our carpet by burning a hole in it when trying to clean hot ash from the wood burner. The carpet needs replacing and at a cost of £400.

We use Airbnb specifically because of the host guarantee that guarantees to cover costs of damage or liability. 

I have been trying unsuccessfully to put a claim in to Airbnb. These is no host guarantee center or person to contact! Concerningly it seems that Airbnb are putting in place a lot of obstacles to avoid a claim. So far, I have had to make a claim against the guest via the Airbnb resolution center. The guest has paid my £80 damages deposit and Airbnb have hence “closed”the claim.

I have called the customer service centre multiple times,  who could not  progress my claim and instructed me to write an Email. After writing 6 emails so far and not getting any reply, I am not confident of how to proceed this matter. 

I would have thought that a company the size of Airbnb, would have dedicated host guarantee personnel that could call and speak to me directly and help me through this worrying process.

I am concerned to continue operating through Airbnb, relying on the host guarantee and liability cover , only to find this backup is not available as advertised on the website. I worry at my exposure to damage and claims from future guests as there doesn’t apear to be any guarantee! 

I would urge other hosts and super hosts to investigate the true coverage that is in place and see how hard it is to access the service. I have repeatedly asked for a senior account service manager to contact me to help me with this process, but this has not happened.  Does anyone have similar experience???

Carl * UK Superhost.

 

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*[Surname hidden for safety reasons–in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

12 Replies 12
Karen74
Level 3
Morristown, NJ

I don't think you can expect Airbnb to replace the carpet for one burn. You have been compensated by the guest already.   Can it be repaired?  Can you put a rug to cover it and any further damage that might accure from the wood stove.   My understanding is the security deposit you collect should cover most things that might happen with a rental stay.  Airbnb's policy is to intervien if someone trys to sue for a slip and fall, ect...My guess is they think you might be strying to take advantage of Airbnb and get new carpet at their expense.

@Karan33  In order to have a secuity deposit that would cover the majority of all types of damage it would need to be at least $1000!  And if the security deposit is supposed to cover all potential damage, then what is the purpose of the host guarantee, never mind that the security deposit isn't even a real deposit in that the guest must agree to pay the money before airbnb will charge them for it.

 

Carl127
Level 1
Tingewick, United Kingdom

Hi Karen

I quote from the Airbnb website:

The Airbnb Host Guarantee provides protection for up to $1,000,000 to a host for damages to covered property in the rare event of guest damages above the security deposit or if no security deposit is in place.

There is separately the Host protection insurance for liability claims. 

 

I have a full thickness dinner plate size burn in the middle of my lounge carpet. It can’t be repaired. My damages deposit is set at £80 and the guest has kindly paid that. 

Airbnb sell their service based on their host guarantee and host protection insurance . Two separate items. They have guaranteed that I am covered for financial exposure to liability and damage from guests. If this isn’t actually the case then that leaves a lot of hosts in serious financial peril if a guest should cause extensive damage or sue.

if this guarantee is in place then it should be easily accessible with a phone call and I should be able to speak directly with a claim officer  within 48 hours. 

I am grateful the guest only burnt a hole on the carpet and didn’t burn the house down or cause away loss of life. To say I am pursuing this to get a new carpet ( for £400!) is insulting . 

Consider the bigger picture . If Airbnb offer a guarantee then I should be covered ( subject to terms)  and protected.  If that isn’t the case then a lot of hosts are subject to risk for loss from damage or liability that they may not know of.

 

Mark1416
Level 2
Boulder, CO

I had the same issue. AirBNB does not stand by its host guarantee.  I am just going to stop renting through Airbnb. It is too risky. I would recommend you do the same. I had the same thing, except a guest burned my kitchen counter. Since it was only part of the counter, AirBNB would not pay for the replacement. The guarantee is just a marketing gimmick.

Carl127
Level 1
Tingewick, United Kingdom

As the claims process has proceeded it has become more and more ridiculous. With Airbnb changing their opinion as to whether this is covered damage to now saying I accepted full settlement ( the security deposit) and that closes the case and it cannot be reopened. Be careful other  hosts.  To make a claim you have to ask the guest for money first. If they pay a portion or the security deposit and you “ accept payment” in an email (no other options available) . Then Airbnb claim the case is settled. 

This organisation is run by charlatans! 

I am closing my listing with Airbnb as the protections to host ( and hence guests in the case of injury liability) are not in place and I can’t trust the organisation. I will not be booking futures stays through them again. 

Sad it has come to this over £320. What a short sighted organisation 

Karan33
Level 1
Kalamunda, Australia

Oh gosh ... I am

just about to go through the system because a guest of mine left a large iron burn mark on my carpet ... am I now to expect the same kind of non help!!?? 

Barbara1520
Level 1
Carbondale, CO

Wow, after reading the posts in this string, I guess we should be happy with the settlement offer we just got from AirBnB! In late March, we had nightmare guests, a husband and wife who came with 2 children aged 2 and 12 for a 3-night stay. (We allowed kids at that point, but have since tightened up -- no more  little ones!). They had told me in advance that they were coming for a concert in Aspen. I naively assumed (being a new host) that they had made good arrangements for their kids, had relatives in the area, etc. When they arrived, it slipped out that in fact they had tickets for all 3 nights of concerts that weekend and had hired a babysitter they found online to come stay with the kids. They seemed nice enough, and their kids seemed well-behaved, so I didn't turn them away (nor did I feel I had grounds to do so, since we had not yet made a "no babysitter" rule part of the listing), but did emphasize that they and the sitter had to read our guest sheet, revisit the rules, etc.

 

Well, the parents must have partied hardy at their friends' concerts, because their 2-year-old son got up early the last morning while the parents were sleeping and found a dark green marker in their luggage and scribbled all over our almost new tan leather couch. And marked a throw pillow. And made small marks on two walls and one bed sheet, the latter of which would not wash out. A permanent marker!

 

Though the guest initially apologized profusely by phone and offered to replace our couch, he of course thought better of it once he got home. He ended up only paying $220 toward the total damage (the couch alone will cost us $2,000 to replace -- repair would be iffy from what we understand, given the extent of the stains). AirBnB has now offered $746 toward the couch, which they say is fair market value on a barely used item (oh, how quickly things depreciate!), with a total payout, including the other damage, of $1,072.90. Like I said above, a much better deal than others have gotten recently. But not exactly the "host guarantee" we thought we would enjoy when we signed up.

 

It's been a huge time suck dealing with this, and it took AirBnB much longer than promised to resolve our claim, but my son, who owns the loft, is philosophical about it. "Lesson learned -- no young kids and we'll screen guests on their plans even more rigorously than before." In the end, I suppose it's just the cost of doing business ... and we have fared better than others, quite obviously.

 

(Oh, and just to add insult to injury, the guests broke the "no smoking" rule (there were butts in the garbage and ashes in a flower pot on the deck), the "limit of 4 guests" rule (the babysitter obviously stayed over at least some nights)  and the "no sleeping on the couch" rule (bedding in living room belied that breach). People can be so weird, but our 15 other guests so far have been great.)

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

The "host guarantee" is not really airbnb having anyone's 'back' as they colloquially put it.

 

The process of getting reimbursement is timeconsuming, random and bureaucratic, in that airbnb demands many things that are hard to come by in some cases like original receipts or weirdly 'official' estimates from repair people.  This is the case whether you had a damage deposit or not, whether the guest admits they are guilty or not. 

 

They will rarely if ever provide anything close to replacement value on anything even if it is new.

 

The best protection is to take video of the unit before every guest and then there is at least a baseline of the state of the unit and items.

Chris1804
Level 2
Singapore

My experience with the Host Guarantee has been very positive.  In my case, a  guest damaged beyond repair an induction hob imported from Germany, broke a chair and a plate. Total damage almost US$ 1000. I submitted a claim (only for the replacerment cost of the hob) to Airbnb’s resolution centre under their Host Guarantee. The guest contested the claim and didn't want to pay anything. Within one week, Airbnb decided that my claim was justified and agreed to compensate the damage in full.

Hosts need to really read the terms and conditions of the host guarantee..... not just assume Airbnb is going to take full responsibility for all guest misbehavior and accidents. 

Bart68
Level 2
Asheville, NC

The thread for this Host Guarantee is pretty long and goes back a few years now.  I can confirm there is no change by Airbnb in 2020 with their response and fulfillment of this Host Guarantee.  You do not even have a security deposit with Airbnb!  The burden of proof is heavy laden on the host, and in most cases(as stated by many already), is impossible to produce.  The guest/traveler using Airbnb, basically has a license to destroy your property, with no accountability associated with their reservation and use of your property.  As Airbnb host, you are risking more than you probably know.  We have been with Airbnb over 8 years now, and sadly will be removing our listing for this reason and huge concern of having no protection from guest damages and general disregard/respect for our property. 

Bart Dotson 

Misery likes company. At least I’m not the only one experiencing a terrible experience with Airbnb’s host guarantee. We had clear evidence of guests stealing from us and causing damage. Video evidence. Photos. We followed everything. They initially denied the claim saying we submitted it under the wrong host protection program. We got a different answer to the process any time we were able to get ahold of someone. I called many times trying to speak to someone about ensuring they had everything they needed. They wouldn’t communicate with me. When they started communicating, they said I needed things I already sent. They then said my police report wasn’t valid because the police didn’t respond to my email or phone calls. It’s the worst experience by far after 7 years of being a Superhost. I luckily updated my homeowners insurance to cover Airbnb damages last year. I am now starting the claim process with them. I obviously didn’t want to file a claim on my policy because I didn’t want to effect rates or risk of being dropped. But it looks like I will have to. I am wondering as a community how can we hold Airbnb to their guarantee that is clearly not. It is anything but. How do we start a campaign to have them listen?