Host guarantee

[Dimitris69]

Hello everyone.

I had this incident in october with a guest, who while staying in my apartment, put the washing machine to work and went to sleep.
The washing machine broke down and flooded my apartment and the one below mine for hours.
I filled in the form for the host guarantee and after two months of pursuing this I received an email by airbnb support team that the cannot reimburse me for the damages, and I should directly come to terms with my guest.
I am very dissapointed, and I would like to ask for advice on the matter. I can't pursue my guest, and I think it is not my responsibility to do so.
Please note that my apartment is in Athens Greece and it is not insured.

All advice on the matter are welcome.

[Helen3]

You can apply to arbitration if you are not happy with their handling of the case.

Do you know why they refused to remimburse you. From what you have said it seems clear cut.

Having said that in your situation with such a major claim, I would have just claimed it on my home insurance covering STRs.

[Dimitris69]

Hello Helen, 
thank you for your reply. 
I am not sure, but in the begining, I thought the washing machine was working with the door open, based on the description of the neighboors that went in the house to stop the washing machine.
And in my report I mentioned that. After providing them with info about the washing machine (model etc)
they answered the following :

"After further review of the washers brand and model we have found that the washer will not operate with water without the door being closed and locked. Therefore, we cannot say without a doubt the guest left the door open during its use causing the washer to overflow.

In order for an incident to be eligible for Airbnb assistance, the reported damages must have been caused by a guest or an invitee of the guest. You are free to pursue reimbursement from your guest directly. However, per this requirement, this case is not eligible for reimbursement."

But the damages would have been prevented if my guest had noticed and stopped the washing machine,  which must have been running from night time till the morning.
Unfortunately I haven't got a home insurance..

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Dimitris69

this sounds like the major damage 😞 This is why I would never have a washing machine or dishwasher in my Airbnb, it is too dangerous, people are careless.

[Dimitris69]

Hello Branka & Sylvia,

It is a disaster, and the cost to fix it, (oak floor in my apartment and damages in neighbors apartment) is something I cannot afford... But I never thought I should not provide things like a washing machine...

Basically I want airbnb to step in and either cover the expenses or put pressure on the guest. But they made it clear that they will not, which makes me wonder what is the use of the platform at this level, if they cannot protect me in this situation for example..

I also want to mention that this happened on the 20th of October and I filled the form and submited it on time,  got a case number for it, but the application didn't go through.

I got a message on the top of the screen that my claim exceeded the amount of money that somehow (?) I was eligible for.. So I submited again and got a case number again.. 
When I spoke with customer service I found out it did not go through.. So I repeated the proccess 5-6 times talking on the phone with representatives, some new about the case but they weren't sure if it went through, and some told me I had to do it again... Finally I submited the form asking for the highest amount allowed and it went through..

It was really frustrating  for me and unprofessional on their behalf.

[Lisa723]

@Dimitris69 it seems to me that your guests are not responsible for the damage if an amenity you provided broke down and caused it. Starting the washer before going to sleep seems like a pretty normal thing to do. I'm not surprised that Airbnb resolved it this way and if I were the guest I would not pay. I don't know how things work in Greece, but running an STR without insurance seems like a very bad plan to me.

@Branka-and-Silvia0 really?? Here they are absolutely expected, for whole-place rentals at least.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Dimitris69

I can imagine  😞  Unfortunately, I am not surprised by the response you got from Airbnb.  Their Host guarantee is not something we can rely on.  We also don't have any insurance because in Croatia agencies will sweet talk you until you sign the contract and then if you claim for the damage they will give you a run around for months until you get something if you get it.  So we are playing Russian roulette every day.

@Lisa723

Nobody I know would start washing machine and go to sleep or out .This is something we never do  and the reason is the topic of this post.

Zagreb is a transit destination and the average stay is just 1,7 nights according to our tourist board.

Self-service laundry is in the neighborhood and plenty of restaurants so nobody ever complained about the lack of a washing machine or dishwasher 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Dimitris69

I had a washing machine whose door become loose and open during the process. The water was running non-stop because the water level couldn't rise high enough to stop the water pump. So yes, it is possible. 

Fortunatelly I was home and awake

[Lisa723]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 well there are some cultural differences here, for sure! I don't think anyone I know would worry about leaving a washing machine unattended... also, we have insurance. Nobody I know would run an STR without it.  🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Lisa723

yes, there are many differences 🙂 One American guy  – Cody McClain Brown married a girl from Croatia and moved here and after a while, he started a funny blog about all the differences, it was hilarious 😄 The success of his blog was so big that he published a book and then a theater show was made by his book  .

The book title is  Propuh Papuče & Punica and it is hard to translate . Propuh is a word you don't have and it means strong movement of the air when you open all the windows in your house, Papuče = slippers and Punica = mother of the bride 🙂

I'm curious.... I've seen (on TV) common laundry rooms with washing machines in the basement of the building so I wonder is it allowed to have in a flat upstairs or not?

[Sarah977]

@Dimitris69@Lisa723@Branka-and-Silvia0@Helen3  Sorry about all the damage, Dmitris, it's terrible.

But I agree with Lisa on this- I don't think the guest can be held responsible- as far as I know a front-loader won't run if the door is open. So while I abhor the way Airbnb doesn't honor the host guarantee, I don't think this can be provably on the guest.

And I often start my washing machine and go to bed. Just like most people I know start the dishwasher before they go to bed.

[Dimitris69]

Thank you all for your replies,

Since I had not faced this situation before, I wanted to see what seems reasonable to people..

I had the machine maintained about 6 months ago, so what I will do is get a report from a technician

to see what caused the malfunction.

For the record I also believe it is normal to put the washing machine to work and go to sleep. 

I believe there is a partial responsibility on my guest because the flood had been going on for more than 8 hours, and the water was spilled in the whole house, even in the bedroom. Plus when I put it back to work it was making a loud noise,  so I still believe the damages could have been avoided if she had noticed..

Regards

[Lisa723]

@Dimitris69 I don't think you can hold her responsible just because she is a sound sleeper. Think about it from her perspective: she used an advertised amenity normally, it malfunctioned while she was asleep, and now you are trying to blame her for the damage.

@Branka-and-Silvia0 yes in many buildings the laundry facilities are in the basement, in a room with a drain in the floor. However this is not always the case and it's normal to have a washer and dryer in an upstairs flat (or apartment as we would say).

[Dan645]

Yes get the techinican report and resubmit your claim if the conditions change.  The idea that the hinge could be loose and let water out WHILE the door is locked makes a lot of sense.  Alternately, the door lock switch may have been jammed to closed allowing the machine to operate while the door is open. The insurance company isn't going to give you any help to win your claim.