How do we work out how much to charge for damages?

[Emma-and-Mark0]

Hi,

A recent guest caused a lot of mess and damage to our studio apartment. Bedding and towels had all sorts of bodily fluids over them, (brown, red and white!) The sofa cover has marks over it that wont come out and there's a large chip on a wardrobe door. It also took two of us two days to get the flat cleaned. Luckily we didn't have a guest arriving the day they checked out so we blocked out that night (potential lost revenue) and managed to get it ready the following day for our next guest.

Regarding charging for the bedding and towels that are ruined, that is easy to work out, but how do we work out what to charge for the sofa and wardrobe? The damage isn't normal wear and tear but the items are still usable. Luckily on the sofa the damage can be hidden by flipping over the seat cushion but it really pains us as it would cost £1000 to replace the sofa.

Any advice very welcome,

Emma & Mark

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Emma-and-Mark0 

whatever damage guests do it always cost us more than we can charge. Even if they pay for a new item we still have to research for a replacement, go and buy it, wait for delivery, clean after, take pictures, make a damage claim.. not to mention the stress if we have the same day turnovers!

You can try to charge them for additional x hours of cleaning, it is easier if you have used a cleaning service and got a bill for their services but the chance to be paid for your own cleaning time and effort is not very high I am afraid 😞

If the damaged items are not very old you can claim for a replacement.  If you still have a receipt for those items even better, if not, find the same or similar product online and send them a link. 

If you can just turn over a cushion or if sofa is not new then maybe you can ask for 50% of the price or the price for repair/upholstery.

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Ikea is not liked by everyone but it is practical in a short term rental, specially in case of the damage. You can find a price online even for discontinued models, their upholstered furniture has machine washable covers which you can buy separately and most items are produced for many years so it is easy to replace it. Some wardrobes are sold piece by piece so you can buy a replacement door, a handle or a corpus. For all of the above, it is always my first choice when furnishing my rentals.

[Emma-and-Mark0]

Thank you 

[Deanne45]

Agreed. Our rental agreement includes charging guests $40 per hour (this is the hourly rate I have to pay a house cleaner as they are hard to come by in the remote region our rental is located in) for cleaning above and beyond what is included in our post stay cleaning. The rental agreement details how we expect the house to be left upon check-out. This covers us should the cleaner or ourselves arrive and find food smeared all over the counters, trash left behind, dirty dishes not put in the dishwasher or cleaned, beds not stripped, etc. We have entered on a couple of occasions finding damage and having to spend 3+ hours beyond our normal cleaning time which also resulted in having to delay the next guest check-in time. For sure the guest was charged the extra hourly cleaning rate submitted as a damage deposit claim. when doing so always make sure you take pictures of the damage and/or excessive cleaning needed. It is hard for the guest leaving the mess/damage to dispute it when you have evidence.

[Gordon0]

Have you logged this all with Airbnb @Emma-and-Mark0? There is a fairly short timeframe in which to do all this and you may have already missed the widow if new guests have checked in.

[Emma-and-Mark0]

Thanks Gordon. Yes we have started to realise we may have missed the window. We contacted Airbnb on the day and were told we had 14 days to submit a claim and the reply didn't mention it had to be before the next guests checked in if that was earlier than the 14 days. Fingers crossed we can still make a claim. We didn't do it on the day as we wanted to get advice and wait for the bedding and towels to come back from the laundry. I'm not sure how you are supposed to have time to claim if you've guests arriving the same day, or the following day.

[Susan17]

@Emma-and-Mark0 

Understanding The Host Guarantee. 

https://blog.atairbnb.com/host-guarantee/

On security deposits and the Host Guarantee

1. What’s the difference between a guest’s security deposit and the Host Guarantee?

A guest security deposit is something you can choose to require of your guests. The security deposit is an acknowledgement by the guest that they may be charged up to the full amount should they cause damage to your listing. If you choose to require a security deposit from your guests, they don’t actually pay the deposit when they make the reservation. Instead, they’re charged only if you make a claim through the Resolution Center on that deposit and it’s accepted by the guest or granted through mediation by Airbnb.

The Host Guarantee  provides up to $1,000,000 in protection from Airbnb for instances when guests damage a host’s property. In order to process a request, you would use the Resolution Center to upload documentation of the damages (such as photos or receipts), and first request payment from your guest to cover those damages. You and your guests can work out the details on your own, or you can choose to involve Airbnb directly in the Resolution Center. The best way to ensure a smooth process with your guest or with Airbnb is to submit your report of the damage, along with support documentation as soon as you identify the damage.  Reports must be submitted within 14 days of the end of the guest’s reservation or before the next guest checks in — whichever comes first.

[Emma-and-Mark0]

Thank you. We have a security deposit set up but we had guests check in the following day. Fingers crossed we can still make a claim. We contacted Airbnb on the day and were told we had 14 days to submit a claim and the reply didn't mention it had to be before the next guests checked in if that was earlier than the 14 days.

[Riley31]

Hello @Emma-and-Mark0! How has this turned out for you? We've just had a very similar experience with our place now too. Looking into how to charge these and actually get paid. We then had a new guest coming in the very same day and it's taken a while to receive an estimate on the damages. So now I'm wondering if we'll even be covered. It's crazy unrealistic to think you could document all the damage and get an accurate cost estimate and request sent in a mere matter of hours before the next guests check in. 

[Emma-and-Mark0]

@Riley31 the guest didn't agree to pay the amount we requested so we went through the resolution centre and Airbnb agreed to pay us £78 out of the guests' deposit. That's the full amount we asked for. Airbnb were really good to deal with but the process did mean that we had to enter all of the information and photos about three times, so it was really time consuming. But good result in the end : )

[Trude0]

Sorry to hear about your experiences with damage caused by guests. I haven’t had problems like this yet, but guess I will, sooner or later, so I haved read up a bit.

Agree that unless it is very low season, chances are low that a host would be able to gather all neccessary info on replacement costs, documentation etc, before next check in.

Someone in this forum suggested to film (e.g with our phone) the listing before each check in, to show which status the listing was in before. Then, if there is damage discovered after check out, film again, documenting damage, before cleaning/replacing and letting next guest check in. Guess we could then start by contacting Airbnb the same day before next check in, submitting the videos and whatever else we have, and state that we’ll follow up with missing details later. And say we plan to let the next guest check in now, as the damage has been documented, unless Airbnb has any objections? 

The point of the ”make claim before next check in” must be that it should be proven WHICH  GUEST caused the damage. And surely, if it is possible for the host to get the listing ready for the next guest in time,  it should be better for Airbnb if they do NOT have to help relocate next guest, as they say they will, if needed?