No security deposit, potential breakages

[Ali63]

My guests who have checked out today may have broken the hinges on our Velux window. We have spent two hours today trying to fix the problem ourselves but are not able to. We will have to get a professional in to give us an estimate/repair the problem hopefully as needing a new window is our worst nightmare!

If I understand correctly on my guest review I have to request any money for damages within 14 days of their stay or before new guests check in...this is tomorrow for me! It is Saturday, I can't get a quote, how do I inform Airbnb of the situation?

Any help much appreciated!!

[Marzena4]

You need to report it to Airbnb within 24h after their checkout. And pray you will get the money, @Ali63. There are a lot of issues with it, just read the forum here.

[Linda108]

@Ali63   You need to contact the guest via the Air BNB message system to ascertain if they had difficulty with the window and may have contributed to the issue.  If the guest denies anything to do with the window, you will need to have some proof or support to the claim that the guest caused the damage.  Can you do that?

Once you have a reply from the guest or before the next guest arrives, you would start the claim process.

[Ali63]

They actually caused the problem just after they arrived! We thought it was sorted but on closer inspection after they checked out we can see that it is far from sorted. I did say to them at the time I hope it is not broken. I had already shown them twice at check in how to open the windows. I have never had this problem with any other guests. These guests were not a good hosting experience

[Ali63]

Also regarding starting the claims process, Airbnb require an amount or an estimate before the new guests check in. Am I just to pluck an amount out of the air? If the window is broken then that will run in to a few hundred euros!

[Linda108]

@Ali63  So you already have the information that the guest caused a problem with the window, hopefully documented in the Air BNB system.  In that case, why don't you contact an Air BNB rep to see how to proceed given that you cannot make a claim with a price until later.  It would also be wise to notify the new guest of the window issue, again in the Air BNB message system and request that they do not open the window.

You might consider having a security deposit.  When making a claim to the security deposit, if the guest agrees to causing the damage and agrees to the amount to correct it, Air BNB can access the SD up to the amount you have listed in your description.

Since you are making a claim against the Air BNB insurance, the burden is much more to prove that damage was only related to the guest behavior and the repair claim meets Air BNB approval.

In case you don't already have Air BNB contact information, here is a guide for contacting them.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728

[Christine615]

I recently had that problem. The guest who booked brought along three friends and one of them spilled red wine all over the wall, carpet, and white linens. We sent her a photo right away then tried to fix the problem (the stains were fresh - we think from that morning). 

We had guests coming for a week literally within 24 hours and by the time we contacted Airbnb they'd checked in. However because we had emailed the original guest and sent photos before the first guest checked in, Airbnb was able to see I was trying to work with the guest prior to that so I had proof.

The staff member explained that if you don't file a complaint or request for damages before the new guest checks in, they previous guest can say they didn't cause the damage.

So take photos and email the guest. 

Airbnb sent me to the resolution center first, and it allows you to email the guest asking for extra payment to cover replacement costs for ruined linens. I was lucky. My guest paid right away. I did note something odd, though, there was no "notification" to leave her a review (she did try to clean the apartment and I think she was unaware of the damage her friend caused in a separate bedroom since the friend "stripped" the beds and piled up the linens which hid the damage until we pulled the bed out to put on new linens.

So use your cell phone (or other) to document any damages while cleaning the apartment (meta data will time stamp it), then send photos to the departing guest in the message center inquiring about the damage. That will also time stamp the damage before the new guests check in.

Good luck!