@Lisa723
Well, that's extraordinary. But did that happen in the past 2 or 3 years? Things have changed a lot since the IPO.
We had one claim (under 100€) paid out about 4 years ago. The guest admitted it and paid it. But since then, all claims have been both rejected by the guest, and Airbnb, despite overwhelming and irrefutable evidence, and in one case, the guest openly admitting it, though disagreeing with the cost of repairs (performed by a highly reputable professional firm). Every claim is met with obtuse denial from the start, and it's very frustrating, and as others here have illustrated, can end up with severe penalties on the host for irresponsible guest behaviours.
Our last incident... where the guest booked for two persons yet had 4 people staying in the house, violated several house rules (including smoking in the house), and caused several damages.. We decided not to bother with Airbnb, and at checkout time, simply smiled and thanked them for choosing us. The guest figured they got away with it, and wrote a 5 star review, which was pretty honest. I, however wrote in the (unemotional, fact-based) guest review, that she booked for two, had 4, caused some damages and smoked inside the house (which she had been repeatedly warned against).
Immediately after she read our review, she sent a scathing message accusing us of all kinds of made up fantastical abuses of the guest, including pointing out that we would have never known that she had 4 guests if we hadn't been "spying" on her 🙄. Yet 4 beds had been irrefutable slept in. And we have entry-exit proof that there were 4 guests. And the damages...
Needless to say, had we made any claim prior to her review, this would have been her review, whether we received compensation or not.
So, we've stopped this nonsense. The "host guarantee", by Airbnb's own definition, is neither a guarantee or insurance of any kind, is completely unpredictable and unenforceable. Plus, it encourages fake retaliatory reviews, which can be pretty damaging, adding insult to injury.
But a victim I will be no more. End of. Despite Airbnb.
This isn't just my "opinion". It's pretty well documented all over the forums. It happens all the time.
So, you've been lucky. Enjoy it while it lasts 👍