@Jo JO35, You probably right not to add any security deposit, it is a waste of time and hope. As far as I know Airbnb doesn't hold security deposit from guests.
Airbnb do not hold the guests accountable for if they denied it.
Airbnb will decide if they will give you any reimbursement if you file any claims against the guest who damaged your place. It doesn't matter how much damage deposit you had post on your listing.
As in my case, I post $450 deposit that guest have to agree on before they can book and I filed a claim $270, still have not received the full amount filed from Airbnb, and have gone through hoops and Bars that Airbnb Resolution had put me through.
Guest stained and soak my bunk bed top and bottom, put a whole in the sheet, discolored 3 towels, my cleaning person had to do extra cleaning, take the bed topper home to clean, the carpet in the room were wet. The cleaning company bill me for extra cleaning services and I had to buy new towels and sheet.
I file for reimbursement with Airbnb resolution department the day that the guests check out May 31st. and now July 10th. the claims person who handling my case had string me on, have me jumping through the hoops, asking me to forwarded supports documents and pictures so many times, as if they never even look at the documents I sent.
And now Airbnb resolution parson is telling me I will only get $49.48 out of $270 claims, and said she is only processing for physical loss and physical damage, and not processing the extra cleaning invoice from my cleaning that I had to pay and forward to her, she will forward it to a difference department to resolve the extra cleaning issue! And I will hear from they soon!
That was July 2nd!
I am not sure what else to do, I am so angry! I am thinking about quitting Airbnb!