Hi Debbie,
I am very unhappy with Airbnb's security deposit policy. I own a lake front house that I rent out. It sleeps 8, is newly renovated and fully furnished. I recently had a rental that was a complete disaster. They left the place with big dents on a new refridgerator (one month old). The stove that had been damaged due to hardened sauce that corroded the bottom of the oven, oven cleaner couldn't get it off. My cleaning required a full steam cleaning of all rugs and furniture including throw pillows (thankfully I own a steam cleaner), and a complete wash of all quilts, curtains and the shower curtain (normally not done with just a weekend rental). The house also smelled so badly of beer, food, and body odor, that it took hours of boiling a mixture of lemons and vanilla on the stove to remove some of it. I leave extra pillows, blankets and sheets (as a back up) and all were used. These renters even used the decorative sofa pillows and other decorative pillows to sleep with. The pillows were found all over the house in beds and were dirty and smelly, including drool stains. They reeked! Some of them had a cover and I was able to launder those, the others I had to clean with upholdstery cleaner, it was a nightmare. I also found a bag of marijauana and other paraphernia left in the house. I am not a prude, but my house rules explicity state that there will be no smoking inside the house and there are designated smoking areas (the firepit and beach). These areas were littered with cigarette boxes and butts despite my leaving a metal bucket with sand for smoking.
When I explained the damages to the tenant who made the reservation, he was annoyed and blamed it on his guests. A very uncomfortable exchange of texts ensued where I was made to sound like the bad guy. Ultimately I did get paid for some of the damages, but I called Airbnb to discuss the process.
Why am I (the property owner) having to negotiate for payment of damages? This is NOT the case on other rental sites. In addition, I am now faced with a potentially negative review from the tenant. I was told I can respond to it, but it will affect my overall rating on Airbnb.
I like this site and would like to continue using it, but I am very unhappy with the position I am put in as a landlord. A security deposit is for the protection of a property (owners), to keep people from abusing someone else's property. Airbnb seems to favor the renter rather than the owner. Without owners, they would have no site.
I would appreciate any response on this.
Thank you,
Carol
