damages deposit

[Deanne35]

Hi, I've just started hosting and it's been great so far. I'm considering adding a damages deposit to my listing, just in case, and would like to know if this is general practice, do hosts think this is a good idea, might it put people off booking etc? Do guests pay upfront and then have to apply for a refund - or do Airbnb take credit card details in case there is a problem? Has anyone actually made a claim on a guest, and had it successfully resolved? I'm finding it hard to find these answers via Airbnb. Thanks.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Deanne35A security deposit is a good idea and will only out off potential bad guests. The don't pay it up front and in fact they would have to agree to any of it being paid to you as compensation. So - claiming against it is close to impossible- make sure you have adequate insurance as that will be the easiest route to claim for damages. Expect damages through wear and tear and build a small amount into your pricing to cover the odd replacement rather than stressing out about a broken cup etc. 

[Deanne35]

Thank you so much for responding, Gerry and Rashid. Totally agree with everything you said. We do have insurance, so the damage deposit is really for if the tellie got smashed, or the sofa thrown up on due to high ‘spirits’  (sic),  out or order behaviour etc, rather than just accidental damage. Obviously you can claim for damage caused by out-of-order behaviour, but then your premium goes up..... We’ve only had a few guests so far,. and they’ve all been amazing