Airbnb dispute - asking for new information and same information over and over again

[Dola0]

A guest recently left my home nearly 2 weeks ago now. They left the apartment in such a disgusting state - like none I’ve ever seen before. Squashed food on the floors, cereals in cupboards and floors, pink drink on walls and 7 bin bags in the bathroom (who does that???!). It also turns out they damaged my TV (worth approximately £250). 

I charge a damage deposit which they offered to pay and they admitted causing the damage. However the deposit doesn’t cover the cost of the TV or the amount I asked them to pay. They also damaged toilet seat and lost a book. So I involve Airbnb and oh my goodness!!! 

My issue is that when I send the requested evidence, the agent asks for something new or different, or claims they can’t open up a link etc. While always reminding me how many days I have left to respond. Is this fair, normal?

For example, they ask for an incident report asking how I know the guest damaged the TV. The guest admitted to damaging the TV so I wrote what happened. They then asked for an incident report from a TV repair shop which must be on letter headed paper. I drove the next day before work to a local repair shop, took the tv and asked them to write what they told me on the phone and submitted again. Airbnb then ask me to get this stamped or send the business card of the company! Why when they asked me to send it along with an invoice on letter headed paper which I did?! 

Next, they tell me I need to agent file a police report for an £8 book. I thought that  as a waste of police time, but hey I did as they asked. They then said I needed to send evidence of purchase of the book (the book was written by me) along with evidence to the cost of the book. Absolutely no problem, except I sent them this information at the time I made the claim. 

They asked for similar with the TV - evidence that I purchased it via an invoice and a link proving the cost. Unfortunately I don’t keep receipts for years and our credit card statements don’t get held for more than 6 months. My issue is that the guest admitted to damaging the TV, I clearly own the TV and have pictures. I keep sending screen shots as well as the link to the websites showing the replacement cost for a like to like TV, yet they claim they can’t open the link - but when I test it it works and others can open it too!  I’m just confused as to why they want to make it so difficult for hosts?! 

Is this normal behaviour from Airbnb? 

[Mike340]

@Dola0

Airbnb does not actually take any deposit from the guest ..i.e hold it in an account during a stay.

If the guest admits the damage...have you sent the guest an extra fee "request for money" and tried to get them just to pay it to you..without needing to get Airbnb involved at all?  Have they declined to pay extra, above their depsoit amount?

With the deposit..all you are doing is sending a request to Airbnb for them to ask the guest if they agree to an extra charge fee for damge...which the guest believes is from a deposit they have agreed to....but up until now..hasnt actually been charged.

If in your case the guest agrees the damage ..cant you and the guest just pay/collect the damage charge between you?  ..i.e ignore the deposit.. as that doesnt actually exist anyway

[Linda108]

@Dola0  If your stated security deposti is insufficient to cover the damage admitted by the guest, Air BNB is now using the Host Protection Insurance.  Like any insurance plan, it is the burden of the insured to prove both the damage and the cost of replacement.  If you made a claim on your own homeowner's insurance, you would have to go through the same process 😛  

It is not my intention to defend Air BNB cumbersome process, but to encourage you to consider a larger security deposit.  Some hosts think a large security deposit is off putting to guests, but since the deposit is not collected, it really serves your type of situation.   You are fortunate that the guest acknowledged responsibility so a big hurdle was accomplished.  In that case it would have simply been a negotiation of how much you and the guest would agree to pay.

I am not sure that @Mike340 suggestion that you and the guest come to an agreement as to damage payment is a good idea as it will be a breach of Air BNB terms of agreement and could result in your listing being suspended.

Hope this all works out for you.

[Mike340]

@Linda108@Dola0

Linda,

The "Host Protection Insurance" is, as far as I understood it...a payment that AIrBnb agrees to pay out to the host,that it does not manage to get back from the guests...i.e. a payment from its own Insurance that it has with Lloyds of London ..and as you said Airbnb tends to ask a lot of questions before they pay out on that Insurance they, themselves have.

My point to Dola was, that if ,in her case,the guest agrees a damage payment then Doha can, within the procedures, ask a "request for money" directly from the guest..without any involvement from AirBnb Customer Support..and the guest can accept that request for payment..easy...that is the procedure before involving Airbnb CS Resolution.... I was merely asking Doha if she had indeed sent a "request for payment" to the guest.You too have indicated that the deposit is not actually collected.

When I suggested "between them" I was referring to using that "request for payment" within the Airbnb system, given that the guest has admitted the damage. 

[David126]

@Dola0

I agree that if possible you should get payment from the Guest and only get into the system if all else fails, once you involve AirBnB you have lost any control.

The Host Guarantee is not Insurance, any Insurer who dealt with claims like this would soon be out of business.

Judging from the posts we see on here it does seem normal behaviour. If you have the contacts involving the Media seems to work.

[Dola0]

Thanks everyone. I originally started off by requesting the amount for the TV, but the guest responded by only sending the full deposit amount which did not cover the payment amount I requested. This is why I involved Airbnb. 

I have since increased the deposit deposit amount I request but to that doesn’t really solve the issue, especially if guests can “choose” how much they can pay towards the issue. 

I completeky understabd airbnb needs to request evidence, my point is they are requesting something new or additional EVERY time I send them what they want and/or claiming they can’t open links I’m sending which is complete and utter nonsense.