Guest damaged my washing machine

[Faze0]

So this is the first time I have experienced any real problems/damage after a couple of years of occasional hosting.

This was a short term guest, who asked if she could do laundry (I normally provide this for free for long term guests ) but I didnt mind her using it free of charge.

I came home to find the washer was still on, even though she had asked me about it in the morning, and it was making unusually loud noise.

It looked like it was loaded quite heavily. I advised her that the drier can only dry a light load, so to use some racks I had provided and use myself.

The next morning when I was up for going to work, I noticed she was still drying cloths! Anyway I didnt think much of it, but that was her checkout date also.

Turned out my washing machine no longer drains cloths properly/the cloths is coming out completely soaked and water still retaining around the door seal. Ive tried the usual handbook drill to try and fix this, and asked her if she put anything unusual. she says it was a normal amount of stuff.

I will probably have to get a plumber in to come and look at it, but the question is what should I do? I dont know if it was the guests fault (though on a seperate note, I did notice she was strutting around the house with shoes on, despite my house rules stating no shoes inside the house!) Was she possibly wreckless in overloading the machine?

Should I ask her to contribute to my repair bill?

Any advise would be helpful, as I have till tomorrow to raise it with airbnb.

Thanks

[David126]

It would not be a Plumber but first you need to find out what went wrong, you can certainly ask a Guest but we need proof if they are not willing.

[Vincenzo63]

I'm sorry I can't help, but I am in a similar situation right now: my two guests broke the washing machine. They asked me to use it, I said yes, showed them how to, and then went to work. It's a vertical loading machine (external opening is on top): they admittedly have never seen one before, and when I came home in the evening they said they couldn't load anything. Now if you know what this kind of washing macine looks like you'll understand, it turns out the basket was forced to rotate, with the inside metal doors not properly closed. So now it is stuck/locked, and I cannot close the doors, since they are on the bottom of the washing machine (I can see them from above) and "hooked" to the inside. I will have to buy a new washing machine... I'm furious, and they say they haven't done anthing... IS THERE ANYTHING WE HOST CAN DO? can I ask for some damage fee? It's just me and them in the house, no other guest.

[David126]

I will do a wash occasionally, but I do it and only for those with bicycles rather than cars outside.

You can always ask for a contribution, usually I can fix most things, is it that bad? I have top and front loaders usually something jammed can be unjammed, google is your friend.

[Sunflowers0]

Hi all

need advice recently had 2 clueless teens stay, they wanted to do their washing as my flat has a machine, they did one load but it suddenly died before they could do their 2nd. The machine isn’t that old and had been working perfectly up to then. Now it’s a huge job to get the machine out of the bathroom and flat you have to take the shower screen and door off. So I would rather have it repaired. But who is liable

[David126]

@Sunflowers0

That would depend on what happened, and what you can prove.

[Sunflowers0]

Hi all

need advice recently had 2 clueless teens stay, they wanted to do their washing as my flat has a machine, they did one load but it suddenly died before they could do their 2nd. The machine isn’t that old and had been working perfectly up to then. Now it’s a huge job to get the machine out of the bathroom and flat you have to take the shower screen and door off. So I would rather have it repaired. But who is liable? Should I foot the bill? Should we go halves? What is the policy here