Host Guarantee Refuses Our Claim Despite Proof

Explore-MTL0
Level 2
Montreal, Canada

Host Guarantee Refuses Our Claim Despite Proof

A guest recently stayed in our loft and completely ruined several of our sheets sets, duvet covers, etc (over $700 worth). We held off making our claim at the beginning, as the review system encourages biases. If we were to make our claim immediately - the guest would undoubtedly write a poor review for our profile.

 

After both reviews had been made, we inputted our claim. Airbnb is now refusing it. They are saying we were supposed to make the claim before the following guest checked in and that they would be closing the case. The matter is final. We were under the impression the host guarantee was up until 30 days? Any help with the matter?

22 Replies 22
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Explore-MTL0  It's quite clear in the policies for damage claims that the process has to be started within 24 hours of check-out and before the next guest arrives. If you failed to inform yourself of this, or ignored it because you wanted to avoid a bad review, I'm not sure what you expect to happen. 

I'd advise you in the future to not be so concerned with avoiding a bad review that you ignore bad guest behavior or don't request payment for damages. You have to decide if the cost of replacing damaged items is worth risking a bad review, no one else can make that judgement call for you. 

But personally, my feeling is that hosts should never let substantial damages by guests go unreported and not claimed for, simply to ward off a bad review, because this just leads to guests going on to trash other hosts' homes. 

I also looked at every single review you left for your guests since the beginnig of March. Every review you leave says exactly the same thing-"Great guests!"

This kind of review tells other hosts nothing, it's very lazy reviewing, and you quite obviously did not review these bad guests who left so much damage honestly, to warn other hosts of their disrespectful behavior, so I have to say I have little sympathy for your present situation. If hosts don't use the review process to honestly warn other hosts of bad guests, this is how they go on to trash every place they stay. 

 

Hi Sarah!

 

Try focusing on being more kind to strangers, it'll make the world a better place.  We did in fact review this guest poorly, as well as others we've had issues with. Maybe do a little more research next time before you try and insult me as a host.

@Explore-MTL0  Which review? As I said, I read all the reviews you left for guests from now back to the beginning of March, as you said it was "recent". I apologize if I missed it.

I agree! Lazy reviewing of "great guests" doesn't help us future guests out in evaluating the potential guests we are about to accept or decline. 

Maxine33
Level 7
Alexandria, VA

I am sorry to hear you are going through this!   Do you have a security deposit?  Per the Airbnb help article:

"What to expect if a host makes a request to collect on their security deposit

If a host who required a security deposit says their property was damaged while a guest was staying at their place, here’s the process:

  1. Within 14 days of your checkout date, the host will contact the guest through our secure Resolution Center. They’ll describe what was damaged, provide documentation of the damaged or missing items, and request reimbursement. Depending on what was damaged, the amount the host requests may or may not be the same as the security deposit.
  2. The guest has 72 hours to respond to the host’s request. If the guest agrees to pay the amount requested, we’ll process the payment and send it to the host, which usually takes 5 to 7 business days. The guest can either agree to pay the full amount, choose to pay a different amount, or decline the request. The guest can include a note to the host.
  3. If the guest doesn’t agree to pay the amount requested, the host can choose to involve Airbnb. The Airbnb support specialist will reach out to the guest and will resolve the request according to the Host Guarantee Terms and Conditions. If the request is approved according to those terms, then Airbnb--not the host--will send the guest a payment request"
Maxine33
Level 7
Alexandria, VA

@Explore-MTL0but when I looked on the full details on the guarantee at https://www.airbnb.com/guarantee, it does clearly state "Submit your request either 14 days from the guest’s check-out, or before your next guest checks in, whichever is earlier."

 

I am not sure how this works if you have people checking in on the same day someone else checks out.

Hello! Yes, they mentioned that as well. But the "or" doesn't imply our claim will be invalid?

yes it does. It is one or the other. Like a car warranty, 36k miles or 3 years whichever comes 1st. It's not both.

The operative clause here is the "whichever is earlier."

 

Your claim is not valid if a new guest has checked in before you initiate it. That does muddy the waters a bit with same-day changeovers, which is one reason it's crucial to leave enough time between guests to do a complete inspection.

 

Even if you'd followed the correct procedures, though, I think you would have been disappointed by the results. Linens are among the items that are naturally subject to broad assumptions about "normal wear and tear," and even if the guest somehow managed to irreparably destroy them (I don't know, maybe a dog tore them up, or the guest set them on fire) you'd still have to take into account that no matter how much you spent on them new, they were second-hand linens at the time the guest used them - and therefore greatly depreciated in value. 

 

 

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

Sadly, I think they are right. You're screwed for waiting for the positive review to finally file for a claim. How can airbnb say for sure that those particular guests caused the damage you're alleging when you already have new guests in the unit? 

 

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

This is the exact reason we now have a security deposit. We had a group who left a dog in our laundry room with the door closed for about 10 hours while they attended a wedding. The dog almost chewed through an antique door that is about 3 inches thick. Not kidding. A year later I still find pieces of it under the shelves. They then tried to  COVER IT with some paint we had on hand. Uhhhh. 

 

I took pics and contacted them. They said it was "someone else's dog" even though they had just checked out. The damage only went up so high on the door and they brought a dog of the exact size that the damage showed. There was no question. Airbnb denied the claim saying they didn't cover pet damage. Lesson learned. Security deposit from now on. 

@Laura2592  I'm sure you're aware that Airbnb doesn't actually charge the deposit, nor that it gives you any additional leverage in the event of a damage claim. So are you charging a deposit separately, outside of the system? Or have you been deceived?

Airbnb won’t charge it until there the damage was reported and approved by them and at that time the guest can simply close the credit card account on file and get a new card with a totally different number from their bank . Lesson learned . I am in the process of claiming $1000 from Airbnb , they failed to charge the guest . And now they are threatening to close the case without pay because in can’t find the original receipts of the linens and the table . 

@Ricky39  I recently put a claim through.  I didn't have original receipts.  I submitted pictures of the damaged item with a receipt for the exact replacement.   The guest refused to pay the claim but Airbnb accepted my documents and paid the claim.

 

Are you going to purchase new items anyway?  I would just do it and use the receipt from the purchase.  I did not submit the claim until I had made the purchase (which was almost immediate).  I did not even wait for the replacement items to arrive.  I just used the receipt from the online purchase.  It worked.