@Sue664 @Fiona243 @Jen308 @Chris1804 @Mark1416
I’ve only ever had to claim via the host guarantee once, and I have to say, considering all the negative feedback in the community, I found it easy to deal with and fair - I certainly wasn’t capped to my 12m-income. I don’t think we’re allowed to discuss specific outcomes but I can share some learning points to help others:
The process took three weeks, and in that time, I was unable to host. I didn’t have any advance bookings and the Guarantee doesn’t cover lost room nights, so if you book on a short lead time, be prepared to lose some money.
My better half loves taking photos so I had LOADS of photos of the rooms before the damage. Even if they don’t make your listing page, keep the photos of everything. That way you can use them to support the “before” condition of your space.
Equally, take loads of photos of the damage before you clear up. Once it’s clean / tidy / repaired, you lose this opportunity. If the guest disputes any damage because the photos are unclear, you won’t be left without a defence this way.
My home is brand new, as is the furniture, so luckily I had receipts. Keep receipts for everything, even towels you think are low cost, and submit photos of them with your initial claim - that way you can choose to use the original purchase price, or a replacement cost via a link to a website.
Log your claim quickly, preferably before the allocated check-out time. This removes the guest’s opportunity to blame others for their actions.
Whilst it’s tempting to fly off the handle, keep calm and stick to the facts. Don’t try and punish the guest with extra fees, and you’ll seem more reasonable to the mediators.
Hope all that helps. If I think of anything else, I’ll come back and add it afterwards.