Security deposit - what can you keep money back for?

[Kathryn43]

We have just had our first bad experience as a hosts.  Been doing Airbnb for one year and yes we've had the usual messy people but these last guests have really left the place in a mess. We take great pride in our listing and it is spotless when our guests arrive. Everything is supplied cleaning wipes, dishwasher tablets cleaning sprays etc.

So my question is I have a £100 security deposit but I'm not sure how much or what we can claim for.

1) they brought candles and lit them all over the place leaving melted wax all over the bathroom floor.

2) there are spare pillows which they have used and stained and leftover food stuck to it.

3) they left plates of food in the bedroom with half eaten garlic bread.

4) they used the table mats as door stops to jam the door open.

5) they left without locking the door and took the key with them (luckily we went to clean straight away so phoned and he said he was sending the taxi driver back with the key)

6) there was baby oil all  up the livingroom wall.

7) makeup everywhere, all up the wall in the bedroom all over the chest of drawers

😎 not one dish had been washed and a champagne glass was broken

9) broken coathangers left on the table

the list goes on! all in all they basically never lifted a finger the whole weekend.

They called this morning and I let them have a late checkout so you would think they would have had extra time to clear up after themselves. 

Do we put this down to a bad experience and give them a bad review or do we make a claim against the security deposit?

Thoughts please 

[Karen-and-Brian0]

HI @Kathryn43 UGH! So sorry this has happened to you. If it were me, I would try to put in a claim for additional cleaning costs and for anything that was broken. For the broken items, you'll need to submit a receipt for the replacement item(s). For the cleaning costs, you may need a receipt from a cleaning company as I'm not sure they will approve it if you do the cleaning yourself. The guests of course have to agree to pay & they likely won't. I had the experience of a guest refusing to pay for an item that they took, but Airbnb paid me for it as a Misc. Credit. Best of luck! Karen

[Kathryn43]

Thanks @Karen-and-Brian0 we cleaned everything ourselves which took four and half hours instead of two! We will need to replace the pillow so I imagine that's all you can realistically claim for.  Not sure if it's worth the hassle for £15.  Just feel they shouldn't be able to get away with it.  

[Jess21]

Please leave a strongly worded review! These people sound horrible

[Karen-and-Brian0]

@Kathryn43 They won't get away with it if you leave them an honest review. You can effectively torpedo their chances of renting again on Airbnb - other hosts will really thank you for the "heads up". Some great suggestions here for wording! - I struggle with wording.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

writte a bad review, or at least "may be better suited in hotel"

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

The guests were very polite and communicative but left the place in a terrible mess.  Food stains on linen, dirty dishes (it looked like they didn't wash any of their dishes the entire three days they stayed), candle wax all over the bathroom floor, makeup and baby oil on the furniture and walls.  Disappointed. We would not host again.

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

OR  even simpler

The guests were very polite and communicative but left the place in a terrible mess.  Disappointed. We would not host again.

[Kathryn43]

Thanks @City-Limits-Ranch0 wasnt sure how to word it that's really helpful.  

[Dawn232]

I am in the same boat. And when I look on abnb to put in a claim, there is not option. No home button. So i cannot figure out how to put the claim in, This last group left garbage all over in and outside, animals go into it. They wrecked my grill. The oven is disgusting. They ripped a matress cover and left food to rott. So where do I go to report.  My biggest frustration on ABNB is no customer service. I can't call anyone. PLEASE HELP

thanks all. 

Dawn/ Poconos

[Jennifer976]

We had a story in the news here where a teenager used her mom's credit card to book an Airbnb house and had a massive party.  Trashed the house and the parents were on the hook for over $40K.  When I heard that I set my damage deposit to the absolute maximum that Airbnb would allow.  It still would have not covered that kind of damage but if you have damages to a wall or a broken TV $100 would not cover it.

[David126]

@Jennifer976

So in Canada a Parent can be held liable for a teenagers action in this sort of situation, do you know if they had to take them to Court?

[Jennifer976]

Yes I do know that and if i remember correctly from the news accounts the parents were held accountable for the damage.  Not sure if the girl was charged or not?

[John1080]

@Kathryn43 What a terrible mess and situation! At this point, if you were able to get everything clean and if you didn't have to pay a cleaning company, I would eat the broken glass and hangers, as from what I hear it will be even more stressful trying to recoup anything from them. 

Leave a short, accurate, but calm review, avoiding anything looking like a rant and give a thumbs down for sure.

Good luck to you!