I work for a real estate investment group. We rent our homes out on Airbnb as well as all the other websites like VRBO & the sites syndicated through MLS like Zillow & Trulia.
You will never have problems like this on any site but Airbnb. For some reason, this platform has become a place where people are used by 3rd parties to book homes for events, music shoots, and parties. It is totally fine to rent your house out for an event, but when someone doesn't inform you of it they are breaking their agreement that Airbnb signed. So Airbnb is responsible for collecting from the guest. Since they make this so difficult with people in different time zones and countries handling your account, they should just relinquish the entire security deposit & set up the site where the owner accepts a deposit & is able to take what is needed. That is how VRBO is set up. There is also a trip insurance policy you may ask your guest to set up & pay for prior to their trip.
Please beware about guests booking for 3rd parties.
I have a note on particular listings that says "IF you misrepresent the nature of your trip you will relinquish your entire deposit." One reason I have this is because I know how much it costs when someone trashes out your house for an event. The other reason is because I don't want uninsured cameramen at the house. They scratch all of the walls. The people who properly film have $2m in insurance, pay for the day, don't spend the night, & use tennis balls on the bottom of all their camera poles. They tell you upfront what they are doing.
I had a woman named Briana book my house & she said only 4 people were coming. She said they were going to dinner & just meeting some of their work colleagues the next day for a meeting nearby.
My neighbors called me when they got home from dinner & said you have to get over here. I drove a half an hour to Toluca Lake & there were 30 "rappers" in my house all saying they were there to film a music video, NOBODY there would admit they knew Briana, there was 1 young woman there who refused to admit if she rented my house. THIS IS 10:30PM & there is also an infant at the house (we do not rent to anyone traveling with children under the age of 2 - wide awake - at this hour? What kind of person brings an infant to a loud, large event this late. Seriously irresponsible.
So this woman Briana, whether she was present or not, allowed all these guys to convince her to use her airbnb account to film a music video & LIED to me saying there were 4 people coming. She is responsible - she was in on it. I told her on the phone NO FILMING, NO EVENTS, NO PARTY.
They refused to leave. I was so busy arguing with them I couldn't get on the phone w/ our alarm system, 911 doesnt come in LA unless someone is dying. So my neighbors called their security company who finally convinced these people to leave. They keep saying "Why do we need to leave, we rented the house on Airbnb?" Refused to tell me their names, they said "if you don't want strangers in your house, then don't use Airbnb."
