Hola @Judy185,
I’m sorry to hear about your latest experience with Airbnb guests.
Although as Hosts, we try to prevent such occurrences from happening, these types of situations seem to be popping up more rampantly on Airbnb. In the hotel and property management industry, however, this has been happening for YEARS.
I learned quite a bit during my 15 years in these industries and the first thing you need to do in this type of situation is take photos, lots of photos, and log it. If you are able to obtain an estimate of the damage and replacement costs, that may also be very helpful in trying to obtain a settlement for the damages.
Next, you will need to submit a claim.
If you added a Security Deposit to your listing, you can make a claim on your security deposit in the Airbnb Resolution Center within 14 days of your guest’s checkout date or before the next guest checks in, whichever is earlier.
Here is the link for more info: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140/how-does-airbnb-handle-security-deposits
If your guest agrees to the amount you requested, Airbnb will send you a payout between 5 to 7 business days. If your guest declines or doesn't respond within 72 hours, you have the option to Involve Airbnb in your Resolution Center case.
Here is a link that details what happens if a host makes a claim on guests’ security deposit: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/352/what-happens-if-a-host-makes-a-claim-on-my-security-deposit
Hopefully, host and guest will come to an agreement, and this issue will be resolved.
If you don’t have a Security Deposit listed, it might be something to consider adding to your listing for future mishaps. Here’s the link on how to do this: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/59/how-do-i-add-a-security-deposit-to-my-listing.
If you did not have a Security Deposit in place when this guests’ reservation was booked, perhaps you can file a claim with your own insurance. Also, speak with the guest, some guests will surprise you and offer a resolution themselves.
Finally, if you have a question about Airbnb policies or how the product works, ask the host community for help on the Help Board or check out the Airbnb Help Center. Usually any questions you have regarding Airbnb Policies and procedures can be found in the Help Center.
Otherwise, if you do not find the answer you seek in this board, check out the other boards available in the Community Forum, including the Host Circle where discussions are private to Airbnb Hosts and won't appear in search engine (Google, etc) results.
Here are the links:
Airbnb Help Center: https://www.airbnb.com/hosting/help
Airbnb Help Board: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/bd-p/Community-Help-EN
There are ways you can try to prevent this from happening again and if you would like further assistance I’m happy to help.
In the meantime, I’m sorry that you had to go through this experience and I hope everything works out in the end.
Hope this is helpful!
Happy Hosting!
Izzie, Co-Host
LOV Puerto Rico
