great guests but then discovered damage which they now claim was already there

[Sandra245]

We have had 17 fantastic experiences with Airbnb both as hosts and guests so it is disappointing that we have finally had a problem.

We hosted a Doctor and his family who were attending their sons wedding nearby. Everything was great - we met them, he communicated well and the house was left very clean and tidy.

3 days later whilst cleaning I discover significant damage to an internal bedroom door, so much so it will have to be completley replaced as it cant even be closed properly. The Doctor has contacted his adult son and daughter in law who stayed in that room and they have replied that it was like that when they arrived. I am 100% sure it was not like that and if it was surely they would have said something !?

I'm going to put in a claim through the resolution centre but I'm at two minds what to do about a review. I think he is probably a good guest ( he is a host himself) but I firmly believe someone in his group is not telling the truth. 

any thoughts or similar experiences ?

[Sandra245]

thanks @Andrea9 yes I would imagine the paper trail through the platform is very useful for Airbnb however you can not send photos through it which is how we have migrated over to normal email - but I do have copies of all of them and can always provide if need be

To be honest we may have written off the cost of the door and chalked it up to experience but it is the compete denial ( which i know is b/s) and now the bullying threats that have really upset me. Sure makes you think hard about whether its all worth it 😕

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

You are too late to put in a claim against the security deposit as this must be done within 48 hours of a guests departure. You would also have to prove they did the damage, and as you say they were perfect guests, and even asked the question of those in the room if they damaged it and they say it was like that during their stay. You have a high burden of proof to achieve to be successful with a claim, and it's your word against theirs. Could it have been done by a previous guest?

[Sandra245]

Latest development - overnight the guest has left a very nice review. Great I guess except he has also included the full address of the house which is our family home and now able to be seen by the entire internet not just approved guests.

Any idea how to get this removed ? Like many others I have spent countless hours trawling this website and the Community Centre and whilst it seems clear this violates content policy for reviews there does not seem to be any way to have it removed.

Help !?

[Andrea9]

@Sandra245 since it's sensitive information you can call ABB and have it removed.

[Maria-Lurdes0]

I'm so sorry @Sandra245, it is of course upsetting to have damage to your house, and from what you've written here it sounds like you are very house proud.

As a host I want my guests to treat my place(s) with respect, and if they damage something, to let me know so that we can figure things out. As a guest, I want to have a great stay, and I want to not have accusations that I damaged something.   So where do you find a good middle ground?   In this case, you have no hard proof that these particular guests caused this damage.   You can make some deductions (you didn't notice it after last guests) but unless you have physical proof, you're stuck.  

It's two pages back and I read it quickly, but it sounds like your first impression was that these were good & responsible guests?   If that's correct, can you live with giving them the benefit of the doubt and undertake the expensive repairs on your own?  

It sounds like the situation has escalated to a point where you now can't really backtrack.   You'll have to figure out where you go from here.   I can only share my experiences.  I've had damages in my places and where I can't totally prove it was as a result of a guest, I fix it.  If I had damage done on camera, if I absolutely knew with pictures of before and after - maybe then I'd push it through the resolution system.    

The only time that I've ever asked for guest damages is after smoking in my apartment where I SAW them smoking and Airbnb still denied the claim.... 

Best of luck to you with your situation!