host guarantee program

[Basil1]

Hi All

Happy to be a part of Airbnb!!! I would like to know how the host guarantee program works? If any of the host experienced with the damages from the guest, how the host can claim the damage amount from the guest/through Airbnb host guarantee program?

It would be helpful if hosts can share their expereinces.

Regards

Basil

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

It is really limited to very significant damages  -  you are still required to have your own insurance, and a security deposit in  place. Don't think you can rely on it to replace a broken bed, or damaged towels. Do a search and you will see the type of situation in which it comes into play.

[Robin4]

@Basil1 @Gerry-And-Rashid0 are right! The Host Protection Scheme is a marketing tool! It is of no practical use to you with events that are likely to occur as a result of hosting.

If your property is serverely trashed due to a party hosted by an Airbnb guest and police attendance was required, and you could provide full photo documentation of the damage, and you file a report to the Airbnb Resolution centre with 48 hours...... there 'may' be a possibility that you will get 'some' compensation!

If your guest places a saucepan of heated contents on your kitchen benchtop leaving a scorch mark that requires the replacement of the entire benchtop. If your guests drops a lit cigarette butt onto your outdoor sofa cushion requiring replacement of the cushions to return the suite to its former state....Basil, you will be out of luck, or the amount offered will be a fraction of the actual replacement cost.

You need to set a damage deposit with your listing, and even that can be difficult to obtain if the client gives a half plausable explanation to the resolution centre.

If possible Basil cover yourself with a specific short term hosting insurance, of which there are quite a few popping up around the world now, and make sure this cover will be accepted by your general insurer. Do not let guests use bikes, or any other property of yours that may be used beyond the perimeter of the insured space. And try to 'vet' your guests as far as practical to lessen the risk to you.

But, first and foremost.....forget about the Host Protection Scheme.....there are many on this site who wished they had...cheers.....Rob

[KayKay1]

Airbnb is always on the guests side when it comes to disputes. We'd better off rent our entire homes with another platform.

I have submitted my claim for 2 weeks and haven't heard a word from the host guarantee dept. It's ridiculous how they advertised 1 m host guarantee and can't even decide on my $300 claim of guests causing a plumbing problem. I have all the documentations and receipts submitted. Guests already paid their portion of the security deposit and admitted fault.

It now makes me think Airbnb are trying to avoid the claim. 

[Robin4]

@KayKay1....Sorry to have to say, but as you can see if you go back through the pages of the forum this is a re-curing problem! The Resolution Centre is not so much a resolution centre as a damage minimisation centre as far as hosts are concerned.

For your future hosting try and put a short term insurance policy in place to cover these sorts of things. There are companies in the US who will accept hosting insurance but I am lead to believe they are expensive.

You must have insurance to cover major issues but these days, if you are going to host you can make a considerable amount of money out of it so, it is wisest to make your space as 'guest proof' as possible!

I would suggest you try to minimise your risk of damage as much as practical.....use kitchen bench-top protectors, 'Blue-tac' down valuables that may be in a position to be knocked over, put mattress protectors on your beds, consider the use of alternative floor surfaces to carpets. I know plumbing is a difficult one but, have more inspection points built in so you can remedy blockages easily yourself. I have five inspection points between the guest cottage and the deep drainage, each with a pressure water connection and every so often stuff will get flushed that shouldn't but I have never had to call a plumber when a blockage has occurred!

Increase your listing charge by 10% to cover 'minor' damage that that guests may do. Not every guest will create a problem but by charging that little bit extra, after a while you will have a small bank of maybe up to $500 of funds to cover these occurrences without having to run the gauntlet of dealing with the Resolution Centre.

I know, others will say it's hard enough now to get guests without hiking the price further but, one way or another you are going to have to pay it anyway...If guests want to use your property, they will come!

All the best Kaykay...cheers.....Rob

[Ben105]

From my personal experinece, the Host Guarantee only paid 3% of the $8,300 damage caused by their guest. They also made sure that the $250 I got weren't worth my it by making the process tiring, time consuming, and making the host jump through loops. My impression is that @Robin4 is right and that AirBnB only created The $1,000,000 Host Guarantee for marketing purposes. I posted my question in the community center, not sure what to do, and hoping for an advice.

[Michael502]

Useful discussion. My experience is I had guests who walked off with the TV's - a deliberate and almost certainly repeated scam on airbnb hosts. Roughly a £800 loss to me. Police are investigating.

I  phoned airbnb support while they were here, saying I was worried about them, esp, because airbnb hadn't verified the booking guest whom I couldn't therefore contact  - could airbnb please contact me about this? No reply. [Booking was probably stolen card].

I reported the theft to airbnb afterwards  and have "involved" them, but - 6 weeks later - no contact from Trust & Safety, although Customer Support says my report is logged and supposed to be dealt with soon.

It's pos. that police may be able to produce video evidence of the theft. {Long story].

What do people here think? No hope even so of the Host Guarantee working? (That would not surprise me at all - however a friend of a friend *did* apparently get £ 000's from airbnb when guests majorly trashed place].

[KayKay0]

In response to Michael -

The Airbnb Host Guarantee is more like Host Guaranteed to fail.

I have called and emailed more than 10 times and no one from Trust and safety team ever responded. That seems like a ghost. Everytime I called the customer service they had a bunch of excuse. There's absolutely NO EXCUSE to Not RESPONDING TO MY CLAIM AND LITERALLY IGNORING MY CLAIM. My claim is only under $300 and it's considered a relatively small claim seeing that they can have up to 100,000k. Anyways， it's been almost a month still no news. Will update here how it goes.

YOU BETTER OFF GO WITH ANOTHER ADVERTISING CHANNEL FOR YOUR LISTINGS.

DONT RELY ON ABNB.

THEY IGNORE YOU.

HOST UNFRIENDLY.

[Jan155]

HUGE LIE (marketing ploy)!

I incurred damages totaling over $5,000, and I had provided all photos and documents relevant to build a case. After months of negotiating and time spent fixing all the issues, they offered to cover 10% of the damages (i.e. $500), which is less than the total amount AirBnB has made in commissions from my two month rental (i.e. AirBnB made $800). During the holidays, they gave me 72 hours to accept this, for which we spent those hours pleading our case via e-mail to an AirBnB resolution assistant. As I waited for their final response (i.e. of a series of pre-automated answers with favourable for AirBnB, yet erroneous interpretation of their terms and conditions), they said the case was now closed, and we will receive nothing.

What's worse, before the tenant booked, I confirmed that our damage deposit of $750 would be honoured. After the tenant booked, they said the damage deposit was not registered, but the host guarantee would protect us! Now, nothing has protected us.

[Peggy-And-Mike0]

1. Most of the times these forums get those with negative experiences to comment, rarely do people who've had a good experience take the time unless it was extraordinary.  But it's still scary to read and so I wonder is ANYONE willing to post a positive story about how damages were provided?  

[Michael502]

Oh sorry. See my post above re stolen tv's.  Airbnb eventually paid up more or less in full and even paid for my costs in replacing locks. Over £800. The fact that I had immediately reported the case to police,  and had a police investigation going, with police in contact with airbnb may well have helped.  I felt a responsibility to involve the police, because it was almost certainly a recurrent scam. If it had been merely smaller damage,  like say to sofas, beds or somesuch,  I might not have involved them.

[James--Pad-A-Terre-0]

Trust and Safety department absolutely pathetic.  Completely on the guests' side.  I have submitted receipts for stolen items and they clsoed the case saying there was not 3rd party to testify. Was assured I'd be assigned a different agent, I was hoping a tad more competent.  Nada.  The case has been closed, I am out of pocket and guests who overstayed by one night (no legal licence) have a set of keys to my flat.  ABNB Trust and Safety did not deem it necesary to change the locks. 

Take you business elsewhere is my advice.