@Robin4
Yes, I can see their logic. Nonetheless, it's flawed, as there's no effective or guaranteed means of holding the guest to account, by Airbnb's own definition. And in practice... Well, you already know.
So, we're left with having to take control of it ourselves. And it's been very effective so far. And without Airbnb's "help".
Our last guest who was required to pay a deposit checked out yesterday. Despite about 30€ in damages, they received their deposit in full.
Why? It was a group of seven 20 year old males. Very high risk. But they left the house in excellent condition, after having paid over 4500€ in total (including Airbnb commissions and tourist taxes, not including the hefty security deposit).
Yes, they partied all night long most nights (amongst themselves - we have logs of the in/out traffic, and what energy they're consuming 24 hours per day which was large), they broke a few minor things, but considering their overall contribution, I just chalk it up to the cost of doing business.
However, had I not imposed the deposit, it's all but a certainty that these boys would have absolutely no motivation to avoid damage or bother to clean at all. But they did. And that validates the whole method.
I suspect some hosts file damage claims against their "host guarantee" for the equivalent of 30€. Probably get it paid, too. But that just bogs down the system and invites host-guest contention. Hardly worth it.
So, it works, despite Airbnb. They haven't written a review yet, but I expect something from them after I write my review of them, which will be good. Theirs will very likely be 5* across the board. They were really, genuinely delighted with everything and are already making plans to return.
Everybody wins, everybody happy.
So, go ahead; penalise me for that 😉