Fake damage claims from the host

[Sandra4965]

Hello airbnb community,

I was wondering if anyone had false damage accusations against them after their stay?

I have booked a flat in Bergen to celebrate my dad’s 55th birthday with the family. We have cleaned the dishes, took out the rubbish, gathered used towels and cleaned the surfaces for the flat to look presentable. 

After our departure from the property landlord opened a case for severe damages i.e. deep damage to the counter, paint on the walls, missing glasses and the key fob missing from the key ring, floors being sticky from spilled alcohol and so on. He is claiming over £4,000 in damages that we didn’t do!

every other day last week and this week he comes back with yet additional damages and this sets me to have panic attacks, as this is just absurd! It was a quiet weekend away with the family and NOT a house party for 20 teenagers! And my reviews during the time I have signed up for Airbnb is spotless: all precious hosts have mentioned me being clean and respectful guest.
I can see some pictures being fake and I have already reported it to Airbnb.

Did anyone have similar experience and how you dealt with it?

I am considering even reporting it to the police.

Any recommendations or advise would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

[Clare608]

I am going through the exact same thing. £1000 damage claim from a host for something we never did. A COMPLETELY opaque "process" from Airbnb. They never reply. Never call back. Provide no information. Last time we use.

[Irene1509]

@Sandra4965  I recently became a victim of a similar scam with a property in Prague, where the host submitted false damage claims, alleging that we broke the bath pipe and the door lock during a family gathering with my elderly parents. I have already submitted a formal complaint to Airbnb, highlighting the host’s fraudulent and dishonest behavior, but I have yet to hear back. How did you approach resolving and fighting this kind of scam?

[Oleksandr71]

Me wife and I also recently was also false accused in damage. The hosts accused us of damaging kitchen top and asked us to pay $532. We were deeply saddened because when we left an apartment we left everything in order, nothing was damaged. We never had negative experience before. Therefore we didn’t shot video either when we enter or when we were leaving. The host in the beginning asked me to write a review. After that she falsely accused us. I was shocked. 

After that incident I started to read all information about Airbnb and false accusations in damages . I found this topic and it disheartened me, because I thought the Airbnb would support false accusations. 

After Airbnb support got in touch with us, I explained everything as it was, stayed open for communication. 

After I received a letter that the case was solved in my favor. I don’t need to pay for the alleged damage. I hope Airbnb also will protect other clients from our dishonest host. 

I wrote this post to encourage others who don’t believe in the support. In my case I was protected from fraudulent extortion 

[Henry835]

I’m currently going through something similar - the host seemed distant throughout the whole process and didn’t know about the current state of their Airbnb. Then on checkout they fraudulently claimed $1700 worth of damage. It’s a total scam and I’m hoping Airbnb removes the host from the system.

[Sonya231]

YES!!!!!!! I've provided pictures showing I did not do the damages and STILL they try telling me they believe the host and that the host is entitled to damages! PICTURES! THEY ARE LIARS THEY ARE THIEVES! It's the first and last time I've ever used Airbnb! And since I have pictures stating that I didn't do these damages every single time I reopen the claim they close it within 24 to 48 hours!  Without even telling me!!!!!!!

[Lorina14]

@Sonya231 

Have you tried to escalate the issue to their managers? Ask to speak to a manager and insist till they transfer you to someone who has the authority to do something other than read the ticket and close the ticket. I know it sometimes appears the reps are maybe rewarded for closing tickets as things don’t get addressed then the ticket is closed. I’ve just had to call back and insist - cite the previous ticket number and ask to speak to a manager.

[Sonya231]

I have elevated the problem so far up that I can't even reply anymore! I hit the reply button now and it just takes me into the front page of the app! I have opened my claim  5 different times with pics forwarded! The last time I reopened the claim they didn't even respond they just closed it like they did the previous claims..

[Lorina14]

@Paula 

Could you also support by sending Sonya to the right team for support? She has pics that she didn’t do the damage and her case keeps getting closed. Thanks!

[Swati41]

TLDR; I am seeking a lawyer preemptively.

I'm going through the same situation as I speak. I booked an Airbnb with my family in Marseille. The apartment had several maintenance issues, including a broken shower head, a faulty toilet door lock, and a cracked sink. The host had mentioned that upkeep had been delayed due to a busy schedule, but these problems still impacted our stay.

After we checked out, the host accused us of causing damage to the sink, despite the issues already present when we arrived. He contacted us directly, outside of Airbnb's platform, and insisted on the claim without providing clear evidence that the sink was in perfect condition before our stay. This situation turned our family trip into a stressful ordeal, as we were left to dispute a charge that lacked substantial proof. 

Airbnb handled this situation very poorly. Despite my detailed account and evidence showing the apartment's pre-existing issues, Airbnb sided with the host without providing me with any clear reasoning or timestamped evidence to support their decision. Their investigation felt opaque and arbitrary, as the decision to uphold the host’s claim appeared suddenly on the backend, with no prior communication explaining their reasoning via email.

Airbnb’s support team failed to address my concerns about the lack of proof from the host and ignored my requests for a fair review of the evidence. It seemed like they were more focused on closing the case quickly rather than conducting a thorough, transparent investigation. The whole experience has left me feeling unsupported as a guest, with little recourse to challenge unfair accusations or defend myself against unsubstantiated claims. 

[Lorina14]

@Swati41 

I’m sorry about what happened. Unfortunately it appears recently that more fake host and guest claim stories are negatively impacting the trust for Airbnb and their platform. 

The only thing I’ve noticed from people who have gotten out of situations such as these are that you notify the host on the app/Airbnb website and take pictures of the damage within 24 hours of check in and then notified customer service about the issue as well. They say you should try to allow the host a reasonable time to address the situation, then escalate it.

One of the best suggestions has been the following: for guests - take a video of a walk through of the space once you enter the space and another one when you leave as proof if there is an issue later. For hosts: it is recommended that they do the same to protect them from fraudulent guest claims trying to get discounts or free nights for damages that were not present. It’s sad that it has come to this as I don’t currently do this but reading all these horror stories of fake claims and investigations that don’t appear to be fair are making me reconsider. 

@Rebecca, @Paula @Elisa (community managers that moderate the boards but are not directly customer service)  - can you assist Swati and the other people on this thread by notifying the correct teams to address their issues?

[Paula]

Hello @Lorina14, thank you so much for tagging the community managers' team.

I have shared @Swati41's case with the relevant team, and they should be in contact if any other details are requested.

Regards,

[Swati41]

Hello Lorina,

Thank you for your advice and support. I have never been involved in an issue like this and have admittedly I have never taken pictures or videos at check-in. My record has been clean and has only had good reviews for over 6 years. This host mentioned the state of his bathroom needing renovation at the time of check-in. I speak little French and my husband was the main point of contact for him. Since he had already alluded to the unkempt state of his bathroom we thought the sink was also a product of his deferred maintenance. Interestingly though, when I responded to the host that this was present already and we didn’t think much of it because of his earlier comment - he told us to “just be decent people and accept the damage you caused - there is insurance for this anyway”. He seemed convinced that the money would not be coming out of my pocket. He also mentioned to me he doesn’t care which guest did it as there is no need to prove that. He’ll simply report when “ his cleaner finds the damage”. 

unfortunately, I only took pictures at the time of checkout and sent them to the host to say we were respectful and left the place as per his instructions and went above and beyond. This host went on a retaliatory barrage and even wrote in a review that I "left  pee stench that he couldn't clean in his toilet, poop everywhere, destroying his property with an insane amount of sand" etc.

The fact that one news network in France has also reported about it is further proof of hosts abusing this system thinking Insurance can cover anything. https://www.francetvinfo.fr/internet/airbnb/reportage-heureusement-j-avais-des-preuves-des-locataire...

I find it jarring that Airbnb can say to me that they “think twice before attributing any blame to a party” and “have determined that I am responsible” for the damage based on one picture of a broken sink. The said picture is the ONLY picture shared by the host/Airbnb. 

Airbnb would essentially like me to prove a “negative” which is the proof that I did not do something. At least in court, the host bears the burden of proof.

Regarding my taking a check-in and checkout video, I’d like this to be sent as a notified reminder to both the guest and the host by Airbnb - as this is not something that is not normally practised - especially when checking in at 10 pm. I believe this would greatly reduce the volume of such dragged-out claims.

For the benefit of discussion, I’d like to propose if let’s say a host determines that I broke his coffee machine. But I never used it and even when I took a video I didn’t notice it was non-functional - what is my liability here? The host can still provide proof that it’s non-functional - but how will I ever know that if I don’t drink coffee and never use it during my three-day stay? 

Similarly, how can I think any different if the host tells me that the plaster is peeling off his bathroom and one of the shower heads is non-functional - that a hairline crack in the sink (otherwise functional and not interfering with my use of the sink) is any different and needs to be reported? Are we to be hyper-aware and critical of every host's property so that to never have this problem while using Airbnb? Does this not take away from the pleasantness of the stay? Would a host not respond to us by saying "This is not a 5-star hotel" sarcastically (which he did in a review to me as I complained about the lack of proper pillows and just one blanket for 5 people)? 

I raised the case of the missing pillows, and obviously, the response from Airbnb was to close my case with no response. So while I am struggling with basic amenities at an Airbnb (please correct me if pillows and blankets are not essential by the definition of Airbnb) - I should also be raising complaints about the broken latch on the toilet, blocked shower head, chips and cracks in a sink and dust under the couch bed to protect myself from any future claim that I did had a hand in destroying a property. Very well.

How does Airbnb expect guests who are visiting a house for a couple of days/hours to be so mission-critical about their host's house and report every issue under the roof to Airbnb, lest we are held responsible? This is where I think Airbnb lacks transparency towards guests and why the rest of us here are complaining. 

[Lorina14]

@Swati41 

If you use the @ sign before a persons screen name they will get notified when there is a response to their post. I’m sorry about your experience. It sounds like this host has learned to “game” the system to try and get aircover to pay for maintenance that he should pay for regardless that he doesn’t know who did the damage to the sink.

You are correct, pillows and blankets are basic necessities and if you complain to customer service, you should be able to get a discount on every night you are lacking the basic necessity (or an amenity that was advertised but not provided by the host). I hope everything is documented on Airbnb messages as that seems to have incriminated the host with their rude commentary to you about it getting paid somehow regardless of who caused it.

It is true one cannot predict how a host may act and I myself am not a coffee drinker so would have an issue if I was accused of breaking a coffee maker that I did not use. 

It is not Airbnb policy to video before and after stays but it would probably prevent a whole lot of headaches and false accusations or people trying to get free nights stay or free money for repairs. I myself have never done a video before or after a stay and we have never had issues. 

I think Airbnb needs to have a board of guests and hosts to work on this issue so the false accusations can stop and we can go back to having good host and guest experiences. I believe it is a big problem in France as I’ve read a few threads about it in the community center. It is also a problem in the US. It is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed soon or trust in the experience and the company will continue to erode regardless if there are good hosts providing a welcoming clean space to stay.

[Mary1523]

I agree with your comments.

I'm so glad people are sharing their experiences. It is eye opening for a host like me who tries to do the right thing, and never has claimed on AirCover. We have our own house insurance for the occasional serious incidents, which are far and few between. We have lots of maintenance issues but thats on us with a property that is not new. IT does feel like that this Aircover is driving unscrupulous behaviour by some hosts and that airbnb needs to fix this asap as it's breaking their brand trust.

It would be interesting to see with all these experiences, what was the general rating of the hosts? How can one spot them a mile off? I note a pattern in that the host knows how to convince the guest to do review before the 14 day time limit, and then hit them on the 14th day with the claim. 

And the fact that airbnb support team just follows a process ( worst mistake ever by Airbnb to outsource to a 3rd party organisation) means as long as the host knows how, they can game it for success. Us experienced hosts know usually Airbnb always favour the guests on most issues.  Surely Airbnb will see the number of claims jump up in certain countries and start to investigate what has gone wrong with a process that was well intentioned initially, but has been hijacked.

In the meantime, all I can think of is:

-only stay with superhosts (although I lost my status because i had to do one unavoidable cancellation this year and because i only host 2-4 times a month, it was enough to not meet the requirement, if I hosted 10 times a month, it wouldn't have been an issue sigh...) or those with LONG history of hosting and a good rating above 4.8 (note superhosts can have very short history so double check)

-look for properties that have its own host, not run by a management company, lessens the risk. read as much as u can about the host profile, the less info, the bigger the red flag.

-don't go for properties that look standardised, corporate, cheap fitout. its those that tend to be in the airbnb business for the money, not for the hosting good. go for unique/quirky properties that tend to have good intentioned hosts

Here's hoping Airbnb take a look at this process they put in, because clearly not working as intended

My thoughts with those having been impacted, I'm honestly not sure what I would do and I'm an experienced host, if I was that in position to feel so powerless.

[Artjoms1]

Hi Swati,

My wife went to Europe last month to meet with her parents and sister. She rented an Airbnb apartment to stay with her family and fell for the same scam. She's been brushed off by Airbnb support who referenced a photo of broken sofa leg submitted by host 2 weeks after checkout. Law wasn't my major, but still I believe what Airbnb does here is opportunistic.

There is an Airbnb Enforcement Action from July 2019 available on European Commission's website which raises concern over the collection of damages process saying that "...the collection of evidence, the burden of proof and damage compensation should comply with the relevant rules on jurisdiction and applicable law." Under Airbnb's Implemented Changes in the same section the document says: "Airbnb has clarified that it will comply with the applicable statutory rules on the burden of proof.", which means each case requires proving the existence of damage, causation, and liability. 

Try to to push Airbnb back with this and claim proper proof on all 3 key elements. I'm doing same and in few days will find out if it does any good. In the meantime here is the link to the document. Damages section is the last one:

https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2019-07/airbnb_factsheet.pdf