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!

[Ribka2]

Me as well. Exactly the same! We already did the chorus such as : clean the dishes, took out the rubbish and put the used towels into their basket.

And yet she charged us for $3000 for broken bathroom wall! Its soooo insane that we didnt do anything wrong!

We came for holiday (just me, hubby and 2 daughters age 4yo and 5yo), only stay for 2 nights and we only at the house at night only for sleep! How come you charge us with those large amount?

Our mistake is, since we didnt know anything about things like this, we dont make any videos before and after we check out! We only have video instagram stories about the living room and bedroom.

Strange thing is, her house is full everyday... how we know that its really our mistakes? Not the guest before and after us? Or maybe its her fault indeed.

Airbnb host really do some SCAM!

Guys please better choose HOTEL than someone else's house! Really really really traumatic for us!

Remember you evil host! what goes around will comes around! Remember it!

place: phillip island, australia

beware!!

[Jamie1406]

This just happened to us with our recent stay in Biloxi, MS.  We took out the trash, ran the dishwasher, and tidied up the home before we left but the host claimed we broke furniture and items that were broken when we arrived.  The hosts housekeeper entered our Airbnb during our stay but lied about it afterwards.  I’m trying to get Airbnbs support team to help me with this but I’m not finding much resolution.  I’ve declined the hosts requests for payment.  This host even went as far as taking furniture apart trying to claim we broke it.  Sad to see hosts like this ruin Airbnb - I’ve used this platform for years but will avoid it in the future.  

[Iuliana312]

Hello,

I am dealing with this now. It’s been going for 2 weeks already and it’s super tiring. 
After checking in, it didn’t cross my mind to take photos. The house was moldy and smelled like sewage and I was focused on dealing with that with the host. In the end I left earlier and complained to Airbnb and they refunded me 1/3.

now the host responded with a “property damage” request for the same amount of the 1/3 that I got reimbursed!!

this is so ridiculous I cannot believe it’s happening g in 8 years of using the platform. 
so now I have an open case again with Airbnb, and will be again stressed out with phone calls and proving the house was in reality bad and the host is a bully.

[Aisling63]

We have just encountered the same issue. We checked out of an apartment on we loved in Glasgow on 3/7/25 for my daughter's graduation. We tidied and cleaned the lovely apartment as we always do and I  left host a great review as he did for me. I have 26 previous airbnb bookings with positive feedback from hosts.  As I checked out, I texted him as requested to let him know we had left and also mentioned that the balcony door was difficult to close. He thanked me for letting me know and said it was np and he would get the cleaner to sort it out.

24 hours later on 4/7/25, he whatsapped me with a copy of an engineer's report on damage to the lock and a quote for £960 and asked me to take responsibility. Hats off to anyone who can get an engineer out for assessment and report furnished less than 24 hours later!  He also claims he has a video of the door opening and closing properly. That sounds dubious and also implies that if he feels he has to video a heavy balcony door functioning that he knows there is an issue existing. The entire apartment building was undergoing remedial works and I also scrolled through his previous positive reviews and found a few mentions of issues with the balcony door and latches. I  feel he waited for my positive review before making this claim. I deny any damage and feel insulted at the accusation. I am discussing this with Airbnb and going through the resolution process. 

[Helen3]

Hi @Aisling63 

you would be better creating a new post rather than tagging onto an old post from 2022 as more people will see it .

im sorry you had this difficult experience.

in your situation I would reply and say 

1. you raised the issue of the problem with the issues with the balcony door on check out (it's normally best to mention these issues when you discover them on check in) that the host acknowledged the issue and thanked you for letting them know.

2. the host left you a five star review acknowledging you were a great guest and hadn't created any issues at the property 

3. it's therefore shocking to receive a request to repair the balcony door less than 24 hours later with an engineers report via whats's app (what date does it say on their report /have you checked the company exists/why do they need an engineers report for a balcony door)  wonder why the host is not keeping all communications on Airbnb

4. That it is not acceptable for the host to try and charge you for damage that was there on check in and should be covered by themselves 

5. you have 21 positive reviews from previous stays 

personally I would withdraw your positive review .

[Susan6327]

The same thing is happening to me right now in California. Stayed at an Airbnb in Newport Beach, we had no hot water in one of the bathrooms upon arrival, so I messaged the host.  The host didn’t respond so we messaged her again with no response. Then five days into our day, she sent a plumber who couldn’t fix the problem.  The house never offered an explanation or an apology.  so I asked for a refund of $500 after my stay.  Airbnb actually awarded me $1057 for the lack of hot water.  a few days later, the host filed a complaint against me for $800, submitting pictures of beer, cans piled on the kitchen counter, a broken beach chair, saying that it cost $275 dollars to put a slider back on the track, and saying that we soiled four different bed linens!!  I had a couple of pictures that I felt proved my innocence on one or two of claims.  However, Airbnb is telling me that since my pictures were on the last day of my stay that they are invalid!  They are asking for pictures taken during the stay!  What the heck?  wouldn’t pictures that were taken the day you left be the best?  This is so disheartening.  Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.  I’m pretty sure the receipt she submitted from a handyman is fake!  What do I do?

[Joan2709]

@Susan6327 

So sorry this happened....

Since we don't have knowledge of content of your discussions with the Host or Airbnb it's hard to comment.

I will say I haven't heard of Airbnb saying photos taken on the last day of the stay aren't valid? You didn't say what the photos were of and how they proved your innocence?

It does sound like it the issue was isolated to one bathroom, so there were other bathrooms available for use that did have hot water? Was this a large group staying at the home? 

If you discovered there was no hot water upon arrival, and messaged the Host with no response from the host in a timely fashion, then it's best to contact Airbnb for assistance that day. You did say a plumber did arrive to address the issue (5days later).

You did admit there was "piled up beer cans and damage to a beach chair"  Were you aware of the beer cans and damaged beach chair when you checked out?

[Jennifer5368]

I am currently battling false claims of damage we absolutely did not cause and am very disappointed that Airbnb has initially sided with a host.  We have appealed but are considering legal consultation as they can;t have proof of people smoking (claim) when no one smokes and they also claimed we urinated on a mattress - which is insulting and absurd for an adult (no kids/pets) stay, however there was a water leak from a bathroom second floor into a mattress which I reported and took pics of both the ceiling and bed  in the Airbnb message thread during the stay.  This is beyond upsetting and I feel preyed upon by the host.  No one has shown us evidence connecting anything to us so I am rapidly losing faith and it seems anything can be claimed without meaningful connective proof.  

[Joan2709]

@Jennifer5368 

So sorry this happened...

Normally, the Host must provide proof that there was smoking inside or outside the unit (usually video/photos and proof like cigarette butts).

What was the cause of the water leak on the second floor? What did the Host say when you discovered the water leak and reported it to them? 

[Jennifer5368]

Thanks.  The room above the bedroom was a master bath and we suspect the tub or shower as it leaked worse after use of one of those.  We reported it immediately close t around midnight and the host replied he'd have someone look atit that was already coming out to the plethora of other issues we had already reported.  My husband spend 40 min working wit a maintenance man trying t help discover the source so the owner would know.  We were dealing with a property manager who did not seem to think it was an emergency and the maintenance man pointed out old water stains and said, this isn't new and proceeded to tell my husband this property manager has multiple properties that are not that well maintained.  We were unable to keep using a main bed and stopped using the tub/shower in effort to not make it worse ( as we would hope someone would do for us).  The host had no concern that we gave up use of these things.  I took picture sof the water dripping through the ceiling and the water spot on the bed sheets to show where it was leaking and all this is in aIrbnb message center with the host.  The host posted a random pic of a watermark on a mattress without any indication of when or where it came from.

Only after we declined payment did the host let add a close up picture of a rug wit a cigar on it.  Again, no indication of where or when and of our guests we had 2 with sinus surgery and the rest with allergies and no smokers or anyone that could tolerate it.  IThe pictures are laughable and could be from the internet or staged or from one of the many mattresses on their many properties.  The host told us NOT to remove sheets that the leaning staff preferred to do that.......now I know why.  

Late last night after appealing this ridiculous claim and noticing on Host airbnb Aircover insurance that the first two things it says hosts can get reimbursed for are stains and smoke.....I felt even more upset.  They are either trying to use us or Airbnb Aircover to pay for whatever they want, but I know 100% that we did not do either of these things claimed.  I am shocked that Airbnb sided with them initially and don't see how I would have the confidence to rent again knowing hosts can prey on you like this.  It's been going on for close to a month and has been very distressing to be treated like some ignorant lying guest.  What protections are in place for guests for hosts like this???  I don't want anyone else to be at the hands of this property manager!