First AirCover Claim, Any Tips

[Caleb1]

This process seems a bit vague. 

I'm supposed to request money from the guest who trashed the unit, then wait 24 hours for them to do the obvious thing, refuse to pay, then let Airbnb handle it from there?

We've been Superhosts for a long time, had our first demolish-the-unit guests (and pets), two large un-neutered pit bulls that were highly aggressive.  They destroyed window coverings, rods, a comforter and something that we only found pieces of but aren't sure what the original form was (likely one of the board games).  The host used the bedrooms as a kennel, multiple urine stains on the carpet.  Some of them looked to be several days old (dry and yellow) and several had been covered up by moving rugs and were still wet.  Guest did not give a **, they were just as messy as the dogs.  Trash everywhere, food & beverage containers spread around the floor, stains from spills on the carpet, wiped boogers on the walls, lots of scratches on the doors.  Our no smoking policy was also ignored, but mostly outside.

Our unit clearly says no aggressive dogs, as we have a kiddo and a dog on property.  Luckily we were out of town most of the stay and avoided kid or dog coming in contact with their dogs.  No smoking policy is also clearly stated as well as posted on the entrance to the unit.

I'm not sure yet what the total cost of the damage will be.  We had a guest checking in same day, so we did emergency shampooing on the floor, grabbed a couple quick fixes for the window coverings and swapped rugs.  We host pets but this is the first time we've had accidents on the carpet and I'm concerned now the smell will encourage more.  So far we're about $300 into the additional cleaning and quick patch-up repairs, but I expect we will spend another $600 or so for professional carpet cleaning and another $200 or so for the like-kind replacement of window dressings and minor drywall and paint repairs.  Worst case would be replacing the carpet, which I'm not sure if that's reasonable or not (less of an issue if it had been promptly cleaned, we have supplies in unit and a note asking to let us know if they need help with a spill or accident).

What's the best course of action here?  Should I send the AirCover claim with estimated costs and wait to get funded before spending, or if I go ahead and spend am I likely to get refunded for the full cost of expenses?  Our current guest is OK with the condition of the unit and the temporary fixes, so no lost booking fees and I have 9 days until they depart to sort this out.

[Breanna]

Hi @Caleb1 👋 

What a frustrating situation to be in. What did you decide to do in the end?

[Caleb1 · Accepted solution]

Breanna-

The process has been a nightmare.

We submitted the claim, which was extremely difficult to do in the 3 hours between when we found the damage and getting the unit ready for the incoming guest.  I figured Airbnb would be a good partner and assist us as we worked through the process.  I was DEAD WRONG.

Airbnb is refusing the majority of the claim, which was less than $700.  Even items which were well documented were paid out at 50% of the replacement cost.  Isabel, the representative from Airbnb, closed our claim 5 days ago as 'resolved' without any input from us and has not responded to any emails or communication for us to understand how or why our claim was settled for significantly less than the actual value and nearly two weeks ahead of when we should have been able to continue to administer it.

7 years as a Superhost and one claim for a low dollar amount, this is the way we are treated by Airbnb?  Its crazy.  I can't imagine how bad we would be screwed if someone did more significant damage to our primary residence and how hard Airbnb would fight it.  We're done, we've begun listing our unit on other platforms and will cancel Airbnb guest reservations as other platforms book.

It's really stupid for both sides, but we clearly can't trust Airbnb to be a partner in their own policies.  We can't afford for the day that something more significant happens knowing Airbnb won't stand behind us, so we're out.

[Zheng49]

Yea, AirCover is not very reliable. My AirCover claim was also about 50%. (Initially refused outright). It could use some upgrades.