Guests trashed our cabin, is this common?

[Cheryl133]

Last weekend we had our very first rental at our cabin in South Lake Tahoe.  We worked on it for over 7 months to make it a nice relaxing getaway to enjoy.  Cabin is very small...630 sq ft. 

His request was for 4 adults.  Our max occupancy is 4.  I responded to be sure he understood it has one queen and two twins.  He stated no problem they were going to be hiking around the lake and would be outside most of the time.  They arrived Friday.  Held a large party.  Neighbors didn't notify us until Saturday afternoon and we have an hour drive to get there.  There were 8 men there and 4 cars.  Cabin was completely trashed.  Vomit everywhere, they stole items from cabin, chunk of wood out of baseboard, pipe insulation pulled off hot water heater.  It was unbelievable and devastating. 

Is this common?  We have more reservations scheduled.  Not sure what to do.  

[David126]

I am not sure how common it is, obviously people post when this happens and not when it does not.

Not sure I would use the AirBnb system for such a listing as there is no effective security deposit.

There is the Host Guarantee, but many people have reported difficulties in making a claim and a full settlement seems very unusual.

[Farah1]

@Cheryl133 you have a beautiful cabin!

I agree with @David126 . I think Airbnb might not be the best platform for an entire place where you do not live near the site or close to the site. You can always install an outdoor security camera, but this does not guarantee that anything like this will not happen again.

For right now, you can try calling airbnb and explain the situation. Take as many photos as possible as proof and claim it through the resolution center with estimate/quote for any damage that occurs.

[Joanna85]

I recommend if you want to continue hosting, have someone meet the guests to check them in or, if possible, get some cameras around the property so you can keep tabs on what's going on.  I cannot imagine doing this if someone is not present or having met the guests as they arrive.  You might find Airbnb needs video proof of what happened to make good on a claim,and that would totally suck for you the very first time out of the gate.  Not every guest is awful, but people like to push the envelope.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

We have a 2000square foot place right outside Palm Springs. A few weeks ago, we hosted a group of "Urban Youth" at our place. We clearly say "max 6 guest" in our listing. Imagine our surprise when Five car loads of both males & females arrived for a visit? We can't assume and be judgmental right! Some of our "new Friends" were dressed  in their favorite NFL team jerseys and one of the females was dressed in what can best be described as a black one piece swim suit that had been sliced with a razor. A couple of these guest were obvious supporters of the 2nd amendment as evidenced by the 9mm &.40caliber shell casings left in our backyard . We sat in awe as a a rhythmic line of ants unloaded dj equipment, enough food to have a wedding reception for 50 and enough liquor to start a Honky Tonk with open bar and live band. Every single square inch of the floor in every single room had some type of food on it when they left. It had to be the exact same way the LA Coleseum looked when George Clinton & The Parliment Funkadelicas landed the mothership , it was nasty. The housekeeper said it took five hours just to clean the floors and they left huge aluminum serving trays with half eaten food all over the house. They yanked the shower control off the wall causing a huge flood that went into one of the bedrooms. They didn't even have the decency to draw the shower curtain, so the water didn't spray all over the floor. They broke a bench seat from the dining table and "Brady Bunch" broke a vase. I made about $80 on that weekend after paying for clean up and damage. You won't get anything from Airbnb when you file a claim, it's a joke. I used to wonder why host were "very selective" when renting their space, now I know. 

[David126]

@Rene-and-Zac0

Why did you let them on the property?

[Rene-and-Zac0]

It happened in waves. It was five car loads but not all at once and the sound was never a factor, it was the aftermath. We are new to the business and we learned a valuable lesson that day. I will add though, they were very polite in communication but obviously they didn't care about the house or any rules. The lack of support from Airbnb was a huge eye opener as well. Never again. 

[Cheryl133]

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[Cheryl133]

Wow that is horrible.  We are currently considering just not renting it at all.  We thought it would be nice to share our little cabin with people that would enjoy South Lake Tahoe the way we do.  

[Andrea893]

What do you mean by "urban youth" and that you will be more selective now? How do you plan on doing that? 

[Cheryl187]

OMG are you trying to imply that these poor people are racist??     You are missing the whole point.      

[Sharon272]

Major complaint with Airbnb is that you never get paid for damage. Lucky if the Resolution centre even reply.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

Update to this, I ended up getting $130 for the benchin a resolution. I went to the thrift store and got two maroon end chairs for $19 each at the thrift store. Chairs Shown in my listing pics now. So I ended up with $170 at the end of the day. But never ever again will I host a ‘party crew”.

‘You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Cheryl133 - Call Airbnb immediately!  Tell them what has happened, that you found 8 guests on the property and that they have left major damage and theft.  Take pictures - lots of them.  Hopefully you have before pictures as well.  Open up a Resolution Center case right now, before you host anyone else.  If you cannot host them before you can get things back to normal, tell Airbnb because they will need to be rehoused.  Let them help you.  IF you think the damage is going to exceed $300 - get the police out right now for a report (A police report is encouraged in all cases and is required for payment requests that exceed $300 USD.)

READ ALL OF THIS!!!!  https://www.airbnb.com/guarantee

https://www.airbnb.com/terms/host_guarantee

How do I submit an Airbnb Host Guarantee payment request?

To submit a Host Guarantee payment request, read through the terms and conditions of the Host Guarantee, then contact your guest to notify them of your complaint—often hosts and guests resolve issues on their own via our Resolution Center. If you and your guest aren’t able to come to an agreement, update your case in the Resolution Center accordingly. Gather as much documentation as possible to submit to Airbnb, including photos, receipts, a police report, and any other documentation that proves ownership, damage, or estimates the fair market value of items damaged. Once we receive sufficient information, we will review all documentation and evaluate the payment request under our Host Guarantee terms and conditions.

Let us know how things turn out and sorry that you are having to go through this.  People suck sometimes. 

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

um... is your place really an extra $300 per guest after the first one or is this a typo?