Help! Potential Retaliation By Guest for Host's Damage Reimbursement Request

[Dawn939]

Hi, I discovered my recent guests caused a significant scratch on my dining table that is very visible. It was in excellent condition with no scratches prior to her stay, so we noticed it immediately. I am concerned that if I submit a request to this guest for reimbursement for the damage through Airbnb's Resolution team, that she could post a retaliatory negative review of her stay. The root issue is the timing for submitting the request: in order to get protection from AirCover, the host must submit the request that the guest cover the damage "within" 14 days of check out. However, the guest (and the host) can leave a review of their stay up to 14 days "after" their checkout. I was told by an Airbnb support ambassador today that I must submit my request today to be within the 14 day window, however, the guest could leave a retaliatory negative review tomorrow after being notified by Airbnb of my request for reimbursement for the damage she caused.

Can anyone shed light on this through past experience or let me know if the timeframes for the request and the review that I noted above are accurate? I have until midnight tonight if they are accurate. I am a new host and go out of my way to ensure my guests have a great experience and thus far have only 5 star reviews. FYI, this guest has not yet posted a review to my knowledge. I haven't been notified of that by Airbnb and the 14 days has not elapsed. Also after check out she texted me saying they had a great time.

Thanks so much!!

[Fred13]

@Dawn939 Is it necessary to even leave a review, or do you feel one is warranted by the presence of the scratch? I wonder if the guests even are aware of it, may have happened as they left.

[Dawn939]

@Fred13 I wasn't planning to leave a negative review of the guests because I didn't know if they were aware of the scratch before they checked out. My point is that Airbnb needs to reconsider the timing for submitting an AirCover claim and the timing for posting reviews to mitigate the risk of a (false) retaliatory negative review being posted by the guest who caused the damage. The issue is the timing required for submitting an AirCover claim and for submitting a host review are the same (14 days after checkout). When a host submits a damage claim within the 14 day window required by Airbnb, the guest immediately is notified of the claim by Airbnb and that the host is requesting funds from the guest to pay for the damage. This would occur within the 14 day window for a guest to leave a review of their stay. Therefore, a bad actor guest has the opportunity to leave a false negative review of their stay in retaliation for the host's AirCover damage claim against them.

This happened to an AIrbnb host whose guest caused severe smoke damage to her rental. She notified Airbnb that the review was untrue (she had other evidence to support the request) and Airbnb refused to delete the false negative review. This host had to plead with the guest to remove it, which thankfully in her case they ultimately did.

[Fred13]

That is insane, it is like the host is hostage to the principle that - 'Only if the host stays silence will we write it swell'.