Host Advice, Sofa Damage

[William1697]

Hello, I'm fairly new to hosting.

I dont feel like my place was respected by my first guest (4 people total)

The back door was left slightly open so anyone could look through the screen door, bugs, etc. (Against my house rules and checkout instructions)

Burn stains on my sofa slipcover. And pillows all over the floor.

Should I report the burn stain damage to Airbnb and give a bad review, or bite it and just move on?

[Linda108]

Welcome to this platform and this community forum.  You have a very well appointed listing.  You are wondering how to respond to some guest behavior and damage.  Guests often do not follow the rules of a listing.  You have to decide if the rule breaking is worth mentioning in your review and whether you would host them again and recommend the guest to other hosts.  That is all you will get for rule breaking.  As to damage, you must follow the protocols as outlined in the Help Center articles about making a damage claim, which in your case are burn stains.  Because the damage claim process requires you to contact the guest first to advise of the damage and the cost associated with your claim, and you must do that before any other guests arrive, you will more than like trigger a negative review as your first review.  Is the cost of the damage worth doing that?  If so, then by all means go for it.  If not, then allow some damage costs to be included in your budget.  Then wait until the end of the review period, 14 days after check out, to write a negative review about the guest behavior.

Often damage is as a result of accidents that are innocent and the guests conduct themselves beautifully otherwise.  I use the private message part of the review process to address my concerns so the guest can gain from my feedback.

As to how you vet guests that are compatible with your listing, I would recommend you do not use Instant Booking until you have a good feel for who might come through your door.  Don't accept guests that do not have reviews until you have more experience yourself.  Meanwhile, keep coming back to this forum and using search terms, read about dealing with guests from real hosts.   Good luck!!

[Colleen253]

…”and you must do that before any other guests arrive,”

@Linda108 @William1697 The process has changed and we now have 14 days to make a claim, regardless of next guest check in. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/resources/hosting-homes/a/introducing-aircover-469

[Colleen253]

@William1697 You should absolutely leave an honest review to warn future hosts. Leaving a place unsecured shows a huge lack of care and attention, and the burn marks are careless as well. If you don’t allow smoking, double problematic. Just stick to the facts and be brief in your review. For example “X was (insert anything nice you can say) however, the house was left unsecured on checkout, and our house rules were not observed, in regards to smoking, yada yada and blah blah.”

The thing to know about claiming for damages is the claim must be submitted within the 14 day period from booking end, which also happens to be within the open review period. The guest is free to simply deny to pay you damages. Because you claim, they may retaliate with an untrue bad review. Then it goes to Airbnb to decide. Airbnb is loathe to support a host by making the guest pay. Guests make the money for Airbnb. Airbnb wishes to keep guests happy and booking. Only you can decide how to proceed. Many hosts simply avoid claiming for small damages and put some money aside from every booking to cover these things. Raise your rates a bit to do that if you want. 

[Lorna170]

@William1697   Are you a hands on property owner?  Because you have it listed as Bellinger Venture Company, you may find that your guests treat your accommodation more like a hotel room than a home.  Of course, that depends on your goal -- faceless business owner or personal care by host.  Pillows all over the floor - sigh.  Back door left open and not locked?  Guest gets knocked down on their star rating and your simple, concise review is "left the property unsecured". 

Decide what your set point is for damages before going through AirBnB.  If the guest does not respond to your communication about damages or replacement costs for items, is it really enough to go through the "insurance" and risk poor reviews, a guest complaint replete with lies that get you de-listed and cancelled bookings?

I communicate with my guests about damages -- a broken plate, a stained towel, etc.  If they do not respond with payment and if the cost is not greater than X dollars I put it down as the cost of doing business.  I keep records and write if off on my taxes.  I do not bother with AirBnB as their lack of response will just give me a huge headache.  I have my own insurance company for large damages -- like the guest who destroyed the shelves in the refrigerator (who does that?!?).

As to your listing, you don't have living room seating for the four persons that are your guests.  Perhaps that is why there were pillows on the floor.  Is that a loveseat or a couch?  You have no nightstands for guests to use for eyeglasses, cell phone, a lamp for reading or setting up a CPAP.  How is the bathroom shared?  Entry?  How about a description of the apartment instead of how far from this or that place?

I am sorry if your first guests did not meet your standards -- but you may get better guests if you put a little more time into your listing.  Best wishes!