How to Fix the Problem of Guests Leveraging Reviews In Damage Reimbursement Situations

[Brian783]

I just left this in the "feeback" tool of Airbnb but thought I'd post it here as well to see if it gains any traction, because it's a bad design in the platform and ends up potentially hurting any user:

I'm a superhost in Caifornia with 14 months on the platform. Recently I have started renting my whole house instead of the individual bedrooms. Both of my recent reservations left significant damage to my property, causing me to use the request for funds and the resolutions center. The first guest is denying responsibility despite the clear evidence I have in photo and video, and we have now gone to the "involve Airbnb" stage.

Despite this, the review process is still open to them. It occurs to me that I'm in quite a vulnerable position, because guests who don't want to pay up for the damage they caused could leave me a bad review and hurt my business, which I have worked extremely hard to build. A host shouldn't be put in the situation where the guest has a hammer to hold over their head if the host asks for reimbursement to the significant damage caused by the guest, and the guest doesn't want to pay.

And here's the real problem: guests who book a whole house often come in a big group, but only one member of the group has an Airbnb profile involved. If some other person in the group damages something when no one else is looking, they are likely to not say anything, because they want to avoid the embarrassment, especially in groups of young people who are coming to party, or when there are little kids involved who don't want to get in trouble with their parents/elders. A kid is more likely to just hide something in a closet and hope it goes unnoticed so they don't get in trouble. Therefore, the individual with the Airbnb profile, who made the reservation, now has to respond to the request for money, even though they ACTUALLY have no knowledge of the damage themselves, because it was someone else in the group who caused it, and they didn't personally notice it before they checked out.

Then the host is in a situation where the individual guest who made the reservation feels attacked and accused of something they didn't do, even though the host has photo evidence that the damage occurred. In that scenario, the guest is likely to leave a bad review, and the offending individual in the group, who did not make the reservation, has literally NO incentive to admit the damage except for their potential concern for their relationship with the individual who made the reservation. Even still, they're more likely to stay quiet, since in a big group it will never come to light who caused the damage, and the situation is so amorphous and removed anyway, especially if people have traveled a long way. That puts a host who has incurred significant damage to their property, but doesn't want a bad review, in a really crappy position.

My recommendation is that you suspend the review process for both parties entirely until the resolution request process has been completed. If the guest pays it within 72 hours, the issue is settled amicably and the review option opens back up for both parties immediately. But if it comes to the "Involve Airbnb" stage, then after the resolution process is completed, Airbnb's neutral team should make a judgment on whether or not either party should be allowed to leave a review. You will end up with a more honest reflection of hosts and guests on the platform that way, instead of letting personal feelings and revenge dictate hosts' or guests' public image on the platform. And that's the goal, right?

Also, let's face it: it's hosts who have everything to lose in a situation like that, not guests. Guests are barely impacted by bad reviews at all, considering that most hosts allow instant book, and even in the very rare event that a guest gets kicked off the platform, they can always just have someone else with an account make future reservations for them. But a host could have their business significantly damaged by even a couple of unwarranted bad reviews, and that ends up costing Airbnb money too, since, after all, it's the hosts who are Airbnb's cash cow and provide all the services from which income Airbnb collects its fees.

[Steven566]

Hello Irene, I wish hosts WOULD report all bad experiences honestly as these disruptive "guests" then go onto other hosts' properties and just do the same thing - trash our properties.  I know that many hosts are afraid of bad reviews (they hurt us more than guests), but you could always leave your review after the guest has done his/hers.  One of my guests has just threatened me with a bad review for claiming repair (not replacement!) costs, after texting how great a time they had!  So I know what it feels like to be "blackmailed" - but I have still given an honest review of her and stated that I would NOT recommend her as a guest.

[John1615]

Sadly, your comments are right on.

As a SuperHost with a perfect 5.0 rating, I work really hard to "protect my brand."

On a positive note, as a SuperHost, I have travelled and treated my hosts, SuperHosts, with the ultimate respect since I know exactly how he feels.  For example, for the holidays my daughter and I stayed at an Airbnb in NYC and she left her hot curling iron on the bed since the bathroom was so small (typical for LES Manhattan) that she used it in the bedroom.  It damaged the sheets and even scorched the matress.  I instantly reported that to the SuperHost who was vacationing in SoCal who was very cool about it and said that he would look into it upon returning.  I told him that it was my intention to make him whole.  And I will do so since my word is gold regardless of any reporting system.

I once had to tell my registered guest that his team that used my GuestHouse stained the walls with a wine spritzer requiring that they get painted.  I had not been aware that he himself was not staying!  I invited him see the damage and he was so taken back that he gave me a signed blank check to take care of the matter!  Such a display of trust caused me to interview several painters and then I made the check out to the firm that provided the best deal.  Clearly he earned a 5-Star Rating from me.  What counts is how one responds to the "challenges" that are thrown our way.  He was amazing!

Recently I hosted a SuperHost who did the laundry and made the beds since she wanted to help since I had guests checking in the day she was leaving.  There is nothing like hosting a SuperHost!

[Christine615]

If the guest says they won't reimburse for the camera until you revise the review, that's extortion. If it's done within the Airbnb platform, then send that to Airbnb - either she reimburses you or they should under the host guarantee.

But revising the review is unfair to future hosts. I once told a neighbor not to book my place for people who were visiting because she would be responsible for their damages. She honestly didn't know.

I  have, in my listing, that damages are billed at "replacement" cost.

[Steven566]

I am currently in a similar situation:  my last guest permanently damaged the dining table and refused to accept responsibility even though her partner texted me (via mobile) with a photo of the damage!  In the same text, they described how  I had provided a "beautiful place for us to stay..." and that they intended to leave a "great review".  

I immediately understood this message for the implied threat it contained. 

When I asked for the reasonable cost of repair (not even replacement cost!) to the table, the guest then accused me of using an "offshore account" to charge "extra fees", and said that because specific instructions were not given on how to operate the extension to the dining table, she was not liable for the damage.  She finished her message with:  "Please feel free to pursue the table matter, we will rate our stay accordingly." 

I do not expect fairness or "justice", but I have had to escalate the matter with airbnb.  As everything was in writing, I am going to forward the photo and text (from the partner) and also ask that airbnb read the threatening messages.  I have no doubt her final review (publicly visible on airbnb) will be VERY different to the texted review (on mobile).

I wonder if airbnb will take this vast discrepancy into consideration?  This is an appalling abuse of the mutual review system.  Unfortunately, she isn't the first, nor will she be the last to do so.

And... maybe I should demand FULL REPLACEMENT COST?

[Brian783]

Yes, I think you should definitely ask for full replacement cost. And as far as I know, Airbnb will not allow a review to be published if there is written evidence of extortion (in your case there clearly is), especially evidence written through the platform. I doubt that Airbnb will allow that review to go through.

[Steven566]

Hi Brian, I thought you might like this: the guest is now claiming that because there were no instructions on how to open the extendable table, she is not liable for the damage (which she acknowledges was caused by her)!  Imagine if airbnb accepts this as a legitimate reason - all the guest would have to say is, "There weren't any instructions for that!". 

[Sarah977]

@Steven566  Don't forget to post instructions on how to open and close the toilet seat, you know, just in case a guest breaks it 🙂

[Brian783]

Ya but I will say: it might be the best practice as a host to just have furniture that doesn't require any knowledge to operate. I mean, I just assume that it's possible every guest is very stupid, then allow myself to be pleasantly surprised. Recently I had a guest put the electric kettle onto the gas stovetop and melt the entire plastic bottom of it all over the stove...

This is also why my house rules state that guests will be liable financially for all damages at replacement cost, AND for the cost of a reasonable amount of my time and labor to deal with the issue at a rate of $50/hr. Whenever I do a damage request, I itemize every dollar of the request, including my time and what I did/who I had to call, etc

[Steven566]

We have a House Manual which explains step-by-step ALMOST everything in the house (AC, electric cinema seating, doors, codes, wi-fi, etc, etc, etc...), but alas, not EVERY SINGLE THING.

But agree with you: Prevention better than Cure!   

I think we should do the same:  ask for replacement cost AND a reasonable amount of time in $$ to resolve the issues and put them upfront in the House Rules.

Some great ideas from this thread!

[Steven566]

Would you believe a guest actually has (broken a toilet seat)!!! 

[Sarah977]

@Steven566  Oh yes, I'd believe it. I have been lucky to have guests who are careful and haven't broken anything, but I've had housesitters who managed to destroy or break about 10 things in a month. One thing I've become aware of over the years is that people who have never been homeowners themselves, who have only been renters, are much harder on things than those who actually have to spend $ replacing things that break. If a renter breaks a toilet seat, they just call the landlord and say "It broke" and expect the landlord to provide a new one.

[Steven566]

Hi Sarah  @Sarah977 Couldn't agree more: when you don't feel the pinch, you take things for granted from your landlord.  

To digress a little -  and I don't mean to hijack this thread, Brian - I have been reading different threads and couldn't help noticing that more experienced hosts like yourself and other L10s (Tony, Alexandra, and a few others) are NOT happy.  Maybe I should start a new thread!

I have actually operated another listing (Magic Cottage Blackheath) with my business partner and we achieved Superhost (under his name).  The problems you encounter (at least I haven't seen any...) don't include when you do a search for a particular suburb in Sydney (Australia), you will find properties miles away, but not the property that is actually in the suburb itself!  We have this problem:  we are in Balmain/Rozelle, which is a very popular and historic suburb and a destination venue in Sydney.  So while Magic Cottage Balmain is less than 1km from Balmain Post Office, it shows up on page 7 or 8 or sometimes not at all, while properties 30km away are on the first page!

Are you experiencing that problem where you are?  

BTW, also agree with EVERYTHING the L10s raised in the Superhost Week (or whatever it is called)!

[Sarah977]

@Steven566  Thanks for the vote of confidence, and yes, many of us are incredibly frustrated by many aspects of the platform, but FYI- the levels on this forum don't indicate experience- they indicate how often one posts here. So a brand new host who got active here and posted a lot could actually get up to level 10 in a week if they were as vocal as some of the rest of us 🙂 Although someone who reads and posts here a lot is likely to be more cognizant of issues than someone who only posts once because they need help with something, never to be heard from again.

[Marion170]

This just happened to me. I hosted a group of 10. They left extensive damage (needed to refurbish the house wich took 5 days!). I then went to airbnb how to go about the damage and they said to take photos and itemse and make a claim and nothing bad would happen. Well, as soon as I did I recived the worst possible review from the person who booked claiming it wasn't her doing the damage. The rest of the group is off the hook as they are are not named. Airbnb thinks the review is fair as it "reflects the experience of the guest and is not racial". no, it's not the experience of the group who stayed an extra night enjoying thmeself very much and wanted to book the place in the summer. The review is used as a weapon egainst me, the host. Very frustrated.

[Julie394]

Review are used as a weapon egainst the host - this is a common practice of guests who damage my property - sorrt to hear it happened to you too. ABB MUST revise their policies - posting a review should be removed as an option for guests who damage our properties.