***UPDATE ON HOST GUARANTEE-ish PROGRAM***

[Andrea4560]

***UPDATE ON HOST GUARANTEE-ish PROGRAM***

After I sent invoices, photos, videos, police reports, screenshot of messages with the guests, screenshot of messages from the neighbours, etc. and over a month of promises and ' don't worry', I received an outrageous outcome, a payout that won't even cover half of the damages.

I received this reservation from a profile that Airbnb claimed to be verified and with genuine reviews, I trusted Airbnb, that despite its claims of being a safe platform with a insurance to protect the hosts, is acting like they are doing me a favour.

From now on, I will ask for a credit card guarantee to every guest coming from Airbnb, as I already do for other channels.

People are less likely to make damages when they know they will pay straight from their pocket. I suggest all the hosts to do the same!

[Robin4]

@Andrea4560 

Andrea, I feel sorry for you, I know it's not fair, but it is a risk with short term renting! I have never had what happened to you in almost 500 reservations, but maybe my guest like that is just around the corner.

What I am trying to say is, this is not a frequent hosting occurrence!

So you are faced with two choices here......you ask for money outside the Airbnb platform, antagonize the guest and have Airbnb de-list your property for breaking their TOS, or you make allowances for the odd damage that will come along from time to time!

Andrea, Airbnb are never going to give you what you claim, any compensation is subject to wear and tear and fitness for purpose and it is an adjudicated decision by the company.....they do not offer new for old!

Things are going to get broken from time to time......a plate or two, bed linens destroyed, cigarette burns on a chair, put aside an amount from each stay to serve as a damage fund and when something like this happens just fix it up and get on with the business of hosting.

Andrea, where Airbnb are over a barrel, a host will submit a claim with photographic evidence for an outdoor setting that has suffered cigarette burns to a cushion or two. The host claims $2,500 for a replacement outdoor setting with quotes attached, because the original cushions can't be replaced and are stitched to the seat frames. All very legit and professionally presented to the company, and within company guidelines!

What the host does not reveal is, he paid $275 at the local op-shop for that outdoor setting for which he is now claiming $2,500 as a replacement cost. Can you see where the whole thing gets messy?

If you depend on Airbnb you are going to be disappointed, take matters into your hands and put in place measures that will enable you to keep hosting with a minimum of fuss and inconvenience!

Cheers........Rob

[Andrea4560]

Dear Rob,

I agree with you that there is a risk with short term renting. I've been a host for a long time now  and hosted thousands of people from multiple channels. I personally never had major damages, and recurred to Airbnb claims in very few selected cases over time, only when the guest was not cooperating at all.

In this occasion, we are not talking about a cigarette burn, or a broken chair, I'm talking about major deliberate damages ( around €5000), carried out by a guest that was supposed to be verified by Airbnb and with many 5 star reviews as a guest ( 100% fake at this point).

This was instead  a group of criminals, ( I found out after the police confirmed this was not their first run) and Airbnb failed to do their part.

As you said, if I ask for a credit card guarantee, Airbnb will delist the property for breaking their TOS, but at the same time Airbnb will not put in place the right neasures to protect my property, as I already do when I collect the payment directly.

The point here is that either Airbnb takes responsibility or not. I'm happy to have the entiry responsibility ( and control) over guests actions at all times, and never failed in doing so.

With Airbnb, I feel like I've been thrown in the jungle and asked to find the way home by myself.

[Helen3]

Hello @Andrea4560 

What an awful experience for your lovely place.

You sounds like you are a much more experienced host than me with a large scale STR business. However a couple of points to make from my experience.

1. Airbnb doesn't offer insurance it offers a guarantee with many exclusion.s That being the case it's common sense for any STR business to have its own home insurance for STRs.  (Even Airbnb advises hosts that the guarantee is not a replacement for you having your own insurance) Is this something you have and if so what sort of cover have they given you.

2. It is never just the responsibility of the listing company to completely vet your guests, that's your responsibility as the business owner. All Airbnb do if you have this as part of your listing is take photo ID and social media contacts.  What sort of vetting did you do with these guests in advance of their arrival to make sure they were a good fit. Some hots also ask guests to sign a contract which gives them added protection. Is this something you do for your listing?

[Kathleen277]

Sounds like you work for Airbnb.  How do you ensure that any guest wont make a mess 

What kind of measures do you have to ensure that 

[Helen3]

Wow @Kathleen277  that was rather unnecessary. Rob is correct there is often back and forth between a company considering a claim and the claimant.

@Robin4  is a long standing contributor to these forums who has helped out many hosts and will absolutely call Airbnb out when he feels they haven't acted appropriated.

There are lots of measures hosts can take to protect their listings from dodgy guests including;

1. CCTV at entrances

2. Meeting guests on arrival

3. Getting a list of all guests on a booking

4. Find out about the purpose of a guests stay and why they chose the listing

5. Taking a deposit

6. Only accepting guests for IB who have positive reviews.

In addition in Italy @Andrea4560  would have had to collect photo ID of all the guests on

arrival so would have had this added security.

[Pat271]

Andrea, I am so sorry, what your guests did is just awful.

I have a couple of questions about what you wrote, if you don’t mind. I’m in the US, so perhaps that is why I’m not familiar:

1) What is a “credit card guarantee”, and how does it work?

2) How does a guest create 100% fake reviews? Is this just something like staying with friends/relatives who are hosts?

Thanks, and again I’m sorry,

     Pat

[Andrea4560]

Hello Pat,

it's a pre authorisation on credit card, the same normally in use when you rent a car. The money is not charged , only in case of damages. If everything is ok, the hold will be released at check out.

Fake reviews apparently are possible, using other profiles owned by the very same group of people.

[Ian611]

That’s an absolute nightmare for you,I am waiting on a payment for a replacement mattress I had to buy because a worker soiled it beyond usable condition,his employer is denying paying for it..She runs a building company and is a multi millionaire ,googled her name.  Abb are dragging the claim out ,have been promised phone calls ,nothing heard ,just time wasting emails.Makes me wonder what the hell the guest guarantee really is when the host has to beg the guests for payment before abb get involved.Absolute madness.

[Helen3]

Very frustrating for you @Ian611 

Mattresses protectors if you don't already have them are a good investment.

Presumably this was an Airbnb at Work rather than a third party booking, so hopefully they will pay out eventually.

[Ian611]

@Helen3 @Hi, I did get reimbursed eventually,but I won’t be going ahead and organising a replacement again until I get paid first ,thinking that’s where I went wrong because abb would have lost out on income from me and possibly wouldn’t have dragged on about it.