Violently attacked by unauthorised guest in my home

[Ernest771]

Your provided guest attended my home for a single person booking with an additional 6 guests, refused to pay the advertised WiFi and electricity and refused to pay the extra guests fee. After a few days of back and forth one of the air bnb support advisors gave me the option to cancel and I agreed to do that. The advisor confirmed that the reservation would be canceled the next morning due to the guests violating my rules and throwing insults at me and my co-host. 

As advised by the advisor I informed the guest that the stay has been canceled. The guest refused to leave so we called the police .I also called the emergency team twice but got no response. One of the emergency team came on the phone and advised me that this is not an emergency and put me through to a support ambassador to assist. When the police attended and advised Claudia to vacate she showed the police that the booking was still active and has not been canceled. The police therefore explained the can not evict Claudia due to the booking being active. 

A few days later I finally got a call back from air bnb and the booking was canceled. Once again I called the emergency team to get assistance in evicting the guest as I have never dealt with such an issue before. I didn’t get a response from the emergency team and the guest because violent and abusive on the video door bell (footage recorded and sent to air bnb). 

The police attended, entered the property and demanded the guest to leave along with my care taker. The unauthorised guest became violent , assaulted the police officer , assaulted my care taker and got themselves arrested and placed into a cell for the night. 

After this horrible incident a support advisor from the emergency team finally called me back after me sending images of my caretakers face bloodied and hospitalised. The advisor apologised for air BnB’s lack of support and promised my damages would be paid for. The guest left a tap running for 7/8 days in the out house, locked the door and refused to return the keys, they also stole the gate remote fob and the gate entrance key. The tap left running cost a fortune in water and damaged the water pump. The next booking had to be canceled as the pump took some time to repair as it was over Xmas period and acquiring the parts proved to be difficult. 

I have made a claim for the water, pump, key locks , door handles, excess mess, compensation to my staff member who was attacked, management fees. I have sent invoices and images to prove all mentioned claims including a video call from my ring door bell of the unauthorised guest making the threats, and a video of my care taker being beaten up and escaping. 

For some strange reason you are not accepting my claim even though I have provided a paid invoice and sub invoices from the sub contractors used by the management company. 

I wish to make a formal complaint and will be taking this story to the press if my claim is not paid. I don’t think this is how air bnb should treat host specially when both the guest and air bnb are in the wrong. 

Once again I attach all the evidence. 

I would like a complaints team e-mail and I would like you to advise on who to use as an ombudsman. 

Can anyone help with this horrible situation?

[Hello6]

Many in the community have answered before in this topic.  Key point: "You must notify Airbnb as well as the Responsible Guest about your complaint and attempt to resolve the loss or damage with the Responsible Guest within fourteen (14) days of the Responsible Guest’s check-out date. You may fulfill this obligation by submitting a reimbursement request for the loss or damage to the Responsible Guest via the Airbnb Resolution Center within fourteen (14) days of the Responsible Guest’s check-out date. In the event the Responsible Guest fails to pay the amount requested for the loss or damage to your Eligible Property pursuant to the Responsible Guest’s obligations under the Terms, you may make a reimbursement request to Airbnb under Host Damage Protection by submitting a Host Damage Protection Payment Request Form.You must notify Airbnb as well as the Responsible Guest about your complaint and attempt to resolve the loss or damage with the Responsible Guest within fourteen (14) days of the Responsible Guest’s check-out date. You may fulfill this obligation by submitting a reimbursement request for the loss or damage to the Responsible Guest via the Airbnb Resolution Center within fourteen (14) days of the Responsible Guest’s check-out date. In the event the Responsible Guest fails to pay the amount requested for the loss or damage to your Eligible Property pursuant to the Responsible Guest’s obligations under the Terms, you may make a reimbursement request to Airbnb under Host Damage Protection by submitting a Host Damage Protection Payment Request Form." - https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2869

[Hello6]

You should also notify and work with your primary insurance provider (host protection is in addition to primary insurance) and lawyer.

Good luck.  Glad you are relative ok to be able write question for help here.  Sounds like are very unfortunate situation. 

[Helen3]

What a horrible situation - which listing are you referring to? 

 @Ernest771 

Unfortunately you do always have to double check that Airbnb have followed through with promises to cancel before trying to involve the police - or you are wasting their time and yours  in trying to evict the guests where no cancellations is in place.  

Airbnb's emergency support  can't help you evict your guests all they can do is cancel the booking .

Your profile says you are a property manager so I am sure you're more experienced than me  - I  am surprised you don't have systems in place for these type of situations .

 I am sorry your cohost  went through such an awful situation - I hope they received medical treatment along with support from you  to recover .  As the property manager I suggest it's your responsibility to give compensation to the cohost you employ . Not Airbnb.

What reason did Airbnb provide for not accepting  your claim? 

[Ernest771]

I do indeed have a system in place and my home is also located under 10 meters from the police station. No system can stop an unauthorised guest from entering my gated policed community when air bnb fail to cancel a reservation or respond to emergency calls for 3 days. Don’t worry my staff have been taken care of by me, it seems that it’s your job to try and apportion blame away from air bnb. Fact of the matter is yes air bnb have finally paid for some of the damages and offered no compensation for the negligence shown by the air bnb team that lead to my staff member being hospitalised and a police officer injured due to violent unauthorised guest from NYC. The only reason air bnb gave originally for not wanting to honour the host protection policy was that some of my receipts provided were hand written.. even though I also provided digital receipts on top.

in 20 years of owning and managing property worldwide I have never experience anything like this. All captured on CCTV.  

[Helen3]

Why would you think as a host that 'my job' is to apportion blame away from Airbnb,

@Ernest771  if you read my previous posts I often call out Airbnb for their wrong doing.

i was simply providing advice based on my nine years experience of being a host and cohost .