Guests have ruined my house

[Sharna11]

I currently have construction workers staying in our house in France.. They have ruined the bedding, towels, sofas and soft furnishings with their filthy clothes and hands.  Lots of walls have black marks over them, the bins are over-flowing and the neighbours are frequently complaining.  They leave on Monday 14th December and I want some advice about claiming compensation.

[Vivian860]

Good morning! Here in the United States we can have coverage for that. If I were you I would take pictures of the filth, call the construction supervisor and let them know who the employees are that are causing problems. Sometimes, if the company is wonderful, they will pay for damages, cleaning fees, etc. 

I hope you get something out of this. If they are that bad, I would tell them to leave because they are violating the house rules and take back the key or re-key the place if they won't give you the keys. 

Good luck!

[Gordon0]

Extra cleaning charges are notoriously hard to enforce, and Airbnb will undoubtedly just say it's part of running the business. Photos on check-out (or a supervised check-out) might be helpful to put some muscle behind your claim. 

[Anonymous]

@Sharna11  How did you become aware of the state of the home while the guests are still occupying it?  Have you informed them that you expect the walls and furnishings to be cleaned before their departure?

Generally if you're aware during the stay that something will need to be repaired, replaced, or subject to extra cleaning, the fair thing to do would be to give the guest a chance to make it right, rather than poisoning the well at the end of the stay with an attempted claim that's very unlikely to be successful.

One thing hosting really does beat into you is some expertise in stain treatment, and hopefully you had the foresight to guest-proof your home with durable, easy-to-clean materials that won't be "ruined" by the mere touch of an unclean hand.  If an item of significant value is damaged beyond repair, that would be a valid basis for a claim, but you'll get nowhere demanding compensation for a dirty towel or a few dabs of touch-up paint. 

If exterior bins are overflowing and neighbors are complaining, those are problems best managed by proactive hosting, as they're not issues Airbnb can intervene in or somehow compensate you for.

[Sharna11]

My cleaner went in to read the meter and was horrified by the mess. 

The people work with aluminium and this had left blue/black stains over every surface that they touch. My cleaner removed and washed a sheet but the stains do not wash out.  The sofa is ruined too, as are curtains, towels etc. It all needs replacing. She tried to wash the walls and handrails but the stains do not come off. Sockets are black and will need replacing. Airbnb is there to protect us and I certainly will be claiming compensation

[Anonymous]

@Sharna11 

 "Airbnb is there to protect us"

Oh dear...if you truly believe this, I'm afraid you're in for some major disappointment!  In reality, Airbnb offers about as much protection as a cotton condom.

The steps for initiating a damage claim are summarized here.  Be aware that even if your listing specified a "security deposit," it is not real - Airbnb has not charged it to the guest and therefore can't release it to you as a claim. The only fast route to compensation is for the guest to accept your Resolution request and voluntarily pay. This is why I strongly suggest getting the discussion with your guests underway while they are still in a position to acknowledge the damage. An in-person walkthrough with someone who can act on your behalf, such as a local Co-Host, would be ideal if Covid risk reduction protocol can be followed. Hopefully, the group will be as reasonable in that communication as they seemed in the correspondence that inspired you to accept their booking.

If you can't reach a mutual agreement about compensation, so begins a long and unwieldy process that can leave you in limbo for 6 weeks or more while your ticket is passed between outsourced adjusters whose main function is to minimize your payout. Definitely keep invoices for any professional cleaning, and receipts for both the original damaged items and their replacements, but assume that whatever you can eventually get reimbursed will fall well short of the cost of a brand new sofa or sets of linens.

[Helen3]

Quite honestly if you are having long term stays from contractors you should be building a regular cleaning cost into your long term cost.

The Airbnb guarantee is limited in nature and as I am sure you have read when you looked at the terms has many exclusions.

No host should rely on it alone but careful vetting of guests, proactive hosting and your own home insurance for STRs should be a key part of your armoury when running an STR business.

I would have your local co-host go over there to properly assess the damage and talk to them about complaints from your neighbours. You can then give them an opportunity to address the issues that they can.

You also of course have the option to ask Airbnb to cut short their stay.

As others have said, don't wait until they leave to try and address the issue.

[Agnes446]

hello, the guests ruined the house in such a way that there is work to be done and I cannot rent my house for the week ends for the time being. What can I do against the guests? As now I have a ticket with the help center who is working on it.The guest doesn't want to reimburse.

I do not have really idea how much it is going to be as for instance there is a window surrended by marbles. The marble block was broken. How can I find some ways to have an estimate of each precise item? thanks for your helps