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I figured I’d check here before I submit anything, but my last guests left a terrible mess. My cleaning service had to call in extra people and it still took them roughly five times longer than normal!
There’s also some other minor damage to the lawn, floor and one of the outside doors… which depending on cost I might claim but I was wondering if you can claim that kind of excessive cleaning against their insurance? I charge a small cleaning fee which already doesn’t cover the actual cost… this is going to be huge and essentially mean I lost money on this guest.
Try it. But you need documentation. Photos, estimates from the cleaning service, etc. do it quickly, you only have 48 hours. And you have to send it through resolution.
True, but nevertheless they should really get on with it ASAP because she did mention she had cleaners coming in. So I was assuming she had a turnover.
I’m not sure whether the OP means claiming from Airbnb or from his own insurance company. If the latter, I guess it depends on the policy. But these situations - of not making money from a particular set of guests - is something that has to be factored in over the year’s expenses. It’s really better to look at the overall picture rather than thinking about how much money you made (or didn’t) from one particular group of guests.
Going forward, it might be an idea to a) charge a cleaning fee that properly covers the cost and b) make sure that your cleaners take photographs of any excessive mess and text them to you straight away before they start cleaning.
I’m not saying that your cleaners are anything less than 100% honest but it would be a nice little earner for cleaners to exaggerate problems to make more money so insist on pre-cleaning photographs from them if there are likely to be additional charges.
Nice, thanks! I don’t see how people could pull together estimates in 48 hours… but I’ve got it blocked of for the next week to do repairs so now I can get the estimates and make the claim.
I had the cleaners come in right away so the painters could come in after and actually be able to work.
From AirBnB’s insurance.
This is the worst guests I’ve had, so I guess I’m learning a lesson here. I’ve been doing this for a year and a half and it’s the first time I have walked upstairs and been shocked by how it was left or had anything broken.
Unfortunately people aren’t charging nearly that much for a cleaning fee in my area, I’m actually charging more than most other listings already and it essentially just covers the tip I give them.
I live here so I saw it before the cleaners… I should have taken pictures. I didn’t realize how excessive the cleaning time would be, just that it was the worst mess I’d ever seen so I hadn’t really planned to claim it originally.
Sorry! I should have looked at your picture. Just get the cleaning service to get you an estimate of the cost right away. Without some kind of proof, you don’t stand a chance of having them back you!
Telos, I think you mean to say “extra cleaning” - excessive implies that you want more than is reasonable. True, you do have 48 hours to request the money under “request money” tab. Then, that starts a two week clock ticking. I did not have pictures of my over flowing toilet with my white towels lying in a layer of filth, but I requested $85 to fix it, and guest declined, and then counter requested a partial refund of $300 for the toilet that THEY clogged. I declined that, and called Airbnb right away. I explained my situation and reason for lack of photos, and they just refunded my $85 out of the guests funds. No request for photos. That was a very small request, though, but anything is worth a try, even to get partial help in “extra cleaning”. Good luck!
Took me a while to get a couple of the estimates and actually make the claim. I had to go through the resolution center I guess because I couldn’t find a way to directly make a claim against the insurance.
The guest responded by texting me vague threats like “I would think twice about [requesting damages] if I were you.”
I told him to direct all communications through AirBnb and he texted back that he was going to get all his money back through Amex. Then he responded to the resolution center request with a bunch of slander saying the heat was never working and I tore up the lawn by driving drunk.
Reality check:
I have text message logs where:
I had to tell him to keep the windows closed because it’s winter and the furnace can’t warm up enough if windows are open.
He’s thanking me for “putting up with them” and such.
I also have the invoices from the 3+ times I had people look at the furnace and make other repairs during his stay.
So I involved AirBnB and I guess we’ll see where that goes…
I am a little uncomfortable though because the guy ended up getting a regular apartment in my city so I’m worried he’ll come back and vandalize my property more or something…
I didn’t realize how excessive the cleaning time would be, just that it was the worst mess I’d ever seen so I hadn’t really planned to claim it originally.