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I’ve just received this from a guest that checked out this morning:
Hi Tim,
Firstly, great stay/place
However, sorry, but as I was rushing around and leaving I managed to somehow trip over and bump the TV which ended up tipping and breaking .
Not to sure how things go from here
I’m getting photos to better understand the nature of the damage, but I’m assuming that I will need to replace the TV. We manage the house remotely - it’s a couple of hours away.
This strikes me as something that might be claimable through AirBnB’s AirCover for Hosts. I’ve never done that before, so any advice would be appreciated. The TV is probably 7-8 years old, does that factor into the cover? I recognise there is a chance it might not even be worth pursuing given it’s age. Electronics are advancing so rapidly, even though it was perfectly fine, it’s hard to compare it with its likely replacement.
Anyway, I’m not sure where to start, so any advice would be appreciated!
Air Cover, if you can get them to pony up at all, doesn’t pay replacement cost- they figure in depreciation. A 7-8 year old TV probably wouldn’t garner much.
As the guest fessed up and is sounds open to taking some responsibility, you might ask them for some $.
And maybe set up the new TV in such a way that it can’t be “tripped over” (?) and knocked over.
I have never tried to claim from Air Cover because if my STR insurance won’t deal with an issue, then it’s unlikely for Air Cover to do so. (Please feel free to argue this point!)
I do feel though, that a 7 year old TV would be worth very little and not worth the time to claim from either Air or your STR insurance.
The guest admitted that the TV broke because he tripped - indicating to insurance people that this happened quite easily.
So I worry that claiming could be not only fruitless, but overly time-consuming.
If the new TV is wall-mounted properly, this shouldn’t happen again.
Kindly inform your guest about the replacement costs. He seems quite responsible, so you may be able to recover part of the expense and some compensation for the time spent replacing the item.
If you haven’t used AirCover before, this could be a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the process. It’s helpful to be prepared for unfortunate situations. From what I’ve seen, AirCover works quite well if you can provide valid proof, and a statement from the guest is often the strongest form of evidence. Keep us updated!
He’s admitting to breaking it which is great. I would just send him a request for payment through Airbnb so that you can replace the TV. You might be able to get a good deal on Amazon. I just purchased one for $179.
Why would you assume a guest has personal liability insurance?
And most insurance only kicks in after the deductible- a couple hundred dollar TV is not going to be covered by any insurance a guest may have.
Yep, here I go again, assuming things LOL. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have personal liability insurance. In Germany where I grew up it’s like a must have to cover your butt from any claims that might come your way even if it was accidental.
Therefore, I assumed that all people have that. Especially, when travelling but I guess I’m just assuming too much.
I agree. We’ve contacted Airbnb to use AirCover on a couple of things that a guest broke during their stay and it’s very simple. Especially if you have the original receipt for the TV - it makes things much easier. Otherwise if you can find the exact item on the internet with the purchase price, they may use that as well. You will get a depreciated amount, but anything is better than nothing. If you saw a $100 bill in the street, would you pick it up?
I’ve never had personal liability insurance in my life. And travel insurance doesn’t usually cover personal liability- it’s dependent on the package one chooses, but it normally just covers medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage, etc.
Of course if one is driving, car insurance would cover liability for traffic accidents, but not for breaking someone’s TV.
Some hosts have reported that it was easy, but others report endless back and forths with CS, being asked to submit evidence they have already submitted, despite having receipts, sucking up hours of their time, only to have Airbnb reject the claim.
And sure, $100 is nothing to sneeze at, but I doubt they would offer more than maybe $25 for a 7-8 year old TV.
Yeah, I guess Germans are little paranoid about insurances.
If I accidentally spill wine at a party over an expensive carpet or trip and fall onto a TV that breaks, the liability insurance will cover that. Or if my dog would run between someone’s legs and causes the person to fall and hurt themselves. Things like that. Totally normal here.
A couple of years ago, I had a 4-year-old TV broken by a guest (it was hit with a racquet). The original cost was $400US in the US, but that cost increases to around $800US by the time I ship it and pay duties, etc., to St Lucia (where our vacation rental is located).
The guest denied doing it but AirCover eventually agreed to pay $400 US.
Since your guest not only confessed but volunteered the information, maybe split the replacement cost with them? That way, you may avoid a disagreement with them over the value of an older TV or if you did or didn’t properly secure it.
I used the Airbnb coverage once. A guest broke my bed (which was over 20 years old but solid wood) and it cost $1000 to replace. The guests refused to pay and I kept on top of it. It took me 3 months of constant contacts and presenting arguments but eventually the paid out the entire cost of the new bed.
The irony is that I drove 1.5 hours roundtrip to pick up the new bed via Ikea and they loaded the bed in such a way in my car that they broke my front seat’s mechanism and you know, Ikea paid for that repair too.
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