Broke Hosts Hammock Accidently

My girlfriend and I rented an Airbnb for the first time, it had a 2 person hammock, not even one of us got fully down into it and the post supporting the hammock snapped and she hit the ground. Who is liable in this situation, do we need to pay for the repairs or does the host have insurance for intstances for situations like this?

You are on a host forum here, to remind you.

I would call the host and discuss it. Was someone hurt?

Was the hammock meant to hold the weight of two like that? If not, I’d say you were responsible.

Contact the hosts with pics via the ABB messenging system and ask them to address. In my expereince people put hammocks in silly places without the proper supports often. Let’s face it, most of us don’t have engineering degrees so they are a bit hazardous and of course the host is liable if faulty set up. My advice, always check out a hammock carefully through before diving in. I’m sure host will be fine, just don’t be accusatory or sound like you are filing a lawsuit as it’s coming across a bit like that already. And this is a host forum, not Airbnb help. Please don’t be offended if you/your GF suddenly get accused of being obese!

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Like I said, it was a two person hammock and only one of us had got sat down. We did not dive in, she carefully sat down on the side as to then swing her legs over into the hammock. Ergo, I immediately texted the host and let them know what had happened. No one was injured just a bruised butt. We have zero intention to file a lawsuit or anything of that sort. I just don’t want this effecting our future stays with AirBnb I was the first time we have ever done this.

Yes, this is a forum for Airbnb hosts, not guests. There are most likely some guest forums out there and come to think of it, I should join one of those, too, since I am often a guest! :slight_smile:

If I had a hammock that someone sat in and it broke, I would figure it was a faulty hammock and would not consider charging the guest! I would express concern about the guest, first and foremost. I am glad your gf wasn’t hurt.

How did the host respond?

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Assuming this story is as you say it is then it’s the host who should be anxious, not you. That’s a liability and the host should be glad no one was injured. It’s quite possible to have a friendly conversation and no one need be afraid. If I were this host I would be careful to get a description on what happened on the airbnb platform, not in a cell text thread. I would come immediately to take a look, get pictures and then either remove it or repair it in a way that I could be sure wouldn’t result in further mishaps.

Accidents happen and no one should be getting a bad review.

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If I was the host, my reaction would be:

  1. see if you’re OK
  2. would not blame you for breaking it, always give the benefit of the doubt
  3. either come by to assess the situation or if I can’t come by, I’ll assess it after check-out. Then decide what I want to do. Maybe gather more information on the incident

Putting out faulty furniture is the responsibility of the host. But if it’s clear that the furniture was used improperly then I would say it’s the guests problem.

Worst case scenario is they will ask you to pay for repairs. And it’s up to you if you want to pay for it. Depending on how it’s handled, it could definitely affect your review, but there’s not much you can do about it. Conversely, the host should also strive for a mutual solution as they would want a good review in the end as well.