happened to a friend who also has airbnb…their guest broke something in the bathroom…the host immediately told the guest and airbnb…the guest denies breaking it…airbnb claim if the guest doesn’t recognize breaking it they can’t help, mediate or pay…has this happened to anyone? …as mentioned airbnb is quite new in Russia so maybe their team are not fully updated on the policies…I thought airbnb had insurance for this kind of thing…i’m pushing her to ring them again and try to get whats fair…otherwise get every guest to sign a paper to say nothing is broken in the flat? and if something is then found broken they are liabe… sounds…a bit difficult…thoughts? tks!
Unfortunately, I think that’s probably the normal course for this sort of thing. I haven’t tried to collect from Airbnb myself but have heard of many who do and it’s not easy. It’s a part of doing business that things will get broken or damaged. Hopefully, the guest admits to it but if they don’t you are out of luck. It sounds like a good idea getting guests to sign off that everything is okay but I don’t know if that will get you paid if they refuse.
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We have had several instances where a guest broke items or damaged things- glass, stoneware pot, coverlet…that sort of thing…and have had no difficulty in getting payment. We communicate via the Message Center immediately upon finding the damage. Usually with a positive tone something like ‘I hope no one was hurt when the glass was broken.’ of "While cleaning I found a stain on the coverlet. Do you have an idea what may have caused it? It would be so helpful to know so I can use the proper cleaning solution to work on removing the stain.’ Our guests have been quite forthcoming in admitting to the damage done. I submit a photograph the damage and find comparable items for replacement and run it through the Resolutions Center. I also call Airbnb to affirm that the information I am sending will be enough evidence. We have received the restitution for all that we have put through the Resolution Center. Sometimes it takes a little time and a reminder but it has been successful. We have not had a guest deny breakage though.
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We are beyond frustrated with the resolution center at Airbnb. We had a guest cut his foot at the beach and proceeded to bleed all over our carpet. Then he cleaned it with a bleach cleaner which ruined the carpet. We turned in our claim immediately, but it’s been almost three weeks with no payment or even response except for assigning a case number! We cannot rent our beach house like this! Any ideas on what we can do now? We are about to make a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
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I think the likelihood of recovering costs goes down exponentially when the guest denies the damage. Have you recovered damage in a sutuion like the OP states?
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You have to have pretty good documentation to get a res center claim paid. If it’s a glass or something I usually let it go. One rule of thumb is to outfit your place with industrial strength glassware and such.
Sorry about the carpet, that is awful!!!
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Brandt, There have been three instances where the guest felt that they were
not responsible. Looking back through the Resolutions Center records i am
unable to view the communications for two of the. They were paid by Airbnb.
The third the folks said that they felt that they had not broken the sink
but since we were gracious hosts they would pay for the replacement sink.
Therein lies the rub. The guest has to cop to it. The OP says the guest denies it and that’s where Airbnb will take the guests’ side, every time. Honestly, they have to. Can you imagine the uproar otherwise? However, Airbnb has been known to reimburse hosts on their own on rare occasions.
Also, assume all smalls are collateral damage. I never charge for broken dinnerware of kitchenware. It is part of doing business.
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We’ve had the most horrible experience with Airbnb after a guest soiled our jacuzzi with who knows what material and stained our wooden bench with red wine.
Airbnb gave us such hard time. Asked for numerous invoices and when we presented them they claimed it wasn’t good enough. I told them to call the numbers of the companies who gave it and they refused so. Service Companies don’t like giving you free estimates, what would they? Put in the free work for what? Airbnb doesn’t care no matter how many times I explained to them in my area there is only 1 company who can help me. I just couldn’t believe how hard and frustrating it was working with them. Knowing now, no one got our back if something happens.
I asked, what if a guest urines on my carpet in the living room? Can I charge extra cleaning fees… you guessed it right! The answer is NO!
Why bother having House Rules if they can be broken without repercussions?!
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all very depressing…might get guests to sign a form then…then if broken u can say look u signed and recognized all is ok, now its broken…not 100% but helps…u want to put nice things in ur place, and if guests can break what they want whats the point?..I remember in London there was a case where guests stole a painting (banksy)…denied it…but then airbnb paid…but I guess it was media pressure.
If you take the other side of the argument you can kind of understand why Airbnb does this. Imagine a host breaks something and decides to blame it on a guest. Guests denies it of course. If Airbnb pays out on that, many more people will try to scam them. With 4 million listings, that can really add up.
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Two nights ago a couple stayed that raved about my place and left a kind message in my guest book. (They also parked in the wrong space, lol) After check out one of my resusable glass water bottles was missing. I triple checked everywhere and then counted the bottles in the rest of my house before I sent this message:
“Thanks for your kind words about my space. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on that bed, I need to get myself a Nest mattress, LOL. Did you guys accidentally take one of my resusable water bottles from the fridge? I looked everywhere and can’t find it. It’s not a problem but I’m wondering if I’m losing my mind. Did I put two in there?”
I think it’s possible they purposefully took it because they wanted it. It’s also possible they accidentally walked out with it. They were $4 each so that’s not nothing on a $36 net booking. I wasn’t going to ask them to pay but irks me that they aren’t even considerate enough to reply to my question.
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I had guests steal a vintage copper cup filled with pens and pencils that we keep on the desk in the studio. They even took all the pens. It was super annoying, but I knew there was no way to prove it. I didn’t even bother. All in all, my breakage and theft has been very minimal - so far.
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I would call the number on the letter or better yet going there and ask if it’s a legit letter. Eliminate one issue making sure it’s legit. If it is, talk to them and see what can be done - what do they want.
My main issue has been the blue tooth speaker cord. First group of guys left the speaker in a different area of the house and denied even touching it (its always in the kitchen) then refused to pay the$11 dollars replacement charge but in the end Air bnb got me my money (about 2 weeks later). Then other guest packed accidentaly this same cord and when asked they admitted it and paid the same amount. Guess what I did? Brought the speaker home with me. Too much trouble. I wanted it as an amenitie but it causes too much drama so now I dont have it anymore.
Mike,
I have had many minor things broken. Here the key is pictures and quick reporting. Next deposit. Some guests have denied it yet every time I have gotten my money from airbnb about 2 weeks or less. If they are honest and tell me (plates, glasses) I let it go, if I find out on my own then I charge them. Its uncomfortable but people must learn to take responsibility for their actions. Dont feel bad charging them whats fair.
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Most of the issues you see here are relatively small, AirBnb do not have a Security Deposit you can claim on, well effectively so best to create your own fund, add a little to your nightly rate and use that to pay for anything minor.
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Obvious as this may be to say, I think you should keep your expectations of Airbnb low.
A reasonable defensive strategy is to only use stuff in your rental that is either hard to damage, or is not very valuable. How valuable is the carpet in question? Specifically, how much do you think it would cost to replace?
Consider either not having carpets at all, or using relatively cheap ones in areas where guests have access. Personally I like tiles, which are very hard to damage, but I realise they are not always suitable in colder climates.
It’s unfortunate that your guest took it upon himself to try to clean the carpet. You could add some defensive wording in your listing guide about not trying to clean stuff if there is damage. And possibly mention it to the guest if you do a meet and greet.
Aren’t glass bottles a potential hazard? I know they are better from a health point of view from plastic (no leaching), but what if they get dropped? Is it possible to get specially treated glass bottles?
For no particular reason I’m reminded about a SF story (no idea what) about someone who invents unbreakable glassware. As I recall, it bounced when dropped.
I’m not concerned with that. There are breakable ceramic coffee mugs, glass shelves in my mini fridge, a glass turntable in the microwave, an iron, a small space heater, and a wet shower floor. “Hazard” is relative.
How do you think people who allow access to their kitchen handle the hazards there?