Hi! I’m new to the forum and have a question about the Host Guarantee – does this cover only damage that is the fault of the guest? I haven’t been able to get a straight answer from Airbnb yet. There was an electrical outlet fire in my Airbnb space that resulted in damage not deliberately caused by the guests. Airbnb says I have to ask my guests to foot the repair bill – even though I made it clear to them that there’s no question of blame – before they will consider stepping in. Has anyone else gone through this kind of experience?
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If the damage was not caused by the guest then that falls under routine maintenance or your own house insurance. I can’t see how it’s Airbnbs remit if it’s nothing to do with the guests.
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I can not imagine why ABB would step in to this situation.
It sounds to me as though you need to foot the bill or call your insurance company.
Under what clause are you thinking the guarantee might apply to non guest damage?
Maybe they are trying to lead you to their new “loan” department?
I agree with others, this is not an Airbnb issue. The only reason you aren’t getting straight answer from anyone at Airbnb is because they are all borderline incompetent.
I don’t know how extensive the damage was but if it was just a small outlet fire it’s not worth claiming on your insurance either. Your deductible may be more than the cost to repair and once you make a claim your insurance will go up and the chances of getting insurance with another carrier (should you want that option) go down. On top of all this when your insurance company finds out you are doing Airbnb they are going to cancel your policy unless you had an Airbnb specific policy.
So all of this is to say, suck it up and pay out of pocket. And make sure to fix whatever caused the fire.
Suck it up. Get a professional electrician to determine what went wrong and why, and get it fixed. Electrical fires can kill, and no amount of insurance will help you then.
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I don’t quite understand why the OP thinks it might be. If it was it would be a great way to get Airbnb to pay for all your regular house repairs 
Even when a guest HAS caused damage, it’s still very difficult to claim from Airbnb and hosts would be best advised to assume that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. (I’m not saying it is - just that it’s better to think that way). Make sure that you’re charging enough to cover wear and tear to your property and that you have a good STR insurance.
Bottom line: it was an accident not deliberate damage. This is no different than a guest spilling a glass of red wine on a fabric sofa or a guest’s child peeing on the bed. In other words, Airbnb may cover it. You never know until you try.
There should be no question of outlet fires. At very least get your consumer unit checked to make sure it has RCDs on it. Then have a landlord safety check of all your power points etc…
Oh, I disagree! We don’t know what caused the fire but an outlet fire is usually caused by an faulty outlet or appliance . Spilled wine or pee is caused by the guest, accident or not.
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The power is in the people. If all hosts who have been refused reimbursement through the host guarantee go “on strike” and take listings offline all at once at the same time, Airbnb will indeed respond. Without hosts and properties the company is worthless and so is the stock. Organize. Sell stock. Take properties offline. Wait.
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Ha ha, good luck with that!
JF
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I’d honestly like to know what percentage of hosts that is. At the same time you are claiming such hosts have power, Airbnb is reportedly removing hosts or blocking calendars often. Not pledging to follow the cleaning protocol and hosting party houses are two reasons reported. Others report that they have no idea what they did to cross Airbnb.
I’ve posted it here many times but I will repeat it again. There was a host here who was removed from the platform for over a year for some alleged transgression. This is what he said about his business without Airbnb:
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