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I’ve been an AirBnb host for only two months now and have had about 7 bookings. I have a five bedroom lake home that is about 2 hours from where I live.
So, guests arrive and spend the weekend and my cleaning company reports dog vomit (including grass) on a comforter. It costs me $65 to clean because they have to take it back to town and then re-deliver it. Fine. BUT I have a no pet rule. So I ask the guest to pay for the cleaning and she declines. I escalate to AirBnb and mention that the guest breaks a house rule by bringing a pet.
AirBnb rules in the guests favor bc they have a policy not to charge for damage caused by animals. Ummm, so I’m risking my beautiful home by renting it and if a guest brings dogs and they eat a couch, I’m just going to be out the replacement cost?? It has left a bad taste in my mouth. If I were to continue with AirBnb past this fall, I guess I’d need to place a camera at the front door (are they allowed in main living areas?) I hate that you can’t trust people to be honest. I’m very annoyed that AirBbB has proof a guest violated rules and does nothing.
They can also cancel at the very last minute and claim “extenuating circumstances”…and get an full 100% refund.
Get cameras. And get everything documented on the dash.
That’s appalling. The guests broke your house rules and Airbnb needs to make them accountable. How can they have a policy not to charge for damage caused by animals! That beggars belief.
In future I would also ask your cleaners to take a photo with their phone (if possible) of things like this - such as the pile of dog vomit. And then you have proof. It may be that the guests told Airbnb that they never had a pet there and they don’t know what you’re talking about.
I agree with the others, get it escalated. It’s not okay.
I would definitely call Airbnb back and try again to get this resolved. Broken house rule!
There are always going to be some guests that break house rules and it’s very unfortunate.
As it is a whole home I think that it would be quite reasonable to require a security deposit.
I am actually quite impressed that for $65 you got a sofa removed, cleaned, and returned.
But if this was one out of seven bad experiences don’t give up!
I couldn’t either. Otherwise you’re going to have stuff happen like this poor woman is dealing with.
But I do rent our desert place that’s 2 hours away because it’s in a gated complex with a security gate the guest has to stop at and show the pass I send them. Many potential guests fall off the radar once they realize the set up–especially around Coachella music festival time.
I’ve been remotely renting short term for a long time, thankfully with none of the crazy problems I read about on this forum. I put up a cheap web surveillance cam outside the front door last year. Best thing I ever did! No cams anywhere inside, that would be creepy and probably not legal. I highly recommend an outside cam, even if you host on site.
I’m trying to figure out how it costs $65 to clean a comforter. At the most $15 at the laundromat. They have machines that take the whole thing. I live in rural area and have a laundromat handy.
I just skimmed through the Host Guarantee, and to me it sounds like “animals” or “pets” are not covered, if the host’s animal/pet is injured or gets sick from a guest, guest lets the animal out the door, etc.
Did they happen to quote where they were referring to that if a guest’s dog causes damage, then it is excluded?
OK…I see it now when I scroll up where it says anything related to animals. Ignore my previous post.
So what exactly does Air cover anyway? I wish I had been smart enough to start a site with imaginary insurance, imaginary protection, imaginary ID verifications, etc…Sheesh!!
The host guarantee is established to cover damage over and above the deposit.
Big Questions: Did this host have a security deposit? Did this host have a signed agreement?
If a pet was there…pet damage still should be covered from the security deposit.
Why is the host guarantee being called to cover instead of a security deposit?
Yes I did! She was new to AirBnb and I think she thought she could get away with it. I stuck to the facts - guest broke house rule, dog caused damages, guest refused to pay and it had to be escalated to Airbnb!
