This is the second time I found my chiffon curtain in one bedroom was torn. First time it was a young couple with 2 young boys (age 3- 6). This time was my previous guests with 3 young kids ( age 1 - 6). Both family not only torn my window curtain, also my white cloth shower curtain was smeared with something black and brown… I am heading out to buy new curtains. They are not very expensive… but annoying. I didn’t ask for money, they are kids… But I will write in the review.
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After several years hosting I am now of the mindset that if I am renting to families with kids and I furnish the property with items that are especially vulnerable to normal kids, then that’s on me, not on the family.
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Yes always write an honest review, but giving a pass on this is not about the kids it is about the parents. Asking them to replace things like this should not give you pause.
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As this is the second time it has happened, perhaps you should consider a different type of window treatment? Do these curtains hang down to the floor? If they do, but the window is nowhere near the floor, use shorter curtains, just slightly longer than the window, or use curtains that are not made of a flimsy, easily ripped fabric.
Kids like to play hiding games behind long curtains. So the kids don’t necessarily have to be wild, destructive types for this to happen.
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We have bay windows. The curtains are not hang down to the floor only inside the windows. They are two layers curtain, inside is a black out thick curtain and outside is chiffon see through one. The chiffon curtains are very delicate by its nature. Maybe there are other material stronger than chiffon but still have the same function? Any suggestions are very much appreciated!
I have blinds and valances, best for families with young children or emotional support pets. No shower curtains, instead I installed shower doors. All you can do is write it off as a business expense.
I’m assuming the shower doors are glass? They can be a risk, if they are. They can break unexpectedly though no fault of the guest.
Why Can Glass Shower Doors Spontaneously Shatter? | Moyes Glass.
And, of course, guests can do things that damage them and cause them to break too.
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You could look for light cotton curtains, or fabric and have a seamstress make them. It won’t let as much light through as the chiffon sheers, but would be more durable.
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We actually had the acrylic shower doors installed instead of glass because of safety issues but mostly because I hate the hard water marks that I can’t ever remove LOL
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I think perhaps in your intention to be forgiving you might be denying the parents an opportunity to make the situation right. If you’re going to mention it in a review, I feel like it’s fair to at least give them the opportunity to pay for the damage. If after I checked out of an Airbnb a host mentioned an item damaged by my kids that I very well may have not noticed, that would bother me.
If you nicely ask them to pay for a replacement and they act like jerks about it, that’s also useful feedback for a review.
I made a decision this year to start using the resolution center more and I’m so glad. Those little things add up. Some stuff I write off (a broken glass, stained pillow case, etc) but other stuff (garage door remote, charging banks, late check out, extra cleaning) I now charge for and Airbnb has sided with me every time.
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I totally agree. When guests complain about things in a review that they failed to mention during the stay to give the hosts an opportunity to remedy it, hosts get understandably upset. The same courtesy should be extended to the guests.
That said, there are things someone might not notice but apologize and offer compensation when it is pointed out. And there are some things that can’t help but be noticed, and if the guest simply walks away and doesn’t mention it, that seems pretty rude and like they really have no intention of paying for the damage.
So if there was just a small tear in the curtains, it’s possible a guest might not notice it. If it was damaged to the point that it was obvious, with part of the curtain ripped and hanging down, that seems more like “Oh well, I don’t care”.
I often see it advised for hosts to wait until the review period is over to ask for payment for damages, to avoid a bad review. But that method also prevents the host from leaving an appropriate review. Seems like you’d want to see if the guest was willing to pay up before leaving the review. Then, if it was a small thing that the guest might not have noticed got damaged, and the guest was apologetic and paid up, the host might decline to mention it in a review at all. If the guest was nasty about it and denied the damage and refused to pay, that should definitely be mentioned in the review.
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That’s good to know. I will do the same next time if similar situation happens.
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@Amy_nyma Another thing to know about sheers- if they hang in windows that get intense sunlight for hours a day, the fabric eventually starts to break down and can then rip really easily, even if no one is being rough with it.
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It’s a very obvious tear. Half of the curtain fells down. I check my apartment carefully after guests check out every time or ask my co-host/house keeper to check for me if I am not in town. Actually I couldn’t find my remote control after they checked out, so I texted them asking where it might be, the father told me it was on the top of my cabin. But he didn’t mention anything about the window curtain and the shower curtain. It’s OK, I washed the shower curtain and ready to write the window curtain off as expenses. Just want to know if there are better solutions to prevent this from happening too often… something like better materials, mentioning in house rules…
I know some hosts feel that’s the cost of business but I disagree.
If I were to go stay with family and my child tore a curtain… I would replace it.
If I stay at an AirBnB and damage something… I would replace it.
I cannot afford to pay for damaged items at my business every stay so I decided I cannot afford to pay for damaged items any time🤷🏼♀️.
I charge for damages, missing items, etc.
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Thank you, Anna. I agree with you, but it’s so hard for me to ask replacement money from my guests. I guess it’s the downside of my characters… I will certainly do if it’s expensive. I have never charged any damages or missing items. I thought the process would be very disturbing and unpleasant. So I ate them up since they weren’t expensive. Would you mind telling me, how did you deal with the similar situation? Was the entire process easy or troublesome? Appreciate your time!
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It’s actually pretty painless through the resolution center. I recommend you have have pictures of the damaged item and a copy of the original receipt if you have it. Otherwise a screen shot of the cost of a replacement item of similar style and quality. You will be asked to briefly describe the item and how it was damaged, the total amount you are asking for, and the age of the item. You will upload the pictures and the copy of the receipt (or screen shot). Remember that the guest is going to see all of this so be professional and maybe even a touch friendly. I approach nearly everything as if it were accidental or unintentional. Once you submit the request, it goes to the guest. They have like 24 hours to accept the charge or decline (or simply not respond). After that, if they declined or didn’t respond, you can involve Airbnb. You just press a button in the resolution center. Airbnb reviews the details and makes a determination. Every time I have done this they have made a decision quickly and I have received the full amount I asked for. Make sure what you’re charging for is in line with your policies too. I have this verbiage included in my “additional rules” section:
My housekeepers are paid $25/hr, the cleaning fee is based on this rate. If the cleaning required exceeds the hours your cleaning fee has covered, you WILL be charged for the additional time at the rate of $25/hr, rounded up to the nearest 15 minute increment.
No early check in’s or late check out’s. Guests need to depart at or before 11:00AM. Housekeepers arrive by 11:05AM, you will be charged at the rate of $25/hr rounded up to the nearest 15 minute increment, after 11:00AM. Housekeepers will not enter the unit or begin cleaning while you are still present.
Any items found missing or damaged beyond use or repair will be charged to the guest via Airbnb’s resolution center. Items will be charged for replacement value.
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Thank you so much! Can I borrow your words? I want to put that in my house rules. This is very helpful!
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Spelling- pluralized words don’t use apostrophes before the s.
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Go for it. This is a public forum.
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