UPDATE: Should I file a claim?

Darn…I don’t recall, but you can find them at any housewares stores (we love Bed, Bath and Beyond in L.A.). Just skip the cheap ones and invest a few bucks in a nice cotton-based one. Highly recommended.

My system (Arlo) sends me a message when the guests arrive. I watch them come to the front door - how many there are, etc. Then I mostly ignore it, but if I hear messages coming in after 10pm you bet I’ll be watching/listening to see if there is a party going on. For me, it’s worth it to protect our neighbors from being disturbed, which could shut us down.

I post that we do not allow guests younger than 25. I haven’t had any problems with it and don’t plan on changing that. It wouldn’t be a problem with having guests in your own home where you constantly monitor them, but I won’t turn over my whole home to teenagers, thank you very much.

Occasionally I get requests from someone acknowledging our age limit and ask if we’ll make an exception. I do occasionally allow it if I’m really convinced there won’t be issues, but if it’s iffy at all I offer that my “kids” (now in their mid-late 20’s and they are youth leaders and camp counselors) can host them to get past our age limit. If they are planning a party they definitely won’t go for it.

Because I wanted to protect my new $2000 Nest bed and topper I also got an mattress encasement. Happy with it. Easy to install and has a soft cotton knit side with a plastic interior. Also it’s stretchy so it fits over the the mattress and topper with room to spare. It’s a MUST HAVE!!!

Here is an update on the outcome, I made a proposal:

I sent the guest a picture of the soiled duvet that was not recoverable after 3 washes, and the guest was sly… she then sent me a picture she took of my washer with slight mildew, blaming the soiled cover was caused by the mildew from my washer.

To cut my losses short, I made a proposal to have the situation resolved without escalation on the condition that if she does this within the same day: I asked for a 5-star review and I will not go after her for the deposit for the duvet replacement (knowing that Air will likely side with the guest with her falsified “proof”)

She then gave me a review and I did not write back. I thought after 14 days of inaction, I would not see the rating/review on Air… but I was wrong! I saw her review yesterday and the review was really great! So the moral of the story here is: you can never win all but I chose to settle privately without Air’s involvement, similar to settling outside of court before going to trial.

What’s $40 to you if you consider the loss as cost of business and you can win some?

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Am I understanding you negotiated with guest to give you a good review and you wouldn’t charge them for damaging bed linens?
And you did not leave a review for them?

I think you S_ _T the bed on this one,

I couldn’t resist that line.

that’s right - i needed her 5-star review to meet the superhost hurdle. I was borderline to meet the 80% status b/c I am a new host.

I also calculated my probability of getting any money back from Air is minimal given she took a picture of the mildew and the likelihood that Air will side with her story.

Oh I am new also. NOT a fan of toddlers and babies staying. Have had the same situation as yours.
Toddler peed over duvet, duvet cover and sheets and parents left soiled towels on the floor by the bed. Big stinky mess.
Difference was my guest was very accommodating . I communicated with guest… he was mortified and offered to make good. I sent him the request for funds and he payed immediately.

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What does SuperHost get you?
I became one a couple of months ago.
So far I like that I don’t have to be on hold for calls to the help line.
What other perks have you working for the Superhost ranking?

I don’t think anything except projecting confidence on the quality of potential guests’ stays.

You violated Airbnb’s Extortion Policy.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/548/what-is-airbnb-s-extortion-policy

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Good to know.

But I did give the guest an option though - she can choose to do nothing and give me a bad review, and I submit a claim for the damages… no?

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That’s exactly what extortion is; threatening a negative consequence to another for not doing what you want. Here is the wording in Airbnb’s Extortion Policy that speaks to what you did.

“Hosts asking a guest to take specific actions related to a review in exchange for a resolution to a dispute between the parties.”

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That is what I was thinking. Thanks for posting the policy.
When I first became a Host on AirBnB I read through the policies but had a hard time retaining all the information. I appreciate the refreshers here.

So all you have to do is take pictures, send it to Air, replace the items and send them receipts. It is SOO simple. I’ve had success with this process several times (unfortunately) and while I haven’t always gotten enough to go to Pottery Barn, I went to Target and replaced the items. Asking for a good review was silly, and Airbnb reads your conversations…so you may have actually shot yourself in the foot. Let’s hope they don’t catch wind of your extortion- because you basically paid for that 5 star review.

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My most recent guests included two infant/toddlers. There were two sheets, duvet covers, and a duvet with excrement on them. Culprit was the grandmother, who had some sort of gi upset. It all washed out with soap and oxyclean. If you have a washer in the unit, place a large sign “do not wash stained bedding” you may add that fresh linens can be obtained by request. I don’t leave spare linens as I don’t want to find none ready for a quick turnover.

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I agree! The guest should not have attempted to wash the soiled bedding.

@donduck, do you advertise that you offer laundry facilities for guests to use? If not, they cannot complain that there was mildew in them since they shouldn’t have been using them in the first place.

I’m glad you’re happy with the outcome, but I would have preferred for the guests to have done the right thing instead of getting away with bad behavior. They obviously knew that they had stained the bedding or they wouldn’t have taken pictures of your washing machine to prove their case before they even knew there was one.