Hosts who make claims against the security deposit are increasingly having those claims denied because of a very strange and punitive interpretation. For example, if a host makes a claim about an irreversably-stained or ripped set of sheets, they may have their claim denied because it was submitted after the next guest checked in, because: "If a host wants to make a claim on the security deposit, they must do so within 14 days of the checkout date OR BEFORE A NEW GUEST CHECKS IN (emphasis mine), whichever is earlier."
That's totally absurd! Our place, for example, is 95% booked at all times, which means we almost always have guests checking in 3 hours after the previous guest checks out. And during that 3-hour window, we're busy cleaning/prepping, without time to lodge a claim. And, as others have said, before making a claim we make a good-faith effort to remove stains (stain-spray, followed by proper laundering) before we decide to file a claim for reimbursement. All of that CANNOT happen before the next guest checks in. So, this ridiculous bit of evasive verbiage from AirBnB is..., well..., ridiculous.
Someone at AirBnB needs to either change the official policy OR educate staff about how the current policy actually works.
