Damage to table top - guest won't pay for it and Airbnb won't pay for it

[Luis-And-Fernando0]

Hello Everyone,

I had a guest stay at my house for New Years eve with 5 guests. I told her that there were no parties allowed several times and she said ok. Well they had a party, not only that but after teling her that there were no more than 5 people alowed to stay overnight, she had 8 people sleep over, consumed my food and even had a dog in the property (which in the rules is clear...no pets allowed). I told them about the dog and they removed it after 2 hours and they left the house  semi clean.

But thereal problem was the damage to the table top from my dining room table (brown chocolate color) it was ruined! there is a huge white stain that wont come off. I went to West Elm (store where I bought it) and they told me that there was no way to fix it since the veneer was burned/stained/damaged and I would have to get the whole table top replaced and it would be cheaper to buy a new one. ($1,600 dollars)

I reach out to the guest and they said that the charges were too high. I involved Airbnb and they asked me to provide all the documentation necessary, well I submitted pictures within 24hrs of the guest checking out showing the damage to the table but they are saying that the guest can't be held responsible for the damages (what? why?) 

What am I supposed to do here? I dont understand, how can they side with the guest after I am showing the damages of the table.

The agent from Airbnb said "we'll be unable procced any further with your claim due to the fact that we do not believe the guest is responsible for the reported damages" No other information on how they determine this. 

[Nina118]

The damage to the table aside, I have also had little satisfaction from AirBnB in pursing or arbitrating guest behavior when it was non-compliant. I had someone who had 23 guests over the course of her rental, when she rented it for 4 people and the max at one time was 6. She had more than 8, 9 people staying, never could get AirBnb to collect the extra rental nor be responsive to my complaint. As a result I am much much more cautious about who I rent to and turn people away rather than taking a chance on a repetition of this kind of behavior. AirBnB needs to figure out how to help and stand by the hosts in this regard.

[Carolyn99]

I have just had a similar problem with a claim for damaged carpet. I did the claim in a timely fashion. At this stage just uploaded photos of damage. The guest did not respond so I asked the resolution team to step in.  After a while I called to check what wasd happening to find the case had been closed as apparently I hadn't responded to an e-mail they send me withing 72 hours. 

I swear I NEVER received these e-mails ( so obviously i didn't respond). I have taken this up with them again and they will not accept that I didn't receive their e-mails. 

It is rubbish that for something as important as claims/resolution they ONLY use e-mail, whereas with messages from guests, bookings etc they appear on the site dashboard and are pushed to both your e-mail and phone. They should at LEAST do this with 

claims. I am absolutely furious right now.

All of us who feel let down by the airbnb 'trust and safety' team and that they reneged on  their promise to hosts to protect our property against such damage should write to the CEO. If we let it go ..it appears there is No Problem ...when clearly from all the replies and comments I have seen on tbis thread and others' there seems to be a culture of protecting and believing the GUEST as opposed to the HOST. This is not ok. I am definitely not going to rest until I at least have a reply from the Ceo. 

[Herbert29]

A guest damaged a stove ceramic top and denied it. I had been turned down three times already in a month for incomplete information. I sent photos, estimates, links with the replacement parts, etc. I am just getting robot emails denying the claim.
This is in clear violation of their own stated terms. It says:
“We’re committed to creating a safe and trusted community around the world. Though property damage is rare, we understand you may need protection. The Host Guarantee will reimburse eligible hosts for damages up to $1,000,000.”
I can see the above just like a cheap advertising because airbnb is not committed to it.
We, the hosts, are the ones providing the infrastructure for airbnb to make their income, but they are protecting the guests which at the end don't carry any responsibility. That is unfair.
I invested a lot of money to provide a nice please for my guests, but the way I'm seeing it may not be worth for me. If airbnb does not provide the support I need, I am going remove my apartment their system.

[Sara455]

you can probably get the stain out....do a search on 'YouTube':  white stain on wooden table...  it will tell you how with a dish cloth and iron