What You Should Do When Your Airbnb is Damaged

As the host of an Airbnb, there’s no denying that you’ll be wanting to make sure your property is going to be in an acceptable working condition for your guests – especially the beds. Now, you’ll want to have good quality furnishings so that no problems occur during your guests stay.

Read Now: Advice On Beds at Your Airbnb

On occasion, you may find that your property has become damaged in some way since your guest’s arrival. This can vary from:

Damage to an item, such as a framed picture or a vase.
To a part of the property itself, like a wall, stair bannister, or the floor.
It can even be an expensive appliance or amenity.

Once you’ve discovered that something along these lines has happened, it’s perfectly acceptable to be unhappy about it. It’s just human nature. The important thing here is how you manage the situation. Obviously, you’ll need to be civil about it, but there are steps you’ll need to take to alleviate the problem.

Here are five things you’ll need to keep in mind when your property has become damaged.

Mistakes Can (and Will) Happen

It’s as simple as that. We all make mistakes. It’s what makes us human. The key thing to take on board with this is to remember that just because a mistake has occurred, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Granted, the damage done may be bothersome when it’s happened, but once the issue has been resolved, will you still have that frustration? No.

You should also be mindful that your guests may not be as immaculate and careful as you are. Particular guests are clumsier than others, and the hygiene levels of pets may be lower than that of the guests themselves.

Do you know what type of guests are more likely to be clumsy and have lower levels of hygiene? Pets and children. It’s ultimately up to you to decide who you want to stay at your Airbnb, but you should always consider their likelihood of causing damage.

Read Now: How to Manage Having Pets at your Airbnb

Accept Wear and Tear

Nothing lasts forever. It’s just a fact.

Whether that’s the carpet, furniture, appliances, or any accessories you have around the property to make it appear snazzy; you’ll have to replace them eventually. Wear and tear is just a part of life.

No matter whether your guests speed that wear and tear up, there’s no point in expressing frustration with them. Remember – this may be your property, but it’s not your own home. Even if it was, anger won’t solve anything.

Collect Evidence for Compensation

A no-brainer when your property has become damaged is that you’ll want compensation. This is especially true for the repairs that’ll consequently be needed. It would be ideal for you to charge your guests with a security deposit, as you’re more likely to recoup your losses that way.

However, to receive said compensation, you’ll need to submit a damage claim to Airbnb. It’s not as simple as saying “there’s been damage to my property”. You’ll be needing evidence. As soon as the damage has occurred (or as soon as you’ve noticed it), take photos and record videos, especially in close-up, of the affected area or items.

You must take notes on the exact order of events, who first noticed the damage (you, the guest, or a friend who’s helping you), and when (date and time). You’re more likely to receive compensation if your evidence is highly detailed.

Communicate with the Guest

In a perfect world, if a guest causes any damage, they would speak to you straight away about what happened and would offer to pay you for the repairs.

But what if they don’t?

Communicating with your guests is essential, whether they like that or not. As soon as you spot the damage, talk to them about what happened to see if they were aware of it, and ask if they’re willing to pay for the damages.

You can communicate with them either in person or using the Airbnb platform. If you can’t achieve a satisfactory resolution to the issue and the guest is failing to cooperate with you, then you need to lodge a complaint against them using Airbnb’s resolution centre.

Calculate the Costs for Repairs

Now, it’s all fine and dandy to say that you’ll be wanting compensation for any damage that may have occurred. The real question is how much you think you should be compensated. After all, you’ll be needing money for those repairs, and you’ll want to make sure you have more than enough to pay for it.

To figure out how much you should be compensated, do the following:

Find the prices of items you want to replace the damaged ones with.
Gather any relevant invoices you still possess a copy of.
You can even request a contractor to provide estimates for you before they start work.

Once you’ve done this, Airbnb can then determine your eligibility for compensation and how much they will pay for it.

These were just five tips on what to do should your Airbnb property becomes damaged. If you would like some more advice on this topic, contact us at Keey today.