I am a longtime Airbnb host. A guest failed to notify us of a leaking radiator for over a month. By the time we were aware of the problem, it had ruined the kitchen floor and required a $3100 repair. We were eventually able to work out a fair and amicable resolution with the guest, who agreed to pay us $500 towards the $1000 insurance deductible that we had to pay. After we reached this agreement, an Airbnb case manager blocked the payment and closed the case on the grounds that we had involved our insurance company. This is completely absurd; should we have taken the full loss or tried to get the guest to pay the full amount? Since this happened a few days ago, I have reached out to Airbnb repeatedly without being able to speak with anyone with the authority to remedy the situation. This is a horrible experience that is showing an inept and unfeeling Airbnb.
My reaction is simple. Who would have been responsible if the unit was unoccupied for a month? It wasn’t the responsibility of the guest to inform you that you had a problem.
I hate ainbnb but agree w them on this one. you can’t expect anyone to know anything technical about your house. Assume any renter is some grown up child celeb whos only lived in two homes their entire life and been too busy to know how radiators work. It was your crappy radiator, not theirs, and your lucky their belongings didnt get ruined. There is also probably some legal reason behind the company’s actions.