Airbnb Host Guarantee Fails to Reimburse Property Owner

Last year, Heather Harnell renovated her old condo and decided to list it up on Airbnb, a popular short-term rental platform. It was quickly rented out by October 1st and by the next day, utterly destroyed.

According to the report, the guest held a 60-person party that resulted in theft and significant property damage totaling about $14,000. With receipts and adequate video evidence in hand, Harnell contacted Airbnb to take advantage of the well-known Airbnb Host Guarantee, a coverage plan with $1,000,000 in protection, of which the company frequently boasts.

The Airbnb representative assured her of coverage and escalated her claim but before long, two months went by without any progress. While a claims adjuster apparently showed up to examine the damage later on, there’s been no word of whether what kind of reimbursement, if any, that Harnell received.

Airbnb has stated that claims involving significant property damage are rare, or about 1 in 41,000 bookings. But with so many news reports and horror stories involving stolen or damaged property, this number is clearly inaccurate.