Post by High Priestess on Feb 6, 2016 3:55:58 GMT
Celia shared Feb 4 2016
Do you charge a Deposit?
Do you charge a deposit? I'm worried it may put people off booking as most other listings in my town don't seem to charge a deposit.
However if I don't charge a deposit how do I claim for breakages or lost items?
Thanks
Ed & Hugh
The security fee is not a deposit. It does not get charged unless there is a claim. There's no reason it should turn someone off unless they plan to do damage...in that case, it might be a good thing if they don't book with you.
Mig
If a guest broke or stole something, would you be happy to suck up the cost of repair or replacement?
Celia
Celia21 hours ago
Am just a bit confused about the difference between the deposit, which Airbnb allows you to specify as a monetary amount, versus the cover that they offer that sounds like an insurance?
Rick
Their so called insurance is only for proven malicious damages, not accidentally knocking over grannies lamp or your Ming Dynasty vase. Success in getting that insurance most likely requires an investigation & police reports
John & Lori
Is the "deposit" charged to the guests CC and refunded after departure, assuming no claims? Is it an actual hold on the account?
Andrew
No, the deposit is not held or charged in the absence of a claim. It merely constitutes a binding agreement with the guest that in the event of damage, they accept liability up to that amount. Arguably, a guest who wouldn't be willing to accept a charge for damaging your property is not a guest worth having.
But here's where it gets murky. Airbnb has changed the process with respect to deposit claims a few times, and at the moment the actual usefulness of it is uncertain. Currently, if you want to make a deposit claim, Airbnb directs you to the Resolutions tool, wherein you specify an amount of money and submit the evidence. Then, either the guest accepts the charge or it gets directed to a mediator who has the final say. The confusing thing is, you can still initiate this process without having a deposit in place, or request an amount above the deposit. Either way, it's ultimately up to Airbnb whether you get compensation. So one could reasonably ask - why bother having a deposit at all?
In previous discussions some people have suggested that the value of the deposit influences the mediator's ultimate decision, because the guest had agreed to be responsible for that amount. What I don't know is, whether Airbnb will still hold them accountable without it. They are very tight-lipped about their policy on this - and like many things, they're wildly inconsistent behind the scenes and make a lot of it up as they go along.
At any rate, I do think the potential benefits of a deposit outweigh the risks. It is not a deterrent to business (virtually ever high-volume host has one), it doesn't cost a guest anything without a claim, and it could make the difference between getting fair compensation or not.
But take all of Airbnb's hype about Protection and Security with a grain of salt - when bad stuff happens, expect a lengthy and stressful fight with mindlessly chirpy drones looking out for the bottom line.
helga
Andrew, I had a claim 2 years ago for willful damage (or complete foolishness), security deposit was 300, I got maybe four times that amount, maybe half of it for material, half for cleaning and urgent damage control work. The guest was from Latin America and I don't think they had any insurance and I'm not sure that airbnb could draw from their card beside above the deposit. (I believe at the time the deposit was still taken and refunded). The procedure was the same then. The only complaint I had was that the procedure was mind boggling swift and I could not get real cost estimates in such a short time. But they accepted web sites cost estimates and I ordered the machines after having received the money.
Celia
Thanks to you both. That completely answers my question
Do you charge a Deposit?
Do you charge a deposit? I'm worried it may put people off booking as most other listings in my town don't seem to charge a deposit.
However if I don't charge a deposit how do I claim for breakages or lost items?
Thanks
Ed & Hugh
The security fee is not a deposit. It does not get charged unless there is a claim. There's no reason it should turn someone off unless they plan to do damage...in that case, it might be a good thing if they don't book with you.
Mig
If a guest broke or stole something, would you be happy to suck up the cost of repair or replacement?
Celia
Celia21 hours ago
Am just a bit confused about the difference between the deposit, which Airbnb allows you to specify as a monetary amount, versus the cover that they offer that sounds like an insurance?
Rick
Their so called insurance is only for proven malicious damages, not accidentally knocking over grannies lamp or your Ming Dynasty vase. Success in getting that insurance most likely requires an investigation & police reports
John & Lori
Is the "deposit" charged to the guests CC and refunded after departure, assuming no claims? Is it an actual hold on the account?
Andrew
No, the deposit is not held or charged in the absence of a claim. It merely constitutes a binding agreement with the guest that in the event of damage, they accept liability up to that amount. Arguably, a guest who wouldn't be willing to accept a charge for damaging your property is not a guest worth having.
But here's where it gets murky. Airbnb has changed the process with respect to deposit claims a few times, and at the moment the actual usefulness of it is uncertain. Currently, if you want to make a deposit claim, Airbnb directs you to the Resolutions tool, wherein you specify an amount of money and submit the evidence. Then, either the guest accepts the charge or it gets directed to a mediator who has the final say. The confusing thing is, you can still initiate this process without having a deposit in place, or request an amount above the deposit. Either way, it's ultimately up to Airbnb whether you get compensation. So one could reasonably ask - why bother having a deposit at all?
In previous discussions some people have suggested that the value of the deposit influences the mediator's ultimate decision, because the guest had agreed to be responsible for that amount. What I don't know is, whether Airbnb will still hold them accountable without it. They are very tight-lipped about their policy on this - and like many things, they're wildly inconsistent behind the scenes and make a lot of it up as they go along.
At any rate, I do think the potential benefits of a deposit outweigh the risks. It is not a deterrent to business (virtually ever high-volume host has one), it doesn't cost a guest anything without a claim, and it could make the difference between getting fair compensation or not.
But take all of Airbnb's hype about Protection and Security with a grain of salt - when bad stuff happens, expect a lengthy and stressful fight with mindlessly chirpy drones looking out for the bottom line.
helga
Andrew, I had a claim 2 years ago for willful damage (or complete foolishness), security deposit was 300, I got maybe four times that amount, maybe half of it for material, half for cleaning and urgent damage control work. The guest was from Latin America and I don't think they had any insurance and I'm not sure that airbnb could draw from their card beside above the deposit. (I believe at the time the deposit was still taken and refunded). The procedure was the same then. The only complaint I had was that the procedure was mind boggling swift and I could not get real cost estimates in such a short time. But they accepted web sites cost estimates and I ordered the machines after having received the money.
Celia
Thanks to you both. That completely answers my question