Post by High Priestess on Sept 27, 2015 23:57:46 GMT
G shared:
Airbnb Guest Trashes New York Penthouse
tinyurl.com/lspyqtc
Keith:
These articles disturb me because they don't match my own personal experiences. I had a guest remove some things from the apartment. I filed a claim. I had already filed a police report, so I had that info for the airbnb trust and safety person. they also permanently banned the guest from using the platform in the future. It took about 6 weeks but I was reimbursed for everything in what was a relatively painless process.
NEVER did any one try to discourage me from filing a claim--In fact, airbnb was very helpful and apologetic. They handled things exactly as I would have expected.
My personal insurance company, in fact, denied the claim so I dropped them and got a policy with someone else but continue to use AirBnB for listing my home-sharing accommodations.
Tom:
I am really confused. The article states that the guest was told she needed to file a claim within 72 hours .....
"She asked again about the host guarantee and was told this time that she wasn't covered because she failed to fill out the claim within 72 hours of the incident."
After my assault, I called customer service, I was told that I had to wait 72 hours. In fact, customer service told be that 72 hours had to pass before I would get my case assigned to a "Trust and Safety Officer". The man I spoke to in Tampa was very sympathetic and tried to help me out. He talked to his colleagues on his team and a trust and safety officer happened to be walking by. I was told to hang on but after a few minutes, my guy came back on the line and told me "she is going on vacation tomorrow so she told me it doesn't make much sense to assign the case to her". I was told to wait 72 hours then AIrbnb would get involved.
I never got a call back from trust and safety and my assault happend on April 18th. It was Peter's group that got me results, a host gave me Chip's email, and Chip immediately responsed and he got the ball rolling. The payment of $300 to cover the extra cleaning/etc. was paid. and a meeting at my home with members of Chip's team.
I have some very serious concerns that I pointed out to Brian and Laura. I am hopeful but skeptical they will be addressed and corrected.
Chip appears to be a nice guy and sincere (he didn't come to my home for the meeting due to meetings so I am basing this observation as an audience member at the Airbnb Open). But he is 1 person. Hosts from 190 countries can't send him an email when things go horribly wrong.
This is really upseting for me. I been homesharing for 4 years now, am a superhost, and I have recommended hundreds of people to sign up for Airbnb.
I highly recommend that everyone get commercial insurance. I have 2 million dollars. It is about $900 more than homeowners but I can sleep at night. I am still in the dark and confused what Airbnb's insurance covers. And I highly recommend that you check with your insurance company about using management companies for your short term business to see if you are covered. Do they need to be licensed? If not, will your insurance be voided? My insurance covers up to a certain number of occupants for the entire business. So, be very careful. It is clear to me now that hosts accept a great deal of risk. What if the guest of my guest assaulted my neighbor or seriously injured someone? Who is liable?
Keith:
I have replace my renters insurance with a policy from proper.insure. its more expensive but covers loss of use and has an earthquake rider. Its also underwritten by Lloyd's of London who underwrites airbnb's host guarantee so there is no real value in them fighting over who covers me but in the event of an incident I'll file a claim with both and let them sort it out. In addition the policy covers the building and has my landlady listed as an additional insured so if something spill out beyond my unit she is covered.
G:
Tom....The host (not the guest) was initially told by the Airbnb service agent that her damages were not covered and that is why she initially did not file a claim within 72 hours. In any case, my understanding is that New York City does not allow unhosted short term rentals, therefore she was in violation of that city's short term laws. Secondly, I think that Airbnb needs to provide more training to their customer service agents. I think these kinds of stories only support my belief that unhosted short rentals are highly risky and need extra vetting and supervision.
Keith:
This is supposedly the value of airbnbs policy...it doesn't have the 'illegal acts' provision most insurance companies use to deny he sharing claims. However...its reasonable that people have to file claims in a reasonable timeframe. The host should have filed the claim immediately. It also sounds like the guest was happy to pay for damages so this seems to have been a case where the guest and host could have worked things out but the host was just mad and wanted someone to blame. Airbnb should simply charge the guests credit card and remit the funds to the host and everyone move on. The host, for such a lovely listing, should also charge a $2000 deposit. Airbnb makes this easy and then she need only file a claim for damages in excess. For my individual rooms (hosted stays) I do not require a deposit. For my whole house listing (non-hosted stays) I require a $500 deposit. This would cover, for example, carpet cleaning and a sofa cleaning and potentially replacing sheets or dishes. I haven't had an issue but if there were more I'd file a claim with my insurance and Airbnb and let them sort it out.
Tom:
Thanks Keith for the name of the insurance provider. I will compare rates. You also have an earquake rider? Is it still 20% deductable of home? (replace cost $400,000 so dedcutable is $80,000).
Keith:
I'm.not sure since the earthquake rider was mainly for my loss of use. And as an extra protection for my landlord.
G:
Keith...I agree with everything you have written re this case so far. However, my understanding of insurance policies, they don't usually offer liability coverage to tenants if the tenant's guest is a "paying guests". Am I missing something or did you name your Insurance Company in some post that I haven't read?
Keith
proper.insure. they're one of the few that offer insurance which covers homesharing. there are others, but I found they had the best coverage options.
G:
Thanks Keith. I am going to look into them. I am an owner and when I contacted my insurance my agent said they didn't have any insurance that would cover me for a paid guest.
Tom:
I wonder how she booked this guest, was it instant booking?
Airbnb Guest Trashes New York Penthouse
tinyurl.com/lspyqtc
Keith:
These articles disturb me because they don't match my own personal experiences. I had a guest remove some things from the apartment. I filed a claim. I had already filed a police report, so I had that info for the airbnb trust and safety person. they also permanently banned the guest from using the platform in the future. It took about 6 weeks but I was reimbursed for everything in what was a relatively painless process.
NEVER did any one try to discourage me from filing a claim--In fact, airbnb was very helpful and apologetic. They handled things exactly as I would have expected.
My personal insurance company, in fact, denied the claim so I dropped them and got a policy with someone else but continue to use AirBnB for listing my home-sharing accommodations.
Tom:
I am really confused. The article states that the guest was told she needed to file a claim within 72 hours .....
"She asked again about the host guarantee and was told this time that she wasn't covered because she failed to fill out the claim within 72 hours of the incident."
After my assault, I called customer service, I was told that I had to wait 72 hours. In fact, customer service told be that 72 hours had to pass before I would get my case assigned to a "Trust and Safety Officer". The man I spoke to in Tampa was very sympathetic and tried to help me out. He talked to his colleagues on his team and a trust and safety officer happened to be walking by. I was told to hang on but after a few minutes, my guy came back on the line and told me "she is going on vacation tomorrow so she told me it doesn't make much sense to assign the case to her". I was told to wait 72 hours then AIrbnb would get involved.
I never got a call back from trust and safety and my assault happend on April 18th. It was Peter's group that got me results, a host gave me Chip's email, and Chip immediately responsed and he got the ball rolling. The payment of $300 to cover the extra cleaning/etc. was paid. and a meeting at my home with members of Chip's team.
I have some very serious concerns that I pointed out to Brian and Laura. I am hopeful but skeptical they will be addressed and corrected.
Chip appears to be a nice guy and sincere (he didn't come to my home for the meeting due to meetings so I am basing this observation as an audience member at the Airbnb Open). But he is 1 person. Hosts from 190 countries can't send him an email when things go horribly wrong.
This is really upseting for me. I been homesharing for 4 years now, am a superhost, and I have recommended hundreds of people to sign up for Airbnb.
I highly recommend that everyone get commercial insurance. I have 2 million dollars. It is about $900 more than homeowners but I can sleep at night. I am still in the dark and confused what Airbnb's insurance covers. And I highly recommend that you check with your insurance company about using management companies for your short term business to see if you are covered. Do they need to be licensed? If not, will your insurance be voided? My insurance covers up to a certain number of occupants for the entire business. So, be very careful. It is clear to me now that hosts accept a great deal of risk. What if the guest of my guest assaulted my neighbor or seriously injured someone? Who is liable?
Keith:
I have replace my renters insurance with a policy from proper.insure. its more expensive but covers loss of use and has an earthquake rider. Its also underwritten by Lloyd's of London who underwrites airbnb's host guarantee so there is no real value in them fighting over who covers me but in the event of an incident I'll file a claim with both and let them sort it out. In addition the policy covers the building and has my landlady listed as an additional insured so if something spill out beyond my unit she is covered.
G:
Tom....The host (not the guest) was initially told by the Airbnb service agent that her damages were not covered and that is why she initially did not file a claim within 72 hours. In any case, my understanding is that New York City does not allow unhosted short term rentals, therefore she was in violation of that city's short term laws. Secondly, I think that Airbnb needs to provide more training to their customer service agents. I think these kinds of stories only support my belief that unhosted short rentals are highly risky and need extra vetting and supervision.
Keith:
This is supposedly the value of airbnbs policy...it doesn't have the 'illegal acts' provision most insurance companies use to deny he sharing claims. However...its reasonable that people have to file claims in a reasonable timeframe. The host should have filed the claim immediately. It also sounds like the guest was happy to pay for damages so this seems to have been a case where the guest and host could have worked things out but the host was just mad and wanted someone to blame. Airbnb should simply charge the guests credit card and remit the funds to the host and everyone move on. The host, for such a lovely listing, should also charge a $2000 deposit. Airbnb makes this easy and then she need only file a claim for damages in excess. For my individual rooms (hosted stays) I do not require a deposit. For my whole house listing (non-hosted stays) I require a $500 deposit. This would cover, for example, carpet cleaning and a sofa cleaning and potentially replacing sheets or dishes. I haven't had an issue but if there were more I'd file a claim with my insurance and Airbnb and let them sort it out.
Tom:
Thanks Keith for the name of the insurance provider. I will compare rates. You also have an earquake rider? Is it still 20% deductable of home? (replace cost $400,000 so dedcutable is $80,000).
Keith:
I'm.not sure since the earthquake rider was mainly for my loss of use. And as an extra protection for my landlord.
G:
Keith...I agree with everything you have written re this case so far. However, my understanding of insurance policies, they don't usually offer liability coverage to tenants if the tenant's guest is a "paying guests". Am I missing something or did you name your Insurance Company in some post that I haven't read?
Keith
proper.insure. they're one of the few that offer insurance which covers homesharing. there are others, but I found they had the best coverage options.
G:
Thanks Keith. I am going to look into them. I am an owner and when I contacted my insurance my agent said they didn't have any insurance that would cover me for a paid guest.
Tom:
I wonder how she booked this guest, was it instant booking?