Post by High Priestess on Oct 11, 2015 5:45:23 GMT
Karen shared:
Airbnb guests wreck Paris flat
I'm a host myself and never had problems but my son put his lovely one bedroom flat on Airbnb in Paris
Paris. Within 24 hours he had requests and accepted a Swiss young man who wanted it for four weeks. He had four references and my son who is without work at the moment accepted.
A few days ago he was contacted by the owners of the building by recorded letter as the flat had been used as a kind of gay brothel. When he came to get the flat back he found four men with a dog. The flat which had been lovingly refurbished only a few months ago was in a terrible state. He had o ask for a professional cleaning. The new sofa beds badly stained, the new wooden floor damaged, the walls stained, , the blinds broken but much more importantly he is now sued by the co owners of the bldg for damage made to the elevator, over 1500 euros. He had two more letting which he had to cancel He was told that there were guys in and out of the flat all night, they rang bells, at 3am, kept the building doors open all night, some were sick in the courtyard and generally badly disturbed the peace of this bldg filled with elderly retired couples. He has of course contacted airbnb, got someone in Ireland, then Ohio, they promised to call back but that was two days ago and nothing happened. What do you advice? He is in complete despair. He is recently separated, has a 9 years old daughter. How can he take her back to sleep there? Airbnb is supposed o have an insurance. Why don't they react? Any help welcome!
Rose:
Sorry I know this is your son and I don't mean to be rude but this whole scenario doesn't make sense. Why would he leave for 4 weeks and never check in? Especially if it's his first time hosting? I would be so nervous to do this. Newly refurbished and beautiful, why never check in?
Why didn't anyone in the building contact your son or the police while all this wild behavior was happening? If he's being sued by the co-owners of the building it makes no sense that police weren't called and he wasn't contacted during all of this commotion. 4 men and a dog?
This doesn't sound right to me. His first time hosting and all this happens? Airbnb is probably wondering if this is a legit claim to begin with or someone just trying to get some money out of them.
Karen:
He was only contacted by the neighbours in the last days, after teh elevator broke down. I believe the main troubles happened over the week end. I think he wanted to be respectful of their privacy and not intrude. He had only dealt with one man and had let the flat for two people only. It is a terrible lesson and yes, I agree, he should have been more present. Too late now... thank you so much for your comment.
Zacharias:
Hopefully he charged a deposit which he can immediately charge against the guest and everything from the insurance.
scott:
I hope he has taken photos and sent these to Airbnb? A conversation days ago with someone in a call centre is not going to achieve anything. He will also need to contact his insurance company - hopefully he was insured.
Karen:
he is insured but not for the elevator, the damage to his relationship with the neighbours, the fact that he will not be able to have any other tenants..although i doubt they can force this as he is the owner of the flat.
Julia:
It seems (advice from these groups) that contacting airbnb on Twitter gets fast results. Perhaps try this, but make sure your son has photos and proof of damage, ie the bill for the lift. Perhaps one of his neighbours (a friendly one) could also provide some sort of proof. Did he report this to the police? If so he will have a police report which will certainly be required by airbnb. Do not let this rest. A similar thing happened to a London host recently and it took all of his efforts to get help from airbnb. See here www.airbnb.co.uk/groups/167 you will have to scroll down to find the post 5 days ago and scroll further down to read the whole story. You could also try emailing Chip Conley at airbnb, I think chip@airbnb but not certain. Best of luck but honestly, you will need to really keep on at airbnb and have a case manager assigned to the complaint. Best of luck to you and your son.
Deborah:
It's chip@airbnb.com
Karen:
very useful. thank you so much Julia. I will pass this on to him.
Raymond & Elaine:
www.globalhostingforum.com Read about David from Londons experience. Tell your son to join the new host forum. I'm afraid he learnt the hard way. He should have prepared better . If he wasn't available to oversee the stay he should have got a friend or neighbour or paid someone to do it. Airbnb seems like easy money to some hosts, it isn't and he has learnt this the hard way.
Karen:
yes, he also wanted to be respectful of the people's privacy. it is a very hard way to learn. But Airbnb should also provide for this kind of happenings. They have an insurance and make millions too.
Raymond & Elaine:
Airbnb will help him, he just has to be persistant and back up his claim with police reports, photos and witnesses. Has he changed the locks on his apartment and the main door ? Don't want to be scary but they could come back. Does your son have a security deposit he can claim on ? If not he should include one immediately. Yes this will have a terrible effect on his relations will his neighbours and " les co-propritaires et le syndic de l'immeuble"
Sorry just read Julia's post so I repeated the same advice. It's good advice though so should be read twice !
Karen:
will pass on!
Adriane:
Thank you for your sharing which makes me alert of the risks. Airbnb should formulate some measures to protect the hosts.
nathalie:
Bonjour Karen, desolee de cette experience negative. La 1ere chose a faire est de lire les regles airbnb et l'une d'elle est : l'assurance airbnb n'est applicable qu'au USA (le seul site qui propose une assurance aux francais est sejourning). Pour etre dédommagé, il y a la caution et le tres bon conseil donne de contacter chip conley directement. Vous devez avoir des preuves et porter plainte a la police. Pour l'anglais a qui c'est arrive, ca a marche. Pour les parties communes, posez la question sur le forum d'universimmo (ils sont supers) et/ou si vous avez une assurance juridique, contactez votre compagnie d'assurance pour savoir si le remboursement est a la seule charge de votre fils ou a la copro. C'est loin d'etre clair car il y a la charge de la preuve. Cela etant dit , maintenant que votre fils s'est fait repere , ca va etre complique avec ses voisins. Il a interet a bien payer ses impots... bon courage
Raymond & Elaine
www.airbnb.com/guarantee The host guarantee applies to France listings too.
nathalie:
It is a glorious news. I check 1 month ago and only the USA was covered.
Karen:
thank you for this!
Jessa:
the host guarantee has applied to the EU for I think some 1.5 years. The host insurance program not however. Only the latter is a real insurance. Tweet, facebook, call, email Chip, demand this be "expedited" (this is a very airbnb word) to a superior - make noise noise noise threaten with media if they don't take it seriously... and back up with evidence of course. Bon courage!
Karen:
merci, vous n'etes pas tres rassurante! c'est la premiere fois qu'il mettait son appart sur airbnb et visiblement ce sera la derniere!
helga:
Karen,
sorry for your son, that's a nightmare. To reassure you a bit, if he made the claim within 48 hours, he should get something from insurance, even if it's not airbnb insurance but airbnb host guaranty in France.
I had damage in Paris - if you like to read the story, it's here www.airbnb.fr/groups/content/content-161465
Principally: if your son has not yet written to airbnb, do it immediately and stipulare: as said by phone on the ...., that happened ...
You may get different contacts - for a time I was negotiating with two different ones in French and English.
Flag the guest too in his profile, that may get the attention of a third person. Keep calling. You need cost estimates for every damage very quickly.
A trustworthy neighbor is essential if you rent the whole flat. And write it in the description to avoid the crazies - something like: I'm always reachable by phone, the neighbors are nice and may help you - if you call me, I'll send someone over.
Good luck.
Karen:
I have now read your story and it sounds harrowing as well! thank you for sharing.
thank you so much. that is indeed helpful. he is in contact with airbnb and wrote to them immediately. I have to say that the response from fellow hosts has been wonderful!
helga:
Karen, I imagine how worried you all are, but calm down, as it is happening in Paris, it will be less catastrophic than it seems now.
I suppose your son will get the material damages to the flat, either via the guaranty or via his deposit. Cleaning can be claimed too.
For the elevator, he will have a hard time proving that it was his guests but so will have the community. I suppose in the end it will be house insurance or house repair fond that pays it - it seems hardly imaginable that you can stop an elevator from working by ill intent. A smeared interior yes, but if it stops, it's probably an accidental damage. Even taking the activities from the flat to the elevator should not stop it ;-)) Usually those things stop working all the time - in the highest house of our residency, they installed one and it was our Summer entertainment program: People blocked it by sending a baby carriage alone up to the doctor, delivery guys blocked it with a couch, people got stuck, workman blocked it etc etc. They did not ask the doctor nor the person receiving the delivery to pay for the interventions. It's just an accident that new passengers trigger some faults the others know to avoid.
What your son needs to do urgently, is starting an image campaign. If he owns the flat and if he usually lives there, he can rent it, if it's a second apartment, he would need permission from the town.
But between being entitled and being on good terms, there is a difference. I'd start with neighbors he knows and most of all with the concierge. Let the others tell what happened, say how horrified he is, straw in from time to time "If only someone called me" ask for "How could I have known that" comments, explain the need for money, he wants to be a caring father and able to buy things for the kid, etc. Let people vent their anger, then ask for ideas. Give them the feeling that they can have their say. Does not mean they will have their way.
He should go to the assemblée générale, they will all talk about it. Better to be there. But usually those assembles just talk a lot. And will talk about it for the next 10 years. - I should know: we found a tiny atelier with a sort of a parking space before the door. We created a garden there. Those crazy Austrians, what do they think, where they are? First year flowers and angry neighbors, second year raspberries and furious neighbors, convocation to the syndic, third year tomatoes !!, fourth year the neighbors started gardening. Everyone who enters sees a paradise but some pigheaded neighbors start the fight all over at every assemblée.
Airbnb guests wreck Paris flat
I'm a host myself and never had problems but my son put his lovely one bedroom flat on Airbnb in Paris
Paris. Within 24 hours he had requests and accepted a Swiss young man who wanted it for four weeks. He had four references and my son who is without work at the moment accepted.
A few days ago he was contacted by the owners of the building by recorded letter as the flat had been used as a kind of gay brothel. When he came to get the flat back he found four men with a dog. The flat which had been lovingly refurbished only a few months ago was in a terrible state. He had o ask for a professional cleaning. The new sofa beds badly stained, the new wooden floor damaged, the walls stained, , the blinds broken but much more importantly he is now sued by the co owners of the bldg for damage made to the elevator, over 1500 euros. He had two more letting which he had to cancel He was told that there were guys in and out of the flat all night, they rang bells, at 3am, kept the building doors open all night, some were sick in the courtyard and generally badly disturbed the peace of this bldg filled with elderly retired couples. He has of course contacted airbnb, got someone in Ireland, then Ohio, they promised to call back but that was two days ago and nothing happened. What do you advice? He is in complete despair. He is recently separated, has a 9 years old daughter. How can he take her back to sleep there? Airbnb is supposed o have an insurance. Why don't they react? Any help welcome!
Rose:
Sorry I know this is your son and I don't mean to be rude but this whole scenario doesn't make sense. Why would he leave for 4 weeks and never check in? Especially if it's his first time hosting? I would be so nervous to do this. Newly refurbished and beautiful, why never check in?
Why didn't anyone in the building contact your son or the police while all this wild behavior was happening? If he's being sued by the co-owners of the building it makes no sense that police weren't called and he wasn't contacted during all of this commotion. 4 men and a dog?
This doesn't sound right to me. His first time hosting and all this happens? Airbnb is probably wondering if this is a legit claim to begin with or someone just trying to get some money out of them.
Karen:
He was only contacted by the neighbours in the last days, after teh elevator broke down. I believe the main troubles happened over the week end. I think he wanted to be respectful of their privacy and not intrude. He had only dealt with one man and had let the flat for two people only. It is a terrible lesson and yes, I agree, he should have been more present. Too late now... thank you so much for your comment.
Zacharias:
Hopefully he charged a deposit which he can immediately charge against the guest and everything from the insurance.
scott:
I hope he has taken photos and sent these to Airbnb? A conversation days ago with someone in a call centre is not going to achieve anything. He will also need to contact his insurance company - hopefully he was insured.
Karen:
he is insured but not for the elevator, the damage to his relationship with the neighbours, the fact that he will not be able to have any other tenants..although i doubt they can force this as he is the owner of the flat.
Julia:
It seems (advice from these groups) that contacting airbnb on Twitter gets fast results. Perhaps try this, but make sure your son has photos and proof of damage, ie the bill for the lift. Perhaps one of his neighbours (a friendly one) could also provide some sort of proof. Did he report this to the police? If so he will have a police report which will certainly be required by airbnb. Do not let this rest. A similar thing happened to a London host recently and it took all of his efforts to get help from airbnb. See here www.airbnb.co.uk/groups/167 you will have to scroll down to find the post 5 days ago and scroll further down to read the whole story. You could also try emailing Chip Conley at airbnb, I think chip@airbnb but not certain. Best of luck but honestly, you will need to really keep on at airbnb and have a case manager assigned to the complaint. Best of luck to you and your son.
Deborah:
It's chip@airbnb.com
Karen:
very useful. thank you so much Julia. I will pass this on to him.
Raymond & Elaine:
www.globalhostingforum.com Read about David from Londons experience. Tell your son to join the new host forum. I'm afraid he learnt the hard way. He should have prepared better . If he wasn't available to oversee the stay he should have got a friend or neighbour or paid someone to do it. Airbnb seems like easy money to some hosts, it isn't and he has learnt this the hard way.
Karen:
yes, he also wanted to be respectful of the people's privacy. it is a very hard way to learn. But Airbnb should also provide for this kind of happenings. They have an insurance and make millions too.
Raymond & Elaine:
Airbnb will help him, he just has to be persistant and back up his claim with police reports, photos and witnesses. Has he changed the locks on his apartment and the main door ? Don't want to be scary but they could come back. Does your son have a security deposit he can claim on ? If not he should include one immediately. Yes this will have a terrible effect on his relations will his neighbours and " les co-propritaires et le syndic de l'immeuble"
Sorry just read Julia's post so I repeated the same advice. It's good advice though so should be read twice !
Karen:
will pass on!
Adriane:
Thank you for your sharing which makes me alert of the risks. Airbnb should formulate some measures to protect the hosts.
nathalie:
Bonjour Karen, desolee de cette experience negative. La 1ere chose a faire est de lire les regles airbnb et l'une d'elle est : l'assurance airbnb n'est applicable qu'au USA (le seul site qui propose une assurance aux francais est sejourning). Pour etre dédommagé, il y a la caution et le tres bon conseil donne de contacter chip conley directement. Vous devez avoir des preuves et porter plainte a la police. Pour l'anglais a qui c'est arrive, ca a marche. Pour les parties communes, posez la question sur le forum d'universimmo (ils sont supers) et/ou si vous avez une assurance juridique, contactez votre compagnie d'assurance pour savoir si le remboursement est a la seule charge de votre fils ou a la copro. C'est loin d'etre clair car il y a la charge de la preuve. Cela etant dit , maintenant que votre fils s'est fait repere , ca va etre complique avec ses voisins. Il a interet a bien payer ses impots... bon courage
Raymond & Elaine
www.airbnb.com/guarantee The host guarantee applies to France listings too.
nathalie:
It is a glorious news. I check 1 month ago and only the USA was covered.
Karen:
thank you for this!
Jessa:
the host guarantee has applied to the EU for I think some 1.5 years. The host insurance program not however. Only the latter is a real insurance. Tweet, facebook, call, email Chip, demand this be "expedited" (this is a very airbnb word) to a superior - make noise noise noise threaten with media if they don't take it seriously... and back up with evidence of course. Bon courage!
Karen:
merci, vous n'etes pas tres rassurante! c'est la premiere fois qu'il mettait son appart sur airbnb et visiblement ce sera la derniere!
helga:
Karen,
sorry for your son, that's a nightmare. To reassure you a bit, if he made the claim within 48 hours, he should get something from insurance, even if it's not airbnb insurance but airbnb host guaranty in France.
I had damage in Paris - if you like to read the story, it's here www.airbnb.fr/groups/content/content-161465
Principally: if your son has not yet written to airbnb, do it immediately and stipulare: as said by phone on the ...., that happened ...
You may get different contacts - for a time I was negotiating with two different ones in French and English.
Flag the guest too in his profile, that may get the attention of a third person. Keep calling. You need cost estimates for every damage very quickly.
A trustworthy neighbor is essential if you rent the whole flat. And write it in the description to avoid the crazies - something like: I'm always reachable by phone, the neighbors are nice and may help you - if you call me, I'll send someone over.
Good luck.
Karen:
I have now read your story and it sounds harrowing as well! thank you for sharing.
thank you so much. that is indeed helpful. he is in contact with airbnb and wrote to them immediately. I have to say that the response from fellow hosts has been wonderful!
helga:
Karen, I imagine how worried you all are, but calm down, as it is happening in Paris, it will be less catastrophic than it seems now.
I suppose your son will get the material damages to the flat, either via the guaranty or via his deposit. Cleaning can be claimed too.
For the elevator, he will have a hard time proving that it was his guests but so will have the community. I suppose in the end it will be house insurance or house repair fond that pays it - it seems hardly imaginable that you can stop an elevator from working by ill intent. A smeared interior yes, but if it stops, it's probably an accidental damage. Even taking the activities from the flat to the elevator should not stop it ;-)) Usually those things stop working all the time - in the highest house of our residency, they installed one and it was our Summer entertainment program: People blocked it by sending a baby carriage alone up to the doctor, delivery guys blocked it with a couch, people got stuck, workman blocked it etc etc. They did not ask the doctor nor the person receiving the delivery to pay for the interventions. It's just an accident that new passengers trigger some faults the others know to avoid.
What your son needs to do urgently, is starting an image campaign. If he owns the flat and if he usually lives there, he can rent it, if it's a second apartment, he would need permission from the town.
But between being entitled and being on good terms, there is a difference. I'd start with neighbors he knows and most of all with the concierge. Let the others tell what happened, say how horrified he is, straw in from time to time "If only someone called me" ask for "How could I have known that" comments, explain the need for money, he wants to be a caring father and able to buy things for the kid, etc. Let people vent their anger, then ask for ideas. Give them the feeling that they can have their say. Does not mean they will have their way.
He should go to the assemblée générale, they will all talk about it. Better to be there. But usually those assembles just talk a lot. And will talk about it for the next 10 years. - I should know: we found a tiny atelier with a sort of a parking space before the door. We created a garden there. Those crazy Austrians, what do they think, where they are? First year flowers and angry neighbors, second year raspberries and furious neighbors, convocation to the syndic, third year tomatoes !!, fourth year the neighbors started gardening. Everyone who enters sees a paradise but some pigheaded neighbors start the fight all over at every assemblée.