Guest gives dirty vacation rental three star rating, property owner tries to bill $640 for floor damage in retaliation: 'I'm not a difficult guest'

Booking a stay away from home can come with costs we don't expect.

In the day and age of short-term rentals and vacationing in homes over hotels, the results of an innocent choice of accommodation can be somewhat unpredictable. Individual landlords tend to be more unpredictable in their behavior than hospitality managers, and can leave their guests wishing that they had chosen elsewhere when it came to a place to stay.

Theoretically, there are safeguards against people having regrets when it comes to choosing a house or apartment for rent. Other guests leave reviews, or maybe the property gets checked by an independent party. In practice, though, this does not always prevent an unpleasant experience. It seems like some individuals choose to rent out a place just so they can make those who visit have a miserable time.

While it may be true that there are risks to letting strangers stay in your property, and it is possible to feel like you got stung, retaliation is not always justified. As a guest, it can also be difficult to prove your innocence when faced with accusations that you have done damage or behaved inappropriately.

via Edvinas Kumšlytis

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In this story, a guest at an Airbnb gave the place a three star review because they felt that it was not clean enough, including crumbs in the kitchen and an unvacuumed carpet. Not long after the feedback, they were notified that the host was requesting $640 from them for ‘professional floor restoration’.
The host claimed that they had left a burn mark on the wooden floor in the bedroom. The guest did their research and realized that they could prove that the burn was there long before they ever stayed there. Still, they worried they might have to pay for damage they did not cause.
Gave my Airbnb host 3 stars for a dirty kitchen. 2 hours later, he sent me a $600 bill.

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_{^{A woman using her phone to leave a one star review}}
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