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Some hosts set the security deposit on their accommodations, and if you break something while staying there, the host has the right to ask for the reparation, and if both sides fail to reach an agreement, Airbnb steps in to decide the amount of reparation.

However, what about the case the host doesn't set the security deposit? Is the guest still obligated to make reparation?

The Airbnb page only states the case where the host sets the security deposit.

What do I do if my guest breaks something in my place?

If you need to make a claim on your security deposit, you can do so in the Resolution Center within 14 days of your guest’s checkout date or before the next guest checks in, whichever is earlier.

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Blaszard
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is a business question, not really related to travel (even though Airbnb is travel related, your question about it is not). –  Jan 07 '18 at 00:40
  • Seems like a travel question to me, @Moo. What happens if I break something in an Airbnb where that hasn't asked me to pay a security deposit? – David Richerby Jan 15 '18 at 20:04
  • @DavidRicherby that's still not a travel question, it's a question about business policies and practices. Just because it's about Airbnb or a hotel doesn't automatically make it travel related. This is more a legal question than anything, and even then it would be split into a bajillion jurisdictions. –  Jan 15 '18 at 20:07
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    @Moo *boggle* It's a question about the policies and practices of a business that is intimately related to travel. – David Richerby Jan 15 '18 at 20:18
  • @DavidRicherby not really, it's a legal question about responsibility for damages and whether lack of a security deposit exhonerates the guest. Breaking a table in McDonalds doesn't make the question about cooking. –  Jan 15 '18 at 20:21
  • @Moo I feel people like you and other downvoters/closevoters, (and also the answerer I think) misunderstand the question. The question is about how Airbnb handles the case (its policy, custom, practices, etc), not about what would happen or what I should do if I break something in an accommodation which happens to be in Airbnb. – Blaszard Jan 15 '18 at 20:41
  • @Moo Or consider replacing Airbnb with similar services such as Homestay or Booking.com. I may agree it is not related to travel if the answers are all same, but my question is strictly about Airbnb (How they resolve the case? What is the policy they implement? etc...). If the question is not written well feel free to edit it, but I feel it is clear enough and given that it didn't reach 5, it is clear for most people. – Blaszard Jan 15 '18 at 20:42
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    @Moo Sorry but that's a straw man. Nobody has claimed that being a customer at McDonald's or any other restaurant has anything to do with cooking. You, on the other hand, are claiming that being a customer of a hotel or B&B has nothing to do with travel. I just don't understand that. Basically all customers of B&Bs and hotels are travellers and almost all travellers need to stay somewhere. – David Richerby Jan 15 '18 at 20:43
  • @DavidRicherby no, I'm saying that legal questions surrounding culpability are not travel related, and they are not. I couldn't care less if the company involved is a hotel or a variant of a hotel, that doesn't stop it being a legal question. You are entitled to your opinion - that is mine. Being a customer of McDonalds doesn't make every issue you have with them a culinary one - yet here you are saying that every question an Airbnb customer has is a travel related one. That simply isn't correct. Have you wasted enough of my time on this pointless exercise? –  Jan 15 '18 at 21:19
  • @Blaszard even if it's Airbnb specific, it's still not a travel related question - it's either a business policy question or a legal one. –  Jan 15 '18 at 21:20
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    @Moo Have you wasted enough of your own time justifying your close vote that nobody has yet joined? – David Richerby Jan 15 '18 at 21:23

1 Answers1

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Common sense and decency suggest that if you break something in your host's home beyond what would be considered normal wear and tear, you should compensate them the cost of repairing the damage. As for whether this is legally enforceable, depending on the jurisdiction the host may be able to sue you in small claims court or similar. And they can certainly leave you a negative review on the AirBnB website.

When I accidentally caused minor damage in a host's apartment, I left some cash based on my estimate of the cost to repair it, which the host appreciated and did not escalate to AirBnB - a win for both sides.

ajd
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