‘Absolutely egregious’: Indiana man says his Airbnb host requested over $1,000 for damages that happened after he checked out
An Indiana man claims an Airbnb host attempted to scam him out of $1,140 for a broken sleeper sofa. The man said he had already checked out when the damage supposedly happened, but he was having issues with Airbnb customer service. Instead, he decided to take to TikTok to publicly air out his complaint.
Tyler Holbert took to TikTok to share his Airbnb customer service nightmare after the host tried to charge him an excessive amount of money for something he claimed he wasn’t responsible for. Tyler said that he had booked the Airbnb for two nights but had left after just one due to his classes being canceled. After leaving a five-star review at the request of the host, he received a message from the host telling him, “The sleeper sofa is broken.” They then requested he pay $1,140 to get it fixed.
In cases where the host claims damages, Airbnb typically requires them to provide proof. Tyler said that the “proof” submitted was two images of people outside the property “when I had already checked out.” The situation naturally left the guest feeling frustrated, as they felt the host was taking advantage of the system and trying to charge them extra money for something they claim not to be responsible for.
Tyler got Airbnb to listen
Guests can sometimes be left with the short end of the stick when it comes to challenging claims made by hosts. In Tyler’s case, he was able to get Airbnb’s attention, and in a second video he claimed the host had gotten their money back through insurance. He also announced his intentions to take the original video down since he had gotten what he wanted.
While the original video posted by Tyler has since been taken down, a TikTok creator and Airbnb host who goes by the moniker “Dryfter Homes” stitched the video and provided his two cents on the situation.
“I’ve only charged like three guests as an Airbnb host myself, and it’s only for things that are absolutely egregious,” Dryfter Homes said. He also questioned the host’s supposed “proof,” asking “what this was attempting to prove.”
He also claimed that the Airbnb host may have intentionally been trying to use the rating system as “leverage,” as they asked Tyler for a five-star review before submitting the damage report. Dryfter Homes claimed this meant the guest would have “very limited recourse” when it came to challenging the damage claim.
Ultimately, Tyler was able to get the fine for the damages waived, but some suspect that it was only because his video had a lot of eyes on it. “They lowkey saw your TikTok and didn’t want the back lash” wrote one commenter on TikTok.
(Featured image: Tyler Holbert, Dryfter Homes, TikTok)
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