Airbnb Guest Returns to Find Rental Flooded by Burst Pipe. Then the Host Charges Her $20K for Couch Damages
She got a birthday surprise.
A woman had hoped to spend her birthday relaxing in an Airbnb, only for her to return from a birthday dinner to find the rental flooded with water from a burst pipe. Not only that, but the property’s host allegedly decided to hit her with a $20,000+ bill for damages.
Licha (@lichac213) shared the incident on TikTok. In the video, Licha gave viewers a glimpse of the Airbnb she rented as water poured heavily from the ceiling lights and flooded the floor and furniture. Pink birthday decorations, such as balloons, banners, and streamers, were also littered about.
“I came back from having dinner to this !!!!!!my stuff, decorations, my birthday trip got ruined bc of this!!!!!” Licha said in her caption. She said that Airbnb had sent her a damage claim for “some damages I had no control,” and claimed that she was being asked to pay more than $20,000, allegedly because the couch was destroyed during the incident.
Airbnb is requesting over $25K total
“A pipe burst when I wasnt there so why am I getting charged 20k ????? & look at the raggedy a** couch,” Licha said. In the video, she zoomed in on the brown couches in question, which appeared to be drenched in water. Licha also added on-screen text, saying, “LIKE I SAID OVERLY CHARGED!!!!” This isn’t the first time an Airbnb property has experienced waterlogging, as a host found himself in a similar predicament after a guest checked out.
In a separate post, Licha shared screenshots of Airbnb’s damage claim. According to the photos, the incident occurred on Feb. 23, 2026, and she was being charged $20,177.60 for the damaged couch and an additional $2,300 in management fees. The amount Airbnb requested totaled $25,302.65. Licha was given the option to either submit an appeal or settle the bill.
After seeing the water pouring from the ceiling and the claims made by Airbnb, viewers believe that Licha shouldn’t be made responsible for the rental damages. “I’m genuinely curious why you would be liable for damages when it’s their own ceiling lights leaking into the home. I would have sent that to Airbnb immediately for a refund. Also that couch is not no 20k couch,” a commenter wrote. Another said, “If this happened at a hotel they would compensate YOU.”
Hosts can be reimbursed by the company
Some viewers shared their own similar experiences, although the situation was handled differently from Licha’s own experience. “This happened to me my host moved me to a new air bnb and covered the cost and apologized like ALOT lol,” a commenter said.
Others were a bit more skeptical about how the flood came to be. “This ain’t no d*** burst you left the tub running,” a commenter wrote. Another said, “Yall left the water on? Be honest.”
Licha hasn’t given any further updates on what caused the burst pipe or whether she plans to appeal the claim. However, in the event that she denies the claim, Airbnb can reimburse the host for guest damages through the host damage protection under its AirCover for Hosts program.
According to Airbnb, the company can reimburse hosts up to $3 million if a guest damages their property. However, Airbnb does not cover damages due to wear-and-tear, acts of nature, or injury or property damage to guests.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
