Homeowner Thinks Airbnb Needs Some Changes After Home Trashed
DENVER (CBS4) - A City Park homeowner says his place was trashed after he rented it out on the short-term rental site, Airbnb.
"There was puke on our brand new couch and on our new rug, and chewing tobacco spilled, and basically a whole roll of paper towels shoved down a toilet upstairs," said Airbnb host Chris Meiners.
And the damage didn't stop there.
"They took my work laptop, a backup phone, and a bunch of Xbox games," Meiners said.
Meiners hasn't heard from the guests since he rented out his home back in September.
CBS4 found the user profile no longer exists.
Despite Airbnb's $1 million Host Guarantee, Meiners says it took months to get $2,500 worth of damages taken care of.
"Actually getting a hold of someone, and talking to the right person, was much more frustrating than it should have been."
Meiners had to provide receipts for the items stolen, turn in a police report, and show documents to support his claims.
"I feel they need to change their process a little bit, and at least have a little bit more communication throughout it, and some way to talk to somebody," Meiners said.
Meiners says he would host again, but would take more precautionary measures.
"Anything that you really value, either sentimental or monetarily, you should probably keep very secure, either off site, or have a very secure way of locking it up," Meiners said.
Meiners was eventually paid for the damages in December.
When CBS4 asked Airbnb, over the phone, if they plan on making changes to their Host Guarantee, they referred us back to the main website.
Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.
