How to Charge an Airbnb Guest for Damage After Checkout

A guest checks out. You walk through the property and find a broken chair, a stained mattress, or a missing item worth real money. Now what? Airbnb gives hosts a way to request compensation, but the process only works if you follow it correctly and have the evidence to back it up.

This guide walks through exactly how to charge an Airbnb guest for damage, what Airbnb requires from you, and why most hosts fail to recover anything at all.

What options do Airbnb hosts actually have?

When a guest causes damage, hosts have two routes. The first is a direct request through the Airbnb Resolution Centre, where you ask the guest to pay before involving Airbnb. The second is an AirCover claim, where Airbnb steps in if the guest refuses or does not respond.

Most hosts jump straight to AirCover. That is usually the wrong move. AirCover should be your backup, not your first step. Guests who are contacted directly and shown clear evidence often pay without an argument. It is faster, less stressful, and does not require you to build a formal case.

Step one: request payment through the Resolution Centre

Go to the reservation in your Airbnb dashboard and open the Resolution Centre. Select the option to request money from your guest and describe what happened. Include photos, a description of the damage, and a breakdown of the cost.

Be specific. "Broken chair" is not enough. Write "dining chair with cracked rear leg, photographed at 11:04 on checkout day, cost to replace is X based on the attached receipt." The more precise you are, the harder it is to dispute.

Airbnb gives the guest 24 hours to respond. If they agree and pay, the matter is closed. If they refuse or ignore the request, you can escalate to Airbnb.

Step two: escalate to AirCover if needed

If the guest declines or does not respond within 24 hours, Airbnb allows you to ask them to step in. At this point the case moves into the AirCover review process and an Airbnb agent will assess your evidence.

This is where most hosts run into trouble. The agent reviewing your case has seen hundreds of damage claims. They are trained to look for verifiable evidence, not just photos. If your documentation does not meet the standard, the claim is denied regardless of how obvious the damage is.

What evidence Airbnb actually accepts

This is the part most guides skip over. Airbnb does not publish a formal evidence checklist, but the pattern across thousands of host reports is consistent.

Timestamped photos taken on the day of checkout. Photos taken days later, or photos without verifiable metadata, carry almost no weight. The timestamp needs to be embedded in the file or confirmed by a platform that logged it server-side.

GPS data showing the photos were taken at the property. This removes any doubt about where the photos were captured. Airbnb reviewers flag photos that could have been taken anywhere as inconclusive.

A before and after comparison. Photos of the damage alone are not enough. You need photos from before the guest arrived showing the item was in good condition. Without a check-in record, the guest can simply say the damage was pre-existing.

A professional repair or replacement quote. Airbnb does not accept personal estimates. You need a quote from a contractor, a retailer, or a cleaning company. Screenshots from Amazon or IKEA are sometimes accepted for furniture, but a formal quote carries more weight.

Documentation submitted within 14 days of checkout. AirCover has a strict deadline. If you miss it, the claim cannot be filed regardless of the evidence.

The 14-day rule and why it matters

Airbnb requires that all AirCover requests are submitted within 14 days of the guest checkout date, or before the next guest checks in, whichever comes first. If you have back-to-back bookings, your window can be as short as a few hours.

This is why same-day documentation is not just a best practice. It is a necessity. Hosts who inspect and photograph at checkout have the evidence ready before the deadline becomes a problem. Hosts who plan to deal with it later often find the window has already closed.

How much can you actually recover?

Airbnb AirCover covers up to $3 million in damages per stay, but that figure is misleading as a benchmark for typical claims. In practice, AirCover works well for clear, documented damage with a verifiable cost. It works poorly for subjective claims, soft furnishings, or anything without receipts.

Hosts with strong documentation routinely recover the cost of broken furniture, damaged appliances, deep cleaning fees, and lost items. Hosts without documentation routinely recover nothing.

The amount you can recover is largely determined by the quality of your evidence, not the severity of the damage.

Common mistakes that kill damage claims

Cleaning before documenting. Once the property is cleaned, your evidence of how the guest left it is gone. Always photograph before the cleaner arrives.

Waiting to see if the guest says anything. Guests who caused damage rarely bring it up. Do not wait for an apology or a voluntary payment offer. Document immediately and start the Resolution Centre request while the evidence is fresh.

Submitting photos without context. A close-up of a stain means little without a wide shot showing which room it is in and which surface is affected. Always pair wide shots with close shots.

Asking for more than you can document. If you claim $800 for a sofa but can only show a small stain, Airbnb will question the amount. Ask for what you can prove with receipts or professional quotes.

Filing after the next guest has checked in. Evidence becomes contested the moment another guest has access to the property. File before the next stay begins.

What to do if Airbnb denies your claim

If your AirCover claim is denied, you can request a review. New evidence submitted at this stage carries less weight than evidence submitted in the original claim, but it is worth doing if you have documentation you did not include initially.

You can also pursue the matter through your national small claims process if the amount justifies it. Timestamped, GPS-verified inspection reports are admissible in most civil proceedings and carry significantly more weight than unverified phone photos.

Some hosts in the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK have successfully used small claims courts for damage disputes where Airbnb declined to pay. The documentation standard is higher than AirCover requires, but the payout is binding.

Prevention is more effective than recovery

The hosts who have the best outcomes with damage claims are not necessarily the ones who know the AirCover process best. They are the ones whose guests never dispute the evidence in the first place.

When a guest sees a timestamped inspection report with GPS data and a public verification link, the calculation changes. Disputing the claim means disputing a verifiable record. Most guests do not want that conversation.

Consistent documentation does not just help you recover money. It changes the dynamic with guests before any dispute starts.