During the summer holidays, there are many private rentals. But more and more owners are demanding money from tenants for real or supposed damages.
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Emmanuelle Poli rented a villa on the heights of Porto-Vecchio, in Corsica, and enjoyed a weekend with friends. But once the stay was over, the nightmare began for the young woman. The owner accuses her of having damaged the terrace and the plaster of the house and of having broken and stolen several pieces of furniture and objects. “She asked us for 2,400 euros in compensation, we said to ourselves ‘what is this injustice, what have we done?'”she says. “We are calm, we have not had any problems, we have not had any parties. We had the impression that she wanted to have a little money, we felt trapped”.
Large amounts requested
So she contacted the platform and provided her only proof: a video of the house taken when they arrived. “If I had not had this, I would never have been able to prove that the damage, which had been noted by the host, was not ours,” confides the young woman. Airbnb ended up dropping the charges, but Emmanuelle is far from being the only one to have experienced such a mishap.
On social media, many travelers share the abusive complaints received after their stays: “You left some shower gels open and they leaked in my drawer… and therefore stained the drawer.”The amount demanded was 300 euros. “I am upset, the pool liner was punctured and the broom is bent”The requested reimbursement was 4180 euros.
TF1
TF1
How does the platform decide? How does it investigate to find out who is telling the truth, the owner or the tenant? The TF1 teams asked Airbnb this question and the answer remains rather evasive:“Our user support team carefully reviews each dispute in order to find a clear, fair and proportionate solution”.
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A doubt that is still to the advantage of tenants. Without tangible proof from the owner, they cannot be forced to pay compensation. But to protect yourself from any unpleasant surprises, it is advisable to systematically film and photograph the accommodation upon your arrival.
The TF1info editorial team | TF1 report: Olga Lévèque, Emmanuelle Rouillon and Philippe Pelletier
