How to File an Airbnb Damage Claim (Step-by-Step)

The short answer

To file an Airbnb damage claim: request reimbursement from the guest first through the Resolution Center, and if they decline or don't respond within about 72 hours, escalate to Airbnb under AirCover for Hosts. You must file within 14 days of checkout (or before your next guest checks in, whichever comes first), with itemized costs and clear before/after photo evidence. The single biggest reason claims fail isn't a lack of damage — it's disorganized or late evidence.

Step 1 — Document before you message the guest

Before you open a claim, get your evidence in order: a baseline (before) photo of the item or surface, a checkout (after) photo showing the damage, a close-up and a wide shot for context, the date the damage was found, and a cost (a receipt, an estimate, or a replacement price).

Keep the originals untouched. Airbnb's review can reject photos that look edited or can't be verified, so preserve the EXIF/timestamp data rather than screenshotting or re-saving.

Step 2 — Request from the guest in the Resolution Center

Open the reservation, go to the Resolution Center, and send a reimbursement request to the guest with the itemized amount and your photos. Keep the tone factual and non-accusatory — you're documenting a cost, not accusing someone.

If the guest pays, you're done. If they decline or go quiet for ~72 hours, you can escalate and involve Airbnb.

Step 3 — Escalate to Airbnb (AirCover for Hosts)

When you involve Airbnb, they review the same evidence. This is where organization wins: a clean packet with matched before/after photos, receipts on letterhead where possible, and a short factual summary gets resolved faster than a pile of loose images.

For depreciated items, show the math — original price, useful life, and age — so the claimed amount is defensible rather than a round number.

Common reasons Airbnb claims get denied

1. Filed after the 14-day window.

2. No baseline photo, so the damage could be called pre-existing.

3. Photos that appear edited or stripped of metadata.

4. Claiming full replacement value on an old item with no depreciation.

5. Damage that reads as normal wear and tear.

6. A cost with no receipt, invoice, or estimate behind it.

How Turnfolio makes this faster

Turnfolio stores baseline photos by room, lets your cleaner upload checkout photos from a phone link, flags likely damage against the baseline, and builds a host-reviewed, Airbnb-formatted claim packet — photos, receipts, depreciation, and claim text — before the 14-day window closes. You review and submit; nothing is sent automatically.